Description:
Discover your pathway to DUAL SUCCESS! Learn how to write for the educational market AND parley educational market skills into trade market successes. The educational market is a multi-faceted, dynamic publishing arena filled with incredible opportunities. This interactive, hands-on lab engages participants as they compose an educational market submission package, discover the benefits and challenges of entering this fast-paced market, and learn to use educational market skills as a foundation for selling into the trade market. Children’s authors Sandra K. Athans, Mike Downs, and Dorothy H. Price have collectively tackled almost every type of project in the educational market AND have succeeded in transferring these skills into the trade market.
Participants will:
- Outline a query, resume, and writing sample - the necessary components for entry into the educational market.
- Understand the basics of quality research.
- Discover the educational writer’s environment of tight deadlines/quick edits/illustration notes, and its powerful capacity to improve an author’s skills – all while being paid.
- Develop a personal blueprint for seeking entry into the trade market - using skills they will gain in the educational market.
This lab is perfect for:
All children’s writers; from novices seeking their first book contract to post-published authors wanting to reinvigorate their manuscript submissions and triumph in the trade market. NOVICE WRITERS will learn how to enter the educational market and sell their first books. ADVANCED WRITERS will learn how to enter the educational market to generate more income and how to transfer educational market writing skills into making better trade market submissions.
Prerequisites and Advanced Preparation:
Briefly survey three educational publishers: Enslow, Rourke, Capstone, or others in SCBWI’s “The Essential Guide to Publishing for Children” (see Educational Market Press Survey). Look at their recent catalogues. Identify the books or book series most similar to the style you would like to write. Compose a first draft of a writing sample, 300 words or less. Try to write in the style of the books you are interested in. Make a list of any writing you have done, including articles, magazines, books, teacher’s guides, other.
Schedule:
- Introduction (5 minutes)
- Educational vs trade market (5 minutes)
- Opportunities in the educational market – getting paid to practice (10 minutes)
- Researching publishers, imprints, and selecting your interests (5 minutes)
- Your educational query and resume (15 minutes)
- GUIDED WRITING EXERCISE - educational market query and resume (20 minutes)
- What you’ll learn in the educational market (15 minutes)
- The art of quality research (15 minutes)
- Coffee/snack/stretch/bathroom break (10 minutes)
- Developing writing samples (10 minutes)
- GUIDED WRITING EXERCISE – educational market writing sample (15 minutes)
- Your submission package – combining query, resume, and writing sample (10 minutes)
- Breaking into the trade market (20 minutes)
- GUIDED WRITING EXERCISE – outline a manuscript to pitch to the trade market (15 minutes)
- Final Q & A (10 minutes)
Objectives – Participants will:
- Discover the many and varied opportunities available in the educational market.
- Understand the importance of publisher imprints and how to create a good “fit” when submitting to the educational market.
- Uncover ways to improve their writing skills while getting paid!
- Prepare all the components of an educational submission package – query, resume, and writing sample.
- Learn how to transfer skills learned from the educational market to improve manuscripts written for the trade market.
- Prepare a trade manuscript outline that uses skills transferable from the educational market.
