Workshops to Explore Publishing for Kids : Seminars will trace how book is produced --from idea to publication. Children will tell writers what they like to read.

If you’ve been wondering about how to pursue the art and craft of writing and illustrating books for children, pencil in the following workshops and seminars.

Two award-winning experts in the field, Jody Fickes of “Adventures for Kids” and author/illustrator Robin Rector Krupp will preside over the third annual “Creating and Sharing Children’s Literature” seminar. Recommended for 8- to 14-year-olds and their parents, the seminar will include a demonstration of how a book is produced from idea to publication by Robin Krupp, whose books include “Get Set to Wreck,” “Let’s Go Traveling” and “The Comet and You,” written with her husband E.C. Krupp, director of Griffith Observatory. Fickes will involve the audience in a discussion of how families can enjoy books together, and writers will learn firsthand from the children what they like to read. It all happens from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday in Guthrie Hall, Ventura College, 4667 Telegraph Road. The fee is $6 a person. Call Margaret Gosfield at 652-7229 for details.

The following Saturday, Feb. 5, also at Ventura College, Joan Prestine will conduct workshops on “How to Write Children’s Picture Books for Fun and Profit” from 9 a.m. to noon, followed by “How to Find a Publisher for a Children’s Book” from 1 to 4 p.m. Each session costs $35. Call 654-6459 for registration information.

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Literary toilers continue to insist that writers are a creative lot and should not have to concern themselves with marketing their work. They distance themselves from the business of publishing, which leads to failure and rejection. “This is a problem for many writers,” says free-lance journalist Patricia Fry, who will conduct a class on “The Business of Writing Nonfiction for Publication.” The class is aimed at individuals who seek to make a living or supplement their income by writing. Fry, an Ojai/Ventura native, has been selling to regional and national magazines for 21 years and says 1993 has been a great year for her. Her books on local history include “An Illustrated History of the Ojai Valley” and “Nordhoff Cemetery: Book One,” profiling Ojai Valley pioneers who were buried in the cemetery between 1876 and 1900. Her “Hints for the Backyard Rider” was published by A.S. Barnes.

The fee is $40 for the four-week class, which begins Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Ojai Art Center, 113 S. Montgomery St. It will cover recognizing article and book ideas; developing one subject into several articles; interviewing; locating the markets; reprint rights; research techniques; record-keeping and taxes. Call 646-3045 for details.

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Words & Images columnist Frances Halpern is an author and radio talk show host. Submit literary events information to her at least two weeks in advance to 5200 Valentine Road, Suite 140, Ventura, 93003. Send faxes to 658-5576.