Questions about Easy Readers

tengraceapples · Oct 5, 2011

Hey!

Pls forgive me if this question has been answered somewhere else on this site. I haven't found much on LG. I have a few questions. Id rather be sure then send the ms out and be uncertain.

1- LG ms runs abt somewhere around 700-1500 words. Is that right?

2-The font for LG is bigger than say YA. So how big should the font of my ms be?

3- Also, is writing a query for LG the same principle as for other genres?

4-How vast do you think the vocabulary can be (think age 6-8)

5-And is the agent response time quicker bc the ms is shorter?

Thanks guys!

suki · Oct 5, 2011

Ok...I can answer some of these, but not all, because I'm not sure what you mean by "LG."

tengraceapples said:
Hey!

Pls forgive me if this question has been answered somewhere else on this site. I haven't found much on LG. I have a few questions. Id rather be sure then send the ms out and be uncertain.

1- LG ms runs abt somewhere around 700-1500 words. Is that right? Don't know what you mean by LG

2-The font for LG is bigger than say YA. So how big should the font of my ms be? When submitting a manuscript to editors or agents, you never play with font - it is always standard 12-point font, no matter what a published book in the genre might be.

3- Also, is writing a query for LG the same principle as for other genres?

4-How vast do you think the vocabulary can be (think age 6-8)

5-And is the agent response time quicker bc the ms is shorter? Not in my experience. Agents read queries and submissions when they get to them, and they sometimes don't make a decision right after reading. There is no way to generalize response times.

Thanks guys!

tengraceapples · Oct 5, 2011

Suki,

Thanks for the reply. The answers you did have are very helpful. By Lower Grade, I mean ages (6-8) the first step towards reading on their own. According to some of the websites i"ve been to, LG (they are many subcategories) It has short paragraphs with each sentence having only one main idea. I hope that helps clarify.

suki · Oct 5, 2011

tengraceapples said:
Suki,

Thanks for the reply. The answers you did have are very helpful. By Lower Grade, I mean ages (6-8) the first step towards reading on their own. According to some of the websites i"ve been to, LG (they are many subcategories) It has short paragraphs with each sentence having only one main idea. I hope that helps clarify.

Ah, I would call those transtional readers or easy readers - but they have a lot of different terms.

I'd suggest you use the renlearn quicksearch to check the word counts and reading levels of the books most like the ones you are writing: http://www.renlearn.com/store/quiz_home.asp#quicksearch

As for agents, there are actually surprisingly few that rep these kinds of books, so you will have to search for them, and see what they want submitted - ie, whether they want pages, like with a novel, or full text, like with a picture book. Be aware that publishers have a preference for series in these kinds of books, and often look internally or to authors they've worked with before, so they are tricky to shop as an unpublished writer.

But I would use standard manuscript format for the text itself, and then use the query format that is closest to the agent's expectations (ie, more like a mg novel or more like a picture book).

~suki

tengraceapples · Oct 5, 2011

LG,MG,easy reader (need help categorizing)

Hey!

Im new to writing for kids. Ive been looking and Im not sure if Low Grade and Easy Reader are the same thing. I read that ER has one simple plot line. Does the same go for LG?

Ok here is a very basic summery of the ms.

girl loves her home town.
Her family moves to new town.
She is unhappy.
Then finds things she loves in new town.
She learns to love her new town like her old one.

Its more interesting than that (i hope) but thats the bare bones of the situation.

Its about 1100 word. So...does this sound LG or ER?

thx guys!

tengraceapples · Oct 5, 2011

got it!

thank you

suki · Oct 5, 2011

tengraceapples said:
Hey!

Im new to writing for kids. Ive been looking and Im not sure if Low Grade and Easy Reader are the same thing. I read that ER has one simple plot line. Does the same go for LG?

Ok here is a very basic summery of the ms.

girl loves her home town.
Her family moves to new town.
She is unhappy.
Then finds things she loves in new town.
She learns to love her new town like her old one.

Its more interesting than that (i hope) but thats the bare bones of the situation.

Its about 1100 word. So...does this sound LG or ER?

thx guys!

What published books are similar to it in structure, vocabulary and length? that would be more helpful than the descriptions, which really are hard to evaluate out of context.

The description you gave could be executed in almost any kind of book for kids.

So, to help in discussing it, what published books are most similar to your story in structure, length and vocabulary?

~suki

tengraceapples · Oct 5, 2011

[The description you gave could be executed in almost any kind of book for kids.

So, to help in discussing it, what published books are most similar to your story in structure, length and vocabulary?

