Tracy C. Gold's Blog

Finding the right comparable titles can be key to a successful query letter. They should instantly give literary agents and editors an idea of what your book is all about and where it fits in the market.

So, of course, comparable titles cause a considerable amount of agony for querying writers. I’m here to help!

So, what is a comparable title?

Well, it’s another book (or tv show or movie) that you compare to your own book in order to help people understand what your book is like, and where it is positioned in the market. When you are writing a query letter to an agent or publisher, you generally need to include at least two comparable titles. When you are writing to a publisher, you get bonus points for using one of their previously published titles. You want to establish how your book is similar enough to show that it has market value, but not so similar that it is redundant. 

My query for “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby,” which I have published here, included the lines: 

As the parent of a toddler, I know the value of books that help woo a baby to sleep, from the classic “Goodnight Moon” to the popular baby shower gag gift “Go the F*** to Sleep.” With spare text, “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby” acknowledges parents’ frustration but is certainly meant to be read to babies at bedtime, like Familius titles “At the Stroke of Goodnight” and “Goodnight Whispers.”

That’s a little longer than the typical comp title line, but for a very simple 100-word book, there wasn’t much else to say in the query. I included classics, but note that I didn’t really say that my book was a classic. That can make you come off as conceited and unrealistic. Instead, I am more directly comparing it to newer books that aren’t behemoths.

When you are querying agents, it is not so easy to find titles they have worked on, so I wouldn’t worry so much about that. This is easier if you are going straight to publishers, which is common for picture books more than it is for novels.

My typical rules for picking a “good” comp title include: 

Newer: I like to see a book that is published within the last 5 years, or last 10, if it’s a perfect comp title.Realistic: I mean, I don’t think anyone’s book is going to be the next “Goodnight Moon” or “Harry Potter.” If your book is that good, no one is going to believe you. Let reviewers say it. Don’t let it come out of your mouth if you want to be taken seriously! That said, like I did in my query, you can sometimes invoke the name of a classic if it helps explain where your book fits in the market. Just make sure you are including realistic titles as well. Successful: You do want agents to have heard of your comparable titles. If they don’t know a title and have to look it up, you want it to appear successful. Amazon reviews can be a good public indicator of success. For children’s books, I normally look for 50+ reviews on Amazon. For adult books, I look for more like 200+ reviews. That said, I will make an exception on my review rules if the book has “starred reviews” from trade publications like Kirkus. That’s a sign it was at least critically acclaimed.Relevant: Of course, you want the comp title to be relevant to your book. If anything, though, I find myself telling people to relax about this. The comp title doesn’t have to be exactly the same as your book. You can choose one book for concept, and one for vibes. For example, you could be writing a historical detective series a la Maisey Dobbs, but with fantasy elements you’d expect from “The House on the Cerulean Sea” (um, someone please write that). My general rule is that it’s also ok to mix media as long as one of your comp titles is a book. So, your book might have the bleak vibes of “Peaky Blinders” (TV show) but be set in a fantasy world that shares characteristics with Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series. (Again, someone please write that.) Easy to understand: You are looking to create a quick shorthand to help people understand what your book is about. If you said these comp titles at a cocktail party, would a relatively well-read person understand what your book is about? That is your goal! 

You can also carefully choose how to present your comp titles. You will often see them formatted as X title meets Y title. That works, in my opinion, if one title puts a twist on the other–like Maisey Dobbs meets “The House on the Cerulean Sea.” If you are just listing two titles that are similar, though, you can say something like “This book is for fans of ‘At the Stroke of Goodnight’ and ‘Goodnight Whispers.'” It really doesn’t matter either way. Just pick what works best for your book.

Well, that’s probably more than you ever wanted to know about comp titles. As always, I am happy to answer questions! Leave a comment or feel free to contact me! Yes, I do edit query letters, if you are looking for help!

Another departure from my normal writing-related posts here. This one is about towing horses with an electric truck! I crafted an article on Medium about this experience. There’s a free link in the article if you don’t subscribe. Here is the link to my article about towing horses with my Ford Lightning!

