If you’d like to become a published children’s book author yourself, get the help you need to do that by becoming a member of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club at the National Writing for Children Center.

As founder and director of the center, I’m excited to announce the addition of several new instructors to our faculty.

Each of these instructors is a published children’s book author and/or illustrator who knows the “tricks of the trade” for getting published in today’s children’s book markets.

Visit the National Writing for Children Center today, and for the next few days, to find out about all the exciting new changes in store for members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club.

If you have a question about writing for children, visit AskSuzanneNow.com to submit your question and I will answer it here. At that site, you’ll also find an audio file of a free teleseminar that answers many questions about writing for children. So be sure to listen to it - you might find that your question has already been asked by someone else and the answer is on the audio file.

Here’s a new question that was recently submitted by Russell:

Russell says, I have been writing short storybooks for children and several people have been telling me to publish them, but how? Please tell me the steps to take in publishing and perfecting a children’s book.

Here’s my answer to Russell:

First, good for you, Russell, for getting some writing done. You should know, though, that the road to publication of picture books (storybooks) is often difficult. That’s because picture books cost so much to produce and the market for this kind of work is very competitive. The fact that your friends like your stories and say they should be published is encouraging. Yet, are any of these friends published picture book authors? If not, then they probably don’t know the slightest thing about the BUSINESS of writing picture storybooks for kids.

Also, have you taken any courses in writing for children? If not, make sure you know what editors look for in work for young readers.

Read my article here that will tell you some of the top mistakes new children’s writers make - so you won’t make these same mistakes yourself.

Next, join a critique group made up of OTHER children’s writers. Also, be sure the group includes at least one or two PUBLISHED children’s writers - someone who knows the tricks of the trade as far as children’s writing and publishing are concerned.

Finally, once you have a submittable manuscript, study the markets to find out which publishers would be the most likely to purchase your manuscripts. There are several market guides for children’s writing available in bookstores. These market guides contain helpful information about publishers. But you’ll also want to obtain at least a few publishers’ catalogs, so you can see the kinds of books each of these publishers publishes.

As far as agents go - you don’t HAVE to have an agent. But you do need to learn to write a great query letter since some publishers prefer queries to complete manuscripts, even for picture books.

Read as many new picture books as you can, to see what the overall picture book markets are buying these days. Also network with other children’s authors. If you’re really serious about publishing, attend at least one children’s writers’ conference every year, and join The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

To learn more about HOW to write for children, take a course through the Institute of Children’s Literature, and/or become a member of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club at the National Writing for Children Center.

Above all, don’t give up if you don’t find a publisher for your work right away.

Keep writing.

Keep learning all you can about children’s publishing.

It usually takes time to learn to write for children well enough that your manuscripts are marketable to publishers.

But keep writing and learning and eventually you’ll see your name (and your work) in print!

One of the enjoyable things I get to do as director of the National Writing for Children Center is arrange for speakers for our two monthly teleclasses for members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club.

Author Angela Durden

One of our speakers this month is Angela Durden, author of Mike and His Grandpa, the first in a new series of children’s books.

Durden will be speaking to the CWCC this Wednesday night at 7:00 central time. Here’s a short blurb about her presentation.

What Will YOU do with Expectation Postponed?

Is your book not getting written as fast as you want?
Is your book not getting published when and by whom you want?

Are speaking appearances not coming as often you would like?

Are you crying in your beer about wasting time?

Stop crying! View this as an opportunity to work on the details.

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Become a member of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club here and join us for this exciting teleclass with Angela Durden Wednesday night. As a Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club member you will also receive a CD of this recorded event in this month’s membership packet.

Would you like to become a published children’s book author yourself?

To find out more about the CWCC, click here.

Our new directory of children’s authors and illustrators who make school visits is now available at the National Writing for Children Center.

Download the e-directory here.

While you’re at the National Writing for Children Center, find out more about the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club.

This month, members of the club can enjoy 5 special teleclasses for children’s writers, along with the opportunity for weekly professional manuscript critiques.

Find out more about the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club.

Also, don’t forget to listen to Book Bites for Kids LIVE every weekday afternoon at 2:00 (CST) on blogtalkradio. Today, our guest will be children’s author C.S. Larsen.

You can listen to the show via your computer OR call in during the LIVE show and talk to our guest at 1-646-716-9239.

Listen to Book Bites for Kids here.

As director of the National Writing for Children Center and coaching coordinator for the Children’s Writers Coaching Club, I get to have a lot of fun each month speaking with other children’s authors and illustrators for our two monthly teleclasses, and our weekly podcast, Book Bites for Kids.

Last night we had a wonderful teleclass for club members with children’s author/illustrator Dianna Bonder. Dianna is a warm and generous person who lives many people’s dream life as a writer and illustrator on a small island that’s part of British Columbia. Her children’s book illustrations are amazing.

Read more about Dianna Bonder’s work here and even get a glimpse of her enchanting artist’s studio in the woods.

To find out more about the Children’s Writers Coaching Club and these monthly teleclasses, visit the National Writing for Children Center.