An Education in Writing for Children: Author Interview with Janet Halfmann

Five years ago, I started doing author interviews on this blog. Today's interview is with one of the first authors I interviewed in the beginning. I thought it would be fun to see what's she's up to today. As I expected, she is still busy writing and has some interesting insights on the craft. So without any further ado, let's begin the interview!

You’ve been publishing books for more than 15 years, starting with writing for the educational market. Is that a good market for new writers to try to break into the field?
I think writing for the educational market is a good way to break into the field. When I was starting out, I submitted writing samples to various educational publishers and also submitted proposals to them for possible books and series. I wrote series books on bugs, habitats, architecture, “Plant Tricksters,” and more. Educational publishers are in constant need of good writers for the many series that they do every year.

How important is having previous writing credits to those publishers?
I really can’t speak to how important it is to have previous writing credits. Mostly, you want to show the publishers in some way that you are a good writer and can write for children.

How do you go about finding just the right trivia bits about your animal subjects that will intrigue a publisher? How many sources do you use to do research?
I always choose animals I’m interested in learning more about. I try to write about what I think kids will find fascinating. For example, Animal Teachers came about because I noticed that many animals teach their young skills such as swimming, just like humans do. I thought kids would enjoy seeing how animal lives mirror their own.

Eggs 1, 2, 3: Who Will the Babies Be? grew out of research I was doing on bird eggs. I found bird eggs fascinating with their many colors, patterns, and sizes. I figured if bird eggs were so captivating, the eggs of other animals likely were, too. To make my Eggs book more interesting, I created it as a counting book, riddle book, and a book that in a few words told a lot about the animals and captured their habitats. I was delighted when Blue Apple Books decided to make it a lift-the-flap book.

I do a terrific amount of research—mostly books, magazine articles, and internet pieces written by experts. I especially like to read first-hand accounts of animal behavior by scientists and naturalists in the field, because their accounts have lots more specific details, such as exactly how the mom gives a baby a bath, teaches the little one, etc.

What makes a non-fiction book sellable? Is it humanizing the animal? Choosing something that’s cute and cuddly or totally weird?
This is a tough question. When writing about animals, I try to make them come alive for the reader by including such things as the noises they make, their specific behaviors, etc. I also try to use lyrical language.

Before submitting, I always check the publisher’s catalog to make sure they haven’t already done a book on my subject. Some of my stories appeal to editors, and others don’t, so I don’t know the magic formula.

One of your favorite books as a child was Rumpelstiltskin. Those classic fairy tales were closer to 2000 words. Why do you think today’s stories for children are less than one-third that amount?
I think children today expect everything in their lives to move faster, including stories. Editors are definitely looking for shorter stories.

You’ve written numerous books for the Smithsonian Institute. How did that come about?
I saw some of these nature stories at my local library and was very impressed by them. They were very similar to the manuscripts I was writing. The company doing these books in conjunction with the Smithsonian was Soundprints. I looked through their catalog for an animal that they didn’t have in their collection, then spent about four or five months writing the very best story I could about a Sea Star. Soundprints didn’t buy that story, but later one of their writers dropped the ball on a story about the Brown Pelican. I was asked if I could write that story in two weeks—and I did. That led to nine more books. In these books my copy, the art, and the stuffed animals that came with the books all had to be approved by scientists at the Smithsonian. Sadly, Soundprints and the company that succeeded it went out of business a few years ago, and the books are no longer in print.

Luckily, the Sea Star story went on to have a life of its very own with another publisher. With more fine-tuning, it became Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Sea Star, published by Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt in 2011.

What type of publicity does your publisher expect you to do in promoting your book? 
I work with several publishes, and each one is different. But in general, publishers like their writers to do whatever they can to get the word out about their book. That can include speaking and appearing at book festivals and conferences, at bookstores, schools, libraries, etc. Publishers also like writers to contact people in their various networks to let them know about the book, such as traditional and social media, bookstores, friends, etc.

What do they do on your behalf?
The publishers have great networks and sales teams for distributing my books to schools, libraries, nature centers, and other markets. They also promote my books at various trade shows. The publishers also submit my books for reviews in major journals and for awards.

