Aiming for the Bull’s Eye

When I was a little girl, the popular neighborhood game was “Cowboys and Indians.” Some of the kids had cap pistols. They were the cowboys. My mother drew the line on guns, so that meant I had to be an Indian, which suited me fine. I tamed my long, curly hair into braids and made a bow out of a small curved branch and a piece of string. My arrows were straight sticks notched at one end to fit onto the string. My targets, ideally, would have been the cowboys, but again my mother drew the line. I was forbidden to shoot at live people, so I drew a circle on a tree with a piece of white chalk and put a big round dot in the center. 

I spent days aiming at that circle. It wasn’t easy at first because I didn’t know how to handle the bow, and my arrows kept dropping to the ground before I could pull back on the string and let them fly. Quite simply, I didn’t know what I was doing. But I kept at it. I practiced until I knew the feel of the wood, the strength of the string. I broke a couple of bows in the process, but at last I was able to shoot an arrow at the target and get inside the white circle. One day I hit the bull’s eye and felt like I had discovered gold!

It seems to me that targeting a publisher is a lot like learning to shoot an arrow. You have to study your target, know as much as possible about your tools and your ability, then aim carefully and let fly!

I’m going to play Cowboys and Indians for the month of January. The circle on the tree will be filled with publishers. If I shoot enough queries at my target, I have a good chance of finally hitting a bull’s eye. If I don’t, I’ll draw another circle and try again. Any game worth playing involves keeping score — so I will keep records of where the queries go and which ones hit the target.

Tune in on January 27 to see how well I played the game.

Submitted by Marilyn Donahue

Targeting Tools

Just like an archer needs a bow and some arrows to hit a target, a writer needs a few tools to successfully target a publisher. Here are some that will help:

·         Writers’ Guides – There are several writers’ guides available that contain valuable information. Besides name and address, guides list what type of books a publisher produces, how many books they produce each year, and how they pay. Some guides even list publishers by subject and age-level.

·         Writing Newsletters and Magazines – Certain newsletters, such as Children’s Writer, and some magazines, such as SCBWI’s Kite Tales, will list current publisher needs. This will help you pinpoint likely targets.

·         Internet access – In today’s fast-paced cyber world, most publishers have websites where you can view their book lists and catalogs. You can see if you like their style and if they produce the kind of books you would like to write. You will also be able to find up-to-date submission guidelines, including if they accept e-mail submissions.

·         Library Card – After you find the publisher of your dreams, you need to study several of the books they’ve published. Your local library is a terrific (and free!) source.

 

These are just a few tools to get you started. Have fun!

 

Contributed by Catherine L. Osornio

Target Practice

Dear Cupid,

I need your help. You see, I’m head over heels about a certain publisher. I really loooove their books and have several in my collection. In my opinion, they are the pinnacle of creativity, beauty and perfection. I’d give my right arm, no wait, I need that one to draw– my left arm, if they’d just glance my way. Am I helplessly love-struck or what?

All my girlfriends tell me I should study this publisher like I’m studying for a college exam. So, I’ve gone to the library and checked out stacks of their books, drooled over their catalog, and have discovered even more about them on their website. After all this exploration I have determined that, “Yes, I am this publisher’s type.” Jeepers, I even have a packet of art samples ready to mail; all I need to do is take careful aim and shoot!

Well, I don’t want to miss! I figure with all the arrow shooting you do you might know a thing or two about targeting a publisher, and most importantly, hitting the mark. If you could help me out, I’d be much obliged.

In the mean time, (sigh) I’ll continue to be…

Smitten, bitten, but not yet hittin’

contributed by Veronica Walsh, children’s book illustrator

The Good News and the Bad News

A group I am part of suggested we write a book in a month. I took the challenge. I decided on an alphabet book.

I went to the library and read every alphabet book they had.

I went online to Amazon.com and looked at all their listed alphabet books. I read excerpts from their “Look inside the book” program.

I chose a few publishers and then checked their website catalog and  guidelines. I finally chose one publisher I wanted to target.

I ordered several of their alphabet books (used) and read them through. I  also noticed a particular idea had not been covered. I chose to write about that.  

