Cris Freese - Childrens Writers & Illustrators Market 2018: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published

WritersDigest. com
Cincinnati, Ohio

Photo: Al Parrish

When tackling my first edition of Childrens Writers & Illustrators Market as the new editor, I wanted to keep readers informed with loads of information about breaking in and what it means to be a writer. I often hear from writers about how CWIM helped them find an agent, land a deal with a publisher, or inspire their career as a writer/illustrator. To that end, I hope youll find this latest edition as inspiring as ever!

I loaded up the Debut Authors Tell All feature with 21 different writers, spread near-evenly between picture book writers, middle-grade authors, and young adult novelists who have all broken in over the past year. Theyre here to share a wealth of information about how they got their agent, what they would have done differently in the process, and what they did before they wrote their first book. And Im excited to tell you that were featuring the wonderful Angie Thomas and her New York Times best-selling novel, The Hate U Give, in these pages.

Theres interviews aplentyfrom Newberry Medal-winning author Kwame Alexander to Dandi Daley MacKall, author of over 500 booksand roundups featuring agents, writers who focus exclusively on nonfiction, and authors who have worked with small presses.

Id like to think this is the most comprehensive edition of CWIM to date. Theres a little something in here for you, no matter what youre writing. I hope youll take the time to read these helpful articles before diving into the newly-updated listings. And, if youd like to stay in touch, please send me a note at !

Cris Freese

Managing Editor, Writers Digest Books & Writers Market Series

As a writer, illustrator, or photographer first picking up Childrens Writers & Illustrators Market, you may not know quite how to start using the book. Your impulse may be to flip through the book and quickly make a mailing list, then submit to everyone in hopes that someone will take interest in your work. Well, theres more to it. Finding the right market takes research. The more you know about a market that interests you, the better chance you have of getting work accepted. Weve made your job a little easier by putting a wealth of information at your fingertips. Besides providing listings, this directory has a number of tools to help you determine which markets are the best ones for your work. By using these tools, as well as researching on your own, you raise your odds of being published.

This book lists hundreds of potential buyers of material. To learn which companies want the type of material youre interested in submitting, start with the indexes.

But lets narrow the search further. Take your list of young adult magazines, turn to the Subject Index, and find the Fashion subheading. Then highlight the names that appear on both lists (Young Adult and Fashion). Now you have a smaller list of all the magazines that would be interested in your teen fashion article. Read through those listings and decide which seem (or look) best for your work.

Illustrators and photographers can use the Subject Index as well. If you specialize in painting animals, for instance, consider sending samples to book and magazine publishers listed under Animals and, perhaps, Nature/Environment. Because illustrators can simply send general examples of their style to art directors to keep on file, the indexes may be more helpful to artists sending manuscript/illustration packages who need to search for a specific subject. Always read the listings for the potential markets to see the type of work art directors prefer and what type of samples theyll keep on file, and obtain art or photo guidelines if theyre available online.

This index lists book editors, magazine editors, art directors, agents, and art reps indicating the companies they work for. Use this specific index to find company and contact information for individual publishing professionals.

Age groups are broken down into these categories in the Age-Level Index:

• PICTURE BOOKS OR PICTURE-ORIENTED MATERIAL are written and illustrated for preschoolers to eight-year-olds.
• YOUNG READERS are for five- to eight-year-olds.
• MIDDLE READERS are for nine- to eleven-year-olds.
• YOUNG ADULT is for ages twelve and up.

Age breakdowns may vary slightly from publisher to publisher, but using them as general guidelines will help you target appropriate markets. For example, if youve written an article about trends in teen fashion, check the Magazines Age-Level Index under the Young Adult subheading.

In this index, youll find lists of book and magazine publishers that buy photos from freelancers. Refer to the list and read the listings for companies specific photography needs. Obtain photo guidelines if theyre offered online.

Some listings begin with symbols. Many listings indicate whether submission guidelines are indeed available. If a publisher youre interested in offers guidelines, get them and read them. The same is true with catalogs. Sending for and reading catalogs or browsing them online gives you a better idea of whether your work would fit in with the books a publisher produces. (You should also look at a few of the books in the catalog at a library or bookstore to get a feel for the publishers material.)

Along with information for writers, listings provide information for illustrators and photographers. Illustrators will find numerous markets that maintain files of samples for possible future assignments. If youre both a writer and an illustrator, look for markets that accept manuscript/illustration packages and read the information offered under the Illustration subhead within the listings.

If youre a photographer, after consulting the Photography Index, read the information under the Photography subhead within listings to see what format buyers prefer. For example, some want the highest resolution .jpg available of an image. Note the type of photos a buyer wants to purchase and the procedures for submitting. Its not uncommon for a market to want a rsum and promotional literature, as well as sample URLs linking to previous work. Listings also note whether model releases and/or captions are required.

If youre new to the world of childrens publishing, reviewing this edition of Childrens Writers & Illustrators Market may have been one of the first steps in your journey to publication. What follows is a list of suggestions and resources that can help make that journey a smooth and swift one: