Rising to the top

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Deborah Zemke had almost given up on having her picture book, "The Way It Happened," published.

It had been a year and a half since she sent the manuscript to publisher Houghton Mifflin. With two rejections already in hand for the children's book, she figured Houghton Mifflin had decided to do the same. But then an envelope bearing good news arrived.

Zemke, who worked as an illustrator and graphic designer in Sacramento, Calif., was going to be a published author and illustrator.

"You know, at the time, I don't think I really appreciated how unusual that was," she said. "This is an extremely competitive business. These publishers get thousands of submissions."

Zemke didn't have an agent. She had no track record and no connections. But somehow her piece -- about how stories can become twisted when passed from person to person -- rose to the top.

That first book was published in 1988, and ever since she's had one foot in the crowded world of children's books. Zemke, now based in Columbia, released "D is for Doodle," which shows readers how to use letters to create drawings of creatures and other objects, in April. Primarily an illustrator, she has done designs for 11 children's books and 10 adult books.

Zemke is one of a handful of local authors and artists who have published children's books. There are many more with similar aspirations.

Sarah Howard, a Columbia Public Library children's librarian who was on last year's prestigious Newberry Award selection committee, said she's often stopped for advice on breaking into the business.

"It does seem like everybody is writing a book these days," she said. "I always tell people not to give up. It can take tons and tons of rejection letters."

Howard said a common mistake she sees in children's stories is oversimplification.

"Children are a unique audience, and sometimes it seems like authors don't give them enough credit for being able to figure things out," she said. "You don't always have to give them so much information. It's OK to use a big word occasionally."

Author Sue Bradford Edwards said that although rewriting can be painful, it's one of the best ways to improve.

Edwards, 38, has sold dozens of her stories. Based in St. Louis, she is adviser for the Missouri region of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Edwards said one of the most common misconceptions about writing for children is that it's easy.

Telling a story with restrictions on vocabulary and word count creates challenges those writing for adults don't necessarily face.

"I've had people who write for the adult market approach me because they want to make some quick and easy money," she said. "But in some ways, I think it's a lot harder. There are a lot more rules in writing for children."

Although writing has an appeal all its own, Edwards said that for most people, writing children's books is not particularly profitable.

She said a typical advance for a picture book is $2,000 to $3,000. Once a book goes on sale, 10 percent of sales are recaptured until the advance is paid back.

At $10 or $15 a book, one must have strong book sales just to pay off a modest advance.

Even so, Edwards said she can't imagine doing anything else.

"It really is a fabulous field," she said. "I know it's discouraging, and I know it's overwhelming, but you do it because you love it, not because you're going to be the next J.K. Rowling," the author of the Harry Potter series.

"You do it because you have a story to tell -- or 10 or 12, hopefully."