Writing children's books actually chose me! I've been writing poems forever and had several published in literary journals and such, but I also had written several children's poems I didn't know what to do with. So around 2009-2010 I started researching the children's lit and children's poetry, specificaly, in order to learn how to break into the market.
After a number of my children's poems ended up getting published, I started realizing that some of the longer ones were more narrative in nature and decided to begin pitching them as picture books - and now here I am with 13 books out or under contract!
Besides writing picture books, you also have done some poetry books. Which are harder to do -- the simple couplets for picture books or expanding it to a full page of poetic description?
It really depends on the subject and style of the poem or book along with so many other factors. Sometimes a picture book just comes to me, other times it takes forever to figure out what's going on or how to say it. Consequently, some poems and picture books have taken me a couple of weeks to write while others have taken me years!
Reviewing your book catalog I see that some of your poems were included in a National Geographic book on nature. I haven't seen calls for poetry from that magazine. How did you get included in that special edition?
My poem 'Rainbow Eucalytpus Trees' was included in "The National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry" and my poem 'Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower' made it into National Geographic's "The Poetry of US" because the anthologist, former US Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis, contacted me (along with all the other contributors) and asked if I would write poems about those particular subjects.
Besides writing picture books, you also have done some poetry books. Which are harder to do -- the simple couplets for picture books or expanding it to a full page of poetic description?
It really depends on the subject and style of the poem or book along with so many other factors. Sometimes a picture book just comes to me, other times it takes forever to figure out what's going on or how to say it. Consequently, some poems and picture books have taken me a couple of weeks to write while others have taken me years!
My poem 'Rainbow Eucalytpus Trees' was included in "The National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry" and my poem 'Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower' made it into National Geographic's "The Poetry of US" because the anthologist, former US Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis, contacted me (along with all the other contributors) and asked if I would write poems about those particular subjects.
This is what we call a "closed submission" process, whereby the person seeking the submissions reaches out to the specific individuals to request their participation. This is true for nearly all the children's poetry anthologies to which I've contributed, including "School People" and "Construction People" (Wordsong, 2018 & 2020), "I Am Someone Else" (Charlesbridge, 2019), and "Night Wishes" (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2020), among others.
Your bio says you also do voiceovers. Do you create children and adult voices? Or is yours more of the resonant tone of a radio DJ? How many takes do you normally do to get it right?
I don't do children's voices because I am too much of a baritone - but I do a number of different character voices in addition to my normal, conversational tone. I spent 20+ years in radio before getting into children's lit, so setting up a home studio for voice work was not hard for me. And it's fun! Sometimes you nail the delivery in one take, sometimes it can take 3 or 4. I've voiced everything from on-hold messaging for Holiday Inn to an online bit for HBO Comedy, from a Chrysler dealership in Baltimore to a pool company in Dubai! (I've even done some on-camera work.)
What do you know now about publishing you wished you had known sooner?
I wish I'd know how to write better, ha! Granted, I was writing poems and commercials and comedy bits and whatnot for years, but I still had a lot more to learn about the craft of writing for children than I realized. I knew the process was slow, I knew that submitting manuscripts to publishers could be challenging, I knew that it was an uphill climb - but boy, I had no idea how little I actually knew about the craft itself. Poetry is one thing; narratives in picture book format are something else!
What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
Perseverance, patience, and tenacity are almost more important than talent. I say 'almost' because of course one needs to have the talent to be able to write - but you could write the next Great American Novel yet if you don't stick with it - revising, editing, submitting, submitting, submitting - no one will ever know what you wrote. "Once Upon Another Time" (Beamnig Books, 2021), which I co-authored with Charles "Father Goose" Ghigna, went through 24 rejections before getting picked up while "The Thing to Remember about Stargazing" (Tilbury House, 2023) went through 25! That's 49 rejections for just two books! So you really have to stick with it.
Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
To follow up what I mentioned about perseverance, the only way you'll get published is by following Jane Yolen's mantra: Do. The. Work. Her famous "BIC rule" stands for Butt In Chair, and she's right; you have to be willing to get the story written, revise it, polish it, tweak it. Then submit, submit, submit! And once it gets picked up, the editor will likely offer a whole bunch of other suggestions for revisions. But you're not going to get anywhere without the groundwork. I always tell people that whatever I lack in talent I make up for in hustle! Just like when I'm playing on the soccer field, I may not be the most talented player out there, but I'm constantly working - passing, dribbling, defending - just like I do with my writing career.
What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
My new board book, "Tractor Dance" (Susan Schadt Press), officially arrives Oct. 8. And I'm super-excited about my very own poetry anthology, "A Universe of Rainbows," which arrives this spring from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers! Twenty-three poems span a literal universe of rainbows – from prisms and birds to rivers and mountains, and even the Rainbow Nebula in the constellation Orion. Dedicated to the late children’s anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins, it is a Who’s Who of Lee’s friends I’ve brought together, including Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Georgia Heard, Nikki Grimes, Jane Yolen, Charles Ghigna, and many, many others. I couldn’t possibly be more excited! (The official cover reveal will be happening soon!)
That's all for today's interview. I hope you learned something helpful about the business of writing children's books. If you'd like to learn more about Matt's books, here are some links to get you started.
