~ by Amanda Smith
 
When I taught elementary and middle school science there would always be a place in the school-year where I would ask something like this: What is the function of the skeletal system? What would you look like if you had no bones? Inevitably, there would always be one student who said, “Like a blob.” Just as our skeletal system provides structural support for the entire body, and, along with muscles, enables movement, stories also need bones in order to not be “blobs” of words.

Over the next three weeks we will take a deep delve into story structure. We’ll look at basic story structures, ways to use structure to add interest, and ways in which structure itself can create meaning. In The Magic Words, Cheryl B. Klein states, “Plot is simply the selection of events and structure in which these events unfold to create the desired emotional effects.” My hope is that by the end of this series, we will all have a better understanding of structure, and will give our story skeletons as much thought as we give plot development or character building.

Basic story structures include linear and circular. There are elements that can be incorporated to both these structures to add depth, teach concepts, or reassure readers. As those who write for emerging readers, we should also be aware that internal structure provides “coat hooks” or place markers for students to gather their thoughts and make necessary connections. When our stories have well-built structures, they offer support for young readers to navigate a text.

Let’s take a look at linear structure. Linear structure is the most common internal structure used by story tellers. It is how we teach young writers to write. A story must have a beginning, middle, and end; and as writers mature, we teach them the story arc.

Usually linear structure is connected to a timeline. The passage of time in a story can be brief, like in most picture books. However, a short timeline doesn’t necessarily imply a short text. The action in the middle grade novel Miss Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson mostly takes place over the course of one day. Periodic time stamps and other time references help establish the structure. The YA novel Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles is also set in a single day, with time stamps at the start of each chapter.

The internal structure of Wonder by R.J. Palacio is stretched over the school year. References to holidays and typical school calendar activities provide the skeleton for the story. Books with a linear structure can also be built around specific holidays, sporting events, competitions, or life-events. The autobiographical graphic novel Smile by Reina Telgemeier takes place over many years, yet its linear structure follows the author’s childhood dental injury and recovery.

​This isn’t a blog post on querying, so I’ll leave it at that. The point is that it’s great to have big goals. In fact, I’m such a fan of big goals, I post them prominently on a large bulletin board in my office. On the practical side of things, though, each goal needs to be broken down into small, incremental parts and placed on functional to-do lists. That’s how you move from goal setting to task management. I remember having “research agents who rep middle grade sci-fi” on my to-do list. When I checked it off, I felt confident that I’d moved closer to my goal of getting an agent.
 
That’s the key, right? Actually getting things done and feeling accomplished. So first, I break down my goals into incremental tasks. Next, I estimate how much time each task will take. Then the tasks make their way into my task management system. 
​
Here are the basics of my task management system. I generate monthly to-do lists that are separated by category. Currently, my categories are writing, book business, kids (as in my own), and life/domestic management. Writing tasks and most of the book business tasks can be tracked back to one of the goals on my bulletin board. I further break down my to-do lists at the beginning of each week (i.e., a weekly list) and then again at the beginning of each day. My daily lists typically have no more than 4-6 entries, and I more often than not check every item off by the end of the day.

I​f my approach resonates with you, give this a whirl. Set 2-4 writing/book business goals, then spend some time breaking each goal into tasks. For each task, indicate approximately how long the task will take and determine a sensible task order. Assess your task lists and how they realistically match up against your other time commitments (family, domestic, other work, self-care, etc.), then determine what you think you can reasonably accomplish in one month and generate a monthly to-do list. If you’d like, you can further streamline and create weekly and daily lists like I do.
 
At the end of the month, make sure you take some time to assess how you fared with your to-do list. Don’t worry if everything doesn’t get done. Figuring out how long things take (not to mention assessing how you’re actually using your time) is a process. The important thing is that you’re able to track your progress.
 
Good luck! And happy writing!

By Kelly Carey

Often, when a family member, friend, or acquaintance learns that you are a children’s writer they comment back, “I’ve always wanted to be a children’s writer,” or “I’ve written a children’s book too”. As a seasoned member of the KidLit community you will want to be helpful and encouraging while still providing realistic and practical advice and information.​

The following blog is a post that you can share with folks you meet who want to become children’s book writers. Share it as a way to kick-start their writing journey and provide them with the first step information every writer needs to move from thinking about being a children’s writer to becoming a children’s writer. 