What did you learn in writing your earlier books that helped you in expanding your writing career?
The more I wrote, the better my writing became. Also, getting published by educational publishers gave me the confidence that I could indeed be a children’s author.

Also, about nine years ago, I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. We have a very active chapter in Wisconsin where I live. SCBWI offers all kinds of opportunities to hear editors, art directors, other writers, agents, etc. talk about the writing craft and so much more. The organization also provides many opportunities for promoting one’s books.

What do you think is the most positive aspect of children’s books going digital?
I think with digital books, there are even more opportunities for children to read. Children now can always have books with them—on a phone, tablet, or some other electronic device. Several of my books are e-books, as well as print books.

What frustrates you the most about the current publishing market? 

It frustrates me that more and more publishing houses are becoming closed to writers such as me who don’t have an agent. I was lucky to get my foot in the door of several publishers before they became closed houses. It is becoming more and more imperative that one has an agent in order to get your manuscripts even in the door of a publishing company.

What is the best advice you’ve been given about writing or that you’ve learned that you would like to pass along?
The best advice I ever heard at a writing workshop was that each word in a manuscript must “sing.” I realized that I wasn’t doing that. Now, I make sure every word counts. A good way to hear and feel the rhythm of a manuscript is by reading it aloud. I read each of my manuscripts aloud about 100 times before I send it off to a publisher.

What works do you have in the process?
My book Grandma Is a Slowpoke was released in February from Star Bright Books. The story was inspired by walks with my grandchildren when they were preschoolers.

Grandma Is a Slowpoke is the story of a little girl who goes on a walk with her grandma, but her grandma is such a slowpoke. She stops to take a close look at everything they see in nature. In the end, the little girl sees a muskrat that Grandma didn’t notice, and wants to linger longer to watch this amazing animal. The little girl becomes a slowpoke just like her grandma, and they are happy being slowpokes together. The book is also the story of a loving bond between a grandchild and her grandma. Kirkus Reviews called it “a sweet celebration of intergenerational slowpokery.”

Another picture book that I am extremely proud of will come out in Spring 2017 from Lee & Low Books. It's titled, Midnight Teacher. This is the true story of a courageous enslaved woman who believed in the power of education and risked her life to teach others to read and write.

Also, I am shortening the text for my book Good Night, Little Sea Otter. It will come out as a board book for younger listeners this fall from Star Bright Books. I am very excited about this because this book is extremely popular as a gift for baby showers.

That's all for today's interview. I hope you're inspired to keep on writing and finding the genre that works for you. If you'd like to know more about Janet and writing for the children's market, here's some options to get you started.

Janet’s Website: http://www.janethalfmann.com
Grandma Is a Slowpoke Publisher’s Page: http://www.starbrightbooks.org/details.php?id=540
SCBWI: http://www.scbwi.org

Putting the Pictures in Picture Books: Author Interview with Joan Holub

I am in awe at the number of books you have written. You move from pre-school board books

with only a couple hundred words to middle grade books of 200 + pages. However, you started as an illustrator with Scholastic. Did you continue working as an illustrator until your books started selling?
Scholastic was a great place to work. I did freelance book design for a while after leaving, then moved into illustration full time. I author-illustrated some books (Boo Who? A Spooky Lift the Flap Book) and illustrated books by other authors (Breakout at the Bug Lab), and along the way I discovered I really enjoyed writing more than anything!

In 1996 with the help of your agent you sold 3 of your books to publishers in 3 months. Was it smooth sailing after that or was that just a fortuitous start? 
My art rep kept me busy with illustration, almost from the start. She didn’t encourage my writing, so I wound up doing that on my own and later found a wonderful literary rep (Eden Street) through my Goddess Girls co-author, Suzanne Williams, who was already working with Eden Street. That was the first project I was involved my current rep shopped and sold.

Two of your series are Goddess Girls (middle grade) and Heroes in Training (chapter books)

Have you always been a fan of Greek mythology?

Ever since my own fourth through sixth grade studies on Greek and Roman mythology, I’ve been hooked. I studied mythology in college as well. Goddess Girls is set at Mount Olympus Academy where Zeus is the principal and Mr. Cyclops is the Hero-ology teacher. Each book is based on an actual myth and features a main middle-school age goddess, demi-goddess, or mortal girl from mythology.

