On Feb 19, 2012, I sat on a panel with the amazing Jude Isabella, the entertaining Claire Eamer and the incomparable Jim Becker. Together we presented: Keep Out! Kids Only: How To Morph Your Science into a
Whiz-Bang Book for Kids .
We had a respectable number of attendees (probably around 60), all of whom were interested in how to write for the children's market.
Jude explained the magazine side of the business, while Claire covered the information/research portion of the panel. Jim, the genius behind the Smart Lab brand of toys and the best-selling book/kits you often find at Costco, walked the scientists/journalists through what makes a successful product. I spoke about the business end of publishing and things you need to know when trying to get a book to market.
Below is the text and some of the slides from my portion of the presentation.
Enjoy.
My name is Shar Levine and I write
hands-on science books for children. My
writing partner Leslie Johnstone and I have together written over 60 books, so
it’s fair to say that we have some experience in creating books that publishers
want to buy and that kids want to read.
If you are interested you can check
out our web site: www.sciencelady.com
for a listing of books.
It is extremely difficult to sell a
book, especially these days. Publishers
are looking for something unique.
Here are some simple steps to follow
if you want to write a science book for children.
1.
Who will buy this book?
It is really important to know who
your book will appeal to. If the topic is focussed on something very esoteric,
chances are the publisher won’t be interested in the book.
Ideas that sell- fills gap in
curriculum - anniversary of da vinci’s
birthday
Ideas that won’t sell – sun spots
2.
What is the market for the book?
Is this book only for kids who live
on the east coast of the United States or can the book be used by children in
Canada, the US, Europe and Australia?
Idea what works- Snowy Science
Idea that won’t work- Science of
Sand
3.
Who publishes this kind of book?
Approaching a publisher who
specializes in Picture Books and not information books is a waste of everyone’s
time. Do your research and check out
standard guides like Children’s Writer’s
and Illustrator’s Market.
4.
What is the competition for this book?
Again, do your research. Go on
Amazon and see what similar books have been published. God forbid- go to a library. Talk to a teacher and ask what science book
needs to be written. And if you want to
write a book on a subject that has a ton of books i.e. Magnets, then you have
to find a different spin.
5.
Why are you the person to write this book?
Just because you are a notable
scientist or a well known journalist, doesn’t mean you know how to write a
kid’s book. Remember you will be using
little words for big concepts and you may only have 100 of those words /page to
get this information across to the reader.
The trick is to tell the child just enough facts that won’t confuse them
or conflict with the science they will learn in high school.
Example-
Which is easier for a child to
understand?
In order to maintain the shape of a
flexible membrane within a rigid plastic container you must first increase air
pressure within the membrane while simultaneously allowing air to leave the
rigid container. When the rigid container is sealed this produces a partial
vacuum inside the plastic container. The shape of the membrane is retained due
to the higher external air pressure relative to the vacuum inside the plastic
container as long as there is a sufficient difference between the pressure
within the membrane and that within the container
Or this?
How can you blow up a balloon, leave the mouth of the balloon open, and not have the balloo deflate? Try this!
6.
What do you have that other writers don’t have?
Publishers don’t like to spend
money. The more you can offer by way of images the more appealing your proposal
might be to them. For example: we’ve done 10 books on microscopy and 3-d
electron microscopy because we have access to microscopes.
7.
Do you know the rules for hands-on children’s science books?
Let’s start with something simple:
which of the following cannot be used in an experiment for children:
1. Rubbing Alcohol
2. Eggs
3. Matches
4.
Microwave oven
The answer: all of the above.
Writing for children is completely
different than writing for an adult market. There are rules here that you need
to follow, no matter how absurd you may think they are. It doesn’t matter that your child gets eggs
from the fridge, can use a knife to cut a piece of bread or can nuke
popcorn. In writing a science book for
young children- 6-12 you have to be extra cautious with all materials and
instructions. You need to be aware of things you can and cannot do and if your
list of “do’s and don’ts” looks like something created by a litigation lawyer,
you know you have a problem.
NOTE: Just because something is
really cool in a lab setting does not mean you can do this at home.
The case in point: The Electric Pickle. This activity is amazing in a controlled lab setting and when it is performed by someone who knows what to do. At home you might kill yourself if you do this incorrectly.
8.
What are the concepts, vocabulary and materials appropriate for the
grade level?
Let’s take acid rain as an example.
I had a terrible time with a group of grade 4 students when they were examining
acid rain. They asked what would happen if they got caught in an acid rain
storm. I told them they would get wet. They presumed all “acid” would burn your
flesh off. Too many sci fi movies. So I had to explain “acid” which then led to
pH and the science of acid and bases, which was way above their grade level.
9.
What other things do you need to consider when pitching or writing a
book?
Generally you have to use things
that are universally available around the world, but you cannot call them by
their trade name. So Saran Wrap, is
plastic wrap, Kleenex is facial tissue, Joy is dishwashing liquid. If you are photographing these for an
activity you must block off all identifiable logos and markings.
You will need to write short
sentences, with exact word counts. If
you publisher says you have 200 words / chapter with a DYK or sidebar of 20
words, that’s what you need to submit.
Try not to date the book. A great
example of this is one chapter in Science Around the World, where we said that
someday flat screen tvs would be everywhere.
If you are sending photos for a book, no T-shirts with logos or
writing. No slang.
Always have an equal number of girls
to boys and make sure the girls are active and not passive in photographs or
illustrations. Also include children of
different ethnic backgrounds and if possible a child with a visible handicap.
When adding sidebars, try to find as
many examples of women scientists as possible.
Also cite research from universities for leading edge sidebars. A great
source of information is New Scientist or ScienceDaily.
10. Swallow your pride or stand your
ground?
One publisher we worked for created
books for Sam’s Club and Walmart. In the
Southern US, they didn’t like “evolution”.
So the agreed to term was, “over time”.
Sometimes you suck it up and cash the check.
11.
How do you woo a publisher?
In the case of pitching to someone
like Jim, find an add-on that can come with the book. We did that with the Ice cream maker, the
microscope, and the 3-D books becker. For Wild Planet we created all the
science activities to be used with the Mega Dome. And the Summerville House, I
designed WormWorld and the Papermaker.
12.
What is the best advice?
Be ahead of the curve. Don’t pitch a book that is a spin-off of a
highly successful one, do something new. You can also partner with an established
author. This is something we’ve done several times and it has been a fabulous
experience for everyone.
We just finished our first enhanced
Ebook that included video and audio and we have two more in development. Again, come complete with a very
comprehensive outline, a sample chapter, a pithy pitch and a compelling reason
why you should write this book.
Good luck!
