Interview with Karen
King
Interview by Jenna Glatzer
Karen King has been a freelance writer for over 15
years, with more than eighty children’s books published.
Her published titles include Space
Chase On Planet Zog (Walker), Cosmic
Whizz Kid (Macdonald), The
Gold Badge (Harpercollins), and Christmas
Fun (Scholastic). She has written picture books, storybooks, activity
books, joke and puzzle books and is often commissioned to write about licensed
characters such as Winnie the Pooh
and Rosie and Jim.
In addition, she writes short stories
for women’s magazines and is currently working on a TV script. She teaches
writing both online and in college settings. Her class, "Writing
Children's Picture Books," is available at WriteRead
University.
How did you get your start as a writer?
Even as a child, I used to write stories and poems. Eventually, my husband
encouraged me to actually send off some of my stories instead of keeping them
hidden in the drawer. I sold my first story to a teenage magazine and was soon
writing regularly for children's magazines. I then progressed to children's
books.
Why do you concentrate on writing for children?
I love writing for children because they are such a wonderful audience. To
a young child anything is possible, and even an older child will quite
happily suspend belief and submerge him/herself in stories about fantasy worlds,
talking animals, wizards, witches and aliens as well as contemporary stories.
Books can mean so many things to children, they can take them away from their
problems for a while, or help them cope with them, they can open the door of
their imagination and bring them knowledge and understanding. Books are an
essential part of childhood.
Is this an easier market to break into than writing
fiction for adults?
Not at all. Writing for children requires just as much skill and dedication as
writing for adults and children's editors expect a high standard of work. This
is definitely not an easy option. See my next answer if you don't believe me!
What are some of the special challenges for children's
authors?
Children's authors have a big responsibility Our readers are young, vulnerable
and impressionable. What children read can influence their lives today and in
the future. So we must write responsibly. To ensure that we do this there are
many 'gatekeepers' we have to pass before we even get published - editors,
educators, teachers, parents - who all check that we don't write anything
that will adversely influence children and that we write to reflect the diverse,
multicultural society we live in. On top of that we also have to compete with
the visual, action-packed media of computer games, TV and videos.
What are some of the biggest mistakes you see aspiring
children's authors make?
Three common mistakes I see 'beginners' make are 1) Writing a story for adults
but with children as the characters. You must write a story children will want
to read. 2) Writing in old-fashioned language and style. You must know how
children today think, speak and act. 3) Waffling. Many new authors use
twenty words when five will do. Children want action, they want to get on with
the story and find out what happens to the characters.
Do children's authors have to work to publicize
their books?
A few years ago I'd have said no, but now I think we do. There are a huge number
of children's books published every year so we authors need to publicise our work if we want to bring it to the attention of the public.
Should kids' stories have a "moral?"
If they do, the moral shouldn't be the theme of the story. Children want to read
stories, not messages. Any moral or message should come through the character's
actions and as a direct result of the story.
How have you gotten assignments to write about licensed
characters?
As I said, I started off my writing career writing for children's magazines.
Many of the magazines were based around licensed characters so I gradually got a
reputation for this kind of work and was commissioned to write books in this
field too.
Why have rhyming books fallen out of favor?
I think it's mainly because a rhyming text is difficult to translate
into another language and most publishers like to sell rights to other countries
too. Also, picture books are usually read aloud and a rhyming text is a joy to
read aloud if well-written but awful if the writer hasn't got the rhythm right.
80 books is just plain amazing. To what do you
attribute your success? What makes you such a popular author?
Mmm, I guess I got lucky! Although, my Golden Rules are make sure that you know
the market you are aiming at and the reader that you are writing for. I think
these two things are essential if you want to succeed as a children's author in
today's highly competitive market.
CLICK HERE TO
LEARN ABOUT KAREN'S ONLINE COURSE, "Writing Children's Picture Books."
