Jordan runs The Writers Advice Centre for Children's Books in London and is also a reader for Penguin Children's Books. She gives information from the point of view of both writer and editor, which results in a sympathetic but pragmatic perspective on the world of children's publishing.

Knowing the market is a crucial element of writing that is often overlooked. Jordan explores different kinds of books for children of different ages, and provides examples of each category. This section is specifically geared towards the UK market, but the basic information is universal. Jordan then discusses different subject areas and analyses the components of a good story, including plotting, characterisation, point of view and style. The final section tells how to submit work to publishers, and outlines the author's relationship with a publisher once a book is accepted. She is optimistic but realistic, and advises writers to learn from rejection.

Jordan doesn't just tell the prospective children's writer what to do--she provides insightful exercises after each chapter so that her readers can learn for themselves. This is a practical, accessible guide to writing children's books. --Caryn Jenner

Synopsis
This practical guide takes the reader step-by-step through all the different sorts of children's books available including: picture books, educational books, series, teenage fiction, short stories, poetry, non-fiction and the multimedia market. The author shows how to come up with and develop ideas, how to present proposals and manuscripts and how to approach publishers and agents. It also includes advice on what will be needed to know once the book has been accepted for publication. In addition, the author advises on how to make the work stand out from the crowd and appeal to commissioning editors and to the intended audience.