Oh Susanna! - Does A Similar Book Mean I Should Not Submit My Story?

Good Monday, Everyone!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

I finally put my annuals in because, after a week of over 90 degree weather, we are hoping the danger of frost (which we had last weekend) is past!  Who is in charge of the weather around here?  It's nuts! :)

Of course, given my reputation as The Black Thumb Of Poughquag, my plants will probably be looking like this before long :)

Also (thanks to Beth Stilborn and Laura Miller) I MAY have a new plan for Perfect Picture Books which would make the list easier to search and easier to update.  Keep your fingers crossed!  It will probably take me the whole summer to put it together, but it will be great if it works! :)

Today, after many weeks in which we have been distracted by other things, we have an Oh Susanna question!

Oh Susanna!

I am currently working to get my first picture book published. I have been studying the market and in doing so I came across a recently published book that looks somewhat similar to mine. Should I be discouraged? Will anyone be interested in publishing my book if there is already one with a similar topic in the market? 

Sincerely, Clueless 

I think this is an excellent question.

Although we are all told to be original, there are some who say there are no new stories.  New baby and sibling rivalry and fear of the dark and first day of school and wanting a pet, etc., etc., etc. have already been told.

This may be true.  But if you spend five minutes in the library or bookstore, you'll see (using new baby as an example) Julius The Baby Of The World, Not Yet Rose, The Best Kind Of Baby, Penny Loves Pink, A Baby Sister For Frances, The New Baby, On Mother's Lap, Hello Baby, Babies Don't Eat Pizza, Waiting For Baby, Peter's Chair... I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea - there are LOTS of picture books about kids getting a new sibling.

Pretty much any topic/idea/theme you choose to write about will have been done before in some way.  The trick is to make it your own - to put a spin on it that hasn't been done so that your story is new and fresh even if it deals with a tried and true topic.  If you were to read those 10 books listed above, you'd see that although they all revolve around the arrival of a new baby, they are all different stories.  In Julius The Baby Of The World, Lilly is jealous and doesn't have much nice to say about her new brother until her friends criticize him and she rushes to his defense.  In Not Yet Rose, Rose worries that she won't like being a big sister or that the baby might not like her.  In The Best Kind Of Baby, Sophie imagines all the kinds of babies her mother could have, thinking puppies and monkeys and fish would be much more fun than a human baby.  As you can see, those are all very different types of stories, which address different aspects of getting a new sibling and have different moods and atmospheres.

In addition to trying to put your own unique spin on your story, you will also want to research the publishing houses you plan to submit to.  For example, (sticking with the idea of new babies), does the house already have a new baby book?  How old is it?  Is it still in print?  Has it sold well and become a classic or is it lesser known?  Is the actual story it tells similar to yours (e.g. is it a brother waiting for a sister and yours is too?  Or is it a jealousy story and yours is too?)?

A house that has a book very similar to yours will probably not want to compete with itself.  But another house may be happy to have it... overjoyed if they love it and think they can outsell other houses' books on that topic :)

If you find that your story really is too similar to one or more books already out there, think about ways you could tweak your story to make it different.  Could you tell it from a different point of view?  Could you change the focus slightly?  Could you make it a sister waiting for a brother instead of a brother waiting for a sister?  Could you place it in a very unusual setting or time period, or make it about an animal family instead of a human family?  Try stretching your idea in different directions and see where you end up :)

I hope that answers your question and helps you out a bit!  And as always I'd be grateful to have all our readers chime in with their thoughts and experience in the matter!

Have a magical Monday everyone! :)

Oh Susanna - How Do You Handle Illustrator Notes In Picture Book Manuscripts?

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

And Happy Birthday to my wonderful dad!!!  I have been exceptionally lucky in the parent department! :)  I'm a writer, I know.  I'm supposed to be good at words.  But for some things, there just aren't good enough words, or I'm not good enough with them, so here's a picture.  They say that's worth 1000 :)

in case you were wondering,
that beauty in the saggy diaper is yours truly, age 15 months :)

And now that you've had your comic relief for the day :) let's get on with Oh Susanna, shall we?

Today's question comes to us from Pam who asks:  I was wondering how many illustrator's notes you use in your writing.  For example, inApril Fool, Phyllis! did you give any since most of the story could be understood with your words alone?  And, in Not Yet, Rose, did you decide that Rose was a mouse, or was that decided by Nicole Rutten?  I'm utterly confused about illustrator's notes.  I keep hearing that editors don't like them unless they're absolutely necessary, but then I also keep hearing that nowadays editors really want half the story to be told through pictures and half through words, in which case illustrator notes are essential.  Can you help me navigate this dilemma?  Would you be willing to share a portion of a MS in which you designated an illustrator's note?

We had a similar question back in March of 2012, so I refer you to THIS POST for some information on the subject.

But your question is slightly different... so I will add a little more detail in another direction in case that might be helpful.  (And as always, I hope you alert readers out there will chime in with your two cents - it is always such a contribution!)

In response to your overall question about "how many illustrator's notes I use" my answer is hardly any.  I try to let the story and the writing speak for themselves as much as possible.

But of course it is not always possible to convey your whole intent, especially for something that's meant as a secret twist, or a surprise, or an added element of humor, or various other things.  Sometimes a few words to the wise are necessary.

My personal feeling is that illustrator notes break up the flow of your writing when an editor is reading. I know they are trained to kind of skim over them and not get distracted, but I still try to avoid them when I can.

For example, in the case of both April Fool, Phyllis! and Not Yet, Rose, I put the illustration suggestions, such as they were, in the cover letter.    If you recall the story line of April Fool, Phyllis!, you will remember that Phyllis is able to lead her little cousins back to safety by following the sap line.  I didn't want to give away the ending by calling attention to the sap line too early in the story, but it couldn't come completely out of nowhere either.  I also wanted the weather to sneak up on the story characters, but I wanted the reader to be able to see it coming.  So I included a note in the cover letter that said that the sap line should be visible in the illustration at various points (so that a reader going back to check Phyllis's clever solution would see the sap line had been there all along) and that there should be indicators of the coming blizzard in the illustrations - a darkening sky... a few snowflakes... a bit more snow etc. so that the reader could see it coming even while the characters were so caught up in their treasure hunt that they didn't notice.

For Not Yet, Rose, I did a similar thing.  I included a note in the cover letter pointing out that, although I'd written the story with a human girl in mind, there was no reason why the characters couldn't be animals, which might be helpful in adding a comforting layer of distance in a story whose emotional arc cut close to the concerns and confusion that many children feel when a sibling arrives - concerns and confusion that are hard for a child to own.  The editor agreed this could work nicely, which is how Rose and her family came to be hamsters (I will not tell Nicole you thought her hamsters were mice :) tee-hee :))

In both cases, those were rather global things that were better mentioned/described in the cover letter.

But sometimes you can't escape it :) you have to put some art notes in.  My suggestion is to format them correctly and keep them to a minimum.  You are correct that neither editors nor illustrators want too much interference.  They prefer not to have the art dictated to them by the author.  But sometimes it really is necessary to get your point across and/or crucial to the reader's comprehension of the story.

