The New York region is particularly rich with talent: musicians, writers, artists, inventors, businesspeople. Many turn this acumen to the family market, writing and illustrating children’s books, performing for children, opening stores for kids, inventing new games. The mom you meet at the playground may have written your son’s favorite bedtime story or headlined a concert at the children’s museum. You could do it, too? Other parents who have succeeded share their stories . . .
MAKING KIDS’ MUSIC
Do you make up songs that have your toddler laughing hysterically? Do you go to concerts and think that the songs you compose are just as sing-able? If you have a particular affinity for kids and music, you may have what it takes to become a children’s performer. Talented singers usually become children’s performers through one of two routes: either they are music educators, or they are parents who want to reach a broader audience. And it can’t hurt to have a catchy name. Dan Cohen, whose alter ego, Danna Banana, has been reducing children to hysterics for the last four years, went the latter route. A trained opera singer, Cohen began writing songs when his first child was born 11 years ago. He went full-time as a children’s performer four years ago, after his first CD was released. Cohen, who has a studio in Manhattan, but lives in Nyack, said his perspective is “playful — I emphasize fun, seeing things from a kid’s perspective.” Erin Lee Kelly from Manhattan, and Marci Appelbaum from Astoria, Queens, make up the acoustic guitar folk duo, Erin Lee and Marci. The duo went the educator route. They test their music out on the “300 kids we teach each week” at a musical theater class at Trevor Day School, and at Music Together classes. They just released their first CD, “Someone’s Gotta Wanna Play”, which “focuses around a child’s actual experiences — losing a tooth, or visiting grandparents.” Elmer L. Hammond, who teaches vocal music at a middle school in Jamaica, Queens and is the choir director at a church in St. Alban’s, sidelines as a local performer and is working on a children’s hip-hop CD. The Brooklyn-based singer and songwriter, Wendy Gelsanliter, was originally a performer for adults; while doing that, she got a teaching license and started teaching preschool. She described a “natural progression” of moving from teaching kids to entertaining them. And once Cohen became a professional performer, he was offered a job teaching music in Montclair, N.J. “This was the best thing that happened to me. I’m not a trained pedagogue,” he says. “The job offers a way to hone your craft as a musician and to see how things work with kids.” Cohen says, “As I perform songs more and more, I see some lend themselves naturally to performing.” He is also able to better gauge what activities work best with different ages. Cohen tests out his songs on his three children, now 11, 9 and 6. Cohen notes that there is a “lot of opportunity to perform if you look for it” — libraries, bookstores, schools, temples, churches all look for children’s musicians. New York City, in particular, has dozens of venues where children’s musicians regularly perform, from the Children’s Museum of Manhattan and the Jewish Museum to parks, summer festivals and zoos. But Elmer Hammond cautions that it is vital for children’s performers to go into all performances prepared — “not just for what you want to do, but for the audience.” Hammond notes, “The audience will make the performance for you. I use them, and encourage a lot of participation. “Listen to your audience,” he advises, “and you can almost never go wrong.” Ironically, while the metro area offers many performing venues, the city is not particularly friendly to fledgling musicians because of cost. Many performers find themselves priced out of the city. But while Cohen cautions that the career is “not exactly a path to huge riches,” he adds that the job is very rewarding in other ways. “I like the hours and the environment,” he says. “And you can’t be unhappy performing for kids.” Gelsanliter, who has produced both of her CDs, “Dancin’ in the Kitchen” and “Ants Wear Underpants”, says that once a fledgling performer has enough material for a CD, producing it at a home studio is relatively easy and not expensive. What costs money is promotion, and Gelsanliter, the mother of a 7-year-old, has also taken on this role herself — “pounding the pavement” with her music and getting it distributed nationally. All the musicians we interviewed attributed part of their success to luck; Cohen says he “lucked” into his teaching position, and Gelsanliter says it was a stroke of luck that led a song of hers, the title track of “Dancin’ in the Kitchen”, to become a picture book. She notes ruefully that while she was sought out to turn the song into a book (by Putnam), she has not had such publishing success since. The musicians suggest researching other musicians on the Internet. Gelsanliter got a boost from another performer, Laurie Berkner, just by finding her number and calling for advice. “She has been invaluable. Network with other musicians in your area,” she says. “I haven’t met one children’s musician who isn’t willing to sit down and give you advice. Because it’s children’s music — they’re good people. “We’re not competitive,” Gelsanliter says, “I will help another musician the way Laurie helped me.”
Resources —Children’s Music Network: www.cmnonline.org —Kids Music Planet: www.kidsmusicplanet.com —Danna Banana: www.dannabanana.com —Wendy Gelsanliter: www.bizzybum.com —Erin Lee and Marci: www.gottaplay.org —Steele Recording Studio. www.steelerecordingstudio.com
Making a CD: how much does it cost? Cutting your own CD can cost as little as $2000. Benny Steele, a drummer, songwriter, producer and engineer says, “The technology is so good that anyone with a PC can have a studio.” His, Steele Recording Studio in Brooklyn, started out as “a little project studio” but has since grown professional. According to Steele, a CD with just an acoustic guitar could be produced for $3000-$4000 at a professional studio, plus about $2000 to print 100 copies of the CD; he estimates the cost for a professional graphic designer at $1500-$2000.
KIDS IN STORE By Nancy Cavanaugh
You see children’s specialty stores everywhere you go — from small town Main Street to high profile areas in major cities. They’re usually smallish locations, crammed full of unique merchandise. It looks like it would be a piece of cake to own one, right? Lisa Maldonado has owned Fidget’s in Park Slope, Brooklyn for 15 years. “I wanted to work in the neighborhood near my kids,” Maldonado says. “When I was getting started, I did a lot of research, finding the location and finding products. “Some of the challenges that we face every day include the weather, the economy, and the competition,” she says. Maldonado, who sells clothing, accessories, baby goods and fundamentals, credits her success to liking the business. “I like what I do. I like what I sell. People come in because they like what we have. I would like to think our customer service helps.” The keys, Maldonado believes, are “knowing your competition and knowing your location. Location, location, location.” Richard Moskowitz, a former garment manufacturer, opened Knoyzz in Rye Brook and Mount Kisco, two years ago. He says, “I saw an opportunity in the teen and cool young mom market.” Getting started, Moskowitz realized, “I knew I was going to need a catchy name. I originally wanted to go with ‘Noyzz’ but I couldn’t trademark it, so I needed to try something different. I ended up with Knoyzz. It’s great marketing,” he says. “People don’t know how to pronounce it right away so when they figure it out, they start chatting about it. Word-of-mouth is the most important marketing tool.” Moskowitz concurs on the importance of ‘location, location, location’. “I opted to open the stores locally because people don’t want to go to the mall any more. They want to shop in the local community where they can get excellent quality and service.” Moskowitz also credits his success to merchandise variety. “The secret to our success has been having unique merchandise of a wide variety. We have a constant flow of new stuff in. You can come in our stores and find something new every day. With our stuff, you can spend a little or spend a lot. There’s something for every budget. We offer a lot of ‘pluck for the buck’,” he says. Barry Cohen and partner Perry Schorr own Lester’s, a high fashion children’s department store with locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Long Island and New Jersey that got its start as a kids’ boutique. Lester’s carries everything from layette to young men’s and contemporary young women’s fashions, as well as shoes and special occasion. “We’re all about fashion, we’re not a basics store,” says Cohen. “We want to be the first one to offer a new trend or item. We are shopping constantly. Every buyer and principal is reading every trade publication looking for the next hot company… hot trend… hot item. We have our buyers work on the sales floor so they can get a handle on who we’re buying for.” There’s much more to the business than knowing what to buy and buying it, says Cohen. “It’s a big challenge to get a staff hired and trained. We need to make sure our staff enjoys and accepts our goal of offering the customers the best service we can provide,” he says. “We deal with everything. We’re a family-owned multi-store business.” Founders Lester and Lillian Kronfeld opened Lester’s as a boutique for girls in 1948. Their first store was a small, 300-square-foot shop on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn. “They started the store because they wanted to be retailers and bring great fashion at discounted prices to the people living in Brooklyn,” says Cohen, who is also the Kronfelds’ nephew. “Lillian had a tremendous eye for fashion,” Cohen continues. “They were really the originators of choice, style and service. They put in a lot of hard work and long hours. Every day or two, they would go into Manhattan to get new merchandise. They would deliver orders to people’s homes. As the business started to grow, they hired a staff.” It wasn’t long before the Kronfelds recognized that their formula was working and that it was time to expand into other areas. “Brooklyn was