May 2021 - Picture Book People

Four Things Published Authors Know That You Should Too

1. Picture Books Aren’t Easy to Write. There’s this belief out there that picture books are easier to write than other books. But the truth is that picture books are subject—must be subject—to the same process of evaluation and creation as any other longer book. The idea has to be compelling, the characters have to…

The Sonnet and The Picture Book

What do picture books and sonnets have in common? There are the obvious connections: wonderful language, the distillation of a concept, the rhythm, the (sometimes) rhyme. And the fact that both are made up of fourteen units. The sonnet is essentially a fourteen-line poem. That’s the important thing about a sonnet. And a picture book…

How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?

You might have heard this story already. But it makes its point so beautifully, it’s worth repeating. A tourist stops a famous conductor on a street in Manhattan. The tourist doesn’t recognize the maestro and innocently asks how to get to Carnegie Hall. The conductor, without missing a beat, looks at him and says: “Practice.”…

Write From The Heart

Writing from the heart is the only kind of writing that’s really worth anything. Your heart, as the truest, deepest part of you, is the source of writing that’s meaningful and valuable and transformative. And that’s the only kind of writing those of us who are in the business of making books for children should…

“Read me” Whispered The Manuscript

Formatting your manuscript for maximum visibility Years ago, when I was an editor at Henry Holt and Company, a visiting author looked around my tiny, paper-laden office and indicated a pile of manuscripts. “Are those all the people who you’ve kept waiting for way too long?” He asked pointedly. “No” I replied, showing him a…