The non-fiction book market for kids is alive and well, and opportunities abound for writers who want to swim in the information pool. More non-fiction is published annually than fiction, the odds of breaking into print are better here for first-time writers, and for those wanting to challenge kids and introduce them to new subjects, non-fiction offers numerous soul-satisfying options. A well-targeted non-fiction book – one that meets the trinity of bookstore, library and school-curriculum markets – often translates into a long shelf life, and from a monetary point of view this can mean longer-lasting royalty benefits, too.
Unfortunately, non-fiction sometimes gets a bad rap. To writers yearning for fiction’s free flow, non-fiction is often thought to be dull, dry, restrictive, lacking in creative thrills, and – it’s okay to say it out loud – even boring to write. The good news is that modern non-fiction – especially for kids – is anything but dull and boring. Gone are the mind-numbing texts of yesteryear that lulled us to sleep in school. Today’s non-fiction is exciting and action-filled, and there is enough diversity in the book market to satisfy the most creative writer.
As an example, consider the proliferation of kid’s books released or re-released recently to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Titanic’s sinking. Even though the subject matter is much the same, the slant, style, format, and targeted age-levels vary, leaving lots of wiggle room for those seeking placement in the sprawling non-fiction market.
Here’s a small sample of the opportunities non-fiction writers embraced in the lead-up to Titanic’s anniversary:
Titanic: Voices from the Disaster
Deborah Hopkinson, Scholastic Press, 2012
Narrative: re-creation through survivor accounts
Ages: 8 & up
T is for Titanic
Michael and Debbie Shoulders, Sleeping Bear Press 2012
Alphabet book: Poetry, sidebars of expository text
Ages: 5 to 8
882 ½ Questions about Titanic
Hugh Brewster, Scholastic Paperbacks, reissue
Facts: Question and answer format
Ages: 8 and up
Titanic Sinks
Barry Deneuberg, Viking 2011
Articles: Newspaper and survivor accounts from the period
Ages: 9 and up
Inside the Titanic: A Giant Cutaway Book
Hugh Brewster & Ken Marshall, Madison Press, reissue
Visuals & expository text tell story of the great ship
Ages: 6 to 9
The Titanic: Lost and Found
Judy Donnelly, 1987
Narrative: Chapter book for beginning readers
Ages: 7 to 9
On Board the Titanic (I Was There)
Shelly Tanaka, Hyperion/Madison Press, re-issued 2010
Series book: narrative account told through two young survivors
Ages: 5 and up