becoming an upper-middle-class area. Their customers were requesting the same service and fashion for their other children. They began expanding to other stores to satisfy their customers. As stores became available, they bought them. They expanded to boys, then to pre-teens. Through the years, they expanded to nine stores on one block. “Presently we have four locations — the Brooklyn stores, one in New York City, a store we just opened in Greenvale, Long Island, and one in Deal, N.J.,” Cohen continues. “We have good locations. We try to get ourselves in where people are driven by style and fashion.” How has Lester’s stayed in business for 56 years? “The secret to our success is getting back to the basics — being fair to our clientele, being consistent, offering a great product and great service, and hiring good people,” comments Cohen. “I would like to think we have good services. We bend over backwards for our customers.” Cohen offers some advice for those who are looking at opening a kids’ boutique. “Save up your money. Make sure you work in the field for two years. That’s probably the most important thing. You need to know what you’re in for,” he advises. “You need to be smart about a lot of things; it isn’t just about buying and selling clothes. I’ve seen a lot of stores open, and they’ll be out of business in a year, year-and-a-half. They usually didn’t allot enough dollars and cents, and didn’t have a five-year plan. “It isn’t as easy as it looks,” says Cohen. “It’s a seven-days-a-week business, with the principals working 12-hour days.”
THE BESTSELLER LIST By Jan Wilson
Have you ever lulled your little one to sleep with a new picture book, and thought to yourself: “I bet I could write something like that!” Are you the kind of person who can fascinate your children and their friends with elaborate tales that combine fantasy and reality? Do you simply think that you “have a book in you”, and are your friends constantly telling you that you are creative and should do something with your talent? Do you envy J.K. Rowling? Maybe you should write a children’s book. But just how to you break into this competitive world? After all, people like Madonna, Maria Shriver and Spike Lee are setting their famous sights on writing for this lucrative market. And when you look at all the engaging books that are sitting on your children’s shelves right now, it’s easy to become discouraged and to go back to merely browsing in the bookstore, rather than trying to get your story into its stock. Jill Davis, the Upper West Side author of My Busy Day (Viking, 2004), says that creativity is still the key to getting published. “No matter what people think about what it takes to make it, selling a book is still about good, fresh writing that is directed to an audience that’s a known quantity.” Davis, who also is a children’s book editor, says she always tells other editors: “If you read something that’s not perfect but it has the germ of an idea that’s very unique and works on different levels, work with the author to make the story better.” Douglas Florian, of Jamaica, Queens, who has written and illustrated 37 books, including the upcoming Omnibeasts (Harcourt, 2004), says that it’s important to work on your story. “Try to develop your craft and have an open mind. Don’t think that the first thing that you are going to write is going to win a bunch of awards, although it may happen. Just keep writing,” he says. Marilyn Singer, the Brooklyn-based author of more than 70 books, including Block Party Today (Knopf, 2004), also believes in honing one’s skills. “The first thing I always tell people who want to write is that you must read a lot. You’ve got to know what’s out there. When most people talk about wanting to write a children’s book, they are talking about a picture book. But that’s the hardest genre of all. Every word has to be perfect, the rhythm has to be perfect, and the form has to be perfect. “The next thing I tell people is to write. A lot of people say they’ve got an idea, but they don’t actually put pen to paper. I also advise joining a critique group. It’s really important to read your stuff aloud and hear what other people have to say about it. There are also online writing groups. It doesn’t hurt to take a course, as well, in children’s writing,” says Singer. One organization that offers children’s book writing courses in New York is mediabistro.com, a website for media professionals, and other community organizations and libraries may offer seminars on the subject. Many online companies offer writing courses as well. Roni Schotter, a Hastings-on-Hudson writer of over 20 children’s books, says there are now many manuals that explain the nuts-and-bolts of the craft of writing kids’ books. “You need to be aware of the genres,” she says, “whether they are picture books, middle-grade books, or young adult novels. Be aware of the formatting of a children’s book. Most picture books are 32 pages, but many people have no notion