I'm sure people have been taught differently, and I expect we will get some alternative methods in the comments, but I have been taught that art notes should be bracketed in square brackets, begun with ART in all caps and followed by your notes, single spaced, in small font and kept to the right-hand side as much as possible.  I will try to put an example in here, but I know blogger isn't going to let me format it right so I won't be able to do more than one line of art note.

(From Can't Sleep Without Sheep):

The cows were a complete disaster!  [ART: the cow completely smashes the fence]

Can you get the general idea?  It's not perfect... if you had more description of your art, it would drop down a line or more, so you would single space and tab over to keep it all on the right-hand side, as easy as possible for the editor to skim over for the time being... but hopefully you can kind of see how you would do it.

I guess as a general rule I'd say if it's something broad (like the characters could work equally well as humans or animals) you can put it in your cover letter, or in an art note at the start of your manuscript.  If it's something quite specific to a point in the story, a particular line of text, that would call for an art note.

I understand your concern about editors wanting "half through the pictures and half through the words."  As authors who don't draw, this is hard for us!  How will we get across what we're imagining in our heads?  How will we be sure the editor "gets" our stories?

But remember this:  the pictures are the illustrators' job.  They are fantastic at what they do - excellent, gifted individuals who see things differently than we do and bring a whole other dimension to our stories.  We don't need to tell them how to do their jobs - they know :)  We only need to be sure that the story concept is clear - to the editor and to the illustrator.  The words are our job, the art is theirs.  So write the best story you can write.  Add a little note in your cover letter if there's something that can be well explained there.  Put a judicious art note or two in your manuscript if necessary.  And then be prepared to be surprised and delighted by what your illustrator brings to your story :)

I hope this helps answer your questions, Pam.  If not, feel free to ask for clarification in the comments and all our helpful readers and I will do our best to make it more understandable.

Helpful Readers, I invite you to add anything from your experience that might be of use to Pam, whether your opinion/experience corroborates mine or yours is different and will add another avenue of help.

Have a terrific Monday, everyone! :)

Oh Susanna - What About Word Count?

Well, we made it.

Out to Ohio by way of Pennsylvania and West Virginia (thanks for that Jo-Jilly) and back again (the right way thank you very much because sometimes I just have to pull rank!)

In Ohio we saw a building shaped like a giant picnic basket - I kid you not!  I was driving, and hence unable to engage in photography, but luckily my copilot happened to be awake just then and had his iPhone and the picture came out.  Which is amazing because we were traveling at approximately 65 mph (which was the speed limit and when I say approximately I mean we were barely over it so don't raise those eyebrows at me :))  He took the photo out Princess Blue Kitty's window.  Check it out!

It is not everyday you see a building shaped like a giant basket!

So now, see?  I have added to your trivia fund.  Next time you need an icebreaker or a scintillating topic of conversation, you can say, "Did you know that there's a building shaped like a giant picnic basket in Newark, Ohio?"and thoroughly dazzle and amaze your companion.

We also saw this statue (which I LOVE) in front of the library in Granville - a boy, a girl, and a little dog...

Isn't it just the perfect statue for outside a library?

Also I can highly recommend Audible's recording of all of James Herriot's books up through The Lord God Made Them All which is what we are up to after all these drives (yes, we have driven through the unabridged All Creatures Great And Small, All Things Bright And Beautiful, and All Things Wise And Wonderful... as well as The DaVinci Code and about half of Divergent which we had to leave unfinished because the narrator was deemed whiny by my son, who also felt there was too much romance involved... luckily I had already read it :))

Also, in case you were wondering (and I know you were :)), Snickers is still hands down the best candy bar ever.

So now that we've got that settled, let's move on to Oh Susanna, which it feels like we haven't done in an age!

Today's excellent question comes to us from the lovely Cathy, and she says:

I have an Oh Susanna! question - is there a 'rounding' rule when adding your word count to a query?  As in, my manuscript is 509 words.  Or perhaps 497 words.  Do I say OH SUSANNA'S STORY is a 500 word fairy tale for readers ages 3-6?  Or should I use the exact number of words per my Microsoft Word for Windows count?  Just wondered if there is an word count convention that I should know.  

My personal feeling on the matter is that Microsoft Word makes it very easy to establish your word count, and it doesn't take much room at the top of our manuscript to pop it in there, so why not?  I always include it.  But I don't think it matters too much if you round slightly... you're just not likely to get away with passing off your 1506 word manuscript as "about 500 words" :)

But I figured an authority on the matter wouldn't hurt, so I asked editor Erin Molta, our friend from Would You Read It :)  She said:

Word counts are not that necessary for picture books UNLESS there is a certain restriction. Word counts are needed for easy readers because each level determines how many words. Though it doesn’t hurt to mention word counts in the query letter—only because some editors may be looking for something short and sweet to read right then . . . It doesn’t matter—unless there are guidelines—if the word count is exact or not. Though since WORD does give it to you fairly easily, it’s not hard to do so.

So there you have it.  What does everyone else do?  Do you include your word count or not?  Do you give the exact count, or round?  Has anyone had a different experience with word counts than Erin or I? Have you ever seen a building shaped like a giant basket?  Or anything else interesting?  Please share! :)

Have a wonderful day and beginning of your week, everyone! :)

Oh Susanna - How To Submit Author Notes And Factual Back Matter?

Happy Monday, everybody!  I hope you all had an excellent weekend!

I would like to start this week by congratulating my friend Renee LaTulippe on the publication of the first 2 pieces of writing she ever submitted (seriously, that kind of talent doesn't come along every day!) in The Poetry Friday Anthology For Middle School!  Congratulations, Renee!  We are all mucho proud of you (and I'm hoping in this case that mucho might pass for something Italian because that's all I've got :))  You can enter to win a copy HERE or you can purchase a copy HERE.

I would also like to let you know that my friend Iza Trapani is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her wonderful book, The Itsy Bitsy Spider.  She has spun the familiar rhyme into a delightful and engaging story and accompanied it with her gorgeous art.  This book has been a favorite in our family for years, and if you have a young one in your life this is a story you won't want to miss.  You can enter to win a copy on her blog HERE just by writing a few lines about the continuing adventures of Itsy Bitsy :)

In other news, since today is the alternate Monday from Short & Sweets, we have an Oh Susanna question, which I hope you will find enlightening :)

Alayne asks:  "Manuscript formatting question. If a glossary and author note/fact sheets accompany your picture book manuscript, how is the back matter formatted? Are they just a continuation of the manuscript, double spaced after the end? Are they brand new sheets starting five inches down on the page? Here's a totally different question: Would you send the back matter with the manuscript? Or only mention it in the cover letter?"

Good question, Alayne.  I think many fiction writers are accustomed to submitting their story manuscripts, but if a story idea comes up that lends itself to some educational back matter, they might not know how to handle that, so I'm glad you asked.

To begin with, I would recommend researching titles at the house you're submitting to to see if they publish books with back matter of any kind.  Not every house does, and you don't want to submit a story with back matter to a house that doesn't publish them.

My opinion on this issue is that if you have back matter you should mention it in your cover letter (I believe it is an added hook if there is an educational component and/or a curriculum connection) and include the back matter with your story.  (But a little note on this below...)

