Children’s Books, First a list and then a bit on how to write them.
A list of my books, most of which are out of print:
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
BY RITA GOLDEN GELMAN
DOODLER DOODLING -
And you will be amazed. WOW!
Queen Esther Saves Her People – The story of Purim is told in a lively, modern style that makes this biblical tale come alive with humanity and passion. The illustrations are a powerful yet gentle reflection of this story of a remarkable young woman whose strength and courage saved the Jewish people of ancient Persia from the edict of the evil Haman.
Rice is Life - The author lived for eight years in Bali. Her poems about the animals who live in the rice fields and the people who depend upon the harvest reflect her deep love for the Balinese people.
Pizza Pat – A funny story (set to the rhythm of This is the House that Jack Built) about the building of chef Pat’s pizza. The repetition of sounds (floppy, gloppy, sloppy, choppy, chewy, gooey) makes this fun to read, and the surprise ending gives it a delightful twist.
Mole in a Hole – This is a rebus book where pictures appear in the middle of the text and kids as young as one and a half have a great time “reading” the pictures. It’s the story of a mole whose underground lifestyle is lonely until he meets another mole who shares his aversion to the sun.
More Spaghetti, I Say!
This also comes in a Big Book size.
Why Can’t I Fly? – It’s the author’s favorite book out of all that she’s written. Minnie the monkey (she of the spaghetti passion) is determined to fly. Her flying friends try to analyze the act. Do they fly because they have feathers or songs or spots or wings? Minnie tries them all. “So she put on her wings and she climbed to the top/ And she said, ‘I can fly, I can fly, I can flop.’” The refrain is repeated over and over again and kids can’t wait to join in.
This one is a Big Book too.
Hello, Cat, You Need a Hat – Witch hats, bee hats, band hats, helmets. Bride hats, fireman hats, propeller hats, team hats. This is a fun book with lots of hats and a cat who refuses to wear one.
BODY BATTLES – This was written as part of the anti-drug, aids-education program for the earliest grades. It’s a celebration of our “super sensational, what-a-creational fabulous body” and the mechanisms we have to protect it from the enemy: skin, stomach acid, ear wax, cilia, mucus. And against drugs, our most powerful mechanism, our super sensational brains. (Also in Spanish, Las Batallas del Cuerpo.)
Que son los cientificos? – Also in English, What are Scientists? What do they do? This is a rap-style summary of what all the different kinds of scientists do. It takes the reader well beyond the stereotypical “scientist-in-a-white-coat-with-test-tube-in-hand.” There are scientists in pony tail and scientists in shorts, scientists who like to run and scientists who prefer to read. Biologists, chemists, physicists, geologists, meteorologists, doctors and dentists and veterinarians. The point of the book is that there is room in the science fields for everyone. (Written with Susan Kovacs Buxbaum.)
Vampires and Other Creatures of the Night Drawing heavily on medieval sources and personal accounts, this is filled with fabulous legends of vampires and werewolves. Presented as a non-fiction book with plenty of disclaimers such as “it is said” and” so they say,” it’s an exciting read; and just in case, it includes instructions on what to do if you should happen to meet one of these creatures. (Written with Nancy Lamb Austin.)
I Went to the Zoo – A kid lets all the animals out of their cages and takes them home through the streets of New York. “Two by two and three by three / I took the animals home with me.” “As soon as the furniture started to break/ I knew I had made a big mistake.” The illustrations are fabulous and tell mini-stories of their own.
A Koala Grows Up, A Panda Grows Up, A Monkey Grows Up - (In Spanish, Una Monita Crece) – Non-fiction books about the life cycles of these three animals, from mating parents, to the births of the infants, through the difficulties of life, and the final maturity of the babies who grow to look for their own mates.
BODY DETECTIVES A Book About the Five Senses - A giant brain sits behind a big detective-desk, controlling how we experience the world through our senses.
Wet Cats - The same cats and mice are back, this time dumping water on each other.
The Biggest Sandwich Ever – Funny and possessed to the point of absurdity, a little man bangs on a big pot and assembles, with the help of teams of people, cranes, tractors, dump trucks, and airplanes, The Biggest Sandwich Ever. Also in Spanish.
Cats and Mice – These classic enemies torment each other, in verse.
Splash! All About Baths - Why does the water go up when you get in? What causes a ring around the tub? The playfulness of the illustrations belies the serious science in the text. This was awarded the 1987 Best Science Book for Children by the American Institute of Physics.
Pets for Sale – A kid visits a pet store and is introduced to some bizarre and wonderful creatures. One pet blows up balloons all day while another pops them so they don’t get in the way. There are pets that eat the foods you hate. And pets that slam doors. And take blame for the things you do. In the end, our visitor chooses a dog.
Dawn to Dusk in the Galapagos Islands: Flightless Birds, Swimming Lizards, and Other Fascinating Creatures – Non-fiction about the animals of the Galapagos with fabulous photos.