of what the format is. Some knowledge is a great thing at the beginning.” Schotter, whose Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street (Orchard Books, 1999), offers advice to blocked young writers, began her career as a children’s book editor. She says that a writer must be able to deal with criticism and rejection. “Some of us love coffee ice cream, and some of us hate it. This is the same thing. In other words, writing is an art and it is so subjective. What one person doesn’t like, somebody else loves. “My first novel was turned down by a very famous editor. The second editor I sent it to wasn’t quite as famous, but was famous enough. She said that she really loved it. She said, ‘Frankly, I think it’s perfect,’” Schotter recalls. Florian echoes this theme. “There are many stories of successful authors who had to take their book to five or 10 or 20 editors before they got published.” He notes the Harry Potter and Dr. Seuss series as examples of titles that didn’t catch on with editors right away. Write from the heart, Schotter urges. “All of us who write for children write as children. You do it the way that children process the world. The best books deliver a message through a story that is deeply felt. When I write, I am a kid,” she says.
Resources: There are several good websites that you can mine for information about writing, and where to get published, including the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (www.scbwi.org); the Children’s Book Council (www.cbcbooks.org); and Writing, Illustrating, and Publishing Children’s Books: The Purple Crayon (www.underdown.org). Many writers maintain their own websites as well. Getting Published By Renee Cho
Writing a good manuscript is just the first step in becoming a children’s book author. It takes enormous patience and perseverance to sell a manuscript. Some publishers accept “unsolicited manuscripts” — which means that you can submit your story directly to an editor without being represented by an agent. Junior editors comb through this “slush pile” of manuscripts looking for talent, and some lucky first-time authors do get discovered in this way. If a publisher does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, you may only submit your manuscript through a literary agent or lawyer, and finding an agent to represent you can be as difficult as getting published. But if you are committed to being a writer, have a fresh and original voice or vision, and can offer a number of manuscripts as evidence of your seriousness, then it’s worthwhile to try to find an agent to represent you. A good agent will help you strengthen your manuscripts, market them to editors and publishers she knows are looking for the kind of material you have written, get you the best possible deal, negotiate the complex contract for you, and support you through the whole process. For these services, she will take 15 percent of all your earnings. You can find agents of children’s authors and illustrators at your local library in the Literary Market Place, a reference book about the book business. To submit your work to an agent, send a concise cover letter, several sample manuscripts (typed, double-spaced and paginated, never hand-written!) and/or illustrations (never send original artwork!), and a SASE. While it’s important to make sure your presentation is professional and neat, it’s not necessary to make the packaging too slick: the manuscript must speak for itself. Then be patient; agents, too, have enormous slush piles they read through and it may take weeks or even months to get a response. Steer clear of agents who want to charge a fee to read your manuscript. Most children’s book writers do not make a lot of money writing. The average advance for a first young adult novel is $4000-$5000, with a 10 percent royalty rate. The average advance for a first-time children’s picture book is $2500-$3500. The royalty rate on a picture book is 10 percent, which is usually split 5 percent to the author, and 5 percent to the illustrator. This means that for every book sold, 5 percent is paid to you against your advance; in other words, you don’t see the royalty money until you have earned back your advance. Novice authors often think they have to illustrate their own picture book, but do not even suggest this to an editor unless you are a professional artist. Editors will match you up with an illustrator of their choosing.
Here are some tips for aspiring children’s book authors:
• Read children’s books and educate yourself so that you know what has been published and what has been successful and why.
• Join the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (see Resource List of main article), which publishes helpful articles and newsletters, and holds regional meetings. Their annual publication about the Marketplace will tell you which editors are at what publishing houses, what they’re looking for, and whether or not they accept unsolicited manuscripts.
