Nov 11 2008
“Writing for Children”: A Review
This week I’ve been reading Writing for Children, by Linda Strachan (A & C Black Publishers Ltd., 2008). It’s just one volume within a whole series of writing handbooks, published by A & C Black, which specialize in various genres and writing media.
Writing for Children effectively communicates the standard information found in most writing manuals, and includes some obligatory writing exercises, as well. While there are no surprises in the actual content, it presents a well-rounded view of the basics of writing picture-books, children’s fiction and non-fiction.
The thing I did really like about this book is that it delves a little deeper into what happens once you are actually published (which is something all amateur writers dream about…) This section covers topics such as:
- What is it like to transition from writing as a hobby to writing full time?
- How should you deal with an agent?
- How should you deal with your publisher?
- How can you promote your work?
- What do you need to know about getting paid?
Overall, I would recommend Linda Strachan’s book to anyone who writes for children—not necessarily because the content is much different to other manuals I’ve read on the subject, but because it’s current, well-designed and covers all the essentials.
You can learn more about Linda Strachan at http://www.lindastrachan.co.uk/.