Hey Kid! – An unsuspecting kid is given a gift box that contains an amorphous creature who talks so much and sings so much that the kid is driven to give it away.
Fabulous Animal Facts that Hardly Anybody Knows – The author sat in the animal section of the library reading through the shelves. Every time she found herself saying, “Wow! I didn’t know that!” she wrote it down.
Favorite Riddles, Knock knocks, and Nonsense – Collected by a first grade class in Fairfield, CT.
Great Moments in Sports – Memorable events in the various sports, from gymnastics to swimming to the team sports like football and baseball.
Boats that Float – Craft projects for the bathtub using ordinary household items like styrofoam trays and milk cartons. (With Susan Kovacs Buxbaum.)
Ouch! All About Cuts and Bruises -Non-fiction science about what happens in the body during common body injuries like cuts, black-and-blue marks, mosquito bites. This was written as an assurance to young children that most of what happens to them heals itself. The blood will stop flowing and the cut will heal. (With Susan Kovacs Buxbaum.)
Body Noises – Sneezes, snores, cracking bones, coughs, burps, and, yes, farts. What are they and why do they happen? (Written with Susan Kovacs Buxbaum.)
The Incredible Dinosaurs – Non-fiction bios of the various dinosaurs that roamed the earth.
Dumb Joey – The author’s first book. About a group of kids in New York City who have nowhere to play. They figure out how to stay after school and use the playground, which works until they lock themselves in.
Professor Coconut and the Thief – An absent-minded professor in Africa can’t figure out who is stealing his things. (Written with Joan Richter.)
Uncle Hugh A Fishing Story – Uncle Hugh is a fish who won’t get caught . . . until he’s ready. A fly-fishing parable. (Written with Warner Friedman.)
Monkeys and Apes of the World – Non-fiction about the differences between monkeys and apes, physically and behaviorally.
Inside Nicaragua Young People’s Dreams and Fears – The author writes about her eight months in Nicaragua during 1987 while the Sandinista revolution was enduring the U.S. embargo and the contra bombings. Written for U.S. teenagers from the point-of-view of Nicaragua’s teenagers.
The following books, all out of print, are for third, fourth, and fifth graders
Benji at Work and Benji takes a Dive in Marineland – Both books tell the story of how Benji, the movie dog, is trained by Frank Inn for the dog’s starring roles in the films.
ESP and Other Strange Happenings – Stories culled from history, personal memoirs, and the records of the paranormal societies. In researching the book, the author was so intrigued with the material that couldn’t stop reading. She says the piles of books in her office were waist high.
Mount St. Helens The Big Blast – A blow by blow account of the volcanic eruption that buried Mt. St. Helens and a close look at the after effects.
UFO Encounters – A retelling of people’s tales of sightings, kidnappings, and unexplainable events. (Written with Marcia Seligson.)
America’s Favorite Sports Stars – Short biographical pieces about various sports heroes in the late seventies, including O.J. Simpson and Mark Spitz. (Written with Steve Gelman.)
Great Quarterbacks of Pro Football - More brief bios.
The next four books were part of a supplementary reading program for Macmillan’s text department:
The Can – A concept book with no words.
Comits A book of comic skits – Born at her daughter’s seventh birthday party, Comits are open-ended silly situations that the players have to complete.
The Me I Am – A fifth grader’s attempt to find out who she really is.
Fun City – A New York City classroom creates a dream city.
Which Way Books. A series of books where the reader chooses how the adventure develops by making choices at the end of the page. (Written with Nancy Austin under the pseudonym, R. G. Austin.) These are usually listed under Austin in the e-bookstores and they are all out-of-print. They are written at a fourth and fifth grade level.
The Castle of No Return
Vampires, Spies, and Alien Beings
The Spell of the Black Raven
Famous and Rich
Lost in a Strange Land
Curse of the Sunken Treasure
Cosmic Encounters
Creatures of the Dark
Invasion of the Black Slime
Trapped in the Black Box
Poltergeists, Ghosts, and Psychic Encounters
Islands of Terror
Secret Door Books. Also choice books, but these were written for second and third graders. The bad endings are not as grisly and the books are simpler and easier to read. (Written with Nancy Austin.)
Wow! You Can Fly!
Giants, Elves, and Scary Monsters
The Haunted Castle
The Secret Life of Toys
The Visitors from Outer Space
The Inch-High Kid
The Magic Carpet
Happy Birthday to You
The Monster Family
Brontosaurus Moves In
The Enchanted Forest
Crazy Computers
Writing for Kids – First off, let me warn you all: every parent, grandparent, teacher, and librarian dreams of writing a kids’ book. A lot of them actually write one and send it off to one or more publishers. The “slush pile” is the stack of unsolicited manuscripts in the offices of the children’s editors. It’s high and most of it is not publishable. But editors know that hidden in there are a few gems, so the manuscripts are all read….by someone.
