GOING BIG: Making the Leap From Picture Book to Long-Form Nonfiction

By Jessica Stremer 

October 2020, I wrote the first draft of a picture book about wildfires. It went through a few rounds of revisions, but still wasn’t quite working. There was just too much I wanted to say. I hadn’t tried writing long-form nonfiction before and didn’t really know where to start, so I set the project aside.

Two years later I drafted a list of picture book manuscripts to share with my editor for GREAT CARRIER REEF. I had begun researching the wildfire book again, but hadn’t yet created a proposal. On a whim I added to our pitch list, “I’m currently working on a middle grade nonfiction book about wildfires.” My editor liked a few of the picture book topics, but she was most interested in the wildfire book. It was the push I needed to finally get the proposal written.

If you find yourself at a crossroads, here are some things you can do to “go big” and make the leap from picture books to long-form nonfiction:

1. Research, research, research! But also, try to avoid going down a rabbit hole (believe me, it’s easy to do). Begin by collecting enough information to create a solid foundation about the topic. Jot down areas you’d like to investigate further and make a list of first-person interviews you’ll need to conduct. Organization is key here! There’s nothing like discovering a cool fact and not being able to find your way back to it again.

Tip: Start your bibliography early. You can always remove a source if you don’t end up using it.

2. Create a mock Table of Contents. This is my trick for staying organized throughout the entire process! Think about how many chapters your book will have. What will each chapter cover?

The great thing about long-form nonfiction books is that they vary in presentation and            content. Your table of contents will evolve as you continue your research, so don’t get           too caught up on getting it right the first time.

Tip: Under each chapter header, create a list of everything you’d like to include in that chapter. You can cross things off later if you choose not to include them, or incorporate them via fact boxes as I did in FIRE ESCAPE.

3. Compile a list of comparable titles. Finding comparable titles can be stressful for many authors, but there are also ways to make it fun. As you read comparable books, consider what those authors did that you like. You may also think of things you can do or include that will help your book stand out.

4. Identify gaps in the market. FIRE ESCAPE, was initially going to be a picture book, but I worried about market saturation, and realized what I really wanted to write about wouldn’t fit in 40 pages. When I looked for comparable titles, I had a really hard time finding anything like what I envisioned in my head. I realized there was a gap in the market, which helped fuel me to keep writing even when I felt like giving up. When writing your proposal, explaining how your book will fill a market gap is important.

Tip: Here’s one way you can mention a market gap in your proposal, “Many authors have successfully written about (topic), but none have (explain the gap and how your book fills it).”

5. Write a proposal. This point deserves its own post, so I won’t go into too much detail here, but a few key elements your proposal should include are: synopsis, author bio, comparable titles, and marketing plan. You’ll also need to include an introduction and three sample chapters of your book. Your table of contents can help keep you focused and can also be used to set small, obtainable goals.

Tip: Use your first three chapters to estimate how long your book will be. For example, each chapter is approximately 2k words x 10 chapters = 20k words total. Don’t stress over this detail, as your editor will most likely care more about the content than word count.

6. Take your time. Writing long-form nonfiction books is a process. Set small goals, take breaks, and have fun!

Jessica Stremer

Jessica Stremer is an award-winning children’s author who combines her love of science and writing to create books that inspire kids to explore and think critically about the world around them. Her titles include GREAT CARRIER REEF (a Cook Prize Silver Medalist and NY Public Library Best Book of the Year), LIGHTS OUT: A Movement to Help Migrating Birds (a SLJ climate change featured title), FIRE ESCAPE: How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires (a JLG Gold Standard selection).

Her upcoming titles include PLIGHT OF THE PELICAN: How Science Saved a Species, TRAPPED IN THE TAR PIT: How Paleontologists Unearthed a City's Prehistoric Past, and WONDERFULLY WILD: Rewilding a School and Community. Jessica obtained a B.S. in Biology, with an emphasis in Ecology, from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She was a recipient of the 2023 Stephen Fraser Encouragement Award and 2023 finalist for the Russell Freedman award. When not writing you can find Jessica cheering from the sideline of her kids’ soccer games, spending time outdoors, and planning her next family adventure.