I sent a query letter to the company suggesting my idea for an alphabet book. I even wrote a few of the alphabet sections so they could see my style.

They emailed me back and asked for more! I was elated. I sent in a few more sections.

Then I waited…and waited…and waited.

I am still waiting. I have assumed they are not interested in my idea. Was I discouraged? You bet! But, I was also encouraged. They liked my work enough to ask for more. Perhaps next time I’ll get a more positive response.

Keep targeting those publishers. Never lose hope!

Not giving up, Gloria

Target a Picture Book Publisher

Targeting a picture book publisher is a great adventure!

When I first started writing, I used to just write a picture book manuscript about any idea I felt like at the time. Then, when it was finished, I tried sending the manuscript on its round of potential publishers. A stream of rejections letters followed.

Now I’ve learned a better way. Before I ever write the first word of a new picture book manuscript, first I find a publisher I want to target. Then I study their product line. Then I pray about deciding on an idea that would fit their product line like a glove. Then, and only then, do I actually sit down to write.

If you’d like to learn a step-by-step method of targeting a picture book publisher, visit my blog at Blogzone. and follow the posts I wrote during the month of March, 2008. During that month, for the Book in a Month Club that I host, I decided to write a picture book and explain how this process works. I invite you to join in on the fun and try these steps yourself.

The results? I finished writing the manuscript and submitted it to my target publisher. Within a week, I heard back from them that they were interested in my manuscript and wanted to keep it for consideration. I was so jazzed! And even if that particular publisher never publishes my book, I know I caught their interest because of first taking careful aim!

Contributed by Nancy I. Sanders

Right on Target

I guess you could say that my first experience at targeting a publisher was done without ever hearing the phrase “targeting a publisher.” I was a novice.

Until that one memorable night when I was in my early 40’s, I had never given a thought to writing for children. I remember lying in bed and telling my husband out of the blue I had a strong, even overwhelming, desire to learn to write for children. I now know that this was the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

The next morning I couldn’t shake the feeling. I searched through my son’s bookshelf, hoping I had saved at least one magazine. There it was! A magazine for kids ages 4 to 8 that we subscribed to years ago. I sat on the floor and read the feature fiction story with delight. As I read, I felt a surge of excitement well up within me. This is the kind of writing I wanted to do! It felt so right. Already story ideas were filling my imagination. Within a short period of time I enrolled in two Saturday how-to-write-for children classes at our community college. I read book after book on writing for kids and I wrote like crazy!

I purchased a writers market guide, then sent for one particular magazine’s guidelines and a sample copy. I even ordered a subscription. The subscription form asked for the child’s name that would be receiving the magazine. With a smile I wrote, Sheryl Ann Crawford. I left the age line blank as well as my birth year (o;

I became familiar with the kinds of things they published. There were rebuses, puzzles, poems, crafts, feature fiction and retold Bible stories. This was the publisher I would send my first fiction story to! I had a good feeling about my style being a perfect fit for this magazine. I had no idea that there was a phrase for what I had been doing. I had been targeting a publisher.

My story was accepted! Then the editor asked if I would be willing to write a feature fiction Thanksgiving story. I’ll never forget what she said to me after accepting my second story. “Sheryl, your writing style is a perfect fit for our magazine. We would you like to be one of our assignment writers.” I almost fainted.

To this day I continue to write for my favorite children’s magazine. It has been one of God’s greatest blessings along my writing journey. While I wait for months for word from a book publisher about a manuscript, I write for my favorite magazine. When I receive yet another rejection letter, I write for my favorite magazine. Without ever hearing the term “targeting a publisher” that’s exactly what I had been doing.

I knew what I wanted to write.
I knew the age I wanted to write for.
I knew my style/my voice.
I found a magazine that seemed like a perfect fit.
I studied that magazine like I was studying for a college final!
I followed the submission guidelines.
My stories were accepted.
I became an assignment writer!

Wasn’t God good to keep me right on target?

Contributed by Sheryl Crawford

Happy New Year!

 

To all Wordsmiths…

 

May all our writing dreams come true in 2009!

 

 

Love,

  Marge