In today's uncertain world, many look
to spirituality for answers to questions and guidance to improve
life and well-being. Children are no different. As authors we have the
opportunity to help children not only find the answers but learn how
to ask the right questions.
Books that make the body-mind-spirit connection help young people create a new sense of
calm or creativity or a new reality in their lives. Parents today seek
out such books in the wake of the explosion of the religious and
spiritual adult market.
The genre of New Age and spiritual
writing has evolved even more than most to meet the needs of readers.
Today, alternative spirituality—whether
"new" or "old" age, Eastern or Western—is of more interest to more people. General
interest magazines are very likely to run articles on yoga or
meditation or letting go.
Nicole Geiger, Publisher of
Tricycle Press, says that the genre is going more mainstream. "Topics that
seemed to be out there some time ago, or cutting edge in some
way, aren't so much anymore."
N. D. Koster,
Senior Editor at Mandala
Publishing, says, "The genre as a whole is taken more seriously now.
The term New Age carries a lot of baggage, rightly so
perhaps, and the genre has now morphed into `Mind, Body and Spirit.'
I think the popularity of yoga has reinvigorated a certain segment of
the population, and perhaps made people more open to spiritual ideas,
and hopefully, the source material for those teachings. I'm seeing
people finally getting past the physical aspects of the practice and
moving on into the philosophy."
The Umbrella
It's hard for any one editor, let alone any one writer, to describe
exactly what type of books fall under the umbrella of mind/body/spirit
or new age. For some it
is paranormal—ghosts,
wicca, and tarot cards—and for others it is more a matter of healing
the spirit.
At Llewellyn Publications,
Acquisitions Specialist Megan C. Atwood says, "Most of my line is
fiction with a paranormal/New Age slant. There seems to be a shift to
overall well-being that is being echoed in many of the books for teens and middle-graders right now. If
a subject is overdone, it
will stop selling. But, I
have to say that the paranormal/ ESP/ghost genre is still going
strong, which I think is wonderful."
Many New Age
books encourage the reader to take charge of the energy that drives
their own lives.
"More books now
are carrying the `you and
I are responsible' attitude, and less of the quickie-transformation,
magic bullet/escape formulas that never worked anyhow," says Dale
Carlson of Bick Publishing House. Any writing that suggests a
particular path, guru, or separative or divisive escape route doesn't
work in our view. More recently, I have been receiving more intelligent
book proposals, based on an understanding that there is no authority;
there is only personal struggle to understand what life is all about,
and how the human brain works."
Carlson
explains, "Our purpose is to
help and remind us all to understand that each one of us is responsible
for the world and all human beings, that each one of us is all of us,
and that we are the ones who create the violence inside ourselves with
our ambitions and conflicts, the competitive instead of cooperative way
we live and bring up our children. And that there is no magic tool, mantra, religion, or path
to joy in living, only
constant self-awareness of our conditioning, our prejudices, our fear
and anger—and that if we do not change our attitudes and behavior, the
human race won't make it.
It is most important that young people see this—that while they can
learn technology from us, they must learn ethics and a new social
morality for themselves. We continue to bequeath them violence—and it
won't do. Young people
must start evaluating their lives and the purpose of life all over
again."
Bick's titles
for young adults include What Are You Doing with Your Life? Books
on Living for Teens, by J.
Krishnamurti; and Stop the Pain: Teen
Meditations, by Dale
Carlson, and The
Teen Brain Book: Who and What Are
You? by Dale
Carlson.All are illustrated by Carol Nicklaus..
The Heart
Writers aren't
the only ones who are at times perplexed by the marketplace. Editors
suffer this tug of war too; will the book of their heart be good for
their business?
"For a while,
there were just so many
affirmation and healing books," says Koster. "Healing is good, of
course; people can relate
to that. Sometimes, it's more about what still hasn't been done well,
as opposed to what's already been done to death. Yet there is a saturation point where, as a business person, you also have to ask, `Okay, we have the opportunity to publish the
best healing book ever, but can we sell it after the world has gorged
itself on such-and-such other healing books for the past two years?'
Sometimes timing is everything, and at other times you just publish a book because it deserves to be published and you believe in
it."
At Tricycle Press, Nicole
Geiger blurs the lines
that define the genre. "We focus on childhood issues, yes, but we don't
consider them either new age or traditional in any way. We publish
perhaps one such title a year. Self-esteem has been done, but there is
always room for something fresh and clever. I'd like to see more
emphasis on physical well-being to help address the epidemic of
childhood obesity, but only from a real, certified health
standpoint."
Un-spiritual?
