Picture Book Manuscripts: Why Most Fail to Sell

There is no single answer to this question. There are a number of different reasons and each will doom the manuscript to the reject pile.

Foremost, people think picture books are easy.

They are short and simple. Surely, anyone can write one. Because of this belief, children's publishers worldwide are inundated with so many manuscripts that it becomes impossible to read them all and harder to find the gems among the slush.

Picture books are not easy. In fact they are the hardest form of writing to master. They look easy because of the author has spent so much time agonizing over every word. Each word needs to have a purpose to the story.

Competition is fierce.

The second reason is a direct result of the first. The huge number people submitting manuscripts means the competition, for the limited publishing slots, is fierce. Only exceptional works will get serious consideration.

Picture book mechanics.

Many new writers do not know the mechanics of the picture book format. The format is strict, usually thirty-two pages including the blank end pages, title and publication pages. This leaves fifteen double spreads and two single spreads, front and back for the story. The story, however brilliant needs to fit this format. The text must be able to be broken down into fifteen or sixteen clear, action images for the illustrator to work with.

If you can overcome these first three challenges, you reach the next and probably the highest hurdle.

Prohibitive production costs.

Picture books are time consuming, expensive to produce and sell because of the production costs. Publishers are hesitant to take a risk on a book unless they are sure it will sell. This means, established and proven picture book authors and illustrators are going to win out most of the time.

So, how do you maximize your chance of beating the slush pile?

• Learn and master the craft of writing picture book texts.
• Do not send a manuscript unless it is the very best you can do, unless it is exceptional.
• Know the format. Storyboard the text to ensure it fits the format. Read the story aloud to test the rhythm and catch any awkward sentences.

You can do little about the final hurdle. However, if the story is good enough for the publisher to take a risk, they will likely team you up with an established illustrator to lessen their risk.