Picturing Success: A Guide to Crafting Picture Books and Landing Agents

Writing a picture book is a dream for many—but turning that dream into a career takes craft, perseverance, and the right publishing partner. As a wife, mom, former community organizer, and proud author of five children’s books (Plátanos Are Love, The Bronx Is My Home, Gloriana Presente: A First Day of School Story, Pieces of Home, and Bold, Brilliant and Latine), I know firsthand how rewarding—and challenging—this journey can be.

(Making Our Immigrant Ancestors Proud Through Writing.)

If you’re ready to create strong manuscripts and find the perfect literary agent, this guide will help you every step of the way.

Before you can write one, you need to immerse yourself in the genre. Pay close attention to pacing, word choice, character development, themes, point of view, plot, and word count.

Reading widely will also help you see whether your manuscript idea feels fresh. Has it been done a million times before? Is it a concept you can add your own unique twist to make it stand out?

Read great craft books like Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul.

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Each genre has a target audience. As you write a picture book, you need to keep some key elements in mind. The age range of readers is 4–8 years old, and the age range of your main character is 5–9 years old.

The most important rule is to make sure your main character has agency—they should drive the story forward, not just be helped along by adults or friends.

When I work with clients, their manuscripts tend to be too long. If you are writing a fiction book, aim for a word count of 300–700 words. If you are writing a nonfiction picture book, the word count should be about 1,000 words. Additionally, picture books are typically 24 or 32 pages (sometimes 40, rarely 48+).

If you want to traditionally publish your manuscript you will need a literary agent so let’s break it down.

An agent helps sell your manuscript to publishers. Most publishers do not accept manuscripts unless they come from an agent. In other words, if you send your manuscript to an editor it will most likely get trashed.

After your agent sends your manuscript to publishers, if an editor wants to buy it, your agent will negotiate your contract. Publishing contracts are LONG—they can be 20+ pages and your literary agent will make sure you get a good book deal. Ultimately, a literary agent will advocate for you every step of the way.

Be sure to do your homework when it comes to finding the right agent. A bad literary agent is worse than no agent. Finding the right agent is like finding the right partner who will champion your work.

I was rejected by about 50 agents before finding the right one. All it takes is one yes. The best advice I can give you is to keep writing, while you're querying. Grieve the rejections, but don't stop creating. I cried. I was frustrated. I felt like giving up. But I am glad I did not.

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A strong query should include:

Organizations like SCBWI, Highlights Foundation, The Word: A Storytelling Sanctuary, Writer’s Digest, and We Need Diverse Books offer workshops specifically on querying.

Congratulations—you’ve been offered "the call!" This is your chance to interview them and see if it’s the right fit.

Avoid asking, "How much will you sell my book for?" or "How long will it take?" Publishing is unpredictable, and those answers can vary wildly.

In sum, writing picture books and finding an agent isn’t an overnight process—it’s a journey filled with learning, revising, and a lot of heart. It took me over five years to finally get published and I know authors who have been working toward publishing for over 10 years. Just don’t give up.

Your voice matters. Your stories matter. And with persistence and preparation, you can find the right partners to help you bring your books into the hands of young readers around the world.

You’ve got this. Happy writing!