Write and format your story manuscript as you usually would.  When you get to the end of the story and are ready to supply the back matter, begin it on the top of a new page with whatever title it requires (Glossary, Fun Facts About Teeth, Pictorial Guide To State Flags, etc.), and continue your header (last name and manuscript title in the upper left, page number in the upper right), with the page numbers continuing (e.g. if your story ended on page 3, the first page of back matter would be page 4, not page 1 of back matter.)  If you have more than one type/category/section of back matter, I would begin each separate section on a new page (e.g. a new page for the Glossary, another new page for Fun Facts About Teeth, etc.)

Any time you include back matter, you should also include a bibliography to show where you got your information, and that can be the last page of your submission.  A bibliography should be formatted according to any standard method - MLA, or Chicago Manual of Style, etc.  You will want to show solid sources - not just Wikipedia :)  If you include an explanatory Author Note of some kind you should likewise back that up with evidence/reference to personal knowledge, interview, research etc.

Edit 3/4/13: Huge thanks to Joanna and Tina for reminding me about word count!  The word count for the back matter should be separate from the word count for the story.  So put your story's word count on the first/cover page of your manuscript in the upper right, and then put the word count for your back matter in the upper right of the page where the back matter begins.

That is how I would approach it.  However, here is my "note below" :)  Some might argue that it depends on how critical the back matter is to the story.  If the story can stand completely on its own without the back matter, so that the back matter is essentially an optional bonus, some might say that you could mention in your cover letter that you have back matter (or that you would be willing to write it if the editor is interested) on Phases Of The Moon (or whatever) to accompany the story.  If the editor feels it might enhance the book, you will submit it at their request.  I think this is a matter of personal preference.  But of course, if full comprehension of the story depends on the explanation provided by the back matter, then there is no option and the back matter should be mentioned in the cover letter and submitted with the story.

My approach is to lay all my cards on the table, as it were.  When submitting to houses that publish books with back matter, if I've got back matter, I submit it.  The way I see it, it may be an added appeal for the book.  If the editor doesn't feel it's necessary, she can always say she'd like to publish the story without the back matter.  But the presence of the educational component might be a deciding factor for an editor who is on the fence - a book that has a possible market in schools and libraries as opposed to retail-only has added potential for sales.

I hope that answers your questions somewhat, Alayne, but I would be very grateful to hear from our readers on this issue.  How do you handle back matter?  Do you format it differently than I do?  Please share - we can always benefit from the knowledge of the group!

Thanks, everyone, and have a great Monday and a great start to your week! :)

Oh Susanna - How Do You Know What Books Are Already Published In The Picture Book Market?

Happy Monday, Everyone!

First off, before we do anything, I'd like to give a virtual high five to Julie Foster Hedlund whose debut storybook app A Troop Is  Group Of Monkeys is now officially published!  Woo-hoo!

Released yesterday from Little Bahalia Publishing, this delightful app is both an entertaining story and an education in collective nouns for animal groups.  Beautiful illustrations bursting with color (created by Pamela Baron) complement the engaging text, along with plenty of fun interactive add-ons... wait until you see the skunk :) ... and the story is sung to a catchy tune by Tim McCanna.  You can view the trailer HERE and purchase it on iTunes HERE.  Congratulations, Julie!!! :)

I will wait while you all skip on over to iTunes App Store and purchase your copy :)

Alrighty then, onward to our topic of conversation for today, which is an Oh Susanna question.

Cheryl asks, "Oh, Susanna, could you please give some pointers on how to research what's already out there in the picture book market?"

Well, Cheryl, I'll be happy to give it the old college try :), although I am the first to admit that I don't feel like an authority on the subject, so I hope lots of our devoted readers will chime in with their knowledge.

The short answer is, a lot of things have already been done, so no matter what you write, you'll have to put a new spin on it - your own spin :)

But there are places you can look.

For the low, low price of only $400 (EEK!) you can purchase the 2012 Subject Guide To Children's Books In Print - hardcover and 3154 pages chock full of information that is mostly up-to-date for about 10 minutes :)  But unless you're independently wealthy and have a really sturdy desk to hold up a book that size you're probably better off just going to the local public library and using theirs :)

The Subject Guide to Books In Print is available at most larger libraries in the reference section.  The Subject Guide To Children's Books In Print and Children's Books In Print may also be available.

From Greyhouse Publishing's Website:

Children's Books In Print: "Children’s Books In Print®, now in its 43nd edition, is the go-to source for locating children’s and young adult titles in the US.

• Volume 1, the Title Index, provides immediate access to over 250,000 children’s books from over 18,000 US publishers
• Entries include title, author, translator, illustrator, photographer, edition, LCC number, series information, pages, binding, grade range, year of publication, price, ISBN, publisher and imprint
• Volume 2, the Author & Illustrator Index, features more than 223,000 contributors, including photographers
• Publisher Name Index and Wholesaler & Distributor Name Index, with complete contact information for all listed publishers, distributors and wholesalers"

The Subject Guide To Children's Books In Print: "A natural complement to Children’s Books In Print®, Subject Guide to Children’s Books In Print® is a valuable tool when expanding children’s literature collections and new curriculum areas.

• Subject Index with over 347,000 titles classified under over 9,500 Library of Congress Subject Headings, from Actors and Actresses to Zoo Animals and everything in between
• Entries include title, author, translator, illustrator, photographer, edition, LCC number, series information, pages, binding, grade range, year of publication, price, ISBN, publisher and imprint
• Publisher Name Index and Wholesaler & Distributor Index, with complete contact information makes easy work for your acquisitions department"

So there is a lot of information there.

Another useful avenue of research is publishing house websites.  They all have sections that list their current titles and their backlists.  It is time-consuming, but worthwhile, and something you'll be doing anyway when the time comes to research houses for submission.

In terms of what publishers might be looking for, SCBWI has a section in their bulletin that addresses that, and other publications like the CBI Newsletter and the Children's Writer (issued by the Institute Of Children's Literature) frequently post subjects/topics/specific things that agents and editors have mentioned they would be interested in seeing in both book and magazine markets.  If editors are looking for something, it's a good bet there's nothing like it currently in print.

Another place you can look is Amazon.  I know.  They're taking over the world. :)  But they do have a huge data base of books.  You can search by a title you're thinking of using and see if other books with that title already exist.  You can search by subject matter within children's books and see what comes up that might be similar to your idea.  And then underneath the book you've chosen to look at there is usually a long list of similar books that people also viewed or purchased when they looked at that book, so you can often find related items easily.

You should always check the publication date.  A book that is similar to your story but is 20 years old and not a well-known classic may be ready for a fresh new version.

I think, in the end, you have to write the stories you want to write to the best of your ability.  Then research publishing houses that might be interested in the type of story you've written.  Go to the library or bookstore and read lots of picture books and take note of who publishes books similar to yours.  Then go on their websites and read through their current and backlist titles.  Do they already have your book, or something so similar that they'd be competing with their own list by purchasing yours?  Hopefully you can find a house that might fit your manuscript that hasn't already published a similar story.  If not, you may discover ways you can tweak your story to make it different from what's already out there.

I hope that's a little bit helpful.  Unfortunately there's no quick, easy method I know of for accomplishing this task.  But I'd love to hear from readers about how they go about this, whether they know any tricks of the trade, or know any better ways of doing this!  Please, readers, share your thoughts!!!

Thanks for a great question, Cheryl.

