What is a Picture Book Dummy?
A book dummy consists of sixteen blank pieces of paper stapled together along one short end. Pages are numbered from one to thirty-two (using back and front of each piece of paper.) Page one will act as your title page. Page four is where the first words (or picture) of your story appear, and page thirty-two is where the last words (or picture) of your story appear. Some authors, when making a dummy, use page thirty-two for supplemental or “about the author” material. Using that approach, you will start the story on Page four, and end the story on page thirty-one, giving you only twenty-eight pages over which your story must play out.
Unless you are an author/illustrator, your book dummy isn’t something that you submit to editors. The book dummy is for your benefit. Its purpose is as follows:
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To help you understand the physical boundaries into which your story must fit.
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To help you understand page-turns, and the importance of “hook.”
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To help you visualize how your words might lend themselves to illustration
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To help you develop a sense of pacing to the emotional arc of your story
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To help you successfully revise and edit your story.
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To help you evaluate your ending
Constructing the Dummy
You will need:
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16 sheets of 8.5”x11” plain white paper
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Stapler
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Black marker or ink pen
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Pencil
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One or two copies of your manuscript in large font. (Try 16pt font)
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Scissors
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Glue stick (try 3M brand restickable glue stick)
Take sixteen sheets of 8.5”x11” plain white paper and staple along one short end.
Number each page from one to thirty-two.
Go through your manuscript and mark up your story (using pencil) into 15-28 segments. Make a conscious decision about where you think the breaks should occur. Your criteria should be where the “hook” occurs (where you envision the page turn.) Once you are satisfied, cut out the segments. These segments will be glued into the book dummy.
On page one, paste your title.
On page four, paste your first story segment. On page thirty-one or thirty-two, paste your last story segment. Now go through the book dummy and decide where to paste the remaining story segments. Some things to keep in mind:
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Some pages may work better with a double-page picture layout.
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You may not need text on every page. Some pages may work better with illustration alone.
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Think about the parent reading aloud to the child, are there too many words on a page?
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Think about the story-arc and how your lay-out of the text may affect it.
Editing on the Book Dummy
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After you feel satisfied with the text lay-out, go through and read the story out loud, using the book dummy. Pay attention to what happens when you turn each page. Are you turning the page simply because the text ended, or is there a hook that causes you to want to find out what happens next? Ideally, each page turn completes a scene, with the child and parent both wondering, “what’s going to happen next?”
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At each page where text appears, can you imagine what the illustration might look like? The words in the text should lend themselves to illustration; 99% of the time, you as the author shouldn’t feel the need to parenthetically note what the illustration should look like.
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Think about sensory elements with the text. Do you use all of the senses? It’s most common to use sight words, but look to see if there are places where you could draw upon the other senses for better effect. Children love words that help them to imagine what something sounds or smells like.
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When you read your story aloud, listen carefully for pacing. Is there anything that bogs down the action of your story?
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When you read the end of your story, imagine yourself closing the book. Was there an emotional impact to the story? Was the ending satisfying?
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Make notes about what you need to revise as you read through the book dummy. You may need to read the dummy several times to catch everything.
Final Notes
Remember that the book dummy is for your benefit; you won't submit it to an editor, nor will you indicate on your completed manuscript where you think the story segments occur. (It will be apparent to the editor because you will have excellent hooks to keep the story moving forward.) You'll use what you've learned from editing on the book dummy to improve your manuscript, and then you will submit your polished manuscript, allowing the story to stand on its own.
The market for picture books is highly competitive. Honing your craft and submitting your very best work will help an editor see that you are professional. Using a book dummy as part of your revision process will help you create a stronger and more dynamic story, one that will hold a child's interest and stand up to being read again and again.
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