Writing for Children & Young Adults

Many YA authors are adults, which means the generation gap between these writers and their intended audience can make it easy to miss the mark. Teen writer (and avid reader) Lorena Koppel lays out four ways to make sure your YA novel meets young audiences' expectations and interests.

Want to know how to pitch a picture book? We've got you covered. Break into this competitive and growing market with the help of writing tips and inside observations from a leading literary agent.

Kerri Maher, author of WD Books' This is Not a Writing Manual and the new novel The Kennedy Debutante, offers research advice—or rather, NOT research advice—explaining how diaries, letters and books she read made their way into her fiction.

For more than 25 years, Stine has been writing horror for kids around the world with his Goosebumps series, which has sold over 350 million copies in 32 languages. Here are four lessons from the master himself.

Quressa Robinson, literary agent at Nelson Literary Agency, talks about what types of submissions she'd like to see more of, common misconceptions authors have about literary agents, and what makes a query stand out.

After writing two very different manuscripts, Marie Unanue sent them out to kids and their parents, who acted as beta readers, along with a survey. The process resulted in her final early reader chapter book.

Zetta Elliott discusses addressing complex topics in children's fiction, starting her own imprint, Rosetta Press, and what she'll address in her upcoming keynote at indieLAB.

Award-winning YA novelist Jason Reynolds has cemented his place in literary history with titles like When I Was the Greatest, The Boy in the Black Suit and Long Way Down. Here we talk to Jason about writing, publishing and his advice for new authors.

In this exclusive extended interview with National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jacqueline Woodson, the Newberry Honored author talks character building, diversity movements, and the real-world importance of books for kids and teens.

In this episode of the Writer’s Digest Podcast, hear from author, editor, and founder of People of Color in Publishing Patrice Caldwell, who shares an inside look at the importance of diversity in publishing today, the relevance of the mirrors and windows concept to literature, the reason people of color leave the publishing industry and how to retain them, and what you can do right now to make our industry better.

David Barclay Moore is an award-winning author whose novel, The Stars Beneath Our Feet, has been optioned for film, set to be brought to the screen by actor/director Michael B. Jordan and Endeavor Content. Here we talk to David Barclay Moore about writing, publishing, and the film adaptation of the novel.

There has been an impressive build-up in Young Adult literature to present-day concerns. Camilla chance discusses in light of her own work.

Making time to read and write with your kids can not only encourage your young writers to flex their creative muscles—it can also help you find time to work on your own passion projects.

A prolific Edgar Award–winner, Mindy McGinnis’ stories cross subgenres of young adult fiction, from fantasy to dystopian to contemporary. Here, WD talks with her about the unique aspects of her work, including the way she addresses rape culture and incorporates strong female protagonists.

The author of three novels for young adults, Ashley Hope Pérez’s most recent work, Out of Darkness, has received national acclaim. Here she discusses the representation of latinx literature in the discussion of global lit.

Kelly Jensen’s background as a teen librarian influences her own writing (she is a popular essayist, and author of It Happens: A Guide to Contemporary Realistic Fiction for the YA Reader) as well as her editorial career, in which she now covers YA fiction for Book Riot.

The timeless children’s classic, The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, was written on a Sunday afternoon in 1935. Here's what writers can learn from it.

Creating characters for young adult novels can be a real challenge. Here are four crucial tips to help you get back into the shoes of your high-school self.