What’s trending in today’s children’s books

According to the information I've learned in workshops and talking with editors, trends in the book world are:

Board and Picture Books. Magic: Unicorns, dragons, spooky (but not too scary), and new spins on bedtime stories.

Diversity-focused books by writers belonging to historically marginalized groups (always popular)

Interactive children’s books

Books about kindness

Graphic novels

Chapter books

Series novels in Young Adult literature

Realistic fiction (especially those focusing on sensitive issues: illness, death)

Humorous picture books and middle grade novels are always popular

Nonfiction picture books

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Bazoof. General submissions are welcome from youth (ages 7-14) or their parents/caregivers. Stories are welcome from youth of any age. Some ideas of what you could send me are:

·         Letter

·         Short story (12 years and younger: 500 words or less; 13-18 years: 800 words or less; Doesn’t include any violence, fighting, not too scary, gruesome, or dark natured. Must be suitable for readers ages 8-12 years).

·         Poem

·         Craft idea

·         Drawings

·         Photo of your pet

·         Photo of you doing an activity you enjoy

·         Picture of a project that you made

·         Recipe

·         Game or puzzle

·         Jokes or riddles

·         Tell me about a sport you enjoy playing or a musical instrument

·         Or any other ideas you have!

Submission guidelines at http://www.bazoof.com/submit/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Storgy Kids. Short fiction here means between 1,000 and 5,000 words. A few words either side won’t matter as long as your story is brilliant and well edited.

Submissions guidelines at https://storgykids.com/submit/

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 48 children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK. 

Leave a message or check out my blog at www.nancykellyallen.com

Publishing Trends/Calls for Submissions

In a blog or two each year, I focus on publishing trends. Onlinecolleges.org has compiled a list of trends that exist in “ghastly little numbers” and suggest that these trends need to go away because the trends are “poisoning beloved bookstores and libraries for far too long." Here’s the list:
1. Lackluster graphic novel/comic book adaptations
2. "Self-help" guides doing more harm than good
3. Bandwagon-jumping [writing to trends]
4. Self-indulgent celebrity memoirs
5. "Revolutionary" diet plans
6. Celebrity authors who just can't write
7. "Women's literature" with reductionist views of women
8. Remixing the classics
9. Assuming genre fiction has nothing to say
10. Dismissing all self-published literature
You can read the entire article at
http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.org/blog/2011/10-literary-trends-that-need-to-go-away/
What do you think? Should any of these trends go away?

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/

Call for submissions for adult writers:
Milkweed Editions poetry prize: The Linquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry is an annual regional prize, presented in partnership by Milkweed Editions and the Lindquist & Vennum Foundation. Established in 2011 with the aim of supporting outstanding Midwestern poets and bringing their work to a national stage, the prize will award $10,000 as well as a contract for publication to the author of the winning manuscript. The winner will be selected from among five finalists by an independent judge.” NB: “Submissions for this regional prize will be accepted only from poets currently residing in the Upper Midwestern United States, defined as: North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.”
Deadline: January 31, 2012.
Details at http://www.milkweed.org/content/view/396/72/

Call for submissions for young writers:
"Kids Count for Earthday" Earthday Haiku Contest 2012. Kids
will need to count to create their Earthday haiku and help
all of us to learn how to keep the planet clean and healthy!
The contest is open to individual students 7 -20 years old.
Deadline: March 22, 2012.
Details at http://www.planetpals.com/earthdayhaikucontest.html

Age Groups:
7-9 years old
10 -12 yrs old
13-15 yrs old
16-18 yrs old
19-20 yrs old