Writing for Educational Publishers
A Great Opportunity for Authors

Whose Coat Is This?: A Look at How Workers Cover Up-jackets, Smocks, And Robes
by Laura Purdie Salas
(Picture Window Books )
ISBN 1-404-8159-8-8
Buy this book via Amazon.com.

After college, I got a job as an editor at Central Florida Magazine and then a position at Women's Sports & Fitness Magazine. I also did some freelance writing for other magazines and for newspapers. When that magazine was sold out-of-state and the staff was laid off, I taught 8th-grade English for a couple of years. That reminded me how much reading was my lifesaver when I was a kid and got me seriously thinking about writing for kids. So I shifted my efforts to writing for kids, and that's what I've focused on ever since.

AUTHORLINK: Most aspiring children's authors aim for the mainstream trade publishing houses. Almost all of your books have been published by educational publishers. How did you get into that field?

SALAS: At a Minneapolis SCBWI conference in 1999, we had three editors from educational publishing houses come speak. I helped out with the conference planning and researched the publishing houses ahead of time.

I had an opportunity for a critique with one editor from Lerner. I studied their catalog, chose a series, and wrote a proposal for a book to fit in that series. She was very impressed at my research, though they had just ended that series, unfortunately. She eventually hired me to write a biography of Isaac Newton.

Another editor there was from Capstone Press. I was her "angel" for the day, fending off pushy writers, getting her water, etc. I sent her a packet afterward and have written about 12 books for Capstone since then, though she's no longer there.

So that conference was really instrumental for me. I hadn't thought a lot about nonfiction before that, in fact. I got some nonfiction ideas regularly, but I hadn't pursued them. I liked the idea of writing on assignment and thought I'd give it a try. I guess I kind of fell into it. It's a nice balance to my other kinds of writing.

AUTHORLINK: Can you talk about the differences in writing for an educational house like Capstone versus a mainstream publisher?

SALAS: There are huge differences between trade and educational publishers. Educational publishers are those that sell mainly to school libraries and public libraries. Bookstores like Barnes & Noble carry very few, if any, books published by educational publishers [though many are available from online retailers like Amazon.com —Authorlink].

Educational publishers publish almost all of their books in series: Famous African Americans, The 50 States, Family Issues, etc. Freelance writers can pitch them series ideas, but in most cases, series are created by the marketing team. They are carefully planned out to supplement/tie-in with school curriculum.

So, generally, rather than pitch a series or particular title, a writer approaches the publisher with a letter of interest, some clips, a resume, and a publishing list, if appropriate. Sometimes, writers do send in proposals for certain books or series. They don't often get hired for those particular books, but if they've put together a good package, an editor might call to say, "Oh, we're not doing this, but would you be interested in writing about that?"

Educational publishers assign writers for books, and the writer works under contract. The publisher gives the writer guidelines; how specific they are varies from publisher to publisher. Sometimes the writer has a fair amount of leeway in creating the structure of the book. Other times, the writer has a strict formula to follow. Then it's more like solving a puzzle. How do I get X information in Y number of words with a Z readability level?

School libraries buy most books published by educational publishers. Educational publishers promote their new series to media specialists, but very little promotion, if any, is done for any particular book. Most media specialists buy from the same publishers year after year. They receive the catalog each season—two publishing seasons a year for educational publishers—and choose the books they need. The extent of promotion is largely limited, to my knowledge, to setting up booths/tables at ALA conferences and things like that. And even that is really just name-recognition for the publisher itself, not for individual authors or books.

SALAS: Most educational publishers assign projects as Work For Hire. That means the publisher holds the copyright and can do whatever it wishes with the manuscript. The publisher owns your words, as if you wrote something for a company you worked full-time for. Some writers don't like that, but I don't have a problem with it. A few educational publishers, but not many, do pay advance-and-royalty for certain projects.

The payment for educational books is not stellar, unfortunately. There's certainly a range, but I'd say most projects fall into the $1,000-$5,000 range. You won't get rich writing for educational publishers, that's for sure! But it beats an office job any day, in my opinion! And it's nice to get writing assignments without having to research, market, etc.—the things I don't like about writing. Once you break in with a publisher, you can often get future assignments as long as the first one goes well. As an income, it's a nice supplement [while I'm working] on the poetry and other writing projects I love.

AUTHORLINK: What's the best way to approach an educational publisher?

