Writing for children is tougher than you think. It calls for a unique balance of creativity, concise explanations, good values, and fun — and while the market may not pay as much as the big boys, it also offers a lot of opportunities that many writers have yet to tap.
For one, there’s stability: Many children’s pubs tend to rely on different sources of revenue — a particularly loyal subscription base, product sales, the development of educational materials, and more. Parents who might cut a subscription to Time out of the family budget might be less likely to cut Cricket, a Carus Publishing magazine that offers as much in terms of educational value as it does in pure nostalgia. “People have an emotional tie to our magazines,” says Victoria Telfer, editorial assistant for Cricket Magazine Group.
Also on Mediabistro
Remember that with children’s magazines, the lead time may be much longer, and the manuscript review period (that’s right, many pubs want your finished manuscript, no queries) can be quite long. Persistent follow-ups may not help you as much as patience in this particular market. Read on for details about how to pitch:
1. Babybug
This Cricket Magazine Group “listening and looking” full-color publication focuses on art, simple stories, and poems for infants and toddlers six months to 2 years of age.
Pay: Varies, $25 minimum.
Advice: “We consider all submissions for all of our publications, so there’s no need to submit the same piece to more than one of our magazines,” says Telfer. “However, we appreciate authors who craft their pieces with a specific age group in mind. There’s a significant difference between writing for a Babybug reader and writing for a Ladybug reader. We do try to maintain the highest literary standard, which exists even in poetry for very young children.”
Direct all pitches to: Editorial director Alice Letvin or associate editor Jenny Gillespie, Babybug, Carus Publishing / Cricket Magazine Group, 70 E. Lake St. Suite 300, Chicago, IL, 60601
2. Ladybug
This “reading and listening” magazine from Cricket is geared toward 2- to 6-year-olds.
Pay: $0.25/word for fiction and nonfiction; $3/line for poems.
Advice: Telfer says editors are always looking for gentle nonfiction stories as well as fiction, poems and activities for the “World Around You” section. And be mindful of your tone: “We see a lot of writing that’s too childish, or patronizing,” she says. “Children are smart and they know when they’re being talked down to — kids don’t want to read that sort of thing, and neither do we.”
Direct all pitches to: Editorial director Alice Letvin or associate editor Jenny Gillespie, Ladybug, Carus Publishing / Cricket Magazine Group, 70 E. Lake St. Suite 300, Chicago, IL, 60601
3. Spider
This magazine focuses on literature and activities for 6- to 9-year-olds.
Pay: $0.25/word max for stories and articles; $3/line for poetry.
Advice: “Spider readers gravitate toward stories, poems, and nonfiction with humor (from subtle and hyper-realistic to absurd) and memorable characters and topics,” says editor Margaret Mincks. “I see many submissions with humor but little character development, or vice versa; these tend to fall flat. If writers create complex, believable characters, kids will connect with them and, by extension, with the material. Spider readers like names, descriptions, funny tics, habits, etc. — all those little things that make a character and the world of a story come to life.”
Direct all pitches to: Editor Margaret Mincks or editorial director Alice Letvin. Please send complete manuscripts only, no queries, to Submissions Editor, Spider, Carus Publishing, 70 E. Lake St. Suite 300, Chicago, IL, 60601
4. Cricket
The flagship of Carus Publishing’s Cricket Magazine Group, the first issue of Cricket printed in 1973. Cricket publishes fiction and nonfiction, poetry, puzzles, crafts science experiments, and more for children ages 9 to 14, nine issues per year.
Pay: $0.25/word max for fiction and nonfiction; $3/line for poetry.
Advice: “Our readers love fantasy — ancient Greece, Lord of the Rings… We’re also looking for engaging, quality science fiction,” says Telfer. “And all the magazines are looking for humorous pieces. Cricket nonfiction can be more in-depth, more sophisticated. Keep in mind that Cricket readers are coming at an article with a broader knowledge of the world. Our nonfiction articles range from science and engineering to history, biography, and art.”
Direct all pitches to: Editor Lonnie Plecha, Cricket, Carus Publishing, 70 E. Lake St. Suite 300, Chicago, IL, 60601
5. Cicada
Cicada is a bimonthly literary magazine for teen and young adult readers, ages 14 and up.
Pay: Varies
Advice: “Cicada can get pretty edgy,” says Telfer. “Teen readers can handle more mature topics, although keep in mind that 14-year-olds are also reading this magazine. We’re also starved for humor submissions. It’s always good to balance out the angst with some clever wordplay!”