What do you expect your readers to take away from your books?

Our goddess girls are strong characters that have adventures, problems, and friendship drama, but always work through them with humor and the help of friends.

Do you write books and then submit them to publishers? Or do you query or pitch an idea to see if there is an interest?
I write the entire manuscript (or create a dummy) to submit for picture books, early readers, and board books. For chapter books and middle grade, I write a series proposal and three to five chapters of the first book.

How do you keep the writing fresh and contemporary after so many books?
It’s not a struggle. I always have something to say and have a stack of ideas on my idea shelf. I’m not the kind of author who keeps a neat notebook or journal of ideas. My stack consists of napkins, notes scribbled on torn pieces of paper or on junk mail.

When you write the factoid books like the ones for Babe Ruth and the

Statue of Liberty, how do you go about doing research and narrow 

down the points you want to make?

I collect every viable book I can find on the subject, seek out ‘official’ websites, and try to visit a museum about the subject if possible. Then it’s a matter of sifting through and thinking about what’s most interesting and important about a subject. It’s kind of like a sculptor taking a block of marble and cutting away till she’s left with a final piece of art that fulfills her vision.

Since you have a background in illustrating, how do you handle someone else illustrating your picture books?
I often make a dummy for a picture book or board book and share it with the editor. They sometimes share it in turn with the illustrator, but sometimes not. The artist does their thing and I don’t interfere. Because I was an illustrator, I know that it only makes a project harder if someone else is trying to tell you how to do it.

Can you explain what you mean when you talk about rhythm in a story? What is the key to writing a successful board book or pre-school story?Every time I write a picture book or board book, I first re-educate myself by reading new books in the stores and old favorites. I have made charts of books I love and books that have sold super-well to figure out their pacing (rhythm) and structure and what makes them tick. 

The key to writing a young book is to think about what real, young kids of today will enjoy and find the place where that story intersects with your own burning passionate interests. That way you’ll love writing it and kids will love reading it!

With all the books you’ve written, do you have a favorite book? Is there a story you’ve written that you really believe in but has not yet been published?

Like any author, I love all my babies. Maybe especially the Goddess Girls (Glen Hanson, cover artist) and Heroes in Training (Craig Phillips, cover artist) books, and my picture book Mighty Dads and Little Red Writing. 

Mighty Dads (illustrated by James Dean of Pete the Cat fame) was my first New York Times bestseller and LRW (illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet) made numerous best book of the year lists and received three starred reviews. Like most authors, I have tons of ideas I believe in that have not yet been published—because I haven’t written them yet!

What books do you have coming out for 2016? What are your goals for 2016?
I had two new book releases in January. My new board book is This Little President: A Presidential Primer, for little leaders-in-training illustrated by Daniel Roode. I kept it simple and upbeat to hold the interest of toddlers, and with the presidential race particularly exciting this election year, the timing has been great. My groovy new chapter book for ages 7 and up is What Was Woodstock? There’ll be three Goddess Girls books out this year—the next one will be Echo the Copycat in April.

What do you wish you knew sooner about publishing?
That there’s no trick to it. Editors are real people who just want to publish good books. So all we have to do as authors is write them.

Do you think you would ever consider 

self-publishing since you have an 

established name and brand?
I think it would be fun, but I don’t have time right now, and my agent and editors are all pretty awesome.

Are there any other points about writing that you would like to add?
Just a heartfelt THANK YOU to you for having me on your blog, Chris!

It's been a pleasure chatting with you and learning all about your books. If you would like to learn more about Joan's current and upcoming books, here's some links to get you started.

http://www.joanholub.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Joan-Holub/e/B000APVEX2

Illuminating a LIfe Through Research: Author Interiew with Kathleen Krull

You’ve published a variety of books in your career from fiction to non-fiction. What was the first book that got published – fiction or non-fiction?

Before I became a full-time writer, I worked for eleven years for four companies as a children’s book editor. While on the job, I wrote mysteries in the Trixie Belden series, a Little Golden Book, a collection of Christmas carols, and a 24-book concept series. My very first published book was THE BUGS BUNNY BOOK (fiction), an auspicious debut to be sure.