Have a fabulous Monday, everyone, especially those of you who have the day off :)

Oh Susanna - What Is The Difference Between A Hook And A Pitch?

All right.

Someone around here has been just a little asleep at the switch (and I won't mention any names, but it's the person in charge so I think we all know who THAT is!)

What with all the holiday high jinx and shenanigans the lists got neglected and I have discovered in the last two days of posting that:

#1 we are nearly out of pitches for Would You Read It - we are only scheduled through mid-February - so if you have a pitch you'd like some friendly and constructive input on, as well as a potential chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta, please send it my way! (Please use the handy Email Me button in the righthand sidebar or send to susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com and put Would You Read It in the subject line)

#2 we are COMPLETELY out of Oh Susanna questions!  Today's is the last one!  So if you're wondering anything about anything to do with reading, writing, or teaching picture books - great choices for a child with a certain need, what to do on a school visit, what book would complement your teaching unit on apple picking, etc... please send those my way as well!  (Please use the handy Email Me button in the righthand sidebar or send to susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com and put Oh Susanna in the subject line)

and #3 it's only 12 days until Groundhog Day and SOMEONE (ahem ahem) has not thought up an excellent hair-brained scheme for Phyllis's celebration!  What is the world coming to?!

As of this moment, the person in charge will be put in time out and forbidden to have chocolate for two days hours minutes while she contemplates the error of her ways!

Meanwhile, here is today's Oh Susanna question:

What is the difference between a hook and a pitch, or are they the same thing? 

I often get these two confused. When I took a pb class the instructor taught us how to write a hook. But when we pitch our idea to the editor or agent, we're pitching our hook, right? 

I'm glad you asked, Tina, because this is an important distinction to understand, and a tricky one that can easily be confusing... as you will see by how convoluted my answer is :)

A hook, as I would define it, is essentially the opening of your story.  It's a well-contructed first line or two of writing that draws your reader in and makes her want to turn the page and find out what happens next.  It usually includes the main character and sets up the problem that character is going to have to deal with, making the reader wonder, well gee whiz!  How is Janie going to deal with that bully on the school bus (or whatever.)  For example:

"My hat is gone.  I want it back." (I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen)

"One hot summer in Itching Down
Four million wasps flew into town."  (The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord)

"Last winter I found a penguin.  He told me he'd been flying.  But... penguins can't fly."  (Learning To Fly by Sebastian Meschenmoser)

These are all hooks.  They are the opening sentences of stories, and they set up the main character and the problem for us immediately, making us want to find out what happened to that hat, or how do you cope with four million wasps, or why would a penguin say he'd been flying when it must be untrue... or if it IS true, how did he manage it?  They make you turn the page.

A pitch, as I would define it, gives more of an overview of your story.  It might include the hook concept, but it will give a little more detail in a descriptive way, as opposed to quoting direct lines.  A pitch is still quite short, and is usually a teaser - trying to pique someone's interest without giving away the resolution of your story - but it's purpose is a little different from the hook's.  While the hook is part of the actual writing that draws your reader directly into the story, the pitch encourages someone to want to pick up your story to begin with.  For example:

Carrie's pitch for Would You Read It from  July


Working Title: Singin’ Sam, the Ice Cream Man
Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8)
Pitch: Sam loves dishing out ice cream to his favorite customers. But when a rival ice cream truck shows up on his corner, Sam must find a way to out-sing, out-scoop, and out-serve the competition to keep his customers — and himself — happy.


and

Dana's pitch for Would You Read It, also from July


Working Title:  CJ's Tiger
Age/Genre:  Picture Book (ages 4-8)
CJ has always dreamed of having a tiger for a pet, so he is thrilled when he awakens one day to find that his cat “Tiger” has transformed into a real tiger. However he soon learns that having a pet tiger is a lot harder than he imagined when the day turns into one big catastrophe!

Both of these give you a sense of what the story will be about, whetting your appetite and making you want to read it and find out how Sam will keep his customers and himself happy, or how owning a tiger turns out to be trouble.  But they are essentially descriptions of the story, not the writing of the story itself.

If you pitch to an editor or agent, you are most likely pitching the concept of your hook - the great idea behind your story... up until the point when she asks to read it :)  Then she'll get to read your hook!

Does that make any sense?  I hope all our devoted and very clever readers will chime in with their thoughts on hook and pitch definitions and what the differences are!!!  And if anyone has any great ideas for celebrating Groundhog Day I am open to suggestion!!! :)

Have a delightful Monday, everyone!  (Especially if you are excused from school/work today! :))

Oh Susanna - Will Agents Rep Poetry?

Happy Monday Everyone!

It feels like ages since we had an Oh Susanna day, and the next question in the queue seemed like a good one for the start of a new year.

Penny asked: I have noticed when researching agent blogs, that a lot of them don't represent poetry. So what if you write poetry along with picture books/middle grade, etc.? Do you have to submit poetry on your own? Or will agents usually work with you to find a home for your poems, too?

This is the first time an Oh Susanna question has come in that I really had no experience with, but I think it's something a lot of you might wonder about, so I wanted to address it.  Since I don't have any direct, personal knowledge on the topic, I of course reached out to writer friends who might know the answer.  And being children's writers they were of course all wonderful and helpful and wrote back immediately with the best information they could provide.

Laura Sassi whose poems, stories, articles and crafts have appeared in many publications including Highlights for Children, Cricket, Ladybug, Spider, Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr., FamilyFun, and Pack-O-Fun and whose debut picture book GOODNIGHT, ARK is forthcoming from Zonderkidz, a division of HarperCollins says:

According to my contract, when I had an agent, she represented all of my writing, but what she was interested in were my rhyming picture books, so that's what I focussed on and sent her.  Not sure this answer helps in your question - except to point out that maybe part of the answer needs to be that it's a very individual thing.  Depends probably on name recognition of poet etc.

Iza Trapani, author and illustrator of many wonderful rhyming stories for children, including ITSY BITSY SPIDER (Whispering Coyote Press, 1993) and THE BEAR WENT OVER THE MOUNTAIN (Sky Pony Press 2012) as well as 2 poetry compilations - RUFUS AND FRIENDS RHYME TIME (Charlesbridge 2008) and RUFUS AND FRIENDS SCHOOL DAYS (Charlesbridge 2010) says:

My agent represents me on picture books, individual poems, poem collections, whatever I write. But that's our agreement. I am sure some agents may be only interested in picture books, rhyming or not. Poetry continues to be a hard sell...

Laura Purdie Salas (not to be confused with Laura Sassi :)) who is the author of many books and poems for children including
A LEAF CAN BE... (Millbrook Press, 2012) (which was  Perfect Picture Book HERE)
BOOKSPEAK! (Clarion, 2011) NCTE Notable; 2012 Minnesota Book Award
STAMPEDE! (Clarion, 2009) Finalist, 2010 Minnesota Book Award says:

Good question. I've run into that same thing. What seems to be the
typical case is that if an agent represents you for picture books and
novels, she will also submit your poetry, but only for book
manuscripts for traditional publishers. Not individual poems for
anthologies, magazines, etc. Poetry, in general, makes so little money
that agents don't have a whole lot of interest in representing it,
even if they personally love it. They know that it's just not all that
salable (can you hear me sob as I type that?).

