Published writers know the secret:

It’s not in the writing -- it’s in the revising

Announcing...

a new program designed to get you published
more often -- in the publications you choose --
and for better money.

    Please accept a FREE gift -- just for looking --
plus an extra FREE bonus

Dear Writer,

      Freelance writers tell us that the hardest part of being on their own is learning to see what their editors see -- spotting a pitfall before stumbling into it -- and making this “editorial eye” a key part of their own writing.

      Some writers call it “finding the weak spots before the editors do” because they know from experience that if there are any weak spots, editors will surely find them. And weak spots are where rejection slips are born.

      The art of revising takes skills that come from special training, and our new program, expressly designed to give you these skills, is --

Revise to Publish

Learn how to revise your own writing
with the eye of a professional editor

      This is a training program with 10 editorial workshops that could be created only by the Institute of Children’s Literature, with its close ties to the editorial side of juvenile publishing.

      We know the editors and their publications, and the editors know us.

      Our special 37-year relationship with the children’s publishing community has evolved out of our common interests -- and the annual publication of 1,240 updated book and magazine market listings for our fiction and nonfiction students.

We teach writing for publication

      Editors tell us what they want to publish and we teach our students how to create it. There is no comparable training available in this field.

      We have three main jobs to do as instructors, guides, and mentors:

Find out what every book and magazine editor does and does not want;

Teach students to write effectively for the specific age group they select and;

Train students to attune their writing, marketing and sales techniques to the current specific editorial requirements of their chosen market.

      Because there is no course of instruction available to compare with Revise to Publish, we’re pleased to offer you the opportunity to examine and use this new program at your leisure for 30 days -- free of any cost.

      If you don’t see the potential this course holds for you in getting your writing published -- whether fiction or nonfiction -- return the materials to us for a full refund and you’ll have no further obligation.

      But if you see how revising with the eye of an editor could open up the world of publishing for you -- today and for the rest of your writing life -- join us.

      We’ll teach you how to write “with the training wheels off” -- as a truly independent freelance writer.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

 -- ancient Chinese proverb

The best writers/editors in children's literature

      The 10 at-home workshops of Revise to Publish bring you the distilled rewrite expertise and tips of dozens of such leading editors as Carolyn Yoder, Senior Editor of Highlights for Children, and Susan Tierney, Editor of Children’s Writer.

      Interwoven with editorial expertise and guidance are market-proven revision techniques employed by first-time authors such as Eileen Rosenbloom and Kathleen Ahrens, and many others.

      Each workshop compliments and builds on every other one, and the complete program gives you the full array of editorial skills you need to sell your writing.

      For example, Peggy Tromblay reveals five ways she reshaped her story, “Herman,” and got it published in Guideposts for Kids.

      Story Friends’ Assistant Editor Susan Reith Swan pinpoints three elements she looks for in a story before she decides it’s publishable. Successful author Jan Fields spells out her master plan for revising drafts.

Making characters jump off the page

      Another workshop focuses on characters and how you can virtually make them jump off the page... avoiding stereotypes and sexism...and authors Phyllis Ring and Justin Stanchfield share their successful techniques for building believable, sympathetic characters from the ground up.

      Dialogue can be an effective catalyst, especially when you learn how to use it to turn “telling” into “showing” while advancing the story or thickening the plot.

      Authors Maureen Webster and Cynthia Fletcher Rothstein give you their prescription for giving characters authentic voices of their own...

      -- and each Revise to Publish workshop is filled with insider tips from editors and authors that you won't find elsewhere -- certainly not as many or as conveniently organized for easy application to your revision needs.

      Each workshop brings you clear “before and after” examples of successful rewriting that touch precisely on every aspect of rewriting for publication.

The way an editor sees it

      Stimulating and challenging exercises open your eyes so you can see your writing the way an editor sees it. For example, here's an exercise in “pruning the purple” --

“The storm was coming closer now -- livid, angry-looking clouds jostling each other for space in a threatening sky that had turned the heavy, dull purple of a bruise.”

“The storm was coming closer, led by angry purple clouds.”

      Examples like these help you to make the most (and the least) of your language to keep you one step ahead of the editor’s pencil. You’ll do it by sharpening your eye (as well as your pencil) and getting rid of the excess verbiage that turns editors off.

      For instance, how do you analyze a magazine to determine its signature tone and style, and then work it into your own writing....how do you respond to an editor’s request for a revise...and how do you meet maximum word counts without slashing and burning or backing and filling?

      Our To the Editor’s Desk from Yours workshop shows you.

Killing clotted clauses, preposition
pile-ups, and pop-up phrases

      Challenging and intriguing “Over to you” exercises build your skills at replacing dull verbs with the active and exciting ones kids like.

      You’ll also become adept at recognizing and eliminating clotted clauses, preposition pile-ups, and pop-up phrases that can slow your reader to a crawl.

      You’ll find out how to “lean” a story down
to speed the action, build suspense and dramatic
impact -- and keep the reader on tenterhooks.

      A successful author will show you how to lard a story with just enough facts to give it a solid grounding...and how to avoid overstuffing your articles with facts that carry the curse of lessons and lectures.