I have a love/hate relationship with Amazon but they DO give me a cut of things ordered via my affiliate links, so here we go with some random links of things that might be useful to folks who share my interests (kids, books, horses, outdoor life).

I always try to stock up on any basics I might need moving forward while they’re on sale, so I looked through my recent Amazon orders, and here we go.

All affiliate links!

Kid stuff

Kid velvet hangers–I had a lot of baby/toddler hangers but now Ava’s clothes are falling off so I upgraded to these. And they’re on sale! I’m going to order more!

“Call Your Mother”: My book! Not technically on Prime sale but so freaking cheap. Less than $3 as I write this.

Adorable butterfly hair clips: These are beyond cute! I discovered these for flower crowns/the Ren Fest but they’re great any time.

Amazing flag pants: Ava’s top pick for July 4th or whenever.

Miscellaneous

Untested change plates–we have a home gym and my weight needs are um much lighter than my husband’s. The trainer we zoom with recommended getting some change plates on sale!

Air tags–not technically on Prime sale but so cheap which makes me mad because I just bought new ones NOT on sale!

Air tag holders: I use these on Royal’s hoof boots and they mostly stay on…and keep her air tags dry when we cross streams.

Spray bottles: For horse stuff and life, I am often needing spray bottles. These have a good continuous spray and work well when I am waterproofing horse laundry.

Laundry tub cleaner: With all my horse stuff, my machine gets gross. I use this every now and then on a tub clean cycle.

Hair drying towels: if you have long hair, wrap it up in one of these when it’s wet and it will come out nicely wavy (if it’s like mine). Plus you won’t get everything all wet. Lifesavers!

Aquaphor healing ointment: This stuff saves my lips. I take it with me everywhere. Amazon tells me I’ve purchased this 27 times lol. And it’s on sale!

Cheap ear phones: I am always losing these so I go cheap. These work and they’re cute!

Scout bags: I bought a bunch of these on last Prime Day and they are GREAT. Bags and coolers with zippers that hold up and are worth the money…if you get them on sale. Get an extra large one and thank me later. These midsize coolers are great too–I keep water bottles in them. I like how the long strap makes them easier to carry.

Phone screen protectors: I go through these. This brand is cheap and easy to put on. Make sure you get the right size.

Horse stuff

Untested hoof polish–I haven’t tried this yet but it has rave reviews and it’s on sale!

Perfect prep gold–this is show legal calming paste aka what I like to call chamomile tea for horses. (Except I think actual chamomile might not be legal? Make it make sense.) Anecdotally, I do think this helps Royal relax at shows, as she was a bit more excitable the one show this year where I forgot it. But it was also a busier environment so who knows. It is long lasting so you can give it the night before instead of waking up even earlier. It’s not technically on Prime Day sale but it does have the lowest price in 30 days.

Magic shine sponge: for your boots before you go into the show ring!

If you are bringing a book to a baby shower instead of a card, it can be hard to know what to write. Cards are ephemeral–subject to oohs and aahs, and then put in a pile or discarded. (Though I think we’ve all gotten cards with messages so special and thoughtful we’ve kept them!) Books, though, will be cherished by the family and hopefully read again and again.

I have a popular post on my blog about how to host a “bring a book, not a card” shower, and I am seeing some people asking what to write in a book when you’re bringing it to a baby shower.

Well, as the author of some pretty darn cute books that you could–no, should–bring to a baby shower, I have some ideas for you.

*All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links. Help me fund this blog by using them to buy books!

Keep it Simple

Just write “To the FAMILY NAME,” with love, YOUR NAME. That’s really enough if you’re having a mental block about it. If you know the baby’s name, include that. You can also write Baby LAST NAME.

The Name Problem

Normally, you won’t know a baby’s name by the time of a baby shower. So I always go with a last name. However, if the parents have two different last names, I would always recommend checking with someone who knows about the baby’s last name before writing it down. Want to skip the name problem? Just write “Welcome, Baby” or “We already love you, Baby!”