​The dream of becoming a children’s author is a wonderful bubble that floats into the heads and hearts of many creative people. The trick is to take that dream and make it a reality.

But how?
​
There are three key first steps that every dreamer needs to take in order to kick start their writing journey and move it from a thinking about phase to a doing phase. 

​Step One: Write

The first step to becoming a children’s author is to write.

This may seem like common sense, but this is the point where many writing dreams sit stagnant. Aspiring writers may think about a story, and have a desire to be a writer, but often they will not take the time to sit down and put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.
​
To become a published writer you have to sit down and write. It can’t be on a whim or as a hobby. It has to be a real endeavor. Until you decide to make writing a priority, everything and anything - kids, family, chores, appointments, friends -  can and will derail your efforts and interrupt your progress. Think of writing as a job that requires your undivided time and attention.

To put true intention into your writing ambition, layer measurable goals into your dream:  

• Commit to Writing a Set Number of Hours per Week or Day
• Set Aside an Entire Day(s) A Week for Writing
• Commit to Writing a Set Number of Words or Chapters per Week or Day

Jane Yolen is a prolific and respected children’s author and is credited with the phrase “butt in chair”. Yolen’s advice emphasizes the need to actually sit down and do the work of writing in order to become an author. As Yolen says, “Write, write and write some more. Think of writing as a muscle that needs lots of exercise.”
​
For help setting your writing goals check out the posts under the Writing Goals section of the 24 Carrot blog archives. 

​
Step 2: Find Your Tribe

Writing can be a very solitary business. You’re not working for a company. There is no boss or co-worker. It is you alone with a laptop or a notebook. BUT you cannot work in a vacuum. You will need a group of fellow writers on your journey for the following reasons:
​

• Constructive & Qualified Feedback: Although you can share your writing with a spouse, parents, kids or friends, your writing will need honest, qualified, and constructive feedback. This is the type of feedback you can only get from other writers. Finding a trusted group of fellow writers and building a critique group will be essential to your writing journey.
• Support and Encouragement: This is a tough business. Most manuscripts will be rejected multiple times before they find publishing success and many authors will tell you that their first manuscripts were never published, but rather it was their eighth picture book, or second or third novel that found publishing success. You will need support from other folks in the trenches during this time.

There are some practical ways to find your writing tribe. For example: 

• Join a Professional Writing Organization
  • ​​The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI): An international professional organization for authors and illustrators of children’s books. https://www.scbwi.org/
• Seek Out Local Writing Groups
  • The Writers’ Loft: A community space in Sherborn, MA for writer’s to connect and take classes.  https://www.thewritersloft.org/
  • Grub Street: A creative writing center in Boston. https://grubstreet.org/
• Follow Writer Created Blogs and Facebook Groups
  • 24 Carrot Writing: A weekly blog and Facebook group designed to help writer’s set goals and explore the craft of writing. http://www.24carrotwriting.com/
  • KidLit411: An online site that organizes articles, blog posts, interviews and information about writing and illustrating for children in one spot. http://www.kidlit411.com/
  • Writers’ Rumpus: A site that shares ideas, tips, news, and information of interest to children’s writers and with the wider children’s publishing community. https://writersrumpus.com/
• Participate in Online Writing Challenges
  • Storystorm: Annual challenge in January that encourages picture book writers to create a picture book idea every day in the month of January. The challenge provides online support from industry professionals. https://taralazar.com/storystorm/
  • Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 Challenge: Annual challenge with registration in December and January that challenges picture book writers to draft 12 manuscripts in 12 months. The challenge provides an online community, webinars, and support from industry professionals. http://12x12challenge.com/
  • National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo): Challenge takes place in November and offers online support and local writing events. https://nanowrimo.org/

 
Engage in the community of writers in order to find valuable critique partners and a support system. For more help finding a writing tribe, check out the posts under the Writing Community section of the 24 Carrot blog archives. 

Step 3: Read

There is a difference between reading a book as a reader for enjoyment and entertainment and reading a book as writer. Readers will enjoy a book, while writers will study why a book was enjoyable. In order to become a published writer, you need to read like a writer.

