Special Publishing Course Details

Our Special Publishing course is designed to teach you how to write articles and stories targeted to the children’s and young adult periodical market.

Course Goals & Objectives

1.       Identify personal writing goals and work with one-on-one instructor to accomplish them
2.      Learn the fundamentals of story and article development, writing, and revising
3.      Learn how to survey and analyze current children’s magazines and then target writing to
specific magazines
4.      Develop skills preparing to carry out on-going writing projects, establishing a foundation for expanding writing into books

curriculum

Outline

A beginning course in teaching students how to write for children and teens, and how to market their writing to publishers

Part 1 – Introduction to fiction and nonfiction, and the current markets for magazine stories and articles (Writing Assignments 1-4).)
You are introduced to the structure of fiction and nonfiction and practice story and article writing techniques. You analyze published stories and articles to understand the standards required by publishers who identify the techniques and styles used by successful writers in the juvenile magazine field.

Part 2 – Targeting the market (Writing Assignments 5-7)
Target your manuscripts for specific age levels and magazines while refining the writing skills you developed in Part 1. Your one-on-one instructor becomes our editor and teacher as you work toward completing your final assignment, a story or article suitable for submission. You’ll also develop query letters and other materials you’ll need to submit to publishers.

Overview

1. Story OR article based on picture and Autobiographical letter
2. Objective description of a child OR Description of an animal, event, scene, or action
3. Self-view of child described in Assignment 2 OR Article based on research with market choices
4. Story from word list with market choices OR Article based on interview with market choices and Note about current writing interests
5. Three story or article outlines with magazine choices
6. Complete story OR article from Assignment 5 outline or plan
7. Final story or article with magazine choices

Material Included in your Special Publishing Course

Special Publishing Course Manual, IFW Publishing.

The Instruction Manual published exclusively for our students. It contains assignments, idea generators, planning guides, writing and revision techniques and guidelines for preparing a book submission package.

Material Included in your Special Publishing Course

Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers, edited by Marni McNiff; IFW Publishing, Annual edition, ISBN 978-1-944743-25-3, 2023.

Offers a complete roadmap to the changing world of publishing — get the inside scoop on what print and digital publishers are looking for in 2023. In addition to 583 new and updated listings, you’ll find bonus articles to boost your knowledge of the industry and increase your odds of getting published. Plus, you’ll find sections devoted to helping you create a polished submissions package including how to write and format a query letter and how to properly format your manuscript so you can make a professional impression on publishers.

Material Included in your Special Publishing Course

From Inspiration to Publication, IFW Publishing, ISBN 978-1-889715-58-2.

Offers a wealth of practical advice on every aspect of writing for young adults. From Inspiration to Publication is a distillation of over 50 years of teaching individuals how to write for children and teens, and how to market and sell. It is the best treatment of the subject in print.

Material Included in your Special Publishing Course

The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, 4th edition, ISBN 978-0205309023, 2000.

A classic manual on the principles of English language. Decidedly the most practical handbook of grammar, correct usage, punctuation, and effective writing techniques.

Material Included in your Special Publishing Course

Searching: a Research Guide for Writers, IFW Publications, 6th edition, ISBN 978-1-944743-13-0.

Prepared especially for our students, this handbook introduces a variety of sources and methods available for tracking down information, an indispensable guide to research resources.

Material Included in your Special Publishing Course

Supplementary Instructional Materials, IFW Publishing:
Talk Abouts.

Material Included in your Special Publishing Course

Special Publishing Course Manual, IFW Publishing.

Material Included in your Special Publishing Course

From Inspiration to Publication, IFW Publishing, ISBN 978-1-889715-58-2.

Material Included in your Special Publishing Course

Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers, edited by Marni McNiff; IFW Publishing, Annual edition, ISBN 978-1-944743-25-3, 2023.

Material Included in your Special Publishing Course

The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, 4th edition, ISBN 978-0205309023, 2000.

A classic manual on the principles of English language. Decidedly the most practical handbook of grammar, correct usage, punctuation, and effective writing techniques.

Material Included in your Special Publishing Course

Searching: a Research Guide for Writers, IFW Publishing, 6th edition, ISBN 978-1-944743-13-0.

Prepared especially for our students, this handbook introduces a variety of sources and methods available for tracking down information, an indispensable guide to research resources.

Material Included in your Special Publishing Course

Supplementary Instructional Materials, IFW Publications:
Talk Abouts.

With ICL, all course materials are included. Details below:

Special Publishing Course Manual, IFW Publications.

From Inspiration to Publication, IFW Publications, ISBN 978-1-88715-58-2.

Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers, edited by Marni McNiff; IFW Publications, Annual edition, ISBN 978-1-944743-04-8, 2017.

Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers lists virtually every market in North America that buys freelance editorial material for children, teens, their parents, and teachers. More than 670 listings include editors, addresses, current guidelines and specs for submissions, plus information on contests, conferences, and industry news.

The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, 4th edition, ISBN 978-0205309023, 2000.

A classic manual on the principles of English language. Decidedly the most practical handbook of grammar, correct usage, punctuation, and effective writing techniques.

Searching: a Research Guide for Writers, IFW Publications, 6th edition, ISBN 9787-1-889715-40-7.

Prepared especially for our students, this handbook introduces a variety of sources and methods available for tracking down information, an indispensable guide to research resources.

Supplementary Instructional Materials IFW Publications: Talk Abouts