Houts explains children’s literature writing process to St. Marys Rotarians

St. Marys Rotarians saw a glimpse inside the life of awardwinning author Michelle Houts during their regular Zoom meeting on Wednesday.

Houts, a Pennsylvania native who moved to Ohio when was 4 years old, has authored a dozen books for young readers, ranging from picture books to middlegrade novels.

Houts works out of a oneroom schoolhouse built in 1894 — formerly called the Landfair

School — located at the corner of Frahm Pike and Erastus Durbin Road near Bursville in western Mercer County. After spending four years renovating the schoolhouse, it has been Houts’ office and workplace since renovations were done to it in 2016.

“Children’s publishing industry is a $2 billion industry in the U.S. and children’s books take up about 29% market share of all of the publishing in the United States,” she informed Rotarians. “There are lots of children’s publishers out there and lots are making money.”

Houts is a traditional publishing author who writes and sends manuscript publishers, which allows Houts to write a book without having to pay for it to be published.

Houts’ first novel, “The Beef Princess of Practical County” was a middle-grade book for children ages 9 to 12 or third through eighth grade. She described fictional Practical County much like Mercer County and the 2009 published book was set in Indi

ana.

“I wrote it and I really did not want to go the self-publishing route and it got picked up by Random House [Children’s Books] in New York,” she added. “So I was really thrilled that that got me launched in the traditional publishing direction.”

Houts said authors are paid two ways, by advance and through royalties.

For advance against royalties, a publisher will pay the author if they like the manuscript and there is a guarantee that the author will work with that publisher and its editors. Advances can range anywhere between $5,000 to $20,000 and novel advances start at $7,500.

“You usually get half of it [the advance] upon signing the contract and then the other half upon turning in the final manuscript when all the editing is done,” Houts said. “The author does not see the royalties until the publisher makes back the advance.”

While “The Beef Princess of Practical County” has earned its advance, Houts’ 2014 novel, “Winterfrost,” is still working out of its advance. The author added that she gets anywhere from 8% to 12% of the cover price of a book. She explained that if it is a picture book, the illustrator is also earning money from the book sales, as well as an art director, marketing and a publicist.

“So that $16.99 cover price for a hardback children’s book is being spread out over a lot of different people,” Houts added.

Houts said the greatest part of her income is from speaking engagements, including teacher conferences, book signings and school assemblies, and although COVID has also eliminated those events for Houts, the author added that she and other authors have been trying to reinvent their presentations and figure out how to hold those presentations virtually.

The disappearance of bookstores has also made it hard for authors such as Houts as she explained how she occasionally has to go to Columbus to supply schools in that area with her books as well as sign copies before they are shipped. But, she noted, news in the last two years has shown a glimmer of hope as independent bookstores are reinventing themselves as a coffee shop, a WiFi hub or a place to hold events.

“Up until 2020 when all of that ended, I was making more speaking than I was on advances and royalties,” Houts added. “And I am starting to get invitations to speak at schools and so workshops vitally, but we are hoping that by next fall we can get back into a little bit more of a regular schedule in the schools, libraries and festivals.”

To check out more information on Houts and her books, visits MichelleHouts.com