You say you wrote for the Trixie Belden series. I see this was a series which was written by Julie Campbell Tatham. How do you pick up and write someone else's series? 

Julie wrote the first 6 books, but after that they were written by freelancers under the house pseudonym Kathryn Kenny.  As editor on the series, I revised many of the manuscripts extensively, & wrote my own -  Trixie Belden and the Hudson River Mystery.

During those11 years as an editor, you also said you wrote a 24-book concept series. Did you edit those books yourself?

I never thought of it that way, but yes I did edit myself. This was the "Beginning to Learn About" Series with Richard L. Allington. They covered the topics of colors, shapes, numbers, hearing etc.

You’ve always been an avid reader. Is there any book you’ve ever read that you wished you had written? If so, what book was that?

 Harry Potter, naturally, and many many others.  I think being an avid reader has always inspired me--striving to be in the company of all the great writers out there.

Most of your books tend to be non-fiction based. How did you get your start in writing non-fiction books? Did you start with a packager?

My mind does gravitate toward organizing large amounts of interesting information into the form of a story. Have never worked with a packager, but my first success, LIVES OF THE MUSICIANS, was pitched as a joint endeavor with the artist, the amazing Kathryn Hewitt. I minored in music in college, it’s one of my passions, and when I looked at the musical biographies that were out then, I wanted to do something fresh and more relevant to contemporary kids.  Its success has led to seven more LIVES OF books, and inspired many of my other books as well.  

How do you decide on the facet of the person’s life that you want to cover? How do you go about doing your research?

I think of myself as a large (5 foot, 2 inch) flashlight, illuminating any avenue of information I can find. Most often, that road takes me to the library, of which I am a heavy user. For real research, detailed information that’s been digested by scholars and carefully edited—you need books. The Internet—not so much. I also have learned not to pay too much attention to diaries and autobiographies, because many people tend to, um, lie about their lives for various reasons.

Instead, I seek what the best scholars have done with this material. I see my role as taking the valuable work of scholars and distilling it into a form that I hope will make children love, or at least like, history. I take a mountain of notes on what is most interesting, and then revise, tinker, revise, edit, whittle, and then revise some more. If there is a key to what I do, it’s that I don’t use most of my information. As Voltaire said, “The best way to be boring is to leave nothing out.” I list my sources and suggested reading at the end, as I think one of the goals of a biography is to direct readers outward to learn more.

Did you ever find something that surprised you in doing research on a topic or person?

 My research constantly jolts me, for better or for worse—one of the perks of the job. 

Is there anyone in particular that you would like to write a book about that you have not yet done?

 I have lots of people I want to write about-- especially women, because I think they’re still underrepresented in the historical record.  Maybe Lady Gaga????

Your husband is an illustrator, but sometimes your writing credits show him as a co-author? How do you decide who does what?

With the books co-written with Paul Brewer-- FARTISTE, LINCOLN TELLS A JOKE, and new THE BEATLES WERE FAB-- he has generally come up with the idea and done the bulk of the research. We do the writing together, passing the manuscript back and forth many times until neither one of us has a quibble.   

How do you handle it when he is your illustrator? 

With the books he illustrates, I never tell him what to illustrate; I’m available for consultation in my office next to his, but even then I find that he and other artists that have illustrated my books come up with ideas a million times better than mine.

Does writing a story come easier now that you’ve written so many books?

 I WISH it came easier, but it really doesn’t--I still go through just as many revisions as I did in the beginning. I do have more confidence that I will eventually have something publishable, while in the beginning I was more in the dark.   

Is there one book you’ve enjoyed writing than any others? 

I enjoy writing all my books--I pick topics I’m passionate about--and how long they take varies wildly, from a few weeks to several years.

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

 I like all parts of the writing process, but my very favorite is getting what seems like a good idea. Pure exhilaration.   

What’s one of the best pieces of writing advice you’ve ever been given?

As for advice, I believe this comes from Hemingway, who said he stopped writing for the day when the writing was going well, not when he was blocked.  He said this makes it easier to get back on the saddle the next day, and I’ve found this to be true.

