Beth Anderson, Children's Writer

Today we get a peek into the world of work-for-hire early readers with Melissa H. Mwai. Along with essential info for people interested in breaking into writing for children via work-for-hire, she also shares links to resources and more specifics to explore.

GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment below to be entered to win a copy of one of Melissa’s DK series books coming out this year: A PUERTO RICAN CHILDHOOD (April 2024), HARLEM RENAISSANCE (June 2024), or  HISTORY OF JAZZ (September 2024) AND a 30-min Ask-Me-Anything session!

Congratulations to Donna Rossman, winner of a 30-minute Ask Me Anything about online marketing from Gina Soldano!

THE MYSTERIOUS WORLD OF WORK-FOR-HIRE EARLY READERS By Melissa H. Mwai

When I first imagined getting published, I knew nothing about the world of work-for-hire early readers. Now four books in and with more coming, I want to show these books love. It is a great market for creatives to get publishing credit, work with a diverse team of talented individuals, and know that your book’s coming out fast!

An early reader is usually a chapter book for younger, newer readers. They have a limited vocabulary based on grade-level words and complexity to help kids read independently. Some books use Lexiles or ATOS scores, but whichever method used   to measure a book’s difficulty, there’s a market for them. 

WORK-FOR-HIRE 101

As my agent says, most of the early readers are work-for-hire (WFH). WFH means that the publisher has a project in-mind and they find talent to bring the book to life. 

For my book, STACEY ABRAMS (Nat Geo Kids,‘22), I had a contact at Nat Geo who pitched the project to me who requested a writing sample. I refreshed a non-fiction bio manuscript to mirror an early reader as part of my submission. If it’s an idea you love, don’t use that for your sample as you don’t want to potentially give the rights to that story away.

Here’s the basics about WFH projects. Usually, they have tight deadlines. As a contributor, you’ll likely get a one-time fee without royalties. The publisher owns the copyright. You may not get author credit (ask anyway).

FINDING EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHERS 

Many WFH projects are managed in-house with the publisher’s editorial and art departments, so they seek referrals through networking and agented authors/illustrators. 

Some educational publishers do encourage you to send resumes with writing credits or samples. Capstone posted guidelines for joining their WFH talent pool. Imprints like Kane Press (part of Astra Publishing) want series proposals. Some publishing houses like Scholastic have specific early reader imprints and want to work with agented creatives. So if that’s what you want, ask your agent to seek out WFH contracts.

Not sure where to start? Check your local library or bookstore. Read the early readers published within the last 2-5 years and make a list of publishers that appeal to you. Research their guidelines and catalog to see if your writing or illustration style is a good fit. 

WHAT’S A BOOK PACKAGER, ANYWAY?

A book packager produces books on behalf of a publisher. Usually they hire everyone for the project— from writers to artists, from editors to sensitivity readers, and even designers to create the book layouts! 

Part of what a book packager does is pull together the best people—i.e. people with specific writing credits, work experience, POV, or name recognition—to get the job done. While looking for WFH talent for the DK Super Readers series, the WonderLab Group book packager contacted me. Their editor knew my work from Nat Geo Kids and asked if I wanted to be part of that project.

Book Packagers also pitch their own projects to publishers. Since I have a strong writing voice, WonderLab asked me to help create a sample for a new early reader series. After presenting the series proposal, Paw Prints acquired it. I was excited to accept the contract to launch this series.  

If you’re interested in working with book packagers like WonderLab, check out this American Book Producers database for summaries about the books they create and research their submission guidelines. Some like WonderLab, accept writing credits from unagented authors, so feel free to contact them.

NOT ALL ROADS LEAD TO WFH

Early readers can be sold in traditional markets, too. They fall under the umbrella of early chapter books. They may be trickier to sell since you’re pitching a series. Just find your angle. 

In the NAT THE CAT series by Jarrett Lerner, he’s written and illustrated the book with a grumpy fourth-wall breaking main character. Valerie Bolling created the RAINBOW DAYS series after the publisher put out a call to increase representation of characters of their early reader line.

Whether you’re writing your own stories or working on a WFH project, I’d recommend the Children’s Writer’s Word Book by Alijandra Mogilner and Rewordify to target the book’s reading level. 

May whatever early reader you make reach the beloved popularity of ELEPHANT & PIGGIE. As I learned, no matter how easy the text is, it is far from simple to create a great early reader story.

To learn more about Melissa’s other books, visit her website. 

GIVEAWAY! Don’t forget to leave a comment below to be in the running for a copy of one of Melissa’s DK series books coming out this year: A PUERTO RICAN CHILDHOOD (April 2024), HARLEM RENAISSANCE (June 2024), or  HISTORY OF JAZZ (September 2024) AND a 30-min AMA session. (book sent to US addresses, only, winner announced 3/15/24)