Write Something Related to the Book

Many books will give you opportunities to write something cute. For example, my book, “Call Your Mother” (affiliate link) has an entire page where readers can write a note for the person to whom they are “dedicating” the book. I loved it when the Familius publishing team came up with this idea. Here are some things I’ve written on this page when giving the book to my friends:

“I know you’re going to be a great mom because you’re a great friend.”

“I am here for you whenever you need it. I know you’re going to be a great mom!”

“I can’t wait to meet your baby and see you as a mom!”

You could also go funny with something like “There are Moms Way Worse Than You” and say: “You won’t suck as bad as these moms.” (Recommended for close friends only!) Or–pair “Go the F to Sleep” with my book “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby” and write “I hope you have a good sleeper!”

Something About the Parents or Family

When I was pregnant, I looked through my childhood books. I found a note in the book “Good Dog Carl” from my parents’ best friends. It said something like “Your parents love animals so much, we know you will too.” For some reason, that made me bawl! It really doesn’t take much to bring tears to the eyes of a family expecting a baby. A sweet memory of the new parents as children or something relative to their family will do the trick!

I may come back and add to this post as I have more time, but in the meantime, what are your ideas for writing notes in a book to a new baby? Leave them in the comments!

Today I got an email from a writer that made me very angry on her behalf, and on the behalf of all writers just trying to get their books out into the world. She detailed several “offers” from “hybrid” publishers all costing an arm, leg, and the family dog.

Now, there is a lot wrong in the world of traditional publishing, too. It’s extremely hard to break into and I’ve seen many horror stories and broken hearts. I really do think the market is ripe for reimagining; there’s got to be a better way to do this.

But so-called “hybrid” publishing ain’t it. I’m going to tell you why, and share the red flags that should make you run away from these unethical businesses, fast.

Let’s take a moment for some definitions, which I’ve pulled and updated from my post on how to evaluate whether a publisher is traditional or vanity. I’ve used bold to note my updates which particularly pertain to picture books.

Traditional publishing is when a publisher chooses to publish a book and takes charge of the editing, design, distribution and basic marketing. (Marketing mileage varies WIDELY.) The author receives royalties and maybe an advance. The author pays NOTHING to get published. For picture books, the author DOES NOT PAY FOR THE ILLUSTRATIONS. The publisher finds and pays the illustrator, normally with an advance and then half of the royalties.

Self publishing is when an author publishes a book themselves, either by piecing together freelancers/DIYing or working with a company that helps take a book from a manuscript to a final book. The author puts all the money up front and keeps all of the profits from the book. For picture books, authors typically pay illustrators and any other service providers with flat fees because it’s too complicated to keep track of the royalties. Distributors like Amazon do take a percentage of self-published books.

Hybrid publishing or vanity publishing is when a publisher convinces an author they’re chosen/special yet charges them money to publish their book. My original description did not include “hybrid” as “vanity” publishing, but lately, I’m having a hard time seeing how any “hybrid” publishers are NOT “vanity.” I’ve heard of authors spending as much as $40,000. Today I learned about a publisher asking for $15,000 to publish a picture book. Vanity publishing also covers those anthologies/collections that seek out authors but then charge $100 or so for a copy of the book. Traditional anthologies, lit magazines, and collections GIVE contributing authors at least one free copy of the book or magazine.

Confusion and Clarifications

When I talk about hybrid in this post, I am talking about publishers who are hybrid, meaning they charge authors to publish their books. There are also authors who call themselves hybrid, and confusingly, this is not at all the same thing. Hybrid authors are those who use a mix of traditional publishing and self publishing. This is A-OK, totally normal, and increasingly common given the problems with traditional publishing. No ethical issues there!

The term “indy publishing” adds to the confusion, because it sometimes means self-publishing, sometimes means working with a small traditional press that’s independent of the larger publishing conglomerates, and…sometimes means working with a hybrid/vanity publisher. Many vanity publishers call themselves indy publishers. I mean, I guess they’re independent. But a press that charges you money will very likely not have a good reputation amongst distributors, booksellers, and other industry gatekeepers.

