Even with shrinking budgets, schools and libraries buy new children’s books every year. Some of those books are literary classics, while a few handfuls are new fiction expected to be children’s favorites. However, the majority of school and library book budgets go to refresh educational, nonfiction categories. The school and library market, also known as the educational market, is hungry for new books as it tries to stay up with ever-changing school curriculums. It’s a market that offers first-time children’s writers an opportunity for publication and a steady income to writers able to generate quality content in a variety of subject areas.
What Does the School and Library Market Mean for Children’s Writers
School and Library publishers produce books specifically for pre-kindergarten to high school readers to supplement curriculum. Some books help children learn to read, while older students use them for reports and research. These books cover a wide range of territory from science, history and math to technology, cooking and even a variety of subjects in a graphic novel format. Many of these educational-type books are part of series, such as Rosen Publishing’s 19th Century American Inventors or the Action Science series from Capstone Press.
How Children’s Writers Can Break Into this Market
Unlike traditional publishing, which usually require writers to submit full manuscripts for submission, educational publishers only request a resume and writing sample. Although a few publishers state they accept book proposals, this is a market looking for writers more than for ideas. And there's no need for a long list of children’s writing credits, which makes this a great opportunity for new writers. It's practical experience and good writing skills that matter more, so writers that have expertise in an certain areas, are teachers or just have great research skills are in high demand.
The biggest difference between writing for traditional trade and mass-market publishers and the school and library market is pay. Educational publishers generally offer work-for-hire contracts. In work-for-hire contracts, a publisher pays a writer an agreed upon fee for writing a book and the publisher, not the writer, retains the copyright. Occasionally, writers may receive small royalties, but that is usually the exception rather than the rule. Prices are competitive within the industry, but this is not a place to get rich as a writer. However, there are so many opportunities that many writers can make a steady income in the school and library market.
Finding Educational Publishers
One of the best places to find educational publishers is in the Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market. It provides valuable information, from the number and type of books published each year to contract and submission information. Most publishers will send writer’s guidelines with a self-address, stamped envelope (SASE) or check the publisher’s website. The most important thing to do is follow the publisher’s submission policy. Some require writers to send in a resume and writing sample, while other only accept submission from agents.
The school and library market is a great place for writers who like research and writing in a variety of topics.
Resources:
- 2009 Children's Writers & Illustrator's Market, Alice Pope, Writer's Digest Books, 2008, ISBN 1582975493
More Writing for Children articles from K.D. Kuch: Five Mistakes Made by New Children's Writers, Breaking into Children's Book Publishing and Writing for Children's Magazines
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