Quick Answers: Cold Medicine, Reincarnation, and Newspaper Copyright

What genre would reincarnation fall into?

Fantasy.

Under the influence of cold medicine, I cranked out what I think is a cute picture book (text only, no art, but I'm still taking cold medicine so watch out). I am not new to writing, but am new to writing for kids. Specifically, I would like to learn more about rhyme, verse and poetry in picture books.

I've found a lot of references to how bad most writers are at it, but not a lot of ideas/advice on how to evaluate or improve.

Do you have any thoughts? I would like to figure out a) how bad my verse is and b) how to fix it. (I do assume it must be awful because I am high on drugs.)

Readers, to the comments!  I'm sure you have some great resources.

I'm interested in knowing if I can legally use feature stories I wrote that were already published by a community newspaper I work for. I understand that after 90 days, the stories legally belong to me and that I can rework them and sell them to magazines, trade journals, etc. for additional publication.

Does this sound correct?

Who do you understand this from?  The newspaper?  Because if it's not the newspaper (or more specifically the contract you signed with them), it doesn't mean a thing.

Poetry? There's an Ointment for That.

I've been wondering: I've written a picture book text in unrhymed verse, although the format is in verse, due to the rhythm. How to I query on this? And what would be the format of the text? In regular paragraph form? Or in verse form? Can you advise me on that?

I love poetry.  I browse the children's poetry section at bookstores, and I read poetry in my spare time.

I'm not the only one, either.  Plenty of editors enjoy good poetry.  And it is for this very reason that most editors HATE poetry in query letters.

I'm not implying that your poetry isn't good.  I just want to bring across what you're up against.

The mild bludgeoning the English language gets in prose when in the hands of some writers becomes a cheerful disemboweling when the same people attempt poetry.  Every editor has seen a great quantity of this sort of thing.  It's terrible to watch the language we love be dressed up in quaint and merry bells and then flayed alive.

So seeing 'poetry' or 'verse' in a query letter, especially when what's being pitched to me is a picture book, not a poetry book (and thus not something that absolutely must be poetry), has, after much experience, come to give me the feeling of incipient hives. It is often the precursor of a manuscript that cares more about being poetry than about having a sales hook or any compelling content, and indeed often fails at all three.

In consideration of this justifiable prejudice among editors, and because your verse is not rhyming, I would strongly suggest that you not mention that your book is in verse when you query it.  If it works to format it in paragraph form, go ahead and do that, too.  And once you've taken the lyricism of your writing out of the query letter's equation, if you can't think what makes your book good competition for the many other picture books out there, then that's when you know you've got a problem.

Good luck!

Quick Answers: Poetry vs Picture Book, Chapter Book vs Novel

Thanks for sharing all your comments and tips with us. I have just begun the process of trying to find an agent to represent my work - picture books written in rhyme. I have heard that some agents and editors will not even manuscripts for rhyming picture books, perhaps partly because they are overdone and partly because often they are not done well. I assume all I can do as an aspiring writer is to send my manuscripts to those who don't include "rhyming picture books" in their lists of what they are NOT looking for. But what if they specify that they aren't looking for "Poetry"? This is what I need clarified for me. Does "Poetry" mean an actual book of poems (Whitman, Silverstein, etc.) or does my rhyming picture book fall into this category as well?  

Well, it shouldn't mean that.  Probably in some cases it does actually mean that, but I think you have to take them at their word and submit it as a picture book. 

I was wondering if the query letter is any different for a chapter book vs. a regular novel. I know that with picture books, you are supposed to include the complete text of your entire manuscript in your query, but would you do that for a chapter book that is around 7,500 words (if you were intending it to have a lot of pictures)? Or would I follow regular query standards for this type of chapter book?
I haven't seen this question directly addressed on any industry blogs, perhaps because there really is no difference so people don't make mention of it. I appreciate everything you do with your blog and I hope everything is going well at your agency.

A.  I am not an agent.  See the "editorial" at the top?

B. Do not include the complete text of your picture book manuscript unless that's what the publisher's/agent's submission guidelines ask for.  There are no industry-wide rules.  Wishfully thinking that there are is just going to get you into trouble.

C. A chapter book is a short novel for short people.  Treat it like that.

How to Know What You're Doing

Brenda Bowen (www.bowenpress.blogspot.com) visited us at Dreamworks studios today. She shared her brilliant insight on how to get children’s books published. One of the things she said was that most agents right now don’t want to see rhyming stories. But she also elaborated by saying that there is a difference between real poetry and simply rhyming, and the former has a better chance if you really know what you’re doing. Do you concur with her advice, or do you have any additional thoughts on the topic? Thanks dude.

I absolutely agree.

There are a lot of people who know very little about children's books and about writing poetry and who nevertheless don't see any problem with that and send us AWFUL manuscripts.

They can't remember many children's books outside of Goodnight Moon and Dr. Seuss, and so they figure most children's books are poems. But they aren't.

They don't read much poetry themselves, and so they figure the only thing that makes a poem poetry is that the last words in each line rhyme. But it isn't.

Brenda's advice can also be summarized in broader terms:

If you've done your own taxes, don't assume you're ready to work for the IRS.
If you've carved a turkey, you still really shouldn't try to perform brain surgery.
And if you don't know a damn thing about children's books, go ahead and assume that includes not knowing how to write them.

And There, Hanging from the Car Door, Was a Bloody, Severed.... Rhyme Scheme

I just found your website, and find it to be very helpful. However, I haven’t been able to find the answer to one particular question I have: exactly how does one format the manuscript for a RHYMING picture book - that is, one with stanzas. Do I format it like a poem (single spaced within a stanza, and double spaced between stanzas), or double spaced with 4 spaces between stanzas. Your answer would be GREATLY appreciated.