A Note About Money in Publishing

Many, many writers have told me about their hopes that a book is going to be the salve to some financial distress or the answer to realizing some financial dream. I really hate to be a downer, but this is important: there just is not that much money for most people in the book world (unless you get really really lucky and are the next Stephen King, and even he financially struggled for a very long time before becoming successful). Personally, I have four traditionally published picture books, and I make about 1-2k/year in royalties. That’s $1,000, not $10,000, and not $100,000. Yes, I leverage those books into school visits, classes, and my work as an editor, but I’m still not making six figures.

The chances that a book will be some financial panacea, even if it’s a great book, are just so vanishingly small, whether it’s a picture book, novel, or memoir. Even the biggest traditional publishers have a hard time getting the word out about the great books they publish. With the downfall of independent bookstores as large chains and Amazon take over, it’s harder for readers to discover new books, and they end up buying the same few famous juggernauts.

Frankly, writers who pin all their financial hopes on their book are easier for vanity publishers to take advantage of. “Pay us $15,000 and all your dreams will come true” is often the hidden or not-so-hidden messaging from these publishers.

So with that, let’s get into red flags to look out for to make sure you’re not sucked into working with an unethical “publisher.”

When It’s Too Good To Be True

A “publisher” calls or emails you saying they’ve seen your manuscript in their submissions and they can’t wait to make your book the next New York Times bestseller. Look, unless you are already a celebrity or have tens of thousands of fans online, it is extremely rare for a legitimate traditional publisher to reach out to a writer instead of the other way around. Even receiving a phone call and not an email with an offer of publication is highly unusual–normally a traditional publisher would email to set up a call. There are also a rash of book “publicists” who go around calling trying to get money from authors or “invite” them to a conference for the low low cost of several thousand dollars. Look out for the dollar signs flashing in these folks’ eyes. Read the fine print and know that traditional publishers do not charge money.

Not Quite Penguin

There is a special circle of hell reserved for vanity presses who have names that are extremely close but not quite the same as traditional publishers. Penguin Authors’ House is NOT Penguin Random House. Pegasus Publishers is NOT Pegasus Books. Amazon Self Book Publishers is NOT Amazon Publishing and neither is Amazon Book Publishings. WORSE: some of these companies take out Google Ads so they’re at the top of the search results, above the companies they’re trying to seem like. (I’m not linking to them so they don’t get any more SEO juice.) Thoroughly Google the exact name of a publisher before assuming it’s a major publisher (or even a service offered directly by Amazon). If you’re not sure, ask five friends who are tech savvy. If you know of other companies with misleading names like this, please put them in the comments.

Advertising for Authors

Most traditional publishing companies are swamped with author submissions and do not need to advertise to get author submissions. If you see a paid ad asking for author submissions, raise your eyebrows and don’t submit without investigating.

Asking for Money Because You’re a “Risk”

I recently heard about a company who offered to publish a book but asked for a large sum of money because an author was a “risk.” This is NOT a traditional publishing company. Traditional publishing companies take on that risk without being paid by the author and structure advances and royalties accordingly.

Saying They’re Traditional But Charging Money

If a company says they’re traditional but wants to charge an author money for illustrations, marketing, or sundry other expenses, they are NOT TRADITIONAL. The only time a traditional publishing company charges authors money is if those authors want to buy copies of their own books above and beyond the free author copies they get. And those copies should be available at a wholesale discount. Yes, many traditionally published authors pay for things like instagram book tours, making swag, and social ads. But they are directly paying the service providers for those things and not the publishing company. And I’d always recommend asking for the publisher to pay for those kinds of things before shelling out on your own. They can always say no.

Those are the main red flags that would make me think a company is unethical/vanity. Please add more in the comments if you think of them!

Protect Yourself

Diligently search for controversy around any company that offers to publish your book. You can literally just search for “company name controversy.” There’s bad stuff out there about some traditional publishers, too. If a company has a reputation for, say, not paying royalties that they owe, then you probably don’t want to submit to them even if they’re “traditional.” You can also ask authors (like me), freelance editors, and other writers submitting work out there for details about certain publishers. Look out for Facebook groups dedicated to the type of book you are writing, as that’s where a lot of warnings get posted. If an author is active on social media, they will likely be ok with you running the name of a publishing company by them. You can send a public message/comment to ask if you can DM. (Though don’t ask them for too much time; we’re busy! Just a quick note is ok!)

