When it comes to writing for children, grown-ups don’t always know best. Lauren Crozier discovered this when a literary agent strongly advised her not to write about magical animals. That shamed her and discouraged her from writing what came naturally to her, until she finally wrote a story featuring a magical owl.
The book, The Best Witch in Paris , won the 2023 Text Prize for writing for children and it’s had great reviews. Which raises a more general question: who knows best about books for children, adults or kids? Amelia Mellor had trouble selling her books to publishers. Credit: Justin McManus Kill Your Darlings recently ran a survey of writers for children in its “What I Wish I’d Known About” series.
While Crozier wished she hadn’t taken that agent’s advice about magical animals, others said they wished they’d known about the exacting standards publishers demand. Megan Hess, author of the Claris the Mouse series, wishes she’d known just how important every single word is in a picture book. All her books are exactly 18 double pages long, and every story has to fit perfectly in that format.
Tony Wilson, author of the Selwood Boys series, didn’t know that picture book manuscripts should have 32 pages and about 500 words. Amelia Mellor, author of the award-winning The Grandest Bookshop in the World , wishes she’d known how to sell books for children. She’d written two previous novels that won unpublished manuscript awards and kids adored them.
But t.