It's a Little Pitchy: How Writing for Kids Is Like American Idol

OK, I confess, I'm an American Idol fan.  I'm sick to death of the audition freak show, but I love Hollywood week and this part now, where they're weeding down to the top 12.  And each year, I'm struck by the similarity to children's writing.

The Arena Auditions: These are like the slushpile, where writers of all ability are tossed together and then paraded in front of judges.  If you have the skills and the potential to be a professional writer, you might make it past the first round of judges, here known as the first readers. Of course, a lot of that depends on the judges' mood that day, whether they hate the song (or plot of your story), etc.

Hollywood Week & Top 24: You've made it past the first judges, and now they're looking at your potential to be a star.  At this stage, everybody can sing (write).  So while you may have sounded like a standout during auditions, that's because you were being compared to the deluded people who thought they could wander in off the street and be on TV (here known as the deluded people who think they can write a children's book, some day when there's not a lot on their to-do list).  Now you're being compared against people with skills.  And the trick here is to stand out.  "Forgettable," "okay," "boring"--these are some of the words tossed around last night during AI.  And these are for people who can sing!  So just being able to sing (write) doesn't cut it.  It's what you can do to stand out.  Some people do it with gimmicks, like not wearing shoes (this doesn't work so well, in my opinion--for singers or for writers).  Others do it with a certain "voice" or "sound."  We've all heard editors clamoring for voice.  What they mean is someone who stands out, who is memorable, distinctive.  Athe end of Top 24, it will be narrowed down to the Top 12.  I think of these as the equivalent of writers who get book contracts.  They're on their way, right?

Maybe.

Top 12: Once you get to the Top 12, you're on top of the world, I would imagine.  You see a future filled with contracts and appearances and good sales.  But wait.  First you have to connect with the American public.  You have to convince them to vote for you (or buy your book).  You may have a simply astonishing voice, or perhaps you have a shtick (bare feet or lucky cap, anyone?).  Or maybe you come up with a new way to present your material in a way that really connects with people (check out Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret to see a new book genre being born).  And it never hurts to have a story about you.  Missed your daughter's birth to audition--awwww.  Wrote your YA novel on weekends during your bartending shift? Cool.  Any little thing people will remember about you, so that you're the one who ______________ (fill in the blank with whatever your story is).  Once you catch the attention of the public, you get a record label's (or publisher's) marketing department behind you. That's when you can really be a star.  Or the children's writer's equivalent: someone who actually earns more than minimum wage as a writer.

So, that's how being a children's writer is like being on American Idol.  You can love it or hate it, but imo, the parallels are real.  It's one of the key things I came away from the SCBWI New York conference with: "Give us something new."  You might be a fabulous writer, but that might not be enough.  You have to be market-savvy, too.  You have to come up with new ways of presentation, etc.  Of course, many books will be published just for their lovely writing.  But the competition is so incredibly tough that if you're looking to improve your chances of breaking into the business, thinking high-concept books and marketing hooks is one way to better your odds.