WRITING FOR CHILDREN
OPENING CHAPTER
Amy Sparkes launches the second Writing Magazine Chapter Book Prize
Amy Sparkes
The Writing Magazine Chapter Book Prize is in its second year, and we’re delighted to offer this opportunity again. Chapter books can often be overlooked, with many writers choosing to write either picture books or middle-grade. But chapter books are tremendous fun to write and a brilliant way to encourage young readers who are ready to move on.
I have worked with many picture book writers who were convinced they would only ever write picture books, but they have gone on to write chapter books and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. A great deal have gone on to acquire agents or publishing deals on the back of their chapter books rather than their picture books. The transition from picture books to chapter books is not as difficult as you might think. So, if it’s something you’ve been pondering about, what better time to give it a go than with the Writing Magazine Chapter Book Prize?
What do you mean by chapter books?
Chapter books are a fascinating and sometimes complicated area, changing and developing all the time. In this competition, we aren’t looking for illustrated young fiction, (which tends to also be for 5+ year olds and rock up at about 1,500-2,500 words). Instead, we are looking for the kind of stories which would have black and white line illustrations dotted throughout the book. They are aimed at 5-9 year olds and are usually between 5,000 and 15,000 words long, with chapter length of around 500 to 1,000 words.