Writing Picture Books Tips From Rubin Pfeffer at East/West Literary

I recently had the good fortune to attend a workshop at the Florida SCBWI conference led by Rubin Pfeffer. The workshop was called, "The Art (or Science) of Picture Book Submission."

Mr. Pfeffer started by telling us it's a tough market for picture books. One reason is the number and quality of good chapter books. Kids are simply graduating to chapter books earlier, which is why editors are looking for brief picture books written for the very young.

Mr. Pfeffer shared a story about a picture book he recently sold called A PRESENT FOR MILO. After he made the rounds of New York houses, he simply could not sell this book. Because Mr. Pfeffer is a champion of e-publishing, he had an "app" made of A PRESENT FOR MILO. The electronic version led to a print book deal. He opened my eyes to the possibility of a print and e-version actually complementing each other.

The following list is the criteria Mr. Pfeffer uses to evalutate picture book submissons. He credits the list to his dear friend, Andrea Welch at Beach Lane Books. A manuscript doesn't need all of these, but it should have several of them.

1. Who is the manuscript for? Is there a clear audience?
2. Is the manuscript emotionally engaging?
3. Does it meet a special childhood emotional need?
4. Is there a highly creative concept, structure, or execution?
5. Does the manuscript use clever, evocative language?
6. Is there a compelling narrative arc?
7. Does the manuscript have strong pacing? Fun page turns?
8. Wordcount...Keep it down! Has the author left enough room for the illustrator to bring it to life?
9. Are the characters memorable and relatable?
10. Is it a story kids will want to hear again and again?

I was thrilled to meet Mr. Pfeffer, and proud that I'm represented by his partner at East/West Literary, Mary Grey James.

I'd love to hear if these tips help with your picture book submissions. Happy Writing!

TIPS FOR CHOOSING A BOOK TITLE

Ann Whitford Paul gives great tips for choosing a book title in Chapter 16 of WRITING PICTURE BOOKS.

While not every title will contain all of the characteristics, these tips are a smart place to start in evaluating possible choices. Is your title...

1. Brief

2. Catchy

3. Unique

4. Straightforward

Does it...

5. Express the Mood of the Book

6. Hint at What the Book Is About

7. Create Suspense

8. Give the Artist an Idea for the Cover Illustration

9. Include the Main Character's Name

10. Use a Catchy Line From Your Manuscript

Make sure...

11. The Title Doesn't Give Away the Ending

12. That A Child Can Easily Say It Out Loud (for picture books)

I selected my contest winner using these characteristics. WHEN SARAH WASN'T LOOKING is unique. A quick check of Amazon.com shows me that it hasn't been used before. That's important because I want readers to be able to find my book without searching too hard. WHEN SARAH WASN'T LOOKING also delivers on #'s 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11.

All in all I think it's a great title choice. Thanks to all of my contest participants and to Barbara Krasner who suggested the winning title.