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Installment #2 - Mechanics of the book market 12/7/2010 5:58:26 AM
A "How To" on children book writing (September 2010 entry)
By definition, ‘market’ is all about offer and demand for a particular product or service. Your market research, if done well, should reveal what works, what people want and who’s buying it, how product X is presented, etc. This step is an important one if you want to set yourself apart: by your style of writing, your level of imagination, your knowledge of said topic, your level of risk – are you keeping with traditions and the status quo, or are you daring enough to think outside the box? A hint: know what you like, your passions in life, your personality … these traits will enable you not only to find your voice, but will serve as a guiding light, leading you to unimaginable ideas.
If you haven’t read my first installment: ‘More than just a great idea’ (add link back to this entry), make it an item on your to-do list … now back to our regular programming.
Okay, so you’ve done your homework from installment #1: you a) jotted down a few story ideas and, b) checked out what is already on book shelves in libraries and book stores.
If you recall from my previous installment, I mentioned something about the market, i.e. what is already out there and competing against you … or not! Familiarizing yourself with the market is knowing what exists: type of books and story lines. If your idea is to write about an alligator that loves to tango, you might think to yourself: Holly alligator, this is brilliant … no one thought of this I’m sure! Now what would be your next step? If you answered: start writing! … STOP! Your next step is the 3Rs: Research – Research – Research. What did I say about libraries and book stores? And how about the Internet? Check out Barns and Nobles, Amazon, type in the keywords of your story in Google’s search menu and just watch what pops up! (Sigh) Your great alligator story has been done! This little factoid doesn’t mean you have to abandon your idea altogether, however you should seriously consider changing some of the aspects of your story. Can your alligator be a giraffe? Instead of tango could it be break dancing? Why not the waltz? If the existing story takes place in a dance studio somewhere in beautiful Manhattan, your venue could be a majestic ballroom in a castle somewhere in France. This will probably not change the main idea of your story much, and it’ll give you an edge seeing that it hasn’t been done.
Just for the sake of argument, let’s say you agree with me and you modify the main character (from alligator to giraffe), the venue (from dance studio to a ballroom) and the action, i.e. dancing (from tango to break dancing), all without actually changing the main idea of your story. Your next logical step is to get your hands on the book about that tango dancing alligator, and analyze how the author went about it. Don’t worry, this is not plagiarism, you’re merely comparing notes to find out if your line of thought matches that of the author’s, or if your idea is totally different. I agree this is quite a bit or work and not quite what you had in mind when you decided to write your first book yet, this exercise will prevent you from repeating what has already been done and, in the same token, offer you the best chances of success even before you start writing your heart out.
One last thing on this subject, then we’ll move on to book types. If you feel strongly about your initial idea … you know, the one about your tango dancing alligator! By all means go for it, but take it from me, selling it will be a hell of a chore! On a brighter note though, with today’s technology, you could potentially self-publish and sell your book online … we’ll deal with this topic at a later time.
In the opening of this second installment, I pointed out the importance of passion. I honestly believe writing comes from the heart – that feeling you get when you’re so taken by what you write that everything around you is somewhat of a blur … that’s passion. Now to really go at it, either on a part-time basis or as a new fulltime career, not only will you need to be enthralled about writing as a whole, but you’ll need to be passionate and well-informed about your subject. If, for instance, you choose to write a picture book where your character is a boy with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), yet you have no knowledge whatsoever on this subject, might I suggest you either get extremely well informed on the topic, or simply drop it altogether. At the other end of the spectrum: let’s say you’ve been around alligators and you understand and love them, this could be your leitmotiv (refer back to my first installment on this subject). The bottom line is: write about what you know, it’ll make the experience that much more stimulating.
Now time to look at the little matter that is: book types!
Do you have a clear cut idea of the type of book you want to write? Do you know what types of books are out there? Again, and please bear with me, go out to your local public library or bookstore and check out the differences in children’s books.
As an aid, read up on these definitions, they’ll give you a broader idea of the types of books for kids:
• Board book: as the name implies, the pages are made of thick cardboard, very resistant (could potentially break your toe if one were to fall on it!)
• Emergent reader: these are the simplest of books, fully illustrated with very low word counts. They are meant for children beginning to read.
• Easy reader: books under this banner are generally for kids whom are just beginning to read. As a rule of thumb, they’re usually made up of text and illustrations, each taking about 50% of the book. If you’ve ever seen a book with an I CAN READ on its cover, that’s an easy reader.
• Picture book: needless to say, this type of book is filled with pictures or drawings. Books that fall under this category usually have a page count anywhere between 32 to 48 and are typically meant for children between the ages of 4 to 8.
These are but 4 categories. Other types of books are: chapter books, middle-grade novels, novels, teen or young adult novels and tween books. If you want to know more about these types, write me in the comment box and I’ll give you all the information you need.
Another way to describe books would be by genre.
• Action / Adventure: books where you’ll find spies, superheroes, adventures to strange and foreign lands.
• Commercial: more universal, think masses, marketing to the core - Dora and Diego ring any bells?
• Fantasy: where stories take place in an imaginary world where dragons, goblins and wizards roam the land.
• Series / Sequels: as the name implies, a series goes on forever (think soap operas); sequels on the other hand, are a long stories divided by books (Harry Potter is a good example).
Other genres include contemporary, gothic, mystery, literary, etc. Again, if you wish to get more information on other genres, send your question in the comment box.
YOUR HOMEWORK:
• Grab a sheet of paper and write down what you are passionate about, and why
• Once you’ve narrowed down your passions– unless you have but one – jot down everything you know about them, go into detail (note: your passion can be about superheroes, dogs, humor … heck, why not potatoes?) … the list goes on!
• Research your passions to further open your horizons to them
• Head back out to your local public library or bookstore and explore the types of books mentioned above, understand them … take some out and read them, take notes (this is strongly suggested by the way!) – at this juncture, it’s not about finding the type of book that touches the subject you want to delve into (although this would be a big plus!), it’s merely to get acquainted with different writing styles, the number of words, varieties in illustrations, etc.
• Try to determine what type of book would best suit your passion and your style of writing. Determine what type of book you believe would feel comfortable for you to work with and then develop your talent by writing, erasing, writing, deleting, etc.
I hope this gives you a general understanding of the market, of what is out there and what is expected of you as a children’s book author. If you have the passion to write, there are countless tools at your disposition; it’s up to you to use them.
Here’s insider information … if you say I told you, I’ll just deny it! Consider joining a writing forum where countless authors share valuable information. Below are helpful links which I believe will assist you in your new endeavor:
Thanks for reading this second installment! In two weeks time (October 13) I will cover what is probably the most important topic of all – writing! Here you will learn the ‘ins and outs’ of writing and the tools available on Microsoft Word (sorry, I have no knowledge of Mac) to assist you.