Pay Flat Fees if You Self Pub

If you do decide to self-publish, don’t get caught up by a company who will take rights and royalties. Pay service providers with flat or hourly fees. There are many wonderful service providers out there, like my friend’s company Elite Authors. Note how their website doesn’t say they’re a publisher; rather, they offer publishing services. Reedsy is a marketplace where you can find highly vetted, experienced service providers (I’m on there as an editor!).

A Happy Note

This blog post is a lot of anger and doom and gloom, so I wanted to end on a happy note. For the most part, I’ve found that authors are a really wonderful group of people. We’ve all been there with that desperate and frankly unreasonable desire to get our words out into the world. We know how much rejection hurts. We want to help lift new writers up. We can’t stand people who take advantage of new writers. Get out there on Writer Threads or Author Threads. Follow your favorite authors on Instagram. See who posts a lot about the publishing world. You’ll learn how to protect yourself, and hopefully one day, you’ll be out there helping to protect others.

(If you want a place to start, I talk about publishing and retweet other publishing folks a good bit on Threads at tracycgold!)

Please feel free to weigh in on this post and add red flags of your own!

Hello, everyone! I have a ton of events coming up this spring relatively local to the Baltimore, MD area. As I tell my friends, want to see me in the few months after a book launch? Come to a book event! I’ve had plenty of events before where very few people come, so it can be so meaningful when people do show up.

That said, if you have an event where you know there will be a ton of kids, I am happy to show up and do a storytime and/or craft activity for them! Ping me at tracycgold@gmail.com. I’m probably looking at the fall right now as spring is packed!

Local Events for Readers

Saturday, April 20, 10:30 am
Storytime and Craft
Snug Books
Baltimore, MD

Saturday April 27, 1 pm 
Annapolis Book Festival (this still only shows last year’s schedule)
Key School, Annapolis, MD
Reading and signing

Thursday, May 2, 10:30 am 
Storytime and craft
Weber’s Farm 
Parkville, MD
Free, but tickets required. Link pending. 

Saturday, May 4, 10 am 
Storytime and craft
Park Books
Severna Park, MD

Sunday, May 5, 9 am 
Storytime and Craft Morning at The Ivy
Baltimore, MD

New: Saturday, May 11, 11 to 2 pm 
Storytime and signing at Kenilworth Mall’s “Momosa” event
Towson, MD
More details pending

Webinar for writers
Thanks to Reedsy, a platform of publishing professionals where I get a ton of my editing work, on April 3rd at 3pm Eastern, I’ll be chatting live about “Common Mistakes in Dialogue and How to Avoid them.” Register here. There will be a video and transcript available afterward, too, and you’ll be notified if you register even if you can’t attend. 

Don’t Forget My Classes!
Students are enjoying my Beginner’s Guide to Writing Picture Books!
You can buy it on Thinkific. Or access it with a Skillshare subscription. 

And of course, my class on rhyming picture books is still live! Here’s Thinkific and Skillshare. 

Want to know about future events? Follow me on Instagram and Facebook or join my email list!

I just had to share this adorable video/podcast that the kids at Krieger Schechter put together during my last visit to their school. I am the Silverman-Brown author in residence this year, which means I am coming for three visits over the course of the year. In my first visit, I talked with children about coming up with ideas and research. In my second visit, we talked about drafting and structure. When I return in April, we’ll be talking about revision. Throughout, we’ve been using my book “Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat” as a jumping off point to talk about how bats can affect a region’s ecology. Krieger Schechter is planning to have kids make bat boxes to install at the school to give these helpful bug eating critters a safe home.

I love sharing my process and hopefully inspiring all of these young people!

This new on-demand class goes through all the FAQs I get from new picture book writers, and then some!

This class is shorter and quicker than my in-depth course on writing rhyming picture books but still jam-packed with information about traditional publishing, self publishing, structure, language and everything you need to get started with writing picture books.