      The editors of Calliope and Dream Girl give you inside tips on how to use language and style...the Senior Editor of Highlights for Children offers tips on hooking your reader right from the get-go...and you’ll learn how to use fiction techniques to make your nonfiction sing...and vice versa.

“Bird Crash 911”

      “To me, the title of a piece is the most important element,” writes Carolyn Yoder, Senior Editor at Highlights for Children. In Workshop 7: Hooking Your Reader (and Editor), you’ll discover how to turn dull article titles and leads into exciting ones (example: “Saving Birds” becomes "Bird Crash 911").

      In the Reshaping a Story workshop, you’ll learn how to improve the “grab” factor of your story openings, recognize and avoid “middle sag,” and craft strong, satisfying endings.

      Later workshops will enable you to develop a leaner, more concise style for your work, and you’ll discover how to tailor your story or article in style and length to target three age groups: 3 to 7; 8 to 12; and 12 and up.

Officer! Arrest that minor character!

      In Focusing on Characterization, you’ll learn how to decide which characters are essential to your story and which ones should be retired in the interests of focus and story length.

      For example, if you have a cheerleader named Ermintrude dating a violin prodigy named Duke, you’ll want to check the section on effective naming.

      You’ll get valuable insights on the use of appearance, possessions, and gestures -- as well as names -- to vividly present a character’s personality.

      You’ll discover how to avoid cliché characters and learn when to use inner narrative and body language to show how your protagonist is thinking and feeling.

Put magic in your writing

      Together with your 278-page Revise to Publish Workshop Manual, you’ll receive Word Magic for Writers: Your Source to Powerful Language That Enchants, Convinces, and Wins Readers.

      This unique book gives you fascinating glimpses into how successful writers use words to tell a gripping story or bring facts to vivid life. You’ll absorb proven techniques to increase the range and elegance with which you express yourself. In addition...

You’ll learn what to submit...and where

      Your third course text is the latest edition of the Institute’s Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers.

      This unique and comprehensive guide has specific do’s and don’ts and all the other crucial data you need to make a professional submission to more than 672 magazines that buy freelance fiction and nonfiction. Each listing describes the publication and its readership, analyzes its content, and gives directions for submitting.

      Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers has been a gateway to publication for thousands of Institute students and graduates.

      Used in conjunction with Revise to Publish, you virtually double your chances for success.

Why editors say “No”

      Magazine editors know that they’re competing with TV, computer games, and many other diversions for youngsters’ attention. In Workshop 10, Revising for Submission, we’ll give you four major reasons for rejection slips.

      You’ll learn how to effectively trim and stretch to meet word-count requirements...how to write effective query and cover letters...how and when to add sidebars (and what to put in them), and much more.

      You’ll become expert at targeting your market, revamping lackluster leads into riveting “hooks,” matching vocabulary to your reader’s age, using fiction techniques to pump energy and drama into nonfiction, and grabbing and holding your reader all the way...

Proven paths to success

      Our Revise to Publish workshops will give you the tools and the confidence you need to revise with energy and enthusiasm, because your prospects for publication will be grounded in the strength of proven paths to success.

      Our workshops can be taken in sequence to build a repertoire of self-editing skills that covers the full spectrum of writing for publication in children’s magazines.

      Or, you can absorb and apply workshops individually to help change the status of a single piece from “not for us” to “just what we're looking for.”

      In the process, you’ll find that rewriting doesn't have to be drudgery-it can actually be fun!

      And the potential payoff from your improved expertise will be the most fun of all.

Extraordinary value

      By any measure, Revise to Publish, at only $139, is an extraordinary value in instruction, insights, tips, techniques and materials –- and the skills you learn from it will stay with you at the core of your craft and last you a lifetime.

288-page professional Course Manual with
10 Workshop assignments in proven ways
to sell your writing

*FREE gift – just for looking!

**FREE “sample” of our optional editorial service

Free Examination privilege

      We want you to start enjoying this program’s exclusive benefits without risking a penny. Our unconditional guarantee:

Examine and make full use of the course materials for 30 days. If you’re not convinced, simply return them, and we’ll refund every penny you’ve paid. No questions, no hassles. Guaranteed.

      After you complete Revise to Publish, your first sale could easily top the modest $139 for the course’s 10 workshops.

      With your order you pay only a small deposit, and every cent is refundable to you after your 30-day free examination.

    And you get a professional coach’s critique of one of your revised manuscripts at no additional fee.

      There’s everything to gain -- and nothing to lose -- so don’t hesitate.

      Just click on Order Now.

Sincerely,

Pamela G. Kelly
Director of Instruction

FREE GIFT -- just for looking! Return your free-examination order in the postpaid return envelope within the next 14 days and you’ll receive a FREE copy of Witness by Newbery Medal winner (and Institute graduate) Karen Hesse. This gift book is yours to keep, whether or not you choose to continue with Revise to Publish.

FREE BONUS: One of our nationally published writers/instructors will edit and critique any one of the assignments you select and return it with a detailed letter about your writing and an evaluation of the market you have chosen for it. FREE! So don’t delay -- click on Order Now.