Let go of any preconceptions you might
have about the idea that anything
goes in a touchy-feely new age category and a less than professional manuscript will slip in the door.
"Many people who submit to our house
believe that because we are a new age publishing house, we are not
professional," says Atwood. "They expect us to accept anything that
comes in because to do otherwise would be un-spiritual. Presenting your
project in a professional way and selling yourself is still essential, even
if you are submitting to a
new age house." She also says, "Most of my line is first-time authors.
Although having a publishing credit is a plus, I read everything that
comes through here and consider all projects." Llewellyn titles for
teens and tweens include Teen
Goddess: How to Look, Love, and Live Like a Goddess, by Catherine Wishart; and Maria Shaw's Star Gazer::Your Soul Searching, Dream Seeking, Make
Something Happen Guide to the
Future.
"Personally, I don't need all the
details in the cover letter; I just need a synopsis and a couple of
paragraphs telling me up front precisely why I should care," says
Koster. "I'm looking for fresh, compelling work that doesn't need a
gimmick to sell. So, boil it down, state briefly why you believe the
work is important or worthy, and make sure to review the publisher's
list so you have a better idea of the type of books we publish. For
instance, Mandala doesn't do books about Christian spirituality. It's
nothing personal; it's just not our thing. So, always consider your
audience?"
"Lately we've been doing a lot of
derivative sidelines, along with books. So, from In a World of Gods and Goddesses came Gods and Goddesses Card Deck," says Koster. "Please don't send
everything at once. Mandala, like most small publishers, is
understaffed. As a result, some time may pass before we get an
opportunity to review and respond. If you want to follow up, email is
the best way."
Thinking
Readers
New age also
doesn't mean way out wacky ideas like you might imagine from a television sitcom. Today's
readers are thinking readers.
Carlson reminds
writers about so-called spiritual cures: "Quickie methods don't work.
The human race has been making the same mistakes for a long time. It is
not going to be changed by standing on our heads and making strange
noises in foreign tongues."
Geiger agrees.
She often gets manuscripts that are unprofessional and, "are sometimes
really so far out there that we do not feel they are appropriate for
children or that the material entirely is inappropriate to the age
group—for instance, a picture book about puberty."
Like any genre,
it's important to study not only the market, but the individual
publishers' guidelines. Writers should study a house's imprints and
offerings carefully and be prepared to tell the editor what's
specifically different about their manuscripts. Get a good book on
book proposals if you don't know how to write one. Do not expect a
publisher to educate you on how to write a book proposal.
Atwood says,
"Know your genre, know
your hook, know your audience. Although this is tired advice, it cannot
be overstressed. Research, research, research!" She adds that writers
"must know their own project inside out and the audience to whom
they're speaking. They should also know how to sell themselves
effectively." While it's been said many times, Atwood reminds writers
to keep writing. "Many times, I've loved the way an author writes but
the project just didn't fit. Don't take your rejections personally, and
be open to suggestions."
At Bick
Publishing, Carlson encourages
writers to go the extra mile so she can see "an understanding of
neuroscience and brain science that informs the manuscript. An
understanding of the human brain, the human psyche, the self is what is
important, not closing the eyes and holding the nose." It's not enough
to feel a passion for the topic or even to be an expert in the area you
are writing about. These are still books for children and teens. She
wants to see "a synopsis and an outline so I know your intentions,
three chapters so I can see your style of writing and thinking, and an
author biography so I have your address. We've been an independent
press for 10 years. I have published four first-time writers in that
period."
As Geiger
says, "Writers should know
how to write for children. It's not enough to have personal experience
with the subject matter. "They also need to "submit the material in a
professional manner; the area of expertise should have no bearing on
the format or manner of submission. Just because the topic might be
called alternative, does not mean that the act of
submitting the project should also be."
"I tell
writers to do their homework,"
says Koster. "They should be well versed in the genre they're writing
in. It sounds obvious, yet somehow it isn't to everyone. I'm not
suggesting writers imitate other, more successful writers, only that
they are familiar with what's out there and consider what makes their
work different or complementary. Also, by all means avoid fuzzy,
ambiguous language and platitudes. People deserve to read uplifting
work that can actually do something for them. That potential should be
there, at least. It may be as simple as offering inspiration."
Koster puts it
this way: "Spirituality
should not be taken cheaply. Spiritual pursuit requires work, just like
any other discipline. The people who are serious about working on
themselves, and the people who have done so and want to share their
experiences out of the best intentions, generally convey it through the
power of sincerity. That moves me! Especially when the person writes
well too."
For
information about reprinting this article, please email
reprints@susantaylorbrown.com
Back
to the top.
|