SALAS: Many publishers have writer's guidelines that specify exactly what they want you to submit. So of course, a writer should follow those guidelines. If they don't have WG, I would send a cover letter, a resume, and a publications list, if you have more than 2 or 3 publications. In the cover letter, I'd mention specific series of theirs or what you admire about their books; show you've done some research on them! Try to sound very professional in your letter. Basically, it's like sending in a cover letter for a "regular" job. Professionalism and dependability are key to educational publishers, who work with extremely tight deadlines.

Editors are not interested, generally, in seeing complete manuscripts because the manuscript would have to fit in with an existing series. It's fine to propose a title in an existing series or a whole new series, but I would not actually write a manuscript or even a proposal without an invitation from the editor.

You can build nice relationships with educational publishers and receive regular assignments from them each season. But it's dangerous to put all your eggs in one basket. I know a few writers who wrote exclusively for one publisher (not all the same publisher) for years. Then when their editor left or they had some kind of falling out, they were starting from scratch trying to build up new relationships with new companies. I try to continue approaching publishers I haven't worked with before. It's a pain, but I think it's good protection against changing markets.

AUTHORLINK: What do you like most about writing for educational publishers? The least? Do you pitch work to both educational and trade publishers?

SALAS: Having published books makes me feel like a real writer. That may be shallow, and I know all the arguments about publication not making you a real writer, writing makes you a real writer, and so on. But still, deep down, having published books gives me more credibility with myself as a writer. It makes me feel more capable.

And I learn the coolest stuff. Did you know there are 6-feet-long Chinese giant salamanders that lurk at the bottom of streams at night with open mouths, waiting for dinner to swim in? Ick! Or that ballerinas don't really stand on their toes in pointe shoes? They contract their foot muscles so their toes don't even touch the block of wood in there? I had no idea. Or that many scholars today believe Isaac Newton had bipolar disorder? I love learning new things, and I always do, with every single writing project I take on. Even the ones with what I think are boring topics.

As I said before, the income I get from education writing makes me feel productive and competent, and then I don't feel guilty about the time I spend on my non-income-producing (yet!) writing, like poetry and picture books.

It's also a good balance. I like to have a lot of projects going on at once, but that can be draining. Working on an educational project is a nice balance to, say, writing poetry or working on a humorous midgrade novel. The different kinds of writing really feed each other, I think. And I get great ideas for other kinds of writing based on the topics I write educational books about.

What I like least? Of course, I wish it paid more! A lot more!

The short deadlines can be frustrating. I'd like to do deeper research at times, but with a 6-week deadline, for example, that's not always possible. Also, the deadlines are short for the writer, but, as with all publishers, it seems to take a long time to get feedback, revision notes, etc.

I know some writers and editors look down on educational writing, and I think that's too bad. All kinds of writing can sharpen your skills, and I feel that's worthwhile, whether you're exploring important, intangible ideas through poetry or explaining the safety issues surrounding ice fishing. Clarity is crucial to educational writing, and that benefits other kinds of writing, too.

As far as pitching and submitting, I pitch myself as a writer to educational publishers. Then, if they hire me, they give me the topic, etc. I pitch particular manuscripts—mostly poetry and fiction, though a couple of nonfiction as well—to trade publishers. Trade publishers buy completed manuscripts, for the most part. Educational publishers buy your writing talent to write the manuscripts they need written.

In any given month, I'm submitting several manuscripts to trade publishers as well as contacting a couple of educational publishers with whom I've either worked before or I'm trying to break in with. So for me, it's about equal.

"Writing passages
for standardized tests is kind
of fun! There are many companies, some huge, some
tiny, that publish
standardized tests."
—SALAS

SALAS: Writing passages for standardized tests is kind of fun! There are many companies, some huge, some tiny, that publish standardized tests or practice materials for standardized tests. Pearson, Riverside, Educational Learning Systems, McGraw-Hill, and Data Recognition Corp. are a few. Pay often ranges from $100-$400 for a short story or nonfiction passage. Some of the really small companies pay even less, but might be a good way to break in. I keep an eye out for the names of companies looking for writers. I find these in various newsletters like SCBWI Bulletin and Children's Book Insider, etc., as well as some online job boards. Then I follow their application procedures. It can take a long time to go through and actually get an assignment, but then you can get repeat assignments.

Passage writing is a great way to use up leftover facts that didn't get used in a book. I've sold many passages based on research I did for educational books. I didn't have space to use them or they didn't fit within the structure of the book, so I have these fun anecdotes and facts. Writing a short passage lets me share that nifty info and also make a bit more cash from the same research.

AUTHORLINK: Let's talk craft... can you walk me through the evolution of one of your educational titles?