• Attend writing workshops and conferences where you can meet other writers, and most importantly, make contact with editors and agents.
• Don’t quit your day job! Even if you get several books published, it is difficult to make a living writing children’s books unless you are incredibly lucky…like J. K. Rowling.
RENEE CHO, editor of ‘Westchester Parent’, was a children’s book agent for eight years.
GAME PLAYERS By Kathy Morgenstern
It always starts with an idea. But it’s the process to completion that is the name of this game. Conceptualizing, marketing and selling are all keys in making an idea work. But how does one get to this point? Can a great idea for a game or a toy really create fame and fortune? How can an inventor get to that special day when he or she actually passes “Go” and collects “$200”?
Geri Grobman, president of Language Littles, a NYC-based company, started as many do — with a simple idea. In 1999, Grobman’s concept of dolls that could speak 25-30 seconds of foreign language phrases was introduced to children ages three and up. “We tested our product out with kids,” Grobman explains. “We wanted to see how we could make learning another language fun. We found that incorporating a website with games about our dolls was one way to make things more interesting.” Grobman hired a web company that had branches in the U.S. as well as in Europe and Asia to test each area of the site. “Kids go to the website, play the games, read stories, and enter our contests with the help of their Language Littles doll,” Grobman continues. “The website and its games became an extension of the product.” Tens of thousands of children have already visited the Language Littles website, and Grobman couldn’t be happier. “It has worked very nicely,” Grobman admits. “We have a lot of correspondents come through the contests, which shows us that kids are really interested in learning different languages.”
Karen Young, a real estate broker turned founder and president of TLI Games, didn’t actually know that a word game she was playing at a dinner party was going to be her ticket into the world of games. “I had been negotiating contracts for 10 years and I was getting bored,” Young says of her time as a realtor. “After playing this word game with friends at a couple of dinner parties, I felt I might be onto something.” Young’s game had never been turned into an actual board game before, but rather something people played on their own “without any official equipment — sort of like, say, ‘I spy with my little eye’ is played today.” Armed with creativity, industriousness, and persistence, she brought the idea from concept all the way to the shelves of stores like Toys ‘R Us and FAO Schwarz. Her Think-It Link-It was launched in FAO Schwarz’s Chicago store, that first day outselling all the others in the game department combined. “Charades had never been packaged into a game and now it is Pictionary. Same goes for Wheel of Fortune, which is just a game called Hangman. So I decided to take this word game I had been playing, and package it.” Her newest game is called City Go, The Big City Discovery Game. Trevor J. Ollivierre, Jr. came up with the idea for a game, All Around Spending, at the tender age of 8. His father, an MTA transit worker, has helped him over three years develop and market the game, which has turned into a family business. Sister Monae, who is 12, makes dolls based on the game. Trevor’s game is a riff on Monopoly, where players pay salaries and businesses. Trevor, who lives in Brooklyn, had the idea after watching his father pay monthly bills.
Finding a designer How to find a games designer? For Grobman, the search for a web designer was as easy as turning on her computer. She searched the Internet and interviewed the designers she preferred. Today, Karen Young has a team of designers who design her games, but in the early days, she had to rely on referrals from friends in the design business, and resources at design schools like Parson’s, Pratt, and Rhode Island School of Design to help her design a prototype.
Trademarks and copyrights First, Young had the basic outline of her game; then she came up with a name for it. She suggests immediately trademarking your game (which protects the name and logo of a product). The same goes for the game rules — have these copyrighted immediately, Young advises. To find out more about copyrighting, go to www.copyright.gov. After the design is set, and you’ve done all the legal homework you can, you need to test your concept. “I test games by first determining my target market and then putting together focus groups. Sometimes we hold play testing parties in my office or home or friends’ homes, and sometimes we test in schools,” Young says. “You have to make sure the concept is evolved.”
