TRANSCRIPT

When you come to a good place in writing your manuscript and feel like that it’s ready for submission, there’s one step that cannot be ignored, and that is having someone review it before submitting it to agents or publishers.

At the very least, this person will find maybe a typo or grammatical error. But more than likely, they might find ways to improve your story.

Personally, I lucked out. My wife taught kindergarten for many years, so I live with an expert in children’s books. She knows what children like, what they respond to and what captures their attention. So when I get an idea for a story, I just run the basic idea by her. If I get a thumbs up, I move forward. If I get a thumbs down, I just move onto the next idea. And then I share my manuscript progress with her just to make sure I'm on the right track as I continue to write.

So my advice to you is to marry a kindergarten teacher so you have a live-in picture book expert to help you with your manuscripts.

Or… another idea… just find one trusted source to be your critique partner. Now this trusted source should NOT be a close friend or family member, unless they have specific picture book knowledge. Otherwise, you won’t get the honest feedback you need to make your story as strong as possible. Maybe you know a teacher or a librarian. Ask them if they’d be willing to read your manuscripts and provide feedback. Yes, it will take time out of their busy lives, but critiquing a picture book is a much less time-intensive than reading a critiquing a novel. Plus, in general, people you know like to be helpful.

And I know that asking someone for help can be scary. It can be embarrassing or that you’re putting someone out. But when you’re hesitant to ask someone, just go back to the question posed back in video 8 about overcoming excuses. Ask yourself… “What do you want? What do you want more?” If you want to be a published picture book author, a little embarrassment to help you achieve your goal is well worth it.

You know, asking someone for help can also be scary because writing is personal, so you’re opening up a part of yourself to another person. You know obviously you want them to love your story, and it’s easy to feel like they’re attacking you if they don’t like it. Remember that critiques are just that, they're only about the work. They're not a reflection of you as a person or your abilities as a writer. Keep that in mind and be sure to seek an outside perspective on every manuscript. Going through this process can be really helpful; it can open your eyes to issues and opportunities you never would have seen before.

And remember, never become defensive when someone offers you feedback. You don’t have to agree with the input. The manuscript is yours and you have the final say in what you’re ultimately going to submit for querying. Accept (or reject) all feedback with grace.

Thanks for watching. If you got any value out of this video, please like it, subscribe to my channel and share the video with other aspiring picture book authors.