What's to come

Have been a little silent lately, am doing the research for my next post, which will come shortly. "Current trends in children's picture book writing and publishing". It's all very interesting, particularly the perception of the agents and editors versus writers themselves.

The other question that springs to mind is this - do you write to target current trends, do you ignore trends altogether, or do you try to predict future trends (given your book might not be published for a year (or more) into the future). Or do you just write what you love? I think that will have to be a whole separate post.

Am also considering writing a post about the nationality of a writer and where they should best seek to get published/find an agent? Do you start with your own country, or do you go overseas? What if the publishing industry in your own country is smaller than in, say, the US or UK. What is your best options for agents then - ones who know the industry in your own country, or ones who know the industry in the country you hope to get published in? Or is it all a moot point given how the internet and email have made the publishing industry internationally accessible these days???

And what's the go with the many courses on offer within the industry? I'm talking about the writing courses, conferences, and other writing opportunities that seem so readily available. I'm sure they're all very useful, and I'd love to attend a lot of them. But what if you just can't afford the registration fees? How do you choose what will best help you? Or do you just draw a line and hope to get published without any outside help?

What do you think? What are the burning questions you would like answered? Are there any topics you'd like to find out more about but that just aren't dealt with in enough depth on the internet?

I'd love this to be an interactive blog, so feel free to comment, make requests, or share your own views.

More later.

R