Just my 2 cents. Interested to hear if others have different
experiences.

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater who is the author of FOREST HAS A SONG (Clarion 2013) and READING TIME (Wordsong, date TBA) and who you can visit at The Poem Farm and Sharing Our Notebooks in addition to her website linked to her name above has this to contribute:

I don't know the bigger answer to this question, only my own experience.  I met my agent through the generous introduction and sharing of my work by my teacher, Lee Bennett Hopkins.  Elizabeth Harding (Curtis Brown Ltd.) does represent and submit my poetry, and while I have not yet sold a picture book...she is encouraging me to write one.  

From this, I'd imagine that if you're already working with an agent, s/he would most likely work with you and your poems.  But poetry is such a tough sell these days, I wonder if agents hesitate to advertise that they might even read it.

I hope this helps?

Clearly this is a tough question to answer!  In general, it seems that if you write other children's genres, at least some agents will probably help you sub traditional book length poetry mss.  But it sounds like poetry by itself would be a hard way to secure an agent.  Thanks ever so much to Laura, Laura, Iza, and Amy for sharing their knowledge and expertise, and if anyone in the reading audience has experience in this area, please share!  We are all very curious to find out!  Catherine? Anyone?  Not to put you on the spot or anything :)

I hope we'll get some good information in the comments!  Thanks for a great question, Penny!

Have a wonderful day everyone! :)

Oh Susanna - What About Copyright Infringement?

Happy Monday, Everyone!

I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgiving weekends!  Did anyone get a Christmas tree yet?  I saw a surprising number of cars with trees up on their roof racks, and while I love having a Christmas tree I know better than to get one this early.  I have a bad habit of forgetting to put water in the the stand, so our trees have a tendency to dry up rather faster than one might hope.  If we got one a whole month head it would look exactly like that tree in How The Grinch Stole Christmas by December 25th... you know... a bare dried up brown thing with no needles whatsoever :)

So how exciting is this?  We've got an Oh Susanna question today!  It feels like it's been ages!

Here's the question of the day:

Oh, Susanna, lately there has been a lot of talk about bloggers putting pictures (not their own pictures that they have taken, but images found on sites like Google) on their blogs. But I have seen some picture books read in their entirety on YouTube with each spread visible. Isn't this really chancy, too? Does this break copyright rules? Or does an author feel that this is a wonderful form of advertisement for their books?

I have to say, this is something I have wondered too, because I have also seen picture books on YouTube in this form and I simply can't believe it.  My knowledge of law is not as extensive as you might think, given that you can't swing a cat in my family without hitting a lawyer :) (my grandfather, both my parents, and one of my brothers are all lawyers!)  I don't think any of my contracts specifically say it is against copyright to read the book aloud and show all the pictures in a YouTube video, but the message of most contracts, whether they're that specific or not, is quite clear.  The general idea is NOT to give away the book you worked so hard on and that the publisher spent a lot of time and money producing.

And make no mistake, that is what you're doing.  If you read a picture book in its entirety and show all the pictures in a YouTube video you have given away your book (or someone else's should you happen to be reading a book that's not your own.)  Where is the incentive for anyone to buy the book if they can view it whenever they want for free?  I would think that was a serious copyright infringement, far worse than posting a single picture you don't own.

By making a book available in this way, you are potentially taking away someone's royalties and cutting into their sales numbers.  You are sharing something that isn't yours to share.

In answer to the second part of your question, although I as an author would be flattered if someone liked one of my books enough to share it in this way, I would be very unhappy and hurt if someone were to do it.  The only entity that would have the right to do something like that is the publisher, and they would have no reason to.

I'd be very interested to hear from everyone, though, what you think about this.  Is it okay to make videos such as those described above?  Would you feel like you were doing the author/illustrator a favor, or celebrating the book, or helping in some way?  I'm looking forward to the discussion, because maybe I'm wrong...!

Have a great day, everyone! :)

Oh Susanna - How Do You Decide Which Blogs To Follow?

Batten down the hatches, all my fellow east-coasters!  In spite of the fact that I bought candles on Friday and filled the bathtubs with water this morning, the Frankenstorm appears to be coming anyway. I hope you are all in a safe place with plenty of batteries and chocolate and possibly your floaties and a rowboat!

To keep your minds off whether or not your basement is likely to approximate Lake Superior by tomorrow, let's dive in to today's Oh Susanna question, which is one that strikes a real chord with me, and I'm guessing a lot of you will feel the same way.

Penny asks, How in the world do you decide which blogs to follow regularly??? I would love to follow everyone! I would love to comment on all posts! But, if I do that, I have no time to do what I really love, which is writing! I read lots of blogs that I only comment on randomly, so the writer never knows that I read them often. We have become so connected by the Internet that I sometimes feel rude because I can't spend time with all my writing friends equally. Does anyone have a "qualifier" list for what blogs they will choose to best suit their goals? Do those who blog rely on comments to "keep them going"...or are you going to blog no matter what? Is anyone else as frustrated about this as I am? (I know you covered time management in one of your Oh Susanna! posts...but I think I need a refresher focusing on blogs.)

Yes, Penny!  I am definitely as frustrated as you are! :)

As Penny mentioned, we did discuss this a little in the Oh Susanna post on Time Management.  But I decided to post this more specific question because it's something I think  lot of people wrestle with every day (including me! :)), and I'm very interested in hearing from everyone out there about how they handle this issue.

I think the answer partly depends on what you hope to get out of blogging.  If you're trying to hone your craft, then you'll read a list of blogs that focus on craft and you might not need to comment unless you have a question.  This is a very different picture from that of someone who is trying to build a platform and will have to visit and comment on many blogs regularly in hopes of encouraging them all to follow back.

If you, like me, blog for community - for the connection, the interaction, the discussion, the feeling of being part of a group of like-minded people, the friendship - there's really no limit to how much time you CAN put in, which is where the problem lies.  And from the way Penny asked the question, I think this is at least partially what she's talking about.

This is a knotty problem, because we do develop friendships.  There is a large group of people out there who I am very fond of even though technically I've never met them in real life :)!  I feel guilty if a day goes by when they post and I don't have time to read, or I read but don't have time to comment.  I worry they'll feel slighted and think bad thoughts about me!

But let's face it: there are only so many hours in the day.  And most of us here have things to do besides blog :)

Just for fun, let's take a quick survey:

#1

poll by twiigs.com

#2

poll by twiigs.com

#3

poll by twiigs.com

I'm very interested to see how these turn out!  And I have a feeling the results may be a very informational part of this post for all of us.  I hope a lot of people will respond.

If it helps to share concrete information, I'll tell you what I do: (and I will admit straight out that I DO NOT have the answer!)

The blogs I follow regularly belong, as a general rule, to writers, illustrators, teachers, librarians, and a few agents, editors, book reviewers, and mom bloggers - at least, those are the blogs I read with commitment.  (I confess there are a couple funny ones I read sometimes that don't fit into any of those categories :))  These are the people I share common ground with, the blogs where many of my interests lie, that also intersect with what I have time for.  (I would love to read blogs about horses and dogs and a few other things, but I simply don't have time, so for me blogging centers in a more professional area.)