Website: https://mattforrest.wordpress.com/ or https://mattforrest.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MattForrestVW
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattForrestVoice
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattforrestvw/
And here's a bonus for my readers...Leave a comment on this post and we'll pick one reader who'll receive a copy of Matt's new board book, "Tractor Dance," which featuers a bunch of farm equipment having a big dance party after the sun goes down! It's got tractors, plows, and combines, music, dancing, and animals.
Your bio says you also do voiceovers. Do you create children and adult voices? Or is yours more of the resonant tone of a radio DJ? How many takes do you normally do to get it right?
I don't do children's voices because I am too much of a baritone - but I do a number of different character voices in addition to my normal, conversational tone. I spent 20+ years in radio before getting into children's lit, so setting up a home studio for voice work was not hard for me. And it's fun! Sometimes you nail the delivery in one take, sometimes it can take 3 or 4. I've voiced everything from on-hold messaging for Holiday Inn to an online bit for HBO Comedy, from a Chrysler dealership in Baltimore to a pool company in Dubai! (I've even done some on-camera work.)
I wish I'd know how to write better, ha! Granted, I was writing poems and commercials and comedy bits and whatnot for years, but I still had a lot more to learn about the craft of writing for children than I realized. I knew the process was slow, I knew that submitting manuscripts to publishers could be challenging, I knew that it was an uphill climb - but boy, I had no idea how little I actually knew about the craft itself. Poetry is one thing; narratives in picture book format are something else!
What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
Perseverance, patience, and tenacity are almost more important than talent. I say 'almost' because of course one needs to have the talent to be able to write - but you could write the next Great American Novel yet if you don't stick with it - revising, editing, submitting, submitting, submitting - no one will ever know what you wrote. "Once Upon Another Time" (Beamnig Books, 2021), which I co-authored with Charles "Father Goose" Ghigna, went through 24 rejections before getting picked up while "The Thing to Remember about Stargazing" (Tilbury House, 2023) went through 25! That's 49 rejections for just two books! So you really have to stick with it.
To follow up what I mentioned about perseverance, the only way you'll get published is by following Jane Yolen's mantra: Do. The. Work. Her famous "BIC rule" stands for Butt In Chair, and she's right; you have to be willing to get the story written, revise it, polish it, tweak it. Then submit, submit, submit! And once it gets picked up, the editor will likely offer a whole bunch of other suggestions for revisions. But you're not going to get anywhere without the groundwork. I always tell people that whatever I lack in talent I make up for in hustle! Just like when I'm playing on the soccer field, I may not be the most talented player out there, but I'm constantly working - passing, dribbling, defending - just like I do with my writing career.
What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis?
My new board book, "Tractor Dance" (Susan Schadt Press), officially arrives Oct. 8. And I'm super-excited about my very own poetry anthology, "A Universe of Rainbows," which arrives this spring from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers! Twenty-three poems span a literal universe of rainbows – from prisms and birds to rivers and mountains, and even the Rainbow Nebula in the constellation Orion. Dedicated to the late children’s anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins, it is a Who’s Who of Lee’s friends I’ve brought together, including Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Georgia Heard, Nikki Grimes, Jane Yolen, Charles Ghigna, and many, many others. I couldn’t possibly be more excited! (The official cover reveal will be happening soon!)
Website: https://mattforrest.wordpress.com/ or https://mattforrest.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MattForrestVW
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattForrestVoice
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattforrestvw/
And here's a bonus for my readers...Leave a comment on this post and we'll pick one reader who'll receive a copy of Matt's new board book, "Tractor Dance," which featuers a bunch of farm equipment having a big dance party after the sun goes down! It's got tractors, plows, and combines, music, dancing, and animals.
If you've got young kids, I'll bet they'll love this book!. So add that post now. It can be as simple as I want to be in the giveaway. We'll chose a winner next Wednesday!
What a fantastic interview! I don’t know if I can ask a question but here goes: do you ever resubmit the same (or revised) manuscript to the same publisher after being rejected?
ReplyDeleteThank you! Rarely will I resubmit, unless the editor has offered to look at a revision, or it's been so many years that it's a different editor.
DeleteSo glad Matt found his voice in the kidlit world! Thanks for this interview!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Jane!
DeleteGreat interview. Thanks for passing along such wisdom. Do the Work and BIC are resonating right now as challenging mantras. Congrats on your books and can't wait to see your poetry collection!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Cindy, I appreciate that!
DeleteLooking forward to picking up a copy of these new titles, Matt! I never would have guessed these had received those numbers of rejections. That's eye opening for sure. Talk about perseverance! I'm always learning something new. 😊
ReplyDeleteThank you, Candice! We're always learning!
DeletePoetry is not easy. I did a story in poetry in the spring. Hardest book I’ve ever done. Tenacity is not my forte. I’m glad it’s yours. You have provided parents and grandparents (like me) with some beautiful offerings for our Littles. Great interview, Chris.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Judy! It's not easy, but it is an enjoyable sort of hard. ;)
DeleteI love Matt's stuff (that I've seen). Flashlight Night - illustrated by Fred Koehler - is great! I also have several anthologies with his poems in them. Keep going, Matt!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Will!
Delete