Do you have a website/blog where readers may learn more about you and your works?

Margot Finke’s World of Writing for Children is my website. It has sprouted more pages on help for children’s writers than I can count - my BOOKS, Critique Service, Secrets of Writing For Children, WAHOO, School Visits, and much more.

What are you working on now?

Finding a publisher for two Aussie mid-grade boy’s adventures, a ghost mystery set in Oregon, and a letter-driven MG involving a Grandma and her grandson, and the troubling forces that draw them together.

What was your experience in looking for a publisher?

Writing books is the easy part. Finding the right publisher is frustrating. Lots of research, networking with other writers, and carefully reading many submission guidelines finally did the trick.

What was your experience in working with an illustrator?

Very positive. I found all the artists for my rhyming animal series through writing lists I am on. Our minds seemed to be in harmony. We swapped thoughts and ideas until each was perfected. I am thrilled with the resuls.

What type of book promotion works for you? Any special strategies you’d like to share?

A good press release helped me get interviewed by a newspaper + photo. School Visits have worked very well so far, plus purchases through my website, and being a member of AuthorsDen and FaceBook. Lots of networking over the years, plus my “Musings” column, great reviews, and my Website, gives my name an excellent Google presence. I also sell my books where I do conference Workshops.

What advice would you offer aspiring writers?

Read , read, read. Write, write, write. Go to conferences, and join a really good critique group. Stick-with-it-ness is vital.

What was your favorite book as a child?

Alice in Wonderland.

We hear again and again that picture books are incredibly difficult to write. Why is that?

Picture book writers need disciplined, sparse writing that makes the most of active and powerful verbs, and well chosen, evocative adjectives. The art of weaving in word clues for the illustrator, rather than whole sentences of descriptive clutter, is hard for many writers.

It’s all about choosing a few special words that paint unforgettable pictures in a child’s head. The craft of writing a really wonderful picture book comes with practice. Some writers “get it,” while others wisely decide their path lies with writing for older children.

How do you see the future of children’s picture books?

As long as there are children to delight and confound us, there will be picture books to do the same. In the near future, I think books read on light, easy to use, and affordable hand held readers, will come into their own. Kids today are computer savvy, and it is just a matter of time and technology, before books that talk and offer colored, animated illustrations, will be all the rage. The future is almost NOW!

Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?

Someone wise once told me, “ Editors don’t make house calls!” Great advice.