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MO Day #26 Heather Macht Goes from PBs to CBs

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From Picture Books to Chapter Books

by Heather Macht


I’ve recently had the pleasure of signing a six-book chapter book contract with ABDO. Chapter books are something I’ve been dying to break into. So, when my agent called me to tell me that I got an offer (albeit, in the middle of an important work meeting) I nearly screamed. Still pinching myself!

Since signing the contract, I’ve completed and turned in all six manuscripts for the series. On top of that, I’ve gotten some pretty amazing feedback from the editors on the first four books they've reviewed and approved. The feedback received was: no edits needed!

This is a pretty challenging feat, and of course is AMAZING to hear, especially since this is my first time writing chapter books!


Overall, this has definitely been a learning and growing experience for me. When I first started researching chapter books, my path and execution method became clear. Here are some tips and tricks I learned along the way, that I have for anyone who is looking to write chapter books and break into this field:



Read! Read! Read! I’d definitely suggest buying/checking out/reading (a lot of) chapter books very similar to what you’d like to write. If there is a certain publishing company you’re trying to break into, look at their books specifically. I love ABDO’s books. Especially their Magic Wagon/Spellbound imprint, which is the imprint I signed under. I checked out their titles, read through them many times, and was able to submit something to them (through my amazing agent Lynnette Novak, of course) that they acquired.


The mentor text I used from ABDO? Haunted - ABDO (abdobooks.com)


Watch your Words! Are you using words too old or too young for a chapter book? Want to know how to tell? Find a Flesch Kincaid Readability Calculator and plug in several pages of your manuscript. What was the result? Now, look up the readability for a comp book you have. Does it match the grade level or is it close? This is an eye-opening process by the way! My first few attempts were at a much higher grade level than I anticipated. They were actually about two grade levels higher. Oops!

  1. Bonus tip #1: Are readability scores not available for the certain comp book you have? Don’t be afraid to type a few paragraphs of your comp book into the calculator!

  2. Bonus tip #2: Here’s a free calculator that I love to use - Readability Calculator (wordcalc.com).

I personally based my comp titles off of the Haunted series from ABDO and The Princess in Black series from Candlewick.


Watch Your Transitions Are you so used to writing picture books you’re leaving too much room up to the illustrations? Does each chapter in your manuscript flow naturally, or does it feel choppy? Chapter books do have illustrations but typically aren’t full spreads with the main focus on the illustrations. Make sure each chapter has a smooth flow! You should be able to read your manuscript and have it make total sense without any illustrations. In my series: The Woodlot Monster Mysteries (ABDO, Spring 2023), I included about two illustration notes...per book. These illustrations referenced a journal my main character was keeping.

An excellent mentor text that has smooth transitions (and a fun overall theme) to mine is the Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol series from Little Simon (Simon and Schuster). Highly recommend this series.


Remember, of course, that your writing should be fun (no matter the age group you write for). If your chapter book feels too forced after reading over it, try again, and again, until you have the approval of your awesome CPs. I hope this feedback helps! Good luck on this new journey you’re embarking on.







BIO: Heather Macht, is the author of The Woodlot Monster Mysteries, a six-book chapter book series featuring less-common monsters and promoting #girlpower, problem solving, and teamwork (ABDO, 2023), Rex the...We-Don't-Know (Pelican, 2020), The Ant Farm Escape! (Pelican, 2019), and You May Just Be a Dinosaur (Pelican, 2015). She is an active children's author who has been creating stories since the third grade! She earned her degree in fine arts from Florida State College at Jacksonville and holds a career as an I.T. professional and a full-time mom. Macht’s an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, is a volunteer judge for Rate Your Story, and lives with her family in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.


In her spare time, she dwells in poetry and picture books, and enjoys painting beach scenes and monsters of all sorts.

For more, visit www.heathermacht.com

Twitter: @AuthorHMacht

Instagram: @HeatherAuthorMacht


Giveaway: I’d love to give away a critique of the first three chapters of your chapter book for joining me today!

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