Nonfiction
© Nicola Killen
non·fic·tion - nänˈfikSHən/ noun 1. prose writing that is based on facts, real events, and real people, such as biography or history. -Dictionary.com 2013
Classes
The Children's Nonfiction Market: How to Break In How to Succeed Join Lionel Bender, author of more than 70 nonfiction children's books, in a webinar packed with guidelines, hints, and tips for breaking into this market and succeeding. It is based on Lionel Bender's successful 40-year career as an editor, author, and book packager of exclusively children’s illustrated nonfiction titles. Whether you’re new to children’s nonfiction or already active in this niche, this package will help you find work in this exciting, creative, and rewarding market.
G ood Websites
The Children's Book Guild of Washington, D.C. has a list of great non fiction books, check it out!
The Nerdy Book Club . A home to share that love of reading with others as well as to organize voting and announcing winners of our First Annual Nerdies Book Awards.
The Nonfiction Detectives . A great website by two librarians who review nonfiction children's books.
Celebrate Science - resources for teaching science and writing nonfiction Nonfiction Fest 2023 - a month-long crash course in writing nonfiction for children
Good Articles
Common Core State Standard, links- Kids Are Writers
Layer upon Layer: Building a Nonfiction Manuscript
A Step by Step Guide to Conducting the Research Interview
Five Reasons Back Matter Matters in Nonfiction
Making Science Sing: Writing Creative Nonfiction about Science, for Kids
Four Tips on Finding Your Nonfiction Voice
Nonfiction Proposal Guidelines (for MG, YA)
Fiction to Nonfiction and the New Mashups in Between
Nonfiction of Olympic Proportions
The Element of Surprise in Nonfiction Bo oks
Celebrate Science: Behind the Books: T he Nonfiction Family Tree
Annette Pimentel on Scaffolding the Past for Young Readers
Understanding and Teaching the Five Kinds of Nonfiction
7 Mistakes First-Time Nonfiction Authors Make
Behind the Books: What the Heck is Creative Nonfiction? How to Write a Nonfiction Picture Book (with Laura Salas) What is Literary Nonfiction? Gamification: A Cool Way to Do Nonfiction Picture Books Soapbox: Children's Nonfiction Has an Image Problem Nonfiction Tips 8 Tips for Creating Tantalizing Titles
Expository Nonfiction
Melissa Stewart and Diversity i n Thinking
Celebrate Science: Wait, that's not Broccoli, It's chocolate Cake!
Melissa Stewart: A Look at Expository Nonfiction
Nonfiction v. Informational Fiction: A Former School Librarian's View by Kathy Halsey
Research Organizing a Mountain of Research How to Write a Nonfiction Picture Book: Step 3: Research 5 Research Tips for Writing Historical Fiction Image Research and Permissions: A Survival Guide Picture Books
Nonfiction Picture Books: 7 Choices
Writing a Nonfiction Picture Book in Just One Week
Nonfiction in Picture Books, A Panel Discussion
Children's Picture Books: Swinging Toward Nonfiction
Melissa Stewart's tips on writing nonfiction picture books
Do Nonfiction Picture Books Always Have a Story Arc?
NF PB Journey: Picture Book Rubric
Five Elements of Text Structures by Suzy Leopold
Proposals Nonfiction Proposals: Marketing Plan How to Write a Book Proposal + A Book Proposal Template Mission Possible: Winning Nonfiction Proposals STEM
Celebrate Science: SCBWI Handout: Writing STEM Picture Books
Biographies
Must I Contact Descendants for Biography?
Invented Dialogue and the Conundrum of the Picture Book Biography (Betsy Bird)
The Biography Pie
Mining for Heart: "Writing a Picture Book Biography? So What?"
10 Things to Consider When Writing a Picture Book Biography
Mentor Texts
21st Century Nonfiction Conference: The Nonfiction Triumvirate Handout
Query Letters
How to Write a Nonfiction Children's Book Query Letter
Nonfiction Proposals: Marketing Plan
Resources
William and Mary Quarterly - historical scholarly magazine founded in 1892 covering early American history and culture. Searchable online.
Referencing and Citation Style Guides: MLA. APA. CSE. Chicago
Historical Fiction
8 Rules of Writing Historical Fiction Research
Historical Novels--Your Research To Do List Legal Issues A Writer's Guide to Fair Use and Permissions + Sample Permissions Letter
