Researching publishers should be a one-step process, but it’s not. Using the CHILDREN’S WRITER’S AND ILLUSTRATOR’S MARKET used to be the only thing I looked at to research publishers. It’s great in that it gave me an overview of each publisher all in one book for easy reference. But the advice I kept hearing was, “always refer to the publisher’s website for updates and current needs” and “always study the kinds of books they publish.” So now I have a different approach that works for me. Below is my 10-step process to finding the right publishers for my manuscript.
Step 1: I browse through bookstores and libraries to read as many books as a can in my genre: picture books for ages 4-8.
Step 2: When I run into a book similar to my style of writing, I jot down the publisher of that book in my notebook.
Step 3: I Google and find the publisher’s website and study its contents to get an idea of who they are and the kinds of books they are looking for.
- about us
- recently published books
- their catalogue
-submission guidelines
Step 4: I request a copy of the catalogue, if available.
Step 5: I record the title and author of the other books in my genre that they recently published.
Step 6: I print out their submission guidelines and “about us” for my file, which I place in a binder, organized alphabetically.
Step 7: I go back to the bookstore and library and read the books that I listed from step 5 to
read more of their books similar to mines.
Step 8: I narrow down my publisher list to those that my manuscript is best suited for.
Step 9: I cross-check the submission guidelines and the publisher’s current needs to the ones printed in the CHILDREN’S WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS MARKET.
Step 10: I rewrite my cover letter or query and personalize it to each publisher.
Lastly, I prepare my manuscript package for submission & PRAY!
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