Be a Better Picture Book Writer for FREE

Some authors went to school for writing. Paid tuition and all. But you can be just as successful for basically no cost. You can be a better picture book writer for FREE.

Photo by AbsolutVision from Pixabay

One caveat--you really need internet access. For most people, that costs money, so I guess it wouldn't be completely free. But there are ways to get internet access without paying if you need it. I assume if you're reading this blog, you have internet access, so let's get on with it.

And one more thing--full disclosure: I've spent money on SCBWI membership and 12x12 membership and Rate Your Story membership and they're great for those who can afford them. HOWEVER you don't NEED these organizations to be a better writer. For the first eight months of being a picture book writer, I did NOT use the help of these organizations and I feel confident that I could be successful without these.

I'm actually surprised I've invested any sort of money in my writing "hobby". I'm increadibly cheap. Miserly. But because I am so cheap, I've snagged some great ways of bettering my writing for free that I will now share with you! So here are some of my go-to tricks of how to be a better picture book writer for FREE.

1. READ BLOGS
There are authors and agents and editors out there who want to share their knowledge about the publishing industry. Browsing their sites is free! You just need to do some legwork to find them. I've already posted about Josh Funk's website for beginner writers and a few others. KidLit411 has a great list of writing blogs to follow: http://www.kidlit411.com/2014/01/blogs-to-follow.html. Once you find a good blog, make sure to subscribe to get more free content delivered straight to your inbox!

And that brings me to #2:
2. KIDLIT411.COM
This site is probably better than any of the websites for organizations that I've had to pay for. And it's free! If you haven't perused their site yet, go spend a few minutes just clicking around the site...or a few hours...or a few days, because really, there's that much awesome info.

And this is closely linked to #3:
3. KIDLIT411 MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE SWAP (Or Illustrator Portfolio Swap)
Caveat, this is a Facebook group. I know some people don't like Facebook. Well, you can create a special profile for your writer persona that you only use for this manuscript swap group. It will be 1000% worth the trouble. In the group you can swap with other writers to give feedback on each other's work. You can swap as often as you want or as little as you want.

4. YOUTUBE VIDEOS
There are all kinds of writing craft videos on youtube. My favorite for writing rhyming picture books is Lyrical Language Lab. I haven't explored YouTube much in the picture book realm, so let me know of any good vloggers or videos you find.

5. TWITTER/INSTAGRAM
I found several critique partners through #pbchat on Twitter and have learned lots through the weekly chats. I follow other writers and agents, sometimes gleaning helpful hints or ideas for their MSWL. Twitter pitch parties might be a way for you to get connected with an agent who wants to represent you. This is also just a great place to be social with other writers and see good news and new books. Get on the #writingcommunity hashtag or browse the #kidlit and #amwriting hashtags. I'm not super active on Instagram, but I know there's a bookish community over there. It is the PERFECT place for illustrators to connect, get inspired, share their work, and maybe even get spotted by an editor or agent!

6. ENTER GIVEAWAYS AND CONTESTS
Remember those blogs I told you to read? And those Twitter people I told you to go follow? Well, there are about a million giveaways happening throughout the year. I have won numerous drawings for a free book or a free critique by a published author. I also placed in a writing contest which had a prize associated with it. The writing community is incredibly generous. So many authors are dying to pay it forward. Keep an eye out for these.

7. THE LIBRARY
The library is your friend. Not only do they offer resources FOR FREE, but they KNOW books. Talk to the librarian in charge of the children's section. What books do kids love at story time? Which titles get checked out the most? And then when you are published, guess who will want to purchase your book and have you in for a reading! But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here are some specific resources I highly recommend:

• First of all, hopefully a library near you has the latest edition of Ann Whitford Paul's Writing Picture Books. It is amazingly comprehensive and yet enjoyable to read. If the library doesn't have it, request it. Worst case scenario, if you're going to spend any of your own dollars on anything, the investment is worth it to purchase it. I haven't read the older edition of the book, but a lot has changed in the business in 10+ years, so you really should get the updated one.
• Another book worth checking out is the Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market. It comes out every year with updated info on agents (and other great stuff). Your library probably has one that is a couple years old. That's okay. The agents often move agencies and other info will change quickly, but once you find the names of agents or agencies that represent picture books, go online and search for their most up-to-date info with their wishlists and submission instructions.
• Any other writing craft books you can get your hands on. Again, some of these may be out of date, so be smart and take some advice with a grain of salt (like when they tell you to mail an SASE--haha 99% of agencies don't actually do snail mail anymore).
• Last but not least, you're going to want to check out your limit of actual picture books. If you want to write picture books, you need to know what's selling. Try to check out books from the last three years or so. But also check out some books (new and old) in the specific style or content category as you're interested in writing. Do you want to write non-fiction about sea life? Biographies of jazz musicians? Potty humor? Bedtime stories? Check out as many as you can carry. Study them. Type out the text to see how they tick. Count the pages. Study page turns. Return them to the library (BEFORE YOU INCUR ANY LATE FEES!) and then check out another stack.

Oops! Edited to add...
8. FREE COURSES: REEDSY
How could I forget one of my favorite free resources? I have used Reedsy Learning courses many times! You get easy, bite-sized educational content about writing delivered right to your email in these free 10-day courses. There's info about writing children's books, writing novels, querying, marketing, all kinds of things! Visit them here. Know of any other great free courses? Comment below!


Okay! Well, that was more than I planned to write on the topic, but I'm passionate about saving money! I hope something here gave you some inspiration and another way to improve your writing that maybe you didn't know about before. Let me know if there are any other good resources that I missed talking about here.

Are you thinking about investing in your writing? Check out my post here on improving your writing by investing your money in the right places.