I like having new posts delivered straight to my inbox, even though it fills up, because then I'm sure to see them.  Anyone whose blog does not include an email option is likely to get sporadic reading from me because I read so many that I tend to forget about some without the reminder.

I try to carve out a chunk of time at the approximate beginning, middle, and end of my work day to read and comment on blogs, but it is rarely that neat... reading and commenting on blogs feels deliciously like being productive at moments when the writing isn't going well which makes it a nearly irresistible distraction :)

I read an average of 30-40 blogs per weekday (fewer on weekends - I'm trying to cut back :))  I comment on an average of 20-25 per day, maybe a little more.  Chances are high that if you ever see comments from me (and you have an email option for delivery :)) I'm reading your blog all the time - every post.

As for comments on my own blog, they are very important to me.  They let me know that I'm not just shouting into the abyss - that I hopefully provide something enjoyable maybe sometimes even valuable on some level.  And I genuinely like hearing everyone's thoughts on everything.

Truthfully I feel like the amount of blogging I do is both insufficient and far too much.

Wouldn't it be great if we could agree on some sort of system?  So that we could spend a little more time on our actual work without worrying that our friends are feeling neglected and unloved?  Maybe an "I'm-Up-To-My-Eyeballs-But-I-Took-The-Time-To-Come-Over-Here-So-You'd-Know-I-Still-Love-You-Even-Though-I'm-Not-Reading-Or-Commenting-Today" button? :)

What works for one may not work for another, but it sure would be helpful to hear from you all about how you manage.  How do you decide who to read?  How much is enough?  Please share!!!

(And remember!  Only 2 days until the Halloweensie Contest!  Rules HERE!)

Oh Susanna - When Is It Time To Give Up And Self-Publish?

Happy Columbus Day!

In fourteen-hundred and ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue
and thank goodness he did or we'd have work and school today :)

I hope everyone is lounging around in their pajamas after a lovely sleep-in :)

(I'm not.  I get up at 5:30 regardless of Columbus and I'm going to muck out that spotted pony's stall... but hanging out in a barn is actually my idea of a good time :))

In any case, get comfy because it's Oh Susanna day, and today's question, which comes to us from Saba, is one I think a lot of people may be interested in.  She asks, "When is it time to throw in the traditional publishing towel and self-publish?"

This question saddens me a little.  The fact that, for many, self-publishing is still seen as the road to take when you've given up all hope of "real" publishing is depressing.

I may be in the minority, but I'd like to change that attitude.

It's true that many self-published books are sub-standard.  They are poorly written on every level from sentence structure to basic story.  They contain formatting and editing errors which make them less pleasurable to read.  The covers are often less attractive.  Their authors have sometimes been more concerned with being published then with taking the time to make sure their work is actually publishable.

But.

I have read plenty of traditionally published books that weren't very good - even from highly regarded best-selling authors.  And I'm sure I'm not the only one who has found tons of typos and editing errors while reading traditionally published books.  Traditional books aren't perfect.  Although they are generally held to some sort of standard of quality because they are produced by a publishing house, that still doesn't guarantee you're going to like them or that they're going to be what you consider good.

I'm sure when you talk about throwing in the towel and going with self-publishing you don't intend to produce an inferior piece of work.  I'm sure you would do everything in your power to make it the very best it could be.  It's a different route to publishing - not necessarily better of worse, and not necessarily a question of giving up.

The face of self-publishing is changing.  Many authors are aware of the need to up the quality of self-published books so that they can compete with traditional books on a more level footing.  And many authors are starting to choose self-publishing.  There is much more creative control.  There is no one with whom you have to share any profit you might make.  There is a wider range of what's acceptable to publish because you don't have to fit neatly into where you can be shelved and you're not as focused on a bottom line.

So instead of thinking of self-publishing as a last resort, I'd say think about the kind of publishing experience you want to have.

If you want to hand your story over to an editor, let her help you rework it the way she feels it will work best/be most salable, let someone else choose an illustrator, jacket copy, cover art because you trust their judgment and prefer to focus on writing new stories while they handle publication, then by all means submit to traditional publishers.  There is also, still, a prestige, or validation, that comes with being accepted by a publishing house, and perhaps that appeals to you.  Certainly, traditional publishing will take care of printing, sending out review copies, and distribution, all of which may be things you don't feel qualified or able to do.  They also foot the up-front bill.  There are lots of upsides to traditional publishing :)

On the other hand, if you like the idea of maintaining complete creative control, if you want to bring your vision to life exactly as you've imagined it, if you're excited about searching for the perfect illustrator, if you look forward to the challenge of finding a printer etc. and feel like you have the time, energy and know-how (or the motivation to learn), if what you write is a little outside the box of what flies in traditional publishing, and if you don't want to share profits with anyone, then maybe self-publishing is a good choice for you.

If you're working with a manuscript that has never been sent out, you have only your judgment (or if you're lucky, a critique partner's or group's opinion) to evaluate the strength of your story.

If you're working with a manuscript that has made the publishing house rounds, though, you might really want to evaluate your ms with a critical eye before deciding on self-publishing.  Why has it been turned down?

If there are serious problems with basic elements like spelling, grammar, punctuation, or story structure, your manuscript is probably not going to fly well as a self-published book either.  Likewise, if you write in rhyme and the story was turned down because of serious problems with rhyme and meter, you will not be putting your best foot forward.  You will put a lot of time, effort, and money into producing something that was turned down for good reason.  Your efforts might be better spent in learning to improve your craft and writing some new stories.  Remember, your name is going on the cover.

If your story hasn't sold because the topic is very tired (there are an awful lot of bedtime books out there, for example, so to make one shine you really have to have a new twist) your self-published story may have a hard time garnering attention and standing out from the extensive list of the tried and true.

But if you've written a story you love, if it's written well, if it really works on many levels and has been passed on by publishing houses for no concrete reason other than it "doesn't suit their needs at this time" or competes with other titles on their current lists, or if you've written a book of children's poetry or something else which is valuable but a very hard sell to traditional publishers, or if your picture book works fantastically at 40 pages, then self-publishing might be a great choice for you.

I hope this will help lots of writers out there to see self-publishing as a positive choice rather than as a last resort.  And I would recommend a look at the mini self-publishing series from June for some real-life stories from authors who chose this path and produced really wonderful, quality books.  (It will also give you an idea of how much is involved with self-publishing - it's not really a throwing in the towel kind of job! :))  Please see SNOW GAMES (which kind of falls between traditional and self-publishing because it had to pass editorial review, but it also had to be presented ready to go in finished format with art), GATOR'S GANG, SHOW ME HOW, LUCY SNIGGLEFRITZ and MEG THE EGG.

And I would very much love other writers - traditionally, self- and not-yet-published, to chime in with their thoughts on this question.  Is there a time when you should self-publish because you've given up hope of traditional publication?  Does self-publishing mean you've thrown in the towel?  What do you see as pros and cons of self-publishing?

Thanks for a very thought-provoking question, Saba.  I hope my answer and whatever gets added in the comment section are helpful to you!

Happy Columbus Day, everyone :)

Oh Susanna - If It's Been Posted On My Blog, Can I Still Submit To Publishers? And The August Pitch Pick Winner!

Happy Monday, my friends!  I hope you all had lovely, restful weekends and you're rarin' to go :)

Let's start the high jinx and shenanigans this morning with the August Pitch Pick winner, shall we?