There are three primary reasons why writers read in their genre:

• To Study the Writing & Find Mentor Texts: Books that are examples of strong writing will become your guides as you hone your writing skills and work through your own manuscripts.
• To Understand the Market: It is important to understand what books are currently on the shelves so that you can understand what editors and booksellers are looking for, and also to be sure your manuscript is original. You will want to be able to identify where your own writing will fit and also how it is offering something fresh and new. To do this you will need to read currently published books in your genre.
• To Find Comp Titles: When it comes time to present your work to an agent or editor, they will ask you to name a few recently published titles that can guide them in understanding how your manuscript fits with the current market. In order to be able to name comparable titles, you will need to be well read on current books in the market.  

Read as a way to study books and understand the craft and techniques that authors employ to create their stories and to understand the current market. A wonderful way to have a guide as you sharpen your ability to read as a writer is to participate in Reading For Research Month (ReFoReMo).  ReFoReMo is an annual online event during the month of March where industry professionals recommend books to study as mentor texts. http://www.reforemo.com/p/reforemo-mission.html​

For more help becoming a writer who reads, check out the posts under the Read section of the 24 Carrot blog archives. 

​If you have been thinking about becoming a children’s writer take these first steps.

Write, Find a Tribe, and Read.
​
Good Luck on your journey!

By Anna Crowley Redding
 
 
My fourth-grade science classroom is burned into my memory. If I close my eyes, I can still see the glass aquariums in the back of the room that held soon-to-be-hatched snake eggs, turtles, and mice. Adorning the perimeter of the room? The steps to the scientific method. On the board? A parade of brainy topics from the Sputnik to Dr. Jarvik and the artificial heart. The highlight of the year? Walking into the classroom to find the desks have been pushed together, are covered with trash bags and newsprint to accommodate what our teacher picked up from the butcher: a set of bonafide cow lungs. We will all take turns blowing into them to investigate how this organ works in humans. (Tip: If you blow into the wind pipe to inflate the lungs, close your mouth quickly ‘cus what goes in the lung, comes out––only with a new lung-y taste and smell.) It was a time of wonder and first touch with meaningful scientific inquiry. It was an amazing experience.

What I don’t remember from that time? Our textbooks or any science-based picture books. And for good reason. All of the joy of hands-on learning, the pull of a magnetic intellectual journey died in our books. And this was no fault of my marvelous teacher. By and large most nonfiction texts of that day were boring, caught in the trap of regurgitating facts.
 
Luckily, that is no longer the case and thank goodness! Today’s nonfiction books are at turns poignant, jubilant, and fascinating––written with a hook that leaves the reader wanting to go deeper into any topic, whether science, history, social studies, math, art, etc. Not only is this an obvious win for students and young readers but this is a win for writers, too, freed from outdated misconceptions of what nonfiction must look like. Yay!
 
So, as a nonfiction writer where do you begin? Here’s some advice that people have given me along the way that’s made all the difference.
 
When I was a TV news intern in Boston, a more seasoned reporter said to me, "When you are going around in life or learning about something, and you have that thought: ‘OH! I never knew that!’––train yourself to listen to that thought, because you are not alone."
 
That’s tip #1 – If you hear these thoughts-- “Oh, that’s cool!” or  “Gee, I never knew that.” STOP what you are doing, write it down. Write down that cool thing. NOW, look at your paper. You have a story idea! Woohoo.

Now What?
​Well, I learned how to answer ‘Now what?’ from one of my college professors. I took his class as an elective, because I wanted to understand how public policy was made, so that as a reporter, I would recognize flaws. That professor was none other than Governor Michael Dukakis. To this day, he is one of the smartest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of talking to (and one of the most committed to helping young people learn and become public servants).
 
Listening to his process, I realized it applied not only to public policy, but also to reporting and storytelling. Let’s run through it. Tip #2 is Do as Dukakis Does!
 
Step 1 – Take out three sheets of paper. Label the first one “history and background.” So, you have your idea. Put on your investigative hat and start jotting down bullet points that go deeper. Is your story idea about Albert Einstein’s childhood? Find out the important dates. What else was happening in the world then? What were other kids of the day like?
 
Is your topic cannibalistic insects? List them. When were they discovered? What are the facts, as you dive in, that still have you saying “oh, I never knew that!” List them.
 
Fill your page with facts!
 
