This is the first picture book that I ever wrote and sent out. The story itself stands up to scrutiny after nearly two decades but not my cover letter. I can use this as a teaching tool. Let's spot all the ways how one ought not to write a cover:
Dear ____
The tender friendship between my cat and son from birth
through two years is documented in candid photographs. I am sending a manuscript (180 words) and a
rough dummy for a 32-page picture book titled, Kali and Baby Max based
upon it. [In another letter I offer to let the illustrator use my pictures as inspiration for art.]
Kali and Baby Max is targeted for the youngest
readers (age 1-5). It shows the joy of
having a pet. Although there are many
books on the market with this theme, I have not found a picture book that is as
realistic as mine. And it is the reality
of the antics that Kali and Max do together that is so fresh and appealing. [Any more adjectives?]
My professional background is in the sciences (B.Sc.
Microbiology; Ph.D. Biochemistry) and I have published in scientific
journals. I write stories and poems for
my children and take writing courses and believe that I will succeed in this
new venture. [Brimming with confidence! What relevance does a PhD have for a book for with babies and toddlers, I have no idea.]
I am submitting Kali and Baby Max to other publishing
houses but I will promptly notify you if I hear from the others. I appreciate your time and consideration and
look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
I received lovely rejection letters with compliments for having a cute baby and cat. They all encouraged me to continue writing. I'm so grateful my silly submission was rejected because Midnight and Baby Max is way better! My homemade books (I wrote several) were a favorite with my kids along with books by Eve Bunting, Eric Carle and Leo Lionni. But as the children grew, they went on to read other books. And I went on to writing magazine stories and other books for the school and library market. They were fun to write and taught me so much. I didn't pull this baby out again until I started compiling some short stories for my EZ book, Max and Dagny. And the story holds up. So, after a few tweaks to the text, I published it myself. I learned so much, not just about story, but choosing trim size so as to make it affordable. Color printing is expensive. I don't know how people will find this book in the sea of books but I do hope parents find it and read it to their children, delighting in their delight. I love the flexibility of self-publishing especially for highly self-indulgent projects like these. Please note that my pictures are not even close to being professional. Perhaps I should take my own advice that I wrote to a few editors. Alas, I'm no artist so the photos remain as they are, untouched.
I know many writers will not look back on their old work, but I'm discovering that many of my early works, though not polished, have tremendous heart and soul. I'm always chasing the next new idea but I think it's good to return to old stories when they bring themselves to the forefront and give them a spit-shine. I've actually sold many old stories, simply because it was the right timing. I saw a call for a certain type of story and voila!
Let's talk about old stories. What do you do with yours?