SALAS: The idea comes from the publisher. Since I do other kinds of writing, I don't mind this at all. I have plenty of outlets for my own ideas, and it's kind of nice to not wonder whether an idea is weighty enough for an entire book, etc.

So, I have the topic from the publisher and also some kind of guidelines. I often have samples of other books in the series, too. I carefully read the guidelines and the samples, because my book must fit into the series and match it. I try to gauge the depth of research that was done and how information is presented: statistics, straight exposition, quotations from experts, etc. Is the tone humorous, straightforward, silly? I need to really think about these things so that my book works within that series.

I start my research, doing general reading on the topic, and then I come up with an outline, if a chapter-by-chapter outline wasn't already specified by the publisher. Then I usually begin putting down a rough draft, and I just leave blanks for all the spots where I'm missing information. At this point, I'm just trying to figure out the pacing and how much room I have to devote to each section of the book. Then I go back to research, trying to fill in all those blanks! I'm a slow researcher, mainly because I hate calling people on the phone. So I'm always trying to find experts who can answer questions by email, or credible organizations with wonderful websites.

Once I have all the facts, it's time to revise. I often type in part or all of one of the sample books and run readability statistics on it. Readability statistics are numbers that tell you the reading level of your writing.

There's a tool for it in Microsoft Word. You can choose readability statistics by clicking Tools-Options-Spelling & Grammar, and then clicking on Show Readability Statistics. Then, when you have a passage or entire piece you want to check, you simply click on Tools-Spelling & Grammar. After it goes through and spell checks your work, it will show you a box that tells you how many words, how many paragraphs, average words per sentence, average letters per word, percent of passive sentences, and the reading grade level. For educational writing, where you're sometimes asked to write at a specific reading level, and where you're almost always asked to "match" sample books from the existing series, this can be a great tool to use when you're revising.

Then I try to make sure my manuscript has similar statistics. At the same time, I'm trying to make it read as smoothly as possible and be as appealing to kids as it can be. Some books for the educational market are strictly facts. But others, like my titles for Picture Window Books—their Whose Is It series, Whose Coat Is This?, Whose Gloves Are These?, and Whose Shoes Are These?, and the Animals All Around series, Does an Elephant Fit in Your Hand?: A Book About Animal Sizes (all forthcoming, 2006)—have a real sense of fun. They use neat art techniques or silly questions to get kids involved with the books. They're wonderful to write! And teachers and kids seem to love them, too.

Anyway, I just revise and revise until I'm down to my word count (always a huge issue) and my reading level. And I polish it until every sentence is as clear as it can be. Then I usually have to do some end matter: glossary, fun facts, stuff like that. Then I turn it in, with a sigh of relief. About 3 days later, I start thinking, "Hmm…I need another contract." And I get to work emailing editors or sending out introductory packets to scare up a new assignment.

AUTHORLINK: Talk about your teen "survival guide," Taking The Plunge: A Teen's Guide To Independence (Child Welfare League, 2004).

SALAS: Taking the Plunge is a book that's close to my heart. I moved out of my parents' house when I was 16 years old. Luckily, I have 3 wonderful big sisters who answered questions, let me stay with them to save up money for my apartment, apartment-hunted with me, etc. But it was still really hard. There were no resources then for middle-class kids out on their own at a young age. So I really wanted to write this book for kids today who are out on their own.

It's a very practical guidebook, kind of written in a big-sister tone. It's not judgmental, simply helpful. "If you want to live on your own, here's what you need to know." But it's also great for just new graduates who are moving out, people who haven't learned a lot of practical life skills yet. How do you get a job? How do you manage school and work? What's the best way to plan your menu and grocery list? How do you balance a checkbook? How do you stay safe? That kind of thing.

I knew this was the book I wanted to write for today's teens, and I researched which publishers could get it into teens' hands. This isn't the kind of book Barnes & Noble sells, and a lot of teens who need it might not be the kind of kids who go browse bookstores. So I researched which publishers marketed strongly to school guidance counselors, because I thought that would be a good way to get these books to teens.

I approached two publishers with a query letter, and both quickly requested the proposal. Oops! Then I had to write the proposal. I sent the proposal to Child Welfare League of America and Free Spirit Press. Free Spirit declined, saying they liked the idea and proposal, but didn't think they could market it effectively. CWLA accepted it, and I got to work on the book itself.

CWLA is non-profit, and I got no advance. I've made less on this book than almost any of my educational books, but it's the most important book I've written. I wish I had been a better promoter and marketer, because I'd love to see this book in the hands of teens around the country. I do get occasional emails from people who have seen the book and know it's just right for someone in their lives, which is really nice to hear. It's not serving a huge market, but I hope it's a big help to those kids who receive it.