~suki[/QUOTE]

Its along the lines of "Nappy Hair"
and Debbie Alle's "Dancing in the Wings"

hope it helps

Sage · Oct 5, 2011

Smish had a very good answer to my recent similar question in this thread: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6586775#post6586775

suki · Oct 5, 2011

tengraceapples said:
Its along the lines of "Nappy Hair"
and Debbie Alle's "Dancing in the Wings"

hope it helps

Those are both picture books.

And for comparisons, it's usually good to try to look at more recent books - ie, books similar to yours published in the last 5-6 years.

ETA: And yes, check out Smish's post in the thread Sage quoted. Look at the Elephant and Piggy Books by Mo Willems, they are often seen as very beginning reader books, and yet they are often classified as picture books because of their format.

I'd suggest that you go to the library or a good bookstore, look at books published in the last 5-6 years, and see what your book is most similar to. And then see how that book is described and marketed. Because the two you cited are marketed and treated as picture books.

~suki

MsJudy · Oct 5, 2011

suki said:
Look at the Elephant and Piggy Books by Mo Willems, they are often seen as very beginning reader books, and yet they are often classified as picture books because of their format.

~suki

Sorry, off topic, but...Elephant and Piggy are my current favorite teaching books of all time. Kids ADORE them, and reread them constantly. Every day there's a little chorus in my classroom: "Party!" "Party!" "Party!" "Party!"

Smish · Oct 5, 2011

Agreeing with the brilliant ladies who've posted before me, and have nothing to add.

But I did want to say that I've never heard of Low Grade (LG) as a category.

MsJudy · Oct 5, 2011

I've seen several series that started as a single PB which did well and was expanded into an easy reader series. Fancy Nancy is probably the best example. So you might think about pitching your book as a PB and see what kind of response you get from agents.

Suki is right--early reader books are hard to hook an agent with. Each publisher has its own guidelines for the different levels, so it's hard to place a book without developing the relationship with the editor first.

Another approach is to look at expanding your story a little more fully. If you can turn it into a chapter book, your options start to open up a bit.

As for vocabulary... It's complicated. First you have to look at the readability. 2 syllables are easier than 3. Unusual spellings are harder than words that are spelled phonetically.

Then there's familiarity of the word. Abstract words like "jealousy" or "exuberance" are harder than concrete nouns like "Tyrannosaurus," even though "exuberance" is easier to read.

Read authors like Sarah Pennypacker and Cynthia Rylant for good examples of easy-to-read writing styles.

Smish · Oct 5, 2011

I don't see the need for seperate threads on this topic, so I'm merging them.

tengraceapples · Oct 5, 2011

thanks guys : )

Sage · Oct 5, 2011

10grace, did you end up parting with your agent? I ask because the first post indicates that you'd be searching for one.

suki · Oct 5, 2011

MsJudy said:
Sorry, off topic, but...Elephant and Piggy are my current favorite teaching books of all time. Kids ADORE them, and reread them constantly. Every day there's a little chorus in my classroom: "Party!" "Party!" "Party!" "Party!"

*I* love these books. Whenever a new one comes into my love's library, I ask to read it. I just adore these books!

~suki

tengraceapples · Oct 6, 2011

Sage said:
10grace, did you end up parting with your agent? I ask because the first post indicates that you'd be searching for one.

yes and no. the short answer is she doesn't rep children's books: )

Nutellanut · Oct 6, 2011

My first book is an easy reader and I'm a reading teacher. It's hard to answer how "vast" a child's vocabulary would be as so many factors play into that. But what I've learned is that vocabulary is best developed in more natural settings...and that would include exposure to new words when they're reading...especially for fun.

The response time for me has varied. I equeried Jen Rofe last on 9/27 and haven't heard back from her...I sent her my manuscript. I only sent a query to Jennifer De Chiara...and she got back to me in a matter of days with a "no thank you"...which I feel is abrupt sounding response. Sara Crow from Harvey Klinger only received my query and said it wasn't a good fit....quick response. I've also equeried a couple of other places in the past few days and haven't heard back. I know that rejection is common...but after the few that I've had...I'm losing hope about getting a positive response from the other agencies. *sigh*

Sage · Oct 6, 2011

Since it appears you have a PB, not an easy reader, maybe a quick look through Children's SYW would be a good way to gauge how people are presenting their picture books. You might find some PB queries in QLH as well. That's where I'd start.

tengraceapples · Oct 7, 2011

thx: )

Questions about Easy Readers

tengraceapples

suki

Opinionated

tengraceapples

suki

Opinionated

tengraceapples

tengraceapples

suki

Opinionated

tengraceapples

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals

suki

Opinionated

MsJudy

Smish

Reads more than she writes.

MsJudy

Smish

Reads more than she writes.

tengraceapples

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals

suki

Opinionated

tengraceapples

Nutellanut

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals

tengraceapples