Book-to-market

Although the field seems to be getting tighter, the children's-book industry is one of the few remaining in publishing where it's possible to get your foot in the door via the slush pile (without an agent or some other connection). The 1998 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market, in addition to the usual indispensable listings of book publishers and children's magazines (and electronic publishing, young writer's and illustrator's markets, conferences and workshops, contests and awards, and more), includes interviews with longtime young-adult writer Judy Blume, pop-up master Robert Sabuda, I Spy series creator and photographer Walter Wick, and others. An examination of the book publishers' listings shows an industry-wide desire for books with authentic multicultural themes, bilingual Spanish/English books, and books that help children deal with difficult or unusual situations; there's less interest in alphabet books and anthropomorphism than there was in the past. Perhaps the most important theme is the advice, offered in any number of guises, to respect your audience. "Never dumb a book down," warns Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator/author David Wisniewski. "Don't forget that children are more clever than we give them credit for!" says a representative from publisher Laura Geringer Books. "The kids you're writing for have grown up watching MTV and playing Nintendo," adds Lisa Rao, editor of the children's magazine Dolphin Log. "Don't be overly sweet or cutesy. Nothing turns them off more."