Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2007    by A & C Black Order:  USA  Can A & C Black, 2006 (2006) Softcover      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson The front cover quotes an endorsement from Meg Cabot, and inside are inspiring essays from such children's literature luminaries as J. K. Rowling, Eoin Colfer, Michelle Paver, Meg Rosoff, and G. P. Taylor. Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook 2007 is the 3rd edition of 'A directory for children's writers and artists containing children's media contacts and practical advice and information'. Interspersed amongst pages of listings for authors and illustrators - of publishers, agents, magazines and newspapers, television, film and radio, theatre, societies and prizes, etc. - are essays offering invaluable advice from people in the know, starting with 10 top tips from senior editor Alison Stanley on Getting Started. Though many listings focus on the British (UK and Ireland) context (e.g for Book Packagers and Income Tax), there's equal or greater coverage of publishers in the US, Canada, and Australia as well. There's advice on writing for boys, for girls, for different age ranges, and on writing humor/horror/historicals for kids. Learn about the editor's job, what's involved in marketing and selling children's books, what it takes to self-publish, and about the US market. There's an FAQ on ISBNs, chapters on copyrights, on online resources, and much, much more. I have to say I enjoyed the author essays most. It's encouraging and inspiring to read How it all began for Eoin Colfer - who writes with his trademark humor about peers making off with his Yearbook 'secreted up their jumpers' and of waiting hopefully 'for the publisher's helicopter to land in the garden.' I doubt that he waits much now. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews