5 Perks to Being a Children’s Author

While I write for both adults and children, there is something to be said for being a children’s author. (I’ve read some exciting books this summer, MG and YA, that I will be discussing in an upcoming post). These are the five perks I find for children’s writers/authors.

1. Accessibility to the authors. MG author Donna Gephart, and YA author Crissa-jean Chappell have always been kind in replies. I have even had tea and brownies at author/illustrator Wendy Watson’s home. (If I commented on John Grisham’s Facebook page I would never receive a reply).

2. The ultimate excuse to not feel weird or guilty about wandering through the kids section at the library or bookstore without a child attached to your hip. Being able to feel like a kid again with the power of reading a fresh and fun story that doesn’t contain too many real world problems we face as adults.

3. Receiving honest feedback when you read your manuscript to a child. My best friend’s daughter is usually the first to hear my stories and she is always a very up front about what she likes and doesn’t like.

4. Getting a chance to be a kid again. When writing for children the author needs to channel what it was like to be young again, to have fun, to think like a child. Color, finger paint, run in the rain.

5. Not having to edit 100,000 word manuscript. While 300  or 800 words is just as important and challenging to write, probably even more so, knowing it won’t take you a month just to do a first edit draft is a nice feeling.