Step 2 – Grab your second sheet of paper. Label it “Key People/Sources.” Now you are going to list off all the people you and the Google search engine can think of, who might be an expert on your topic or be able to point you to an expert. I say ‘people’ but it can also be museums, websites, books. If your story is about crop-killing bugs, you’ll want to make sure you have farmers on the list. If your story is about the Titanic, you’ll want to read first-hand accounts from survivors. If you are writing about Mars, NASA’s website might be helpful. Brainstorm who you need to talk to, places you need to visit, websites to read, books to check out, etc. Fill the page!
 
Step 3 – Grab that last sheet of paper and write “Connect.” Working from your “Key People/Sources” page, list all the people or places you are going to call, visit, e-mail. This is a working list so you can check them off as you go along. And as they suggest other important contacts or sources, you can keep adding to the lists.
 
Wait, that’s a lot of work. What’s the point?
It helps you get your arms around your story idea and research quickly and comprehensively, adding structure to the process.
 
So, you have a ton of information. Now, what?!
 
Tip #3 – Find Your Hook
 
Now, you need to think about your hook! In that mountain of research, what really got your attention? What do you find yourself thinking back on over and over again? When I was in journalism school, this little sentence was offered as an exercise to find the hook. Here’s the cleaned-up version:
 
“HOLY MOLY! I just found out that . . . !”
 
When you complete that sentence, you know what your hook is.
 
Sometimes your first paragraph is centered around your hook. But sometimes you need to set it up. To understand which group your story idea fits in to, break your story down into moments. If your story is about a person, typically the moments of their life start with 1) potential 2) effort 3) setback 4) growth 5) another setback and repeats like this until 6) Eureka! Breakthrough. This is a similar story arc to fictional stories.
 
If your topic is about science or math, it may too have this arc, or you might be organizing ideas together in a way that tells a story.
 
Tip #4- Play story time leader!
 
But imagine this, you are sitting in a rocking chair at story time, and you begin to talk to the wide-eyed, riveted children seated at your feet. They want to hear all about your book. Using your very best story time voice, where do you naturally begin? Full disclosure: This particular author is not above grabbing stuffed animals and acting out this scenario. It helps.
 
Even when you are writing for middle schoolers and young adults, you still have to tell a story.

Wait! I just realized . . . you came up with a story idea, researched it, and figured out where to start and what your hook is! I guess we better end here so you can get busy writing, because we want to read your book!
 
In the meantime, I am hoping in my time machine to drop off some books to my fourth-grade classroom. I think I’ll take …
 
Terrific Tongues by Maria Gianferri, Volcano Dreams: A Story of Yellowstone by Janet Fox, Two Truths and a Lie by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson.


​​
Before diving into the deep end of writing for children, Anna Crowley Redding was as an Emmy-award winning investigative reporter, TV anchor, and journalist. The recipient of multiple Edward R. Murrow awards and recognized by the Associated Press for her reporting, Anna now focuses her stealthy detective skills on digging up great stories for younger readers―which, as it turns out, is her true passion. Her book, Google It: A History of Google, is available now in a bookstore near you.

To learn more, visit Anna's website at https://annacrowleyredding.com/

Guest Post by Lisa Rogers

Please welcome author and librarian Lisa Rogers to 24 Carrot Writing. 

Lisa is an elementary library teacher in a K-5 school in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Her debut picture book, 16 WORDS: WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS AND THE RED WHEELBARROW (Random House/Schwartz & Wade Books) will hit shelves in the spring of 2019. 

From her unique seat as both an author and a librarian, we asked Lisa to share her thoughts on how books are selected for classroom and school library shelves. 
 
Thank you so much for joining us Lisa! 
​

How do librarians and teachers choose their books? And how can you get your book in front of them?

Here’s how I choose: Readers, teachers, budget and time. Ideally, I would know and be able to read all of the new books and order the ones I think my readers would most enjoy. I preview as many books as possible before ordering and I've been focusing on books that offer characters and perspectives that reflect our diverse world. It all comes down to choices.