For those who want to learn more about Kathleen's work, you can visit her author page 

f you would like to have her visit your school to talk about writing, nonfiction or biographies, you can reach her by email  

To see all her "LIVES" series of books, each accompanied by its own downloadable Activity & Discussion Guide, click here

Writing for Children, Author Interview with Tina Cho

Your latest publication is a coloring book which was a “work for hire” can you explain to my readers how that works? How detailed were the instructions for writing it?

Work-for-hire projects mean that you're paid a one time flat fee for your work, unlike royalty payments where you are paid according to how many books sell. The publisher's web site gave some instructions like how many pages in their coloring book and topic examples.

Have you sent in text for other coloring books? Now that you have one done will you be doing others?

No, I haven't written any other coloring book manuscripts and hadn't thought of writing any more. I was just so surprised that this one was accepted after two years. Currently, I'm concentrating on the picture book market.

When did you first get involved with a writer’s group to get serious about writing for children? To what do you credit your ever expanding writing publications?

I joined Nancy I. Sander's CHAIRS writing group in September 2008 (which is how I met Chris) and shortly wrote this "God Is So Good" coloring manuscript. I credit my growing publications first to God who led me into writing and then to Nancy, a wonderful mentor, and last to all my writing critique group members.

What was your first paid writing credit? What suggestions do you have for others who want to start a writing career for children?

I still remember my first check of $50 from Downey Christian School, for acceptance of a story for their private reading program in 2008. My suggestions would be to fist join a critique group, join SCBWI (the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) because they can find a critique group for you in your area, READ books in the area that you want to write, and even join writing groups with the same goals as you. For example, I have been in a fun and lively group called 12x12 started by Julie Hedlund, in which we have the goal to write one picture book manuscript each month for 12 months. We encourage each other and share knowledge of the craft.  

You just completed PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month). Can you tell my readers a little about how that works and what you learned from the process?  

I've done PiBoIdMo for 2 years now. Tara Lazar, author and former Olympic skater, started this idea of writing 30 picture book ideas in 30 days in the month of November. I joined because I needed a way to find more book ideas. Tara blessed us each day with a guest post of encouragement and strategies usually by an author or illustrator, editor, or agent. And both years I met my quota and even sold one of those ideas to Clubhouse Jr., a Christian magazine for kids. Writing book ideas in a new journal is exciting, and I still add to it when I'm inspired. 

You’ve got a new non-fiction book for girls from Legacy Press will be out this year. How did that book come about? Can you tell my readers a little about that?  

 I actually have 2 nonfiction books coming out this year from Legacy Press Kids. It all came about by using my mentor, Nancy I. Sander's idea to query first and land a contract BEFORE you write the book. I saw an ad for Legacy Press, studied their product line on their web site, thought of some ideas that would fit their existing line of books and sent the query. I waited and waited. Nada. So I thought they didn't like my ideas. 

 

Thirteen months later, the editor emailed that he liked my idea for the Christian Girls Guide to Grace (about etiquette) and wanted a proposal. So I took the next two months to research and write one. Ten months later they sent a contract to write the book in which I had 3 months to write! However during this long waiting period, the editor said he liked my writing voice and asked me to write another book for them, using one of their in-house ideas. But I still had to write the proposal outline for it. That book, "My Mini Pet Shop" will be out first. It's a craft and devotion book for girls ages 9-12. 

 

How much time do you spend in researching for your non-fiction writing? 

I usually take 1-2 months to research for a proposal.

Is there any one story that you’ve written that means more to you than any others? Last November I finally wrote a poignant story from an idea I got from living in South Korea. I don't want to spoil the beans yet, but it's a story that the world needs to know about North Korea. 

 

Is there any story that you haven’t yet found a publishing home for that you think you should?  

Of course, I'd like to find homes for all my picture book stories :)

 

How much time do you spend writing daily? 

I do some form of writing almost every day since I freelance write.

How do you keep yourself motivated to write?  

I guess I don't have a problem with motivation because I look at writing as my career now. It's something I just have to do. I also feel that God called me to write. Plus, being in various writing groups helps encourage me each day.