THE BUSINESS OF WRITING

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when you write for children. Simon Whaley chats to two children’s authors about their different writing businesses

I have a huge admiration for authors who write books for children.

I wrote one once. Once, being the operative word. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud Hodder Childrens commissioned me to write Puppytalk: 50 Ways to Make Friends with Your Puppy. But there was so much to-ing and fro-ing of the manuscript between me and my brilliant editor as we strove to choose the right words that I thought we’d never finish the project.

The book was aimed at seven-toeleven-year-olds, and I soon learned how different an eleven-year-old’s vocabulary is to that of a reader aged seven. Thanks to the skill of my editor, we created a book that was not too difficult for the younger readers, but still engaging and entertaining for those slightly older.

Of course, JK Rowling’s success with her Harry Potter books means many non-writers assume writing for children is a lucrative business. I’m still waiting for Puppytalk to earn out its advance, despite it being published nearly twenty years ago!

One book for children does not make a children’s author business, but writers who enjoy the genre may find that there’s more to being a children’s author than just writing children’s books.

Sarah Webb (www.sarahwebb.info/) is an award-winning Irish children’s writer and creative writing teacher, whose latest book is The Weather Girls.