Often hired readers do the initial screening. An experienced reader can tell a book that is hopeless in the first few lines. The editorial assistants do more screening; and finally the few good manuscripts make it to an editor who might consider acquiring it. The final decision is often a committee decision and even the marketing people have a say.
A really outstanding book will make it through; editors do like to discover new talent, but it’s a very competitive world. Remember that editors are also looking at manuscripts that that come in directly from published writers and from agents representing writers. Those go into a different pile…but there is no sure thing. I have a big file of manuscripts that never made it into books. You are only as good as the manuscript they’re reading.
Let me digress for a second here and talk to those of you who are thinking that you’d like me to read and comment on your particular manuscript. I don’t do it. Partly because I don’t have the time and partly because I really don’t know what the publishers are looking for. Sometimes I spend an hour or two in the children’s section of a bookstore and I can’t find any books that I would have encouraged if I’d seen them in manuscript form. Which may be why I have that big pile of unpublished manuscripts. You don’t want my opinion.
OK. Back to the nitty gritty. Unless you are a fine illustrator and can compete with the talent that is available to editors, don’t try to get the book illustrated on your own. Just sell your words. I have never met any of my illustrators. An editor considers it her or his creative contribution to make a good match. If you lock yourself into an illustrator, you are creating a liability. The editor has to like not only your words but also the illustrator that you have chosen. If you think you have the perfect illustrator, wait until you sell the words and then ask the editor if you can submit some sketches. But never lock yourself in. The editor may have bought your book because she’s looking for the perfect vehicle of a Caldecott winner.
If your book is for young kids, the 32-page kind, do a “dummy,” a page of text for each page of the book. Study some books. Count the pages so you know where you want to begin (page 3 or page 4). Odd numbers are always on the right, even ones on the left. If you need something in the picture that isn’t written in the words, write the illustrator a note on that page. And remember, if it is meant to be fully illustrated, you don’t have to describe in words what the reader will see in the picture. Just be sure the illustrator knows what you have in mind. Keep the description down and the words minimal. (You might want to look at some books that talk about the difference between picture books and easy to read books.)
If your book is fiction and short, you really have to write the whole thing. If it’s fiction and long, you’ll need a few chapters and a full summary, chapter by chapter, of the whole book. If it’s non-fiction, you can try a query letter. There are lots of books about writing kids’ books that will give you more details and sample query letters.
You can send to more than one editor, but don’t waste your (and their) time sending to houses that don’t do the kind of book you’ve written. Check the bookstores for your genre and see who is doing your kind of book. Also check (in the children’s room of a library) the spring and fall issues of Publisher’s Weekly which have ads from all the publishers. You can see which ones will be receptive to your genre.
Having said all that, I have to be honest and say that I have always had an agent. I hate the business end of things. Agents get 15% of everything you earn forever (on the books they sell). Getting an agent isn’t easy if it’s your first time out. Pick up a copy of Jeff Herman’s book on literary agents and publishers. It’s updated annually and worth studying. If you can’t locate it, try Literary Marketplace; they have a section on agents. Don’t send your manuscript to agents that charge to read it.
Always double space. Don’t package your book…just paper-clip the pages together (they make copies) and send it off. If it’s long, get a box, but don’t get it bound. And after about ten rejections, revisit the book and try to figure out why it’s being rejected. I have to do that to my pile one of these days.
And worst of all…..expect to wait forever for an answer, even a rejection. Six months is not unusual. Even from agents. And sometimes they never respond. Especially today when they know you can just print out another copy. They are not holding a precious original.
Royalties are usually 10% of the cover price (hard cover) which the author splits with the illustrator if there is one; 6% on paperback, also split with an illustrator (3% and 3%). You may be able to get an escalating clause that will give you more royalty if the book goes over a certain number of sales.
You will get a part of the advance when you sign the contract, some more when the manuscript is finalized, and the rest when the book is published. This varies with publisher and author and agent.
I’ve been out of the loop for a long time, but I think most kids’ books get an advance between three and six thousand dollars. Hold out for a percent of the cover price, not net.
The advance is an advance against royalties, which means that if you get a three-thousand-dollar advance, you will not get any more money until the royalties due you equal three thousand dollars….until the book “earns out.” That means that if the cover price of your paperback is four dollars and your royalty is 3%, you will earn 12 cents a book. But before you see any more money, the book has to sell 25,000 copies.
Oh yeah. You will get a royalty statement every six months. They hold onto your money for six months and get another three or four months to write the check, which means you will know how the book is doing nine or ten months after it is published.
This is not a profession for the faint hearted. Many, probably most books never get any more money after the advance. So don’t quit your day job.
Before I leave, I would like to recommend the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) conferences. They’re all over the country (the only one I have been to is the one in LA in August…I used to go every year). They do a wonderful job of making everyone feel welcome and you can even get college credit for it. Their website is www.scbwi.org.
Good luck.