I must say, I'm really enjoying the new system whereby everyone gets a chance to improve their pitch.  Thanks to all the helpful reader comments, and diligent application by our steadfast pitchers, the pitches for the pitch pick are all significantly better, don't you think?  Of course, it makes it even harder to choose a winner! :)

But the voters have spoken, and the winner of the August Pitch Pick is KIMBERLEY and her pitch for Saturdays With Fish!!!  Congratulations, Kimberley!  Your pitch has been sent to editor Erin Molta for a read, and you will no doubt hear from her soon :)  And congratulations to all who pitched - you all did an excellent job and pitched very interesting and creative stories!  Best of luck with them!

Phew!  That was a lot of excitement for first thing Monday morning!  I think a small sustaining snack is in order :)  Perhaps a wee nap :)

Alrighty then.  Everyone fortified?  Onward!

We haven't had the chance for an Oh Susanna question for a while because the person in charge around here keeps bumping them for other things, like Short & Sweets, and contests, and other tomfoolery.  But today, we shall forge ahead with a question that has been waiting patiently since about June.

The question is, "Oh Susanna, I have a couple of poems that people have suggested would make good picture books. I’ve toyed with both of them and think they would indeed be fun PBs, but written in prose, and obviously very (though not completely) different from the poems. Do you think agents and publishers would have a problem with the fact that the manuscript is based on a poem already published on my blog, even if the ms is in prose and clearly fleshed out into a proper story?"

This is a very interesting question...

It's true that many agents and publishers do not like to accept material that has been previously published on a blog.  Their reasoning is, essentially, that if people have already seen it and read it for free, why would they now want to pay for it?  This is especially true of a work that has been published in its entirety.  (And by published, I don't mean traditionally published, but any type of posting on the internet, or self-published, where a large number of people have had access to it.)

However, (as always :)), there are exceptions.  In the case of a longer work, like a novel, if only a small teaser or single chapter has been posted, it may give agents and editors a chance to glimpse the quality of your work and become interested without giving away the farm.  If you happen to be Amanda Hocking and self-publish and sell millions of copies, there will also probably be publishers willing to pick up your book :)

In a case such as you're describing, you are probably safe for a couple reasons.

First, unless your blog has a huge readership, it's very likely that your work has yet to be viewed by the entire English-reading population.  You can pull the posts that contain the material and no one else has to see it.

Second, you have not published them in the format a publisher would be trying to sell.  They were posted as poems but will be submitted to agents and publishers in prose.  The submitted version of the stories may be expanded or changed from the originals, so what you initially posted isn't really the same.

Finally, if you intend them to be picture books, the stories will eventually be married to someone's art, which will give it a whole other level and impact than the original unillustrated poem.  The publisher could well end up with something that bears little resemblance to the original post.

I think you could likely submit in this case without a problem. Just be sure to take down any posts that contain the material, or just remove that specific material from the posts if there are other things in them that you want to leave up.

I would very much love for other knowledgable readers out there to chime in on this issue, though.  Do you think this answer is right?  Or have you had specific experiences that lead you to believe otherwise?  Please share!  We may all have something to learn!

Have a wonderful day, everyone! :)

Oh Susanna - Is There A Difference Between Scholastic And Regular Editions Of Picture Books?

Happy Monday Everyone!

Where to start today?  Well, how about with the winner of the July Pitch Pick?

I really enjoyed the new format for the pitch pick.  I thought it was great to see how much everyone improved their pitches... although it did make it even harder to choose! :)  However, the votes have been cast and the winner is...

dunh duhn duhn duhn...

DANA!!!!! with her pitch for CJ's Tiger!

Congratulations, Dana!  Your pitch has been sent to editor Erin Molta for comments, and we will all be excited to see what she says :)

Wow!  That was a lot of excitement for first thing Monday morning.  If you're feeling a little peaked, feel free to take a short break for a sustaining snack.  I'm offering homemade banana bread this morning, but I'm not even going to try drawing that!

OK.  All refreshed?  Let's move on to two questions:

#1  A few people have mentioned they're having trouble commenting on my blog the past few days.  I'm not sure what's going on, but I tried updating to the new disqus and I'm hoping that will fix the problem.  Will you all kindly let me know if the problem is fixed or if you are still encountering difficulty?  I really want it to be as easy as possible for you to comment - I highly value everything you have to say - and I like disqus because it allows me to reply directly back to you so you know I've read your comments and they matter to me.  But if it continues to cause trouble I will axe it!  Thanks in advance for your help with this conundrum :)

#2  A few other people (who shall remain nameless but you know who you are! :)) have been plotting behind my back in hopes of getting Short & Sweets to continue past summer's end.  I am thrilled if it has been fun and helpful to anyone, and I would be happy to continue it in some form if there is sufficient interest.  The idea was to alternate Monday posts - Oh Susanna one week, Short & Sweets the next.  I would be grateful for anyone to leave their thoughts on this matter in the comments so I can get a sense of where people stand on this.  My blog is here for you.  I want to do whatever you most enjoy and find most helpful.  So speak now :)  Just be forewarned, I'm not sure I can continue coming up with fun new things you'll like... I may end up recycling with new twists to some degree...! :)

Alrighty!  Last but not least we have an Oh Susanna question for today.  The lovely Stacy says

I picked up some picture books at a weekend yard sale. Several were Scholastic editions. Is there a difference between a Scholastic edition and a regular edition? I'm wondering both as a parent/reader and a writer.

Great question, Stacy!  And one I can luckily answer from my own experience.  Scholastic editions, to my knowledge, have no change to original interior art or text.  The cover may be different from the original and so may the title.  As examples, Punxsutawney Phyllis was sold through Scholastic as Wake Up, Groundhog with a different cover illustration.

original Holiday House version

Scholastic version

Scholastic did a focus group and determined that "Punxsutawney" was a difficult and therefore potentially off-putting word, so they chose to go with an alternate.  Likewise, April Fool, Phyllis was sold through Scholastic as The April Fools' Treasure Hunt.

original Holiday House version

Scholastic version

There was discussion of changing the background color on the cover to blue, but in the end it stayed pink.  In both cases, however, all the interior illustrations are the same as in the original versions and there is no change to the text.  The only other difference is in the quality of paper and binding used.  Scholastic versions, in an effort to be affordable to as many kids as possible, are mostly (if not completely) produced in paperback and may sometimes be a little less sturdy.

If you're on a budget but still want to increase your library, Scholastic is a wonderful option!

I hope that answers your question, Stacy!  Please feel free to ask for clarification if you have further queries :)

And I will look forward to hearing from you all about whether the comments are working better/properly and what your thoughts are on attempting to continue Short & Sweets!

Have a lovely day :)

Oh Susanna - Is It Okay To Use Sentence Fragments In Picture Book Manuscripts?

"On the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again...."

Oh, sorry!  I guess it is a little early Monday morning to be subjecting you to my singing :)

But, like the song says, I am on the road again.  This time it's JFK or bust.  Talk about scary traffic loops!  I'm really and truly hoping I find the right terminal.  If anyone wants to send good vibes my way, I won't say no!