Direct all pitches to: Send completed manuscripts, not queries, to Deborah Vetter, executive editor, Cicada, 70 E. Lake St. Suite 300, Chicago, IL, 60601
6. Click
This nonfiction children’s magazine seeks experienced science writers to tackle topics relating to each issue’s central theme, relating to natural or social sciences, the arts, technology, and other topics for readers ages 3 to 6 years old.
Pay: Varies
Advice: Writers are encouraged to check out not only the website but also several issues of the magazine before contacting editors. According to Telfer, the three science magazines under Cricket Magazine Group — Click, ASK, and Muse — require writers with a strong level of scientific expertise. “Writing nonfiction requires a different skill set than writing poetry for the ‘bug’ magazines,” says Telfer. “Our science magazines appreciate writers who come at the topic from a strong, knowledgeable scientific background.”
Direct all pitches to: Experienced science writers should send a resume and published clips to editor Amy Tao at Carus Publishing, 70 E. Lake St. Suite 300, Chicago, IL, 60601
7. ASK
This nonfiction publication for 7- to 10-year-olds will have nine issues in 2011 and features themes for every issue. All themes revolve around various science disciplines and the world around us, including history, the arts, math and technology.
Pay: Varies
Advice: “If you can send me a short piece of writing that makes me sit up and say, ‘Hey, neat, I never thought of that before!’ or ‘Oh, now I get it!’ or makes me want to run out and show it to my friends, that’s what I’m looking for,” says Elizabeth Huyck, editor. “If you’re stumped for a subject, try your hand at short answer (100-200 words) to one of those tricky questions kids ask — why is the sky blue? Why aren’t there dinosaurs? I’m looking for writers who can explain things clearly and concisely, and with humor.”
Direct all pitches to: Authors should first query ASK with clips or a resume demonstrating a background in science. Send queries only to Elizabeth Huyck, Editor, ASK Magazine. Carus Publishing, 70 E. Lake St. Suite 300, Chicago, IL, 60601 or by email to ASK at CARUSPUB dot COM.
8. Muse
This nonfiction magazine for 9- to 14-year-olds revolves around “life, the universe, and pie-throwing.” One of Carus’s three science magazines, Muse seeks writers with subject expertise, so send in your credentials before submitting a manuscript.
Pay: Varies
Advice: “Muse readers are kids and teens with a deep-seated curiosity and a good sense of humor. They don’t want to be talked down to, and they certainly don’t want to read anything that looks like it came from a textbook,” says Elizabeth Preston, editor. “Muse seeks articles that cover science, history, and the arts, always asking the bigger questions instead of settling for an overview of information.
Direct all pitches to: Send queries to Elizabeth Preston, Muse, Carus Publishing, 70 E. Lake St. Suite 300, Chicago, IL, 60601.
9. Clubhouse
This Christian children’s magazine is published by Focus on the Family, and is geared toward 8- to 12-year-olds.
Pay: $0.15-$0.25/word; $200+ for feature-length fiction; $150+ for nonfiction.
Advice: “It’s easiest to break into the magazine with our shorter pieces,” advises Jesse Florea, editor of Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. “Fiction (historical, or modern-day with a strong take-away value) stories of 800-1,000 words is a good place to start. Quizzes with a point or fun factoids are also a good place to break into. Plus, we also need fun crafts that can be made at low cost (hopefully with stuff around the house) that fit a theme — maybe Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, etc. We avoid stories that talk about magic or romance, and those without takeaway value. We’re looking for character-building stories.”
Direct all pitches to: Joanna Lutz, assistant editor, Clubhouse, Focus on the Family, 8605 Explorer Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. Send completed manuscripts only.
10. Clubhouse, Jr.
Focus on the Family’s 24-page magazine for younger children aims to entertain and teach Christian values to 4- to 8-year-olds around the world. Circulation is about 700,000.
Pay: $100-$200 for unsolicited fiction, nonfiction, and Bible stories. $75-$150 for rebus stories. $50-$100 for poetry. $30-$80 for puzzles.
Advice: “Our greatest need is finding stories of ordinary kids doing something extraordinary. For Club Jr., those kids should be between 3-7,” says Florea.”
Direct all pitches to: Joanna Lutz, assistant editor, Clubhouse Jr., to Focus on the Family, 8605 Explorer Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. Send completed manuscripts only.
Katie Bunker is an associate editor at Diabetes Forecast magazine and a freelance writer in Washington, D.C..
Topics:
Mediabistro Archive