It doesn't matter. Leaving a break where you anticipate page breaks might be a good idea, and would make sure you've considered how the manuscript will page out in a standard picture book length.

I would suggest you don't format it in running text, like that's going to make the rhyme scheme more subtle or something. Remember that many editors are very sensitive and skittish around rhymed text, so it's not a good idea to present them with something that doesn't look like it's going to rhyme but surprise! it does. To many editors, it's like finding a spider in a candy box. Shock and horror? Not the response you're going for.

Yes, some editors like spiders. But even so, be sure there's a good reason for the manuscript to be in rhyme. "I like it that way" is not good enough.

Goddamned Poets. Always Thinking They're So Artistic and Poetical... Why, In My Day...

I was wondering if I could pick your big brain about novels in verse...Specifically YA novels in verse. I have only just discovered them and have read some knockouts. (I Heart You, You Haunt Me, Far From You, and What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know).

What are your feelings about novels in verse? Is there a market for them right now?

They're cool, but can be harder to sell. A wide segment of the population is vaguely (or even pointedly) suspicious of poetry. This makes little sense to me personally; I think poetry is wonderful. But you can't discount it.

Some people look at poetry and see that it can serve a more focused approach toward language; it can be fun; it can be beautiful; it can be moving; and as it takes up more space than it does time, it can be very accessible to kids who don't want to sit through a whole novel.

But other people don't know what to think about poetry. Why doesn't it just speak and/or format itself like normal writing? (Is it because the author is pretentious and thinks she's better than me?) Why is there all this damn white space on the pages? (Is it because the author is lazy and didn't want to write a whole novel?) Why is some of this stuff so oblique, forcing me to think about it or even guess at what it means? (The only reason an author would want to say something in a way that the reader can't follow is if the author doesn't like the reader, right?)

So many people end up suspecting (or even feeling quite sure) that writers of poetry are pretentious, lazy jerks who dislike the people who read their poetry. These people need a gentle welcome to the idea of a novel in verse.

How edgy can they be?

YA is getting edgier and edgier. As long as it's not edgy for the sake of edgy, I say go for it.

Should they be in first person?

Who cares?

What is the general word count?

Ask Amazon.

How do I format the thing when Word wants capitals and proper punctuation?

Good question. Do your best.

What Rhymes with 'Misdemeanor'?

My question is one I see constantly debated for picture books: Is it a crime
to write in rhyme?

No, but it is a crime to think that rhyming is the same thing as writing poetry, or that poetry is easy.

Thinking that a picture book for any age can be rhymed is a misdemeanor. Letting the rhyme drive the content instead of the other way around is a felony, and sing-songy rhyme that teaches a lesson can be prosecuted as second-degree manslaughter.

Rhyme has serious ramifications, and should not be attempted by amateurs. Even if it doesn't result in jail time, it is often grounds for a restraining order, and certain particularly pernicious couplets have been outlawed in some states.

If you want to see some examples of rhyme done in a law-abiding and publishable way, simply visit your nearest bookstore.

Broken Rhyme and Shattered Eardrums

Your blog item about children's poetry was interesting. How about the interest level in a children's story written in rhyming verse?

Poetry and stories in verse are separate categories in children's books, but both are, of course, poetry. And that makes them very, very difficult to do well.

Lots of people enjoy writing poetry, and I wouldn't discourage that for the world. But what you do as a hobby and what a poet does is the difference between the person who has a gorgeous, ancient bonsai and the person who is aware they have a tree in their back yard.

This is a difference not much appreciated by the mass of people in the slush pile, and this is why you sometimes hear editors say they can't read another rhymed manuscript until their therapist says they're ready.

Rhymed manuscripts are, nevertheless, important. The best audience for rhymed manuscripts is infants and toddlers, because rhythmic language with predictable, repeated sounds helps very young children to absorb the patterns of our language. (You could, of course, read the Times' stock pages to your infant and still be doing him or her a favor. Any reading aloud makes a difference during those critical early years.)

Please be aware that rhymed manuscripts for children older than 4 are very hard to get right. (Never mind that John Lithgow is doing a business in them. If the only real competition you can find in any pursuit is a celebrity, you should know that you cannot compete.) There are a few books that do this well, but even they must battle the perception among children that rhyming books are for babies.

For my sanity and the sanity of all other editors, use this rule of thumb: never put a manuscript into rhyme because it seems easier or cuter than to develop a story based on writing well and writing hard. If your work (however joyful) doesn't seem like real work to you, chances are it won't seem like it to anyone else.

Brains! Braaaaiiiins!

A reader writes:

Is there a market for children's funny poetry?
Or is Shel Silverstein dead?

Shel Silverstein is dead. For like 8 years now. Alternatively, Shel Silverstein will live forever.

Children's poetry is living a quiet, semi-reclusive life, which one hopes is part of a very long adolescence rather than early retirement.

(As I recently posted on the blue boards:)
Poetry is a hard sell to publishers-- because it's a hard sell to consumers. People just don't buy a lot of poetry, and trust me, it kills editors as much as it does you. We, too, love poetry and see its value and accessibility to children. I've had to decline more than a few collections that I really liked, because I didn't think we'd be able to sell enough copies to justify the investment. It hurts to send those back!

Funny poetry gets out more than its siblings. Kids always enjoy humor. (You've been reading Douglas Florian, haven't you?) We need more Funny poetry.

If, on the other hand, you're talking about You-Think-You're-Funny-But-I'm-Not-Laughing poetry, or Absurdist-Is-The-Same-Thing-As-Funny-Right? poetry, those have been crawling out of their graves and moaning for brains for years now. Where is my shotgun?