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From Proposal to Finished Book: One Children’s Science Author’s Path

As an author of nineteen books on science and technology for young readers, I am frequently asked what it is like to get something published. There are no deep dark secrets, and you don’t need to be an exceptional wordsmith.

You just need to have a strong desire to reach a particular audience, an understanding of what makes those readers tick, a topic they will want to read about, and a willingness to follow a certain pathway that suits a publisher who can bring your work to those readers.

I recently negotiated a contract about an important topic, and I am using that contract as a jumping off point for some useful discussions for new and aspiring writers of children’s nonfiction. I’m calling it “Mondays with ‘Dr. Fred'” and posting it on my Facebook author page.

You don’t need a Facebook account to read those posts. So please check out that page, comment there if you wish, offer me critiques by e-mail, and recommend Mondays With “Dr. Fred” to others.

The best way to track it is by clicking the thumbs-up “like” icon when you visit that FB page.

Now back to work on that new book!

Fred Bortz


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