First, my readers. What do students want? What do they like, and what might I present to them? Sometimes, choices are simple: yes, that new Fenway and Hattie; Jasmine Toguchi, definitely. When School Library Journal advises grades 5-8 for a middle grade book that sounds amazing, I request it from the public library and read it before buying. And, I must think about readers like the first-grader who desperately sought nonfiction truck and tank books. For that, I dug into my book distributors, Mackin and Follett, and used their filters and previewing tools to make sure the books I chose were age-appropriate and had enough information to satisfy my student.

​Next, teachers. What can I buy that might help them fill a hole, refresh an old reading list or invigorate a lesson?  That takes curricular familiarity as well as a deep knowledge of my own library’s strengths and shortcomings. When Carolyn Crimi’s The Louds Move In came out, I knew it would be perfect for the third-grade teacher looking for onomatopoeia-based picture books. Miranda Paul’s Water is Water, I knew, would fit in two places: kindergarten study of the water cycle and third-grade nonfiction genre study.
​

​We are thrilled to welcome Rob Broder, co-founder of Ripple Grove Press, to 24 Carrot Writing.
 
Ripple Grove Press is an independent, family-run children’s book publisher. Their list includes picture books like the award winning Grandmother Thorn, Seb and the Sun, and Monday is Wash Day.
 
I had the chance to meet Rob at the book launch of Ripple Grove Press’s newest picture book, Iver & Ellsworth. The book was in hot demand and luckily Rob had extra copies in his car!
 
Ripple Grove Press is looking for its next book and Rob graciously offered to share his thoughts on the submission process from the publisher’s side of the desk.  
 
 
1.       Can you talk about the unique perks and challenges of being a family run independent children’s book publisher?
 
Since it’s just Amanda and myself doing everything to run Ripple Grove Press, we face challenges with reaching as many bookstores, libraries, and parents as possible.  We don’t have a separate marketing team.  We are the marketing team.  So while reading submissions, promoting our current and backlist titles, communicating with our printer and distributor and working on books for next year, we do wish we had some extra hands helping out.  But we love it, and the best perk is finding that next writer and illustrator we are passionate about, who has a wonderful story we resonate with.
 
2.       Querying writers, who are looking for publishers, sometimes forget that publishers are looking for them too! And while groups of writers can often be heard discussing the angst of having a manuscript out on submission, what is the process like for the publisher on the hunt for the next great manuscript?
 
For us, it’s just going through the hundreds of email submissions we receive a month and finding one that just clicks.  Perhaps one where I like the title, I like the first few lines and then I just keep on going.
 
3.       While writers understand that the volume of submissions received by editors makes it unfeasible to respond to every submission, how can a writer know the difference between a complete miss as opposed to a submission that was very close? Writers are willing to put in the work, but sometimes it is hard to know if a submission is just not quite a good fit for a particular editor or if it is in need of major revision. 
 
There have been times where I love the story, but it’s just not for us for some reason. I want to reply to that person and say, “Your story is great.  But do you have something else?” or “Keep writing and you’ll get there.”.  But I just don’t have the time. And if I reply, it might give the wrong signals to that person.  With RGP, as long as the person follows our submission guidelines, I want them to know your story has been read and considered.
 
4.       When you get excited about a manuscript, you are also deciding to get excited about the author. Could you describe the ideal prep work an author should do before submitting to Ripple Grove Press, both in terms of working a draft to a submission ready place and in preparing themselves to be knowledgeable about the industry?
 
Yes, please be professional.  Please be open to editorial suggestions.  We become just as passionate as you are about your story and we are working together to make the most beautiful book, the most wonderful story possible.  So please have an open mind.  Be knowledgeable about children’s picture books.  If you don’t read current and old titles, it will show in your writing and your professional etiquette when discussing picture books. 
  
5.       Once a writer has revised a manuscript and taken it through a cycle of feedback from critique partners, what other steps can and should an author take to make sure the manuscript is submission ready?
​
Have a close friend read the story out loud to you.  But with emotion.  What and where does your
friend think certain words should have emotion.  When should they shout, or whisper, and perhaps make your voice sad.  It really helps hear where your story should be from another perspective.

​6.       Sometimes the best way to learn is by example.  Can you share examples of opening lines that made you excited to keep reading a submission? And what are some opening lines that made you put the submission down before you finished the manuscript?
 