AUTHORLINK: Though educational writing seems to be your bread and butter, you also write poetry. Can you talk about "Smaller" and the other poems you wrote for the Family Housing Fund of Minneapolis exhibit?

SALAS: I love writing poetry. The topics that matter most to me seem to come out in poems. I have a family member with a brain disorder, and it takes over my life sometimes. When a writing mentor suggested I just sit down and freewrite about it, to help work through it and clear room for other stuff, what started coming out was poetry. I was completely surprised, since I hadn't written poetry since college (ahem, a long time ago). I eventually developed that into a poetry collection, which was a runner-up for a major fellowship but remains unpublished, and started writing poems on all sorts of topics. I write both serious and silly poetry, and love all of it.

The poems for the Family Housing Fund came about because of a mailing list. I received a postcard one day talking about this art/poetry exhibit they were doing and soliciting poems on the theme of home, family, and homelessness. It was sent to many local writers. I had just finished writing Taking the Plunge, and I had just finished reading a terrific novel in verse called Soul Moon Soup by Lindsay Lee Johnson (Front Street, 2002) which deals with homelessness. I was never actually homeless as a teen, but I definitely experienced the anxiety of, "Will I have enough money to pay the rent?" at times. So I was in the perfect frame of mind for this. The McKnight Foundation was subsidizing this exhibit, and there would be a $250 stipend for each poem chosen.

I spent time over the next week or two working on three poems and submitted them. I wrote the poems from the perspective of kids of different ages who were facing homelessness for different reasons. I tapped into some of the anxiety of being on my own at a young age. The poems came fairly easily. I'm still really happy with "Smaller" and "Not Home." "Leaving" is a bit too melodramatic, I realized after some time had passed.

The date by which they said they'd notify people passed, and I figured nothing would come of it. Then, a month or two after the date, I got a call. My poem "Smaller" had been judged the top poem submitted. "Not Home" was also selected for the exhibit. "Leaving" wasn't selected, but it was named a runner-up or honorable mention or something. I was so excited. Poems I loved about a topic that touched me. A perfect combination. And I was even getting paid! I received $500 for "Smaller," $250 for "Not Home," and $100 for "Leaving." For poetry, that's a lot of money!

The Family Housing Fund has done a lovely job with the exhibit, which includes amazing artwork and photography in addition to the poetry. The exhibit has shown at local galleries, government buildings, the Weisman Art Museum (museum of contemporary art). It's been just a great experience.

SALAS: If I knew the best markets for kids' poetry, I'd be submitting a lot more! There are magazines that regularly publish poetry (like the Cricket group), but competition is fierce. I don't submit to magazines very much anymore. Instead, I concentrate on poetry collections built around particular themes. I have three of those that I'm submitting to publishers right now.

I do sometimes write poetry for testing materials. That's how McGraw-Hill happened. CTB/McGraw-Hill accepted unsolicited manuscripts, unlike many testing companies, for possible use in standardized tests. I had sold both fiction and nonfiction passages to them, and I sent in a few poems. They bought "Almost Lunch," and it's been used in some practice tests. For Riverside, another testing company, I've also written some poems. Some have been written completely from scratch, with some brainstorming between the editor and me. Others have been targeted revisions I've done of poems I had already written. But perhaps they needed to be longer or more detailed or use certain things like metaphor or onomatopoeia. So I rework the poem to meet the specific needs of that testing situation.

AUTHORLINK: What advice would you give to fledgling authors?

SALAS: If you're the kind of writer who is not married to your words, the educational market and the assessment market might be lots of fun for you. Neither of these is a good fit for writers who get extremely attached to their words. In both cases, you are writing to meet specific needs, so you're looking for the best way to do that, and sometimes that means trashing what you've written and starting over.

Also, don't be afraid to try new kinds of writing. Take a risk. I write so many different kinds of manuscripts. It can be hard for the marketing end of things, because you have to learn about many more markets. But I find it really satisfying to do lots of different kinds of projects. It works out all the areas of my brain and keeps me sane.

Talk with other writers. Whether it's in-person or online, you can learn so much and feel part of a community by connecting with other people. Take classes, too. I speak about nonfiction and educational writing pretty regularly; I'm giving two workshops at SCBWI's national conference this August in Los Angeles. But I still attend classes and workshops myself. You can always learn more!

Have fun! You can't guarantee your work will be published. So you have to enjoy the work itself, the process of writing. Yes, we want to get published, but you're in for a lot of frustration if that's the only reason you write.