Find more details and enroll on Thinkific, where you will be added to a community for students of all of my classes.

Join Skillshare to access both classes, minus the community attached to them.

You can also reach out to me at tracycgold@gmail.com with questions at any time!

It is the season of shopping! Er…I mean, giving. If you’re looking for a gift for a writer in your life, or if you’re looking for a gift for yourself (coming from someone who absolutely fills her own stocking), I’ve got some great ideas for you. These ideas are focused on writers, but many of them apply to any creative.

Most creative fields are rife with self-doubt. I speak for myself and for many writers and artists when I say that we can feel a great sense of guilt when we take time to work on our craft instead of doing more pressing tasks. Most writers I know have nagging questions in the back of their minds: “Am I good enough?” “Should I really be spending time on doing this?”

Here’s the thing: having someone in your life who supports you as a writer or creative can make the difference between giving up and persevering. Giving someone support for their dreams is more meaningful than any gadget or soft sweater.

And I joke about filling my own stocking, but the truth is that someone’s gotta do it. No one else is going to buy me socks, hair ties, chapstick, and candy. I enjoy all of those things, so I do it for myself. So if no one else is giving you the gift of encouragement to pursue your dreams? Do it yourself.

So, while a post like this may seem commercial, there is a layer of meaning here about believing in your loved ones, and believing in yourself. You deserve it!

Ok, enough sappiness. On to the gifts.

Yes, my own classes on writing or a coaching session make great gifts…but I also have ideas that don’t cost a cent. Full disclosure, all Amazon links are affiliate links (help me fill that stocking?).

Here we go! 
1. The gift of time. Especially for parents like me, there is never enough time! Think about what you can take off someone’s plate (or what you can take off of your own plate) to give the gift of time to write. If you want to make this into a cute physical object, you can make an IOU gift card which is good for, say, one night a week of dishes or laundry duty if that’s normally their chore, or a few hours of watching the kids when it’s normally your spouse’s time (or a few hours of babysitting for a non-spouse loved one). If you’re trying to clear your own plate, is there something you can say no to that’s filling up a lot of your time? A chore you can let wait? A dinner you can order instead of make?

The key is to then use that free time to actually be creative, or to help your loved one do so. This is where having a physical object or card can be a helpful reminder. Personally, I make a calendar event to block out time for myself to write. 

2. A class on writing. Here is where my self-promo kicks in, but this doesn’t have to be a class with me. Over my years as a writer and illustrator, I have gained so much knowledge from taking classes outside of my formal education. One of the first writing classes I took outside of formal school was via Johns Hopkins’ Continuing Education program. During Covid, a lot of these classes became virtual so you can now take them from anywhere in the world, though it’s also worth checking for in-person options at a school near you. I’m taking a break from teaching there while I have intense launches for my picture books, but there are several writing courses on offer.

Of course, I do have on-demand classes available. My classes with Thinkific now even have a special gifting feature. My “Beginner’s Guide to Writing Picture Books” class is on preorder and will be launched by Christmas 2023 (use preorder50 to pay only $14.99). My “How to Write Rhyming Picture Books” class is on Black Friday sale until Dec 1 2023 (use blackfriday for 30% off).

While I’d love for you to take one of those and fund my own holiday shopping, they also serve as examples of how, with a little searching, you can find an online class on just about any topic.

3. A Skillshare membership. One place to find those classes is on Skillshare. This is a bit self-promotional, as I upload my courses onto Skillshare (Rhyming Picture Books is on there now), but a subscription is also a great gift for someone creative, and they have a 50% off sale right now (as of 11/27/23). I also have a referral link that will give you one free month at any time. I’m unsure if the discounts stack and it’s hard for me to check because I already have an account. It’s worth checking and price shopping.

Skillshare is a great gift for busy people because the classes are all broken up into short videos. There are classes on writing, illustrating, designing–so many creative topics. I often listen to their classes while walking and doing laundry. I can go back and watch what I need to later. 

