Writing #KidLit #Nonfiction with Chris Eboch

Here's the handout from my webinar:


Writing Nonfiction, with Chris EbochTrade Book Advances: $2000-$10,000 and up. May take several years to receive all payments. Difficult to control or predict sales.Royalties: Passive income that can last for years. Requires a royalty agreement that earns out. May take years after the book sale.Work-for-Hire Books: Flat fee (usually), quick turnaround time, assigned topics. Pays from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. Can be steady work. Good for building a resume.Electronic Databases: Schoolwide/Zing takes NF texts and pays royalties.Self-Publishing: Upfront costs, but potentially passive income for years. A way to make use of unsold manuscripts. Very tough market. Try regional with strong curriculum ties.Magazine Articles: Generally low pay for children’s magazines, but can be several hundred dollars. Make use of your research from other projects. Build a resume, show expertise.Educational Test Passages/Assessment: Often decent pay for small jobs ($70-$400 for less than 1000 words). Requires ability to write a variety of genres, topics, and targeted grade levels. Mainly seasonal work. Writing test questions is complicated but pays well (~$12 per question).School Visits: Pay varies greatly. Helps market your books. If you’re not a well-known author, focus on what you’ll teach kids – help them do better on tests, tie in to curriculum.

General Info on Nonfiction Writing for ChildrenNF for Kids Yahoo Group (largely inactive but you can browse old posts): https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/NFforKids/info The SCBWI discussion boards have sections on work for hire, self-publishing, magazines, contracts, taxes, and more: http://www.scbwi.org/boards/index.phpKelly James-Enger on ghostwriting, articles, etc.: http://dollarsanddeadlines.blogspot.com    Darcy Pattison on indie publishing: https://www.darcypattison.com/From Self-Publishing to Blogging: 7 Solid Ways to Make Money Writing, by Blake Atwood (editing, teaching, freelance articles): https://thewritelife.com/7-ways-to-make-money-writing/ Freedom With Writing newsletter: writing jobs and articles to help you be a freelance writer: https://www.freedomwithwriting.com/Chris on Writing Nonfiction Books for Children: Market Research
Trade Publishing NonfictionEditorial Anonymous’ Publishing Dictionary posts – definitions of royalties, advances, earning out and more: http://tinyurl.com/ajesxl Curriculum tie-ins: Next Generation Science Standards,  National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, Curriculum: National and State Standards | Education World

Nonfiction Educational/Work for Hire BooksYes! You Can Learn How to Write Children’s Books, Get Them Published, and Build a Successful Writing Career, by Nancy SandersWriting Children’s Nonfiction Books for the Educational Market, by Laura Purdie SalasEvelyn Christensen’s list of Educational Markets: http://evelynchristensen.com/markets.html Chris on Getting Started In Educational Publishing Work for Hire
Writing KidLit Magazine Articles Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers, Book Markets for Children’s Writers and Children’s Writers and Illustrator’s Market list magazines. The SCBWI “Magazine Market Guide” is in The Book, included with membership. Get magazine samples at your library, school, or house of worship; requests sample copies from the publisher; publishers’ web sites may have online samples. List of mags w/links to websites: http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/childrens/kidsmags.html  and http://blog.allaboutlearningpress.com/magazines-for-kids/ Chris on Magazine Market Research, Analyze Magazines for Content and Style, and Writing for Magazines: Start Small and Focused
Self-Publishing NonfictionIndie publishing worksheet – are you ready/what you need: https://chriseboch.com/for-writers/ What Defines “Traditional” Publishing? Anne R. Allen: http://tinyurl.com/n35mofq 
Jane Friedman details different paths to publishing: http://tinyurl.com/k3ay9bw  Go regional or tie to curriculum or both. Go for awards. List w/educational distributors. Resources and distributors: www.darcypattison.com/scbwi/

School VisitsSkype An Author Network for online visits: http://skypeanauthor.wikifoundry.com/School Visit Experts – advice on programs and biz tips: schoolvisitexperts.com

Grade Levels: ATOS or LexileLexile: http://www.lexile.com/analyzer/ Lexile highlighting the more difficult words: http://www.lextutor.ca/vp/eng/

How Lexile Relates to Grade: http://tinyurl.com/yaalxkqgATOS http://www.renlearn.com/atos/

Writing WellChris on Six Ways To Brainstorm Story Ideas, How To Find Story Ideas, You Can Find Story Ideas, How To Find Story Ideas And Get Started Writing,Developing Story and Article Ideas.
How To Write A Non-Fiction Book Outline In Two Days, with Joanna Penn: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2019/04/26/how-to-write-a-non-fiction-book-outline-in-two-days/
Chris Ebochwrites fiction and nonfiction for all ages, with 60+ traditionally published books for children. Her novels for ages nine and up include Bandits Peak, a survival thriller; The Genie’s Gift ; an Arabian fantasy, The Eyes of Pharaoh , a mystery in ancient Egypt; and The Well of Sacrifice , a Mayan adventure. Learn more at www.chriseboch.comor her Amazon page.

Chris is the author of You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers and Advanced Plotting. Check out writing tips at her Write Like a Pro! blog. Sign up for her workshop newsletterfor online classes and critique offers.
Chris also writes novels of suspense and romance for adults under the name Kris Bock; read excerpts at www.krisbock.comor visit her Amazon page.
Sign up for a manuscript critique with Chris! Get detailed editorial comments to help you improve your story. Email chriseboch@gmail.comor see her website’s “for writers” page for details.