Of course I've been to JFK lots of times before... but always in a cab with a taxi driver who knows where he's going!  But there's nothing like adding a little excitement to your life, right? :)

Speaking of which, where is my EZ Pass?  Seriously, the whole point of an EZ Pass is EASE!  Back when I had the Dogmobile, it was easy.  It stuck right to the windshield by the rearview mirror.  When I switched to Princess Blue Kitty, the EZ Pass came with me, but the stick-on thingies went with the Dogmobile, so now my EZ Pass is supposed to be in the glove compartment, but I have to remember to take it out and hold it up to the windshield.  And sometimes it falls down in the cracks somewhere... and searching for it makes for perilous driving... talk about excitement...  It must be here somewhere... And you must be able to get replacement stick-on thingies...

Anyway, whilst I'm driving through confounding traffic patterns and searching for my EZ Pass, you all can read the answer to today's Oh Susanna question, another one from Darshana - she should probably get double billing on Oh Susanna since she's always so full of helpful questions :)  Which reminds me, if anyone has any questions, please send them along - I'm nearly out!

Today Darshana is wondering whether it's okay to use sentence fragments in picture books (and I happen to know Robyn was wondering this too, so I'm assuming maybe a lot of people are in the same state of wonderment :))  Here is her exact question:

Recently I was typing out Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer so I could study the text.
In a few places there were sentence fragments posing as sentences.
Example: 
"And pet kittens. And bake."
I understand why this was done in the finished book. However, when submitting a MS should a pb author use correct grammar all the time, or can the author take artistic license to make the story more alive?

This is a very good question.  Because as Darshana so cleverly pointed out with an example, there are LOTS of instances where sentence fragments are used in picture books.

The answer is fairly straightforward.  In general, you should be as correct as possible.  Your grammar should be correct.  Your spelling should be correct.  Your word usage should be correct.  Your manuscripts should be presented in as professionally written a way as you are capable of.

HOWEVER, judiciously used, for a specific purpose, sentence fragments can be acceptable, as can sentences beginning with "and" or "but" (normally big no-nos).  It must be for the sake of effect, rhythm, or voice, though.  It has to feel right.  And it can't be every single sentence.  It may also be best not to use one right up front to start your story, lest the editor reading it think you don't know how to construct a sentence.

The best advice I can give you is to read lots of picture books (always a good practice anyway) and see when and how sentence fragments are used in traditionally published books.  This will give you a feel for what's acceptable.

This question also brings to mind a related one - about proper language.  If you are familiar with Junie B. Jones, you will know that Junie speaks in a way that is supposed to sound childlike and five-year-oldish.  Personally, I have never heard a five year old speak that way - none of mine did - but I get the point.  My kids enjoyed the stories, but when I read them aloud, I always corrected the grammar.  I just couldn't read them aloud as they were printed.  Clearly, this is something that doesn't bother lots and lots of people, and clearly didn't bother the editor who bought the book, so my point is, to some degree, it's a matter of voice and personal taste.  It is also one of the things that separates one writer's style from another's.  Barbara Park is comfortable writing that way and has enjoyed a great deal of success with Junie (and for the record, I think her stories are appealing, as is Junie, and kids really like them - I just personally stumble over that language issue a bit).  But I think what makes it work for her is the fact that she's telling good stories.  I can't think of an instance where incorrect language is used in picture books, though, except perhaps occasionally in an illustrated note that is supposed to look as though a child wrote it.

Darshana, I do hope that answers your question.  If not, please feel free to ask for further clarification in the comments.  And as always, I would be glad to have anyone with knowledge and expertise in this area add their two cents - this is a collaborative effort to help all of us be better educated and prepared to do a better job with our writing - so comment away!

Now, I guess I'd better find that flingin'-flangin' EZ Pass.  There's a toll booth coming up!

Have a great day, everyone :)

"On the road again

Just can't wait to get on the road again...."

Oh Susanna - What's The Difference Between A Query Letter And A Cover Letter And When To Use Which?

Good Morning Everyone!

There were many posts last week about how much trouble you can get in posting pictures on your blog.  I will probably have to go through all my posts and delete tons, but meanwhile, I'm a bit afeared, so for today's eye candy I will include something which has nothing to do with anything but whichI know I'm allowed to use, a lovely portrait of me reading to a first grade class, drawn by an artistic member of the young audience:

You will note my face, apparently covered by blond hair - I should have shaved:)
Phyllis talking from my unusually constructed arm from which I am also reading
and the enraptured audience of 4 behind me :)

Anyhoo, I hope you all had wonderful weekends!  I am so behind after being away all last week that this may end up being my shortest post ever!  Are you ready?  I might not even stop to draw breath :)

What with all the special events going on lately, we haven't had an Oh Susanna day in a while, and poor Darshana has been patiently waiting for the answers to her questions so let's dive right in, shall we?

Darshana asked:

Q1) What is the difference between a query letter and a cover letter for a picture book manuscript? 

Q2) Which do you use when submitting a PB manuscript to an editor?

Q3) Which do you use when submitting a PB manuscript to an agent?

Darshana's 3 questions are so closely related that I included them all, and I'm betting she's not the only one wondering about this topic, because it's tricky and kind of splitting hairs.

The basic answer is very simple: a cover letter accompanies a manuscript, a query letter does not.

A cover letter is so named because it covers a manuscript.  It would include that a manuscript is enclosed.

Otherwise, both letters should include the following:

• The basic facts about the manuscript: title, word length, genre, intended age range (e.g. Hillbilly Bob is a 400 word picture book for ages 3-7.)
• What makes your manuscript stand out from previously published competitors and why it's a great fit for this particular editor/house (e.g. there are few if any picture books about... or, this book about apples will fit beautifully into the kindergarten curriculum...)
• Your publication history or relevant background and, if appropriate, anything that made you uniquely qualified to write this particular book.  (This would probably be more applicable in the case of non-fiction, e.g. if you wrote a book about space travel and you were an astronaut.)
• A mention of other enclosures or attachments such as your resume, or a bibliography if your submission is non-fiction
• Whether or not it's a simultaneous submission
• Your contact information
• Anything else requested in that specific agent's/editor's/house's submission guidelines.

(For works that aren't picture books, a sample outline or a chapter synopsis might also accompany a cover letter, but that does not pertain to picture books as a general rule :))

A cover letter should supply the basics, but not much more.  You don't want an agent or editor getting so bogged down in the cover that they never get to the actual manuscript!

A query letter is essentially the same thing, it just invites the editor or agent to request the manuscript from you if it sounds like something they might be interested in reading.

As to when you would use one or the other, most agents and editors are clear about what they want.  Their guidelines will say, send full manuscript for picture books (that means you'll need a cover letter) or accepts queries or queries only (that means a query letter.)

Some houses that are closed to unagented/unsolicited submissions are still open to queries, so that is your chance to sell your idea and get the editor to request it.

No matter what, query or cover is a place where you can use that pitch you've worked on in Would You Read It Wednesdays to hook either editor or agent.  It's no different from your manuscript in that respect - grab their attention and don't let go!

I hope that answers your question, Darshana.  If not, please feel free to ask for clarification on anything in the comments.  And if any of you highly experience readers out there have anything to add, I'd be grateful for any extra information or clarification you can add!

Have a great day, everyone!  Hopefully I'll see you all around the blogosphere as I play catch-up to all your wonderful posts etc! :)