4. A writing group. This is another option that’s often free or very low cost. I cherish my writer friends and over the years we’ve had regular meetings…or less regular meetings. I met a lot of them through The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (a membership is a great gift!) and through continuing education classes like the ones described above. There are associations for other types of writing as well, though I can’t vouch for them–it’s worth seeing what might be in your state or region. Local libraries and bookstores also often have free writing groups, or will know about groups that do. Do some research for yourself or a loved one–and make sure you’re helping to clear the calendar so they actually have time to go!

5. Gift card to a local bookstore. Okay, this one is not so creative, but if you know that your loved one is trying to learn to write in a new genre or category, reading in that category is so key to learning. Libraries are great but when you’re studying a book to learn how to write a similar one, you may need it on hand to look again and again. A note to go with a gift like this to let your loved one know that you support them as a creative can go a long way to encourage them on their journey.

You never know what you’ll find at a local bookstore!

6. Books on the craft of writing. Here are books that say “I support your journey as a writer.” Remember: it is just as important to say this to yourself as to say it to someone else. 
Picture Books
The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books
Writing Picture Books
Why take a class in addition to reading one of these books? My beginner’s guide class goes way deeper into the modern publishing landscape; my rhyme class is a much more intensive guide to rhyme than you’ll find in any book I know of. Plus the community and video format! However these books are an excellent resource and I would highly recommend them in addition to any class. 

Novels and Memoirs 
Save the Cat Writes a Novel–This one is obviously for fiction but applying some of the tactics here can also be very helpful for memoir. I vouch for this audiobook but I also have a print version for reference.
The Writers Helping Writers Emotional Thesaurus Series
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers
The Art of Memoir

7. Editing or a coaching session with an expert. Ok, ending on self-promo here, too, but finding an editor who specializes in the kind of writing your loved one does and dedicating some funds to hire them can be a huge step up for their writing journey. I would suggest starting with something small to make sure they’re excited about working with the editor before shelling out for a whole novel or memoir. An edit on a picture book or the first ten pages should be about right. If your loved one is the type of person who likes talking on the phone, you can also book them a phone call. Other than hiring me (hehe), you can look up editors for just about any type of writing on Reedsy, or even book a short consult with a literary agent via Manuscript Wishlist.

That’s it! If you end up using one of these ideas, I’d love to hear how it goes!

I love horses and I love picture books! So…whenever someone asks about picture books about horses, I’m your girl. I was going through some favorites today and thought I’d post a list.

These links are all affiliate links which means if you buy these books (or your regular Amazon purchases) through these links, you’ll be supporting my horse and picture book habits. Thank you!

What books have I missed? Please comment with your suggestions!

Clip Clop by Nicola Smee

This one is so much fun to read aloud! It’s perfect for younger kids, babies on up.

Horse Power: How Horses Changed the World by Jennifer Thermes

My kid is obsessed with this book. It is a longer non-fiction read. My kid’s takeaway is pretty much that horses make the world a better place! I agree!

If I Had a Horse by Gianna Marino

This book is spare and beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that when I saw it at the library, I knew I had to have my own copy, and bought one lickety split.

The Ultimate Book of Horses by Sandra Laboucarie illustrated by Helene Convert

This one was just recommended to me but I had to add it on here because we have a ton of the books in “The Ultimate Book of” series, and I never knew a horses one existed! This series is super interactive and fun, with more than you’ll ever want to know about cities, space, dinosaurs…you name it.

Fritz and The Beautiful Horses by Jan Brett

A scruffy pony saves the day! A beloved classic from my childhood.

Sergeant Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero by Patricia McCormick, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

For the older range of picture book readers (a mature four-year-old at youngest on up), this is an incredibly touching story about a brave horse who becomes a war hero. The book shows a little bit of war, but isn’t too scary.

Wild Horse Annie: Friend of the Mustangs by Tracey Fern, illustrated by Steven Salerno

Another true story, about a woman who spoke up to protect wild mustangs. A more whimsical read (I mean, just look at the adorable cover!).

This Way, Charlie by Caron Levis, illustrated by Charles Santoso

This absolutely beautiful book tells the story of a blind horse who becomes friends with a grumpy goat. It’s based on a true story, but is lyrical and spare in a way more common to fiction.