If the opening line has a good simple narrative, it usually resonates with me and I want to keep reading.
​
Like: Ellsworth is a rooftop bear.
or
Grandmother Thorn lived in the very first house on the very straight road to Shizuoka Village.
or
Rain or shine, Monday is wash day.
 or
The gentleman bat, with his gentleman’s cane, went out for a walk one night in the rain.
or
Seb lived in a sleepy coastal town far in the north.

​7.       At the end of the day, it’s all about the writing. But, where does the query letter fit in? Do you read it first? Second? What do you really want to see in that query letter and what do you never want to see?
 
It is all about the writing, so I do go straight to the story.  The main reason for that is I don’t have time to read every query and submission together.  I wouldn’t get through my pile.  If I like your story, I absolutely read your query.  I open every submission hoping to say “Yes! This is it!”  And sometimes, I get excited about the query because it’s so well-written, but then the manuscript doesn’t have the same feel as the query.  I’d like to get excited about your manuscript first, instead of getting excited about your awesome query.
 
8.       Can you share the journeys that brought Iver & Ellsworth and/or Grandmother Thorn from submission discovery to published book? 
 
These two stories came to us through our submission inbox.  And when a story gets moved over to our “Lets Discuss” folder, it . . . well… gets discussed.   We read it over and over before contacting the author.  We read the story to ourselves, we reread it out loud, we read it with the emotion we feel it should have.  We talk about alternate endings, even if we don’t change the ending, we always say “what if this happened.” just to see how it sounds.  We discuss what type of art we see with this story.  We go for walks and visualize how this book might look. 
​
We usually like stories that capture a moment, and both of these stories do.  Proud to say, Grandmother Thorn won the 2018 Anna Dewdney Read Together Award Honor.

9.       Seb and The Sun is a companion book to Jami Gigot’s debut picture book Mae and the Moon.  How is the submission process different for an established author?  Does Ripple Grove Press actively look to publish multiple books by the same author?
 
Mae and the Moon at the time was our best selling and most reviewed book.  And when Jami approached us (actually had a celebration drink over Mae and the Moon) about a companion book titled Seb and the Sun, it was just a concept at the time.  I boy collects bottles, in a dark coastal town and searchers for the sun.  Since we loved working with Jami, we knew how the process was going to be.  So we asked for a rough draft and some sketches. It came together beautifully, earning three starred reviews and becoming our most reviewed book to date.  So yes, building a strong relationship helps.  We know how hard you work to make the book, but it also helps to know how hard you work promoting the book and yourself.

I’ve always written a bit here and there over the years.  When something comes to me I jot it down.  And since starting RGP, I have read so many submissions, that I wrote down a story about a boy who receives a ukulele. Perhaps because I wasn’t seeing a simple ukulele story submitted to us.  And when I showed the story to Amanda, she liked it.  And when we saw Jenn Kocsmiersky’s portfolio, I said what if Paul was a fox and not an actual boy… and it fit.  It worked.
 

Guest blog by Ellen Mayer

We are excited to introduce author and early literacy specialist, Ellen Mayer to our 24 Carrot Writing family. 

Ellen is the author of the Small Talk Books collection published by Star Bright Books that includes Red Socks, A Fish to Feed, Cake Day, Rosa's Very Big Job, and Banana for Two. She is  a member of the TERC Storytelling Math community, a former education researcher at Harvard Graduate School of Education studying how families engage in children's learning, and she worked as an early literacy specialist with diverse and immigrant young children and their parents.  

We've invited Ellen to share her knowledge of writing math-related fiction picture books for children. 

Enjoy! 


​Interested in trying your hand at writing a math-related fiction picture book for preschoolers?

As many kidlitters may know, publisher Charlesbridge recently issued a call for submissions as part of the Storytelling Math project, (https://www.charlesbridge.com/pages/storytelling-math-guidelines) seeking manuscripts for fiction picture books that weave together engaging story lines, mathematical themes, and diversity. The Storytelling Math project is spearheaded by TERC, the non-profit STEM education center in Cambridge, MA (https://www.terc.edu/display/Projects/Storytelling+Math) and is funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation.
​
I was a participant in the pilot phase of the project that included publisher Star Bright Books, and I created two playful math-infused board books for under-threes with diverse characters. Banana for Two features a toddler learning about amounts of one and two with Mama while they shop for groceries and then share a snack together. Clean Up, Up, Up! features a toddler learning about spatial relations with Daddy as they clean up the toddler’s room together and then sit down to dinner with Mommy. Both have stunning art by the illustrator Ying-Hwa Hu.

by Kelly Carey

Looking for comparative or comp titles for your manuscript can sometimes seem counterproductive.  Editors are looking for unique books and if you are able to provide a list of books just like yours, then how can you argue that your book is original?

