How to Become a Childrens Writer

Children's writer, Bren MacDibble, has created a successful career writing for children, teenagers and adults in a variety of genres. She communicates her experience of children's writing in an engaging way that will inspire in you the confidence to get started.

Bren discusses the funding possibilities that are open to you, including grants and competitions, and points out the many opportunities that exist for children's writers in trade publications, educational and picture books, non-fiction and other specialised fields. Receive step by step guidance in writing for the different genres and in laying out, editing and proofreading your manuscript. You will also benefit from the insights of a number of other children's writers, editors and publishers.

Learn about all the aspects of children's writing from whether you need an agent and the importance of marketing yourself, to how to negotiate a contract and whether self-publishing is a good option. There's a stack of useful contacts, suggestions for further reading and tricks for staying in touch with what's going on in the industry.

Table of Contents

Welcome to the TopJobGuide®: How to Become a Freelance Writer

What's in this guide?

About the author

The freelance writing industry

The role of a freelance writer

What is freelance writing about?

What does a freelance writer do?

A typical day in the life of a freelance writer

As a classroom freelance writer

As a workplace freelance writer

What skills do you need to become a freelance writer?

Self-check: do i have what it takes?

An introduction to freelance writing

Professional writing

How to target a market

Criteria for manuscript assessing

Creative writing

Novels

Novellas

Short stories

Plays

Script writing. radio, film and television

Crime and horror writing

Writing for young people

Children's picture books

Poetry

Rejection slips

How to get started in a career as a freelance writer

What a freelance writer can earn

What a person needs to get into a career as a freelance writer

The main criteria

What qualifications you need to get

What you need to do to get hired

Getting promoted

Useful resources

Contacts and websites

Printed materials

Journals