To manufacturing Grobman’s approach is to contact Asian manufacturers, as this is a less expensive way to help figure out whether you have a potential hit on your hands. “There are lots of Asian manufacturers who will make samples from your design. You can contact them through the Internet or by phone,” Grobman explains. “A more costly venture would be to visit factories in Asia or whatever country might interest you.” With games, it can be a little more complicated. “Most manufacturers have their own specific procedure for considering outside submissions,” Young clarifies. “It’s hard to put a dollar amount on creating a game. You could probably make a pretty good prototype for $100-$200. “First, go into the stores and choose the games you like the most. Each game has the manufacturer’s name right on the box. If you call the general phone number and tell the receptionist you’d like to speak to someone who works with inventors or game developers, they’re usually very helpful. “Game inventors might also try the Toy & Game Inventor’s Forum (search online) for more information on licensing. They sponsor a convention every year which brings inventors and manufacturers together,” Young adds. Trevor Ollivierre, Sr. recommends going to Toy Fair, the annual toy expo in NYC, and talking to exhibitors. He has also traveled to toy expos in upstate NY and Connecticut, talking to licensees about how to market games. “On the practical side, how much will your game cost to make? You have to make sure your game is cost effective. Then on the creative side, will your game be interesting enough that kids or adults will play again and again? Then I would contact manufacturers to see if your game idea fits into a hole they need to fill,” he says.
Actual costs Both Grobman and Young agree there are many different pieces to the game puzzle that factor in to the cost of creating a game or toy. “Usually everything is doubled. If something costs $10 to make, you sell it for $20 and stores will then sell it for $40. Built into the sales price is rent, payroll, design expenses, etc. — so profit is never that high,” Grobman reveals. “The cost of creating a game depends on the level of detail you have. It could range from $1,000 to $50,000,” Young explains. “There are the legal costs (copyright, trademark), accounting costs (setting up ownership for the game), and if you go that far, manufacturing (which depends on how many units you manufacture and where), and then advertising, media and promotional materials. There’s a wide margin — depending on how far you take it.” Trevor J. Ollivierre, Sr., estimates he has spent $10,000 in materials to develop All Around Spending, plus $335 for the trademark and copyright.
Marketing the product Ollivierre also advises contacting staff writers at different publications and media outlets. Ollivierre has been a one-man marketing machine, contacting newspapers, magazines, TV and radio stations. Think ‘event’. In celebration of the launch of City Go, at Toys ‘R Us in Times Square, TLI Games is sponsoring “City Go Race for the Treasures” to benefit the New York Public Library. Teams of school children will scour the city in search of treasures. Along the way they’ll perform all sorts of zany tasks and meet some NYC personalities; 100 percent of the net proceeds from the race (a minimum of $20,000) will be donated to NYPL in honor of the winning team.
Words of advice? Young says, now that she can look back on her time in the business (13 years and counting), she wouldn’t do anything differently. “Every game was a little bit different, and with every ‘mistake’ I learned an invaluable lesson. My advice is to put together a great team, making sure everyone on the team is both professional and creative.” “Keeping your word is very important,” Young adds. “Being fresh and new with your concept is also important and really keep thinking outside the box.”
Resources: —Language Littles (www.languagelittles.com) —TLI Games (www.tligames.com) —www.toysngames.com —To register as a ‘trade guest’ to attend Toy fair, go to www.toy-tia.org. —For info on copyrighting: www.copyright.gov.
—Anyone interested in making dolls should read Dollmakers and Their Stories: Women Who changed the World of Play (Henry Holt, $17.95) by Krystyna Poray Goddu. The book offers histories of Beatrice Alexander Behrman (creator of Madame Alexander) and Ruth Handler (Barbie), as well as chapters on contemporary dollmakers. The resources chapter is chock-full of helpful information, from organizations of dollmakers to magazines and websites that fledgling dollmakers will find indispensable.
—Young toy designers can enter TOYchallenge, a national competition open to teams of 5th-8th graders. The competition is part of the Sally Ride Science Foundation, dedicated to supporting girls in science; each toy group must be at least half girls, and have an adult coach. Registration for this year’s competition ends December 15; the national showcase is in spring, 2005. Kids are advised to “begin brainstorming! Come up with an idea, think it through, describe it, draw it, and begin to build a model or prototype.” For more information, go to www.TOYchallenge.com.
