Q: How long is a picture book? A: The number of words is not the crucial issue. Books range from several words to several thousand (compare Goodnight Moon to The Polar Express). More important is whether or not your book READS like a picture book–succinct, musical, pictorial. A key issue is the fact that picture books are 32 pages (storybooks, which are often fairy or folk tales, are sometimes 48 pages). Leaving space for titles, copyright, etc., your manuscript should break naturally into 28 to 30 pages, or 14-15 “spreads.” Some publishers appreciate authors “dummying” their manuscript–breaking the text into these spreads. Each page should be a “scene.” This is a useful exercise because it shows you whether or not the text has drama and is illustratable. Q: How long is a middle-grade or young adult novel? A: As long as it needs to be–mostly. Granted, it might be a bit tougher to sell a story that is especially long or short, but it is even tougher, if not impossible, to sell a book that has been padded or chopped for the sake of hitting a preselected length. A book can be shorter than Sarah, Plain and Tall, or longer than Hitty, Her First Hundred Years. The typical range is 35-65 pages for a chapter book, 45-90 for a low-middle-grade, 90-120 for a middle-grade, 150-250 for a young, young adult, but these are just averages. If you have questions about specific series of books, do some research–read the books, check the catalogues, contact the publisher, etc. Q: Should I send illustrations with my manuscript? A: Not unless you are a professional artist. In general, the industry believes that only a rank amateur submits someone else’s art with a picture-book manuscript. A few rare folks have done this and succeeded, but most have not. If a publisher accepts your manuscript, your editor will choose the illustrator. There is NEVER a need for you to hire one. Q: Is there a good vocabulary list for beginning readers? A: Some writers and editors think the concept of restricted vocabulary is abominable and most trade publishers do not require a fixed vocabulary. One of the best ways for children to learn new words is by reading them. As long as the difficult words can be understood in context or through other clues, there is no reason not to challenge the reader a bit. Q: Should I write my picture book in rhyme? A: It often seems to writers that children love rhyme–and publishers don’t. The truth is that good rhyme is extremely hard to write. Publishers are flooded with bad rhyme. If you can write brilliant verse, you’ve got a chance. If you can’t, chances are you don’t. Q: What if my story needs a scene about sex, death, etc.? A: Don’t throw anything in just to flout standards or to shock the reader. But if a scene is true to your story and necessary, put it in. Older YA novels are generally more