The children's publishing industry is both capricious and finicky. It is sometimes difficult for even seasoned writers to make a success out of publishing for children; for beginners, it can feel impossible.

Success as a writer for children is not, however, entirely unattainable. Many novices make predictable errors that, once recognized, are easy to avoid. Knowing what specifics the industry is seeking out can help you go from an unpublished writer to one who is waiting for the next royalty check in the mail.

Think of an Idea

Every great story starts with a fabulous idea. Picture books and stories in children's magazines are no different. To come up with a fabulous idea, authors for children should spend time with the age group for which they are writing, to discover what children at that age find interesting. Every age group is different, but there are a few industry rules that are standard:

• Include a conflict in your story--Conflict is at the heart of all good stories. Without the feuding families, Romeo and Juliet would not have been worth reading. Stories for children should contain conflicts for children. The conflicts should not be watered-down versions of adult conflicts, but problems that real children could possibly face.

• Write about children (not animals)--In many wonderful picture book classics, the main character is a talking animal. P.D. Eastman and Beatrix Potter were gifted with the ability to make an animal seem like a real child, while still maintaining qualities of a rabbit or a mouse. In the modern publishing industry, though, nothing screams "amateur" as loudly as a story with a furry protagonist.

• Let your protagonist resolve the conflict--When adults see children in trouble, they almost always step in to help. But children's stories should show children solving their own problems, without the aid of a kindly grownup.