Each year, I make a point of including an editor-author in the Kidlit Haha Week line-up because, for me, so much funny gets added in the editing phase. You’ll be surprised where asking, Can this be funnier, will take you. I know I always am.
I heard Frances Gilbert’s presentation, ‘There Are No Rules,’ a few years back and just knew she’d have some great nuggets to share. Without further ado, here’s Frances.
So excited to have you joining us this year, Frances. What are some of the reasons a funny manuscript might catch your eye but not get acquired?
Sometimes there’s a manuscript that I admire but for some reason it isn’t a good fit for my list. For instance, I might already have a similar book in the works or on my backlist, or my colleagues at other imprints at Random House Children’s Books might have published a book that is too alike.
What does your editing process after acquiring a funny picture book look like? Can you walk us through your thought process?
The first thing I do before editing a picture book manuscript is paginate it, at either 32 or 40 pages.
Particularly with a funny manuscript, it’s important to think about the timing on each page. Are the jokes landing well? Are we giving too little or too much space to a certain joke or idea?
Once the book is broken out by pages, I spend more time on the more granular elements of the text, asking questions such as “Can this joke be funnier?” or “Can this word be funnier?” Generally speaking, with humorous stories, I’m always wondering how we can push the humor more. That’s a fun thing to get into with the author.
What is the most difficult thing about editing funny picture books? Is there a book (or series) that you’ve edited that was more difficult than the others?
Sometimes it can be more of a challenge when most or all of the story is in dialogue or speech bubbles. That’s because a picture book is a physical thing, and you have to be able to imagine what the illustrator might eventually create on that page and think through how the dialogue will all work with the art. I’m not remotely discouraging people from writing in this manner; it’s just that as an editor I have to look at it in a different way.
And sometimes the author has tried to do too much on one page, perhaps asking that the character engage in several different actions all in one scene to try to create some kind of funny chaos. I always stop when I see art notes from the author that say something like “The main character walks across the room and opens the door, then goes outside and picks up a duck who says to him . . .” and I think “How do you imagine this is all happening on one page?”
One of the notes I write the most in manuscript critiques is “You’re not storyboarding a film. This is a static page.”
As a writer, it’s important to think about how your story is going to play out scene by scene.
How has editing funny books influenced writing your own funny manuscripts?
I love thinking about comic timing. So when I was writing my own very silly picture book, Too Much Slime!, I enjoyed playing with where a page-turn would land, or how a call-back might be used well, or where an aside to the reader might be wry and funny.
I had a good time poking at my manuscript to see how I could add in more laughs on every page.
What is something you wish writers today knew about writing humor?
That if you’re not at all funny you shouldn’t try to write humor. I’ve published many funny writers, such as Dev Petty, Mike Boldt, Tammi Sauer, and Alex Willan, so I get a lot of submissions from agents who say things like “I know you’ll love this hilarious story.” And almost all of the time, I find myself thinking “This story is many things, but hilarious isn’t one of them.” My only real rule is that a funny manuscript has to make me laugh involuntarily, out loud. If it doesn’t do that, I’m not acquiring it. And the truth is, it’s a high bar.
I think it’s easy to study funny picture books and see that a story arc evolves in a certain way, or an author has used certain funny tropes. And I think writers sometimes think they can take these ideas and make a sort of framework and pop in their own story and characters. And when that happens, the result is often a text that LOOKS like a humorous manuscript but in fact is not at all funny, because the actual WORDS aren’t funny. It can’t be formulaic. I can spot that in the first paragraph.
But the upside is that when I DO receive a truly funny manuscript, it’s a wonderful moment. A huge smile spreads across my face and I know I’ve found my next project.
That’s how I felt when I first read the pitch for author Bill Canterbury’s new series, My Life Is Weird, which launched April 1st with My Mom Is a Mermaid! and My Dad Is a Unicorn!. Bill is a former writer for “The Simpsons”, and he packed every page with so many jokes and ridiculous moments. Anyone looking to learn how to write funny picture books should study these. I still laugh every time I read them!
Frances is giving away one copy of MY MOM IS A MERMAID! and MY DAD IS A UNICORN! (US ONLY)
To enter, comment below with what you find most difficult when writing and/or illustrating your funny books before April 7, 2025 12pm ET.
FRANCES GILBERT is a children’s book editor and author living in Brooklyn, NY. She is the author of the picture books Can You Hug a Forest?, Go, Girls, Go!, Too Much Slime!, and I Will Always Be Your Bunny and the Step Into Reading easy readers I Love Pink!, I Love My Tutu!, I Love My Grandma!, I Love Cake!, and I Love My Teacher!
This has been a terrific week – culminating with Francis Gilbert. Can we be any funnier? My grandson always suggested adding an exploding helicopter…
Thank you for this post, Frances! It is always so interesting to peek into an editor’s thought process. I like to write non-fiction and informational fiction picture books, and am trying to learn how to include humor so they are as fun to read as they are informational. You post will help me become more intentional about the comedic timing in my stories.
