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Established 2006 |
Writing for Children
There are hundreds of freelance opportunities out there, from
Sunday-school papers to glitzy, high-tech skateboard 'zines, that publish
children’s writing. Magazines for children include fiction and nonfiction, and
so much more: puzzles, poetry, how-to’s, stories that rhyme, stories that read
like journals, or that take children to imaginary places in amazing ways. Dozens of Sunday School take-home
papers for very young children through young adult offer opportunities for
nonfiction, short stories, profiles, poetry, crafts, puzzles, and cartoons.
Many purchase only one-time rights, giving writers the opportunity to resell it
to a non-competing denomination. You have to write in a language that
kids can understand. You also need fabulous ideas that will grab the attention
of youngsters who are increasingly distracted by CD-ROM, cable television, and
other competing media.Study the magazines. Ask friends if
their children take magazine subscriptions and if you can borrow them when they
are done. Spend time studying them to find out what they buy and how they
approach their readers. Bookstores
sometimes sell them as well. Many libraries have a variety of issues of
children’s magazines, often including back issues. There are in-flight
magazines that use short fiction for kids, reviews of children’s products and
books, or articles for parents to understand, help, or entertain their
children.
The annual Children’s Writers&Illustrators Market from Writer’s Digest Books, as well as the annual Children’s
Magazine Market guide from the Institute of Children’s Literature, and the Christian Writers Market Guide all include lots of opportunities. The
markets are there.
Couldn’t publish your children’s book? Not to worry. Authors have had stories published
in magazines and then been contacted by editors who wanted them to flesh out
the story into a book. You can find a
publisher, just be willing to keep looking for one. Don’t give up.
Posted on May 01, 2009, Preethi Burkholder, Editor and Founder, Gifted Hands Writing
