But my friend Alli is! Alli Brydon, a children’s book editor and writer based in the New York area—and a friend from the time we both worked at the same publishing house there—has generously agreed to be a guest contributor here from time to time, expanding our childrens’-book libraries, and today I’ve asked her to share her expertise with anyone who might be an aspiring writer.
With nearly 15 years of experience developing, editing, and selling children’s books with US publishing houses—on both the editor and agent side of the desk—she has spent a large part of her career nurturing writers and illustrators to reach their potential. Here she describes the job of an editor and what you need to do to get that manuscript out in the world…
If you’re reaching out to an agent, you should have at least one solidly written (marketable!) manuscript that you’re confident about, as well as two or three more waiting in the wings in case the agent asks to see more. Agents look to sign clients they know will have more than one good book in them. They are looking to foster a whole career. Your one solid manuscript gets sent along with a query letter that shows you’ve done your homework on the agent you’re submitting to and the audience you’re writing for, as well as a short (!!) description of your beloved project. If you can clinch that short description (I’m talking 3 or 4 sentences for a picture book, and only a few more for a longer children’s book) it means you know your story, who it’s for, and why you wrote it.
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