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I
read a
lot of
non-fiction
books.
And I do
mean a
lot.
Those
on
similar
subjects
are often
basically
the same,
which
means I
glean
virtually
no new
information.
This
book is
not one
of
those.
From
the
moment I
started
reading
it was
obvious
this book
was
different,
that the
author
had a
thorough
understanding
of the
children’s
book
industry.
And of
course,
she
does.
Jill
McDougall
has had
over a
hundred
books
published
since
2001, and
recently
signed a
new
contract
with
international
publisher,
Walker
Books.
Living
in South
Australia,
Jill
McDougall
teaches
creative
writing,
and I can
fully
understand
why. As
you read
your way
through
the book
her
passion
and
knowledge
are
blatantly
obvious.
Jill
imparts
so many
of her
secrets
that
nothing
is left
to
chance.
She
explains
the
various
types of
books
(easy
readers,
picture
books,
chapter
books
etc) and
explains
the
difference
between
educational
and trade
books,
and why
you
should
target
both.
This
book goes
right
into
brass
tacks and
guides
you
through
the
process
of
researching
existing
books
before
you start
writing
your
own.
As
with all
good
books for
writers,
there’s a
section
on
finding
ideas. In
addition
to the
actual
finding
of ideas
– and
keeping
them –
this
section
also
teaches
you a
unique
way of
outlining
your
story.
This
section
alone is
worth
purchasing
the
book.
Jill
takes you
step-by-step
into how
she
builds on
a very
simplistic
idea and
turns it
into a
basic
outline
for her
books.
I
sat down
with my
seven-year-old
grandson
and used
this
method,
and at
the end
of the
process,
with very
little
prompting
from me,
he’d
outlined
a story
for a
‘dragon’
book. I
was
amazed at
how easy
it was to
do. (The
intention
is that
together
we will
write
this
Chapter
Book in
the near
future.)
There is
absolutely
no reason
you
couldn’t
use
Jill’s
method
(or
formula
as she
calls it)
to
outline
fiction
aimed at
any age
group.
This
book is
so
chocka-block
full of
Insider
Secrets,
that
you’ll be
amazed.
In
addition
to
answering
questions
related
to the
topic,
Jill has
provided
almost
twenty
pages of
direct
links to
publishers’
guidelines.
She has
tirelessly
tracked
down
children’s
publishers
around
the globe
who
accept
unsolicited
submissions.
This
resource
will save
the
writer
hours of
work
especially
since
Jill’s
links
take you
directly
to the
publishers’
submission
page –
something
that is
often
hard to
find.
When
recommending
books,
people
will
often
tell you
it’s a
gem.
In my
opinion,
Jill
McDougall’s
Become
a
Children’s
Writer
is more
of a
diamond!
About
the
author:
Cheryl
Wright is
an
award-winning
Australian
author
and
freelance
journalist.
In
addition
to an
array of
other
projects,
she is
the owner
of the
Writer2Writer.com
website
and the
Writer to
Writer
bi-weekly
ezine for
writers.
Her
publications
include
novels,
non-fiction
books,
short
stories,
and
articles.
To keep
up to
date with
her
publications
and new
releases,
visit
Cheryl’s
website
www.cheryl-wright.com
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