I can’t thank you enough for this extremely helpful post; I took a lot of notes. The work you create and edit all sound amazing and I would very much love to study Bill Canterbury’s new series. I always gravitate toward writing humor and I think the difficulty I have you have helped me put my finger on. When I’m writing, I usually see the story develop like watching a cartoon in my head, so when I write, I put too many actions into each scene and didn’t realize I was hindering my work’s illustration capabilities! People usually ask me if I see my picture books as graphic novel style, and your post has helped this all click for me. It also helps seeing format in spreads of your work showing that multiple things can happen on a page, but there is a very clear way of doing that well instead of jumbling too much at once. The other issue I have is that I would love to also be my own illustrator, but I have early arthritis, and it makes that task too painful for me to be able to fully develop a project as an author/illustrator and to make dialogue stories a clearer vision to submit all at once. Thank you so much and I wish you all the best!
Great post! Thank you, Frances. The hardest thing about writing humor is that humor is subjective.
Excellent post! Thank you, Frances. The most challenging aspect for me is comprehending how to enter the mind of a child. What I found amusing at the age of 8 is entirely different from how I perceive humor now at the age of 28.
This is super helpful to read! Thanks for the great info!
I think what I find most difficult as a writer-only is trying to make a joke that requires an art note.
Thank you, Frances, for an informative and helpful post! When writing humorous picture books I find it easy to get carried away by the fun external elements of the story. So revision always includes making sure I have a strong internal arc and emotional connection.
Thanks for your tips. It’s a great reminder to know you are not writing film and to not put too much action that can’t fit onto a spread. I can’t wait to check out this new series.
I find it difficult to add the heart, even if it’s a little bit. To go funny and then bring it down to a heart moment can be hard.
Thank you for this post and an inspirational week of funny. Writing humor is hard. A funny premise, perfect pacing, and enough tension are all challenging. Hats off to all who can do it! (PS Francis’ selfie also made me smile.)
Thank you for the helpful post =)
Great advice! Generally speaking, with humorous stories, I’m always wondering how we can push the humor more.
Thank you, Frances. This was fun. I want to enhance the humor. Kick it up a notch.
Great post! What I find difficult is whether others will find my humor as hilarious as I do! Some of my critique partners do not share my sense of humor!
Love this post! So many helpful tips, especially recommended reading — My Mom is a Mermaid and My Dad is a Unicorn are in my cart.
I’m working on the second book in a lower middle grade series and keeping the humor consistent and kid-friendly is the biggest challenge. It’s hard to find that voice again. Plus, some things that I find are hilarious, won’t necessarily resonate with children or even fit with the personalities of the characters. It’s hard to cut those scenes, but I’m pretty sure I’m the only one laughing at them 😐
Thank you for your insight! I think the hardest part for me is balancing humor and heart. Sometimes I can have so much fun with humor that it takes away from the character arc. It’s also a challenge to write stories with universal humor. I often recruit my kids to read the stories I write. They are brutal critics and will be the first one to tell me when they don’t think parts are funny.
I can orally tell a story and get a laugh. Trying to write that story with the same results is much harder. When speaking, you fit your story to the audience, taking clues according to their response. Writing a picture book, the audience is much larger and definitely requires a different approach and mind set. Figuring out that approach can be a challenge.
Ah, Frances is such a smarty pants! I loved this interview. I would say for me, what you find most difficult when writing a funny manuscript is knowing if a joke is something only I would find funny. It’s part (but only part) of why a great critique group is invaluable.
Thank you for the fantastic insights! I think the most difficult part of writing a funny book is nailing the ending for that last big laugh or twist that will make the reader want to read it again.
Humor is incredibly subjective. I worry that my particular sense of humor might not appeal to a broad enough audience.
An excellent interview—thank you! What I find challenging when writing humor is getting unbiased responses. My critique partners know I’m being funny (or trying to be 🙂 and they get my deadpan or sarcastic story lines. It’s helpful if I can find objective readers who are not familiar with my writing to get their reactions.
Thank you, Frances. I love your comment on checking whether we’ve given too much or too little space to a joke or idea. For me the hardest part is the time it takes to find something that’s funny and wondering if I ever will. Cue the positive self talk and thinking of past humor success.
I love the advice “if you’re not at all funny, you shouldn’t try to write humour.” Thanks for the great article!
Thanks for the perspective. The challenge for me is what I find humorous might fall flat with a kid.
“if you’re not at all funny you shouldn’t try to write humor”
I agree that studying funny books and plunking your characters into a combined framework reads as formulaic, but I’m wondering if you think one can back up a step and learn to be funny before attempting to write. That is, are there any books on the art of humor that could materially improve the foundation for inspiring a huge smile across your face?
I’m curious about the layering of humor that adult readers may respond to with the jokes that will land with kids. I really appreciate read-alouds that can land with both.
I THINK I’m funny, but often wonder if I’m that person on the early seasons of American Idol that thought they were the best singer even and in reality…not even close. So the hardest part is probably getting past the doubts and trying anyway.