editors speak
This month we welcome Marilyn Edwards to KID MAGAZINE WRITERS. Marilyn
is the editor of HOPSCOTCH, BOYS’ QUEST, and FUN FOR KIDZ. The philosophy
of all three magazines is that “every child deserves the right to be a
child for a number of years before he or she becomes an adult.” The
contents of these magazines reflect their focus on children – not on fads,
trends, or the rush to become teens. Since children’s writers love writing
on timeless topics – these are popular magazines for the freelance writer,
so we appreciate Marilyn’s time in helping us get to know them better.
KMW: How would you typify the differences in material you publish for
HOPSCOTCH as opposed to BOYS’ QUEST? I know one is for girls and one is
for boys, but what does that translate into for content choices?
ME: First of all, the stories in HOPSCOTCH can be longer. We will accept
up to 1000 words. With BOYS’ QUEST, we try to keep it at 500 words.
Sometimes we will go up to 750 words, but not very often. We find that
there are more boys than girls who don’t want to read long stories and
articles. Also HOPSCOTCH tends to be more “cute” and BOYS’ QUEST is
perhaps a cross between more humorous and more adventure type. Humor and
mystery are my favorites, followed by adventure. We also use more poetry
in HOPSCOTCH than in BOYS’ QUEST. There will be more puzzles and
activities in BOYS’ QUEST and more stories and articles in HOPSCOTCH. But
when any manuscript comes in to our offices, regardless of what magazine
it is submitted for, we consider it for all three magazines. There have
been times when I have accepted a story and changed it from boys to girls
or from girls to boys.
KMW: Do you find you get enough recipes for themed issues? I know I saw a
recipe appear more than once, does that mean you aren’t getting as many
unique recipes as you would like?
ME: Occasionally I repeat a recipe that was in HOPSCOTCH to BOYS’ QUEST or
FUN FOR KIDZ, if there was a few years between magazines and it was
something that just fit the theme. I don’t get near enough clever recipes
to go with the themes. I really like recipes that are some kind of puzzle
that you have to solve to get the recipes. Also anything that goes with
the theme, even though the recipe itself might be simple but the
introduction sets the stage for the theme.
KMW: I know your guidelines say you want to give children a chance to be
children. How do you describe that desire in terms of content?
ME: I often say we are a bit old fashioned, because we don’t go for trends
or fads. In HOPSCOTCH there is nothing about boyfriends, fashion, or
anything we think would make girls want to grow up fast. We don’t want
girls worrying about how they look, what they are wearing, or whether or
not they have a boyfriend. In the same way, with BOYS’ QUEST, we don’t
want anything with violence or disrespect or again something that is a
trend or a fad. Children are constantly viewed as mini-consumers. We are
completely against all that. So, I guess because of all this, I would say
we tend to be a little old fashioned. We want to teach good morals and
good family values, but we want to do this in such a way as to not turn
off those parents or children that perhaps aren’t regular churchgoers. We
feel that everyone can benefit from material that is wholesome and teaches
good moral values.
KMW: What kind of material usually fills up first in each themed issue? I
know writers sometimes have trouble getting stuff to you before your
themes fill. Do you see a specific order like poetry first and puzzles or
quizzes last?
ME: Usually we do fill up with more short poems before puzzles. And we do
accept some quizzes, though I don’t want anything that seems at all like
“school.” I never get enough rhyming stories and long story poems. It is
always interesting to see how a theme fills up. There really is no rhyme
or reason as far as I can tell. But regardless of the theme, it is always
filled at least six to eight months before publication and some themes are
filled 4 or 5 years before publication.
KMW: I know interactivity is the major focus of FUN FOR KIDZ, but does an
interactive element help sell any submission to your magazines? What kind
of interactive bits do you like best?
ME: We have one particular writer who happens to be an actor out of NYC
who writes great stories for us. With FUN FOR KIDZ he always comes up with
a neat craft to go with the story. The craft may appeal more to a girl or
more to a boy. Any stories that we get that have a recipe or craft with it
usually get snatched up. I am not as excited about stories that follow
with a puzzle unless it is a unique type of puzzle and certainly nothing
that looks like it is related to school work.
KMW: Are there certain things you really like to see in a nonfiction
submission?
ME: The best way to sell me on a nonfiction submission is to furnish great
photo support. I don’t mean saying in a cover letter that you can furnish
good photo support, I mean sending the photos with the story. If the
photos are great, even if it doesn’t fit a theme, it will be seriously
considered.
KMW: I really appreciate your willingness to take the time to answer our
questions. Let me squeeze in one more. Are there any peeks you can give us
into the future for your magazines? Any changes planned?
ME: At this point the only thing that changes is the theme list. I am
always coming up with new themes. Eventually these will always be
available online once our new web sites are finished.
This page last updated on 01 September 2004
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