If you can find piles of books just like yours in tone, character, plot, theme and narrative quality then perhaps your manuscript lacks that special original spark.  The hunt for comp titles can help you assess the originality of your work.  No sense wasting time and energy revising and submitting a manuscript that will fall short of publication because editors will say it already sits on the shelf. 

But, beware. Readers will always crave books on certain topics and if you have added your own twist and voice to the manuscript, then your manuscript will be unique. See my blog http://www.24carrotwriting.com/-blog/find-your-own-bear for a discussion on originality. The trick with creating fresh manuscripts and finding comp titles is to locate books that share one common thread with your manuscript rather than the entire knitted fabric.

When searching for comp titles consider the following hunting tactics:

1. Character: Look for books that have a main character that would be best friends with your main character or for whom your MC shares major traits or flaws. For example, it could be argued that Katniss Everdeen would be best friends with Han Solo, and that Bruce from Ryan Higgins’ Mother Bruce and Mike from Michelle Knudsen’s Big Mean Mike would be best buddies.  However Star Wars and The Hunger Games, while comparable, are very different stories. And while both Bruce and Mike share similar qualities and themes that make them comparable, the plot and humor found in those stories are original.  
2. Theme: Is your story about perseverance, confidence or bullies? Look for books that handle the same topic explored in your manuscript but with a different tone, delivery, and plot.  For example, The Book of Mistakes and Tyrannosaurus Rex vs. Edna both present themes of confidence, however one uses lyrical language and a gentle plot while the other uses humor and an active plot. Similarly, The Big Bed and In Your Hands are both stories that revolve around the child/parent relationship. However, The Big Bed uses humor and a spunky main character while In Your Hands uses lyrical language and heartstring tugging text. These manuscripts are thematically similar and, as a result, are comparable titles, but they are still unique.  
3. Style: Perhaps your manuscript uses rhyme, humor, or Meta to deliver the story. Josh Funk’s Albie Newton uses a fun rhyme and a capable and determined main character to present a science-centered theme about imagination and creation, while Ashley Spires’ The Most Magnificent Thing presents an imagination themed main character using a narrative style. Both share similar themes and Albie and Spires’ main characters would be pals, but Funk and Spires use totally different writing techniques. Clearly the two books are both comparable and unique.

 
It is important to know what you are looking for when you set out to find comp titles, but it is also helpful to know where to look. The best spots to find those elusive comp titles include:

1. Advice from Crit Partners: Sometimes a reader who can take a step back from your manuscript is a fabulous resource when searching out comp titles. Take advantage of the reading knowledge your writing buddies can offer and share your own suggestions on their manuscripts
2. Librarians & Booksellers: These folks are trained to offer advice on finding titles that match a reader’s taste and topic desire.  Ask “Do you have any picture books with a quiet character searching for confidence?”  or even more simply “Do you have any humorous picture books about trucks?”.
3. Internet Searches: Type in searches like “picture books about sharks” and you will be amazed at the lists that pop-up. Amazon, to Goodreads, to wonderful blog posts titled “25 Best Kid Books About Sharks” will have you running to the bookstore or library finding great comp titles.
4. You!: Read and read heavily in your genre. You will accumulate, in the most fun way, the best catalog of comp titles when you keep track of the books you have read and enjoyed. I like to manage my own reading list in Goodreads (see my blog post use-goodreads-to-build-your-virtual-library.html). Whether in Goodreads, in a spreadsheet, or on notecards, build your own comp library with shelves and topic headers that read “picture books about snow”, “picture books about confidence”, or “picture books about girl power”. Those personal lists become gold mines when searching for comp titles.

Having strong comp titles can help you sell your book to an editor, help your editor sell your book to the acquisitions board, help booksellers promote your book to bookstores, and ultimately give the reader a wonderful incentive to pick your book up and read it. Don’t miss the opportunity to link your manuscript to the perfect comp titles.

You’ll be glad you did!