I've completed a
few manuscripts that are finally ready for submission. In a previous post, I shared with you my
process for taking my story from draft to manuscript. Today, I will
share with you my process for selecting the right publishing house for a manuscript.
The worst thing you can do
for yourself is to blindly submit to publishers. You can't just submit your manuscript to
every publisher listed. That wastes the
publishers time and your money. So here
are the steps to finding a Children's Book Publisher:
Study the Writer's Market Guide
The best guide
for children's books is the Children's Writers & Illustrators Market. Make a list of the publishers who publishes
your genre (i.e. picture book, mid-grade, or nonfiction). On your list be sure to jot down the name of
the publisher, the submissions editor or Senior Editor's name, and website.
Visit the publisher's website
I do this to get
updated information. The Writer's Market
Guide is published a year or so after compilation so there may be changes to
the information provided in the book.
Check to see whether or not the publisher is accepting manuscripts. If not, cross them off your list.
I also like to
read their "About Us" page. It
gives you a glimpse as to the kinds of books they are publishing.
Request a book catalog from the publisher or visit
Amazon.com
Study the types
of books the publishing house is publishing.
Be sure that your manuscript is a good match for their line of
books. Things to look out for: Do they publish talking animal stories? Do they publish stories with strong
messages? Do they publish books in rhyme? Do they publish humor,
fantasy, or real-life stories? Do they
publish books similar to yours with regards to theme, style, voice, word count? If your manuscript is not a fit, cross out
the publisher from your list.
If you are using
Amazon.com for your research, do an "advance search."
Books Search
| |||||||||||||
If I wanted to place my picture book manuscript with Chronicle Books, this is how my search would like (leave the rest blank):
Publisher: Chronicle kids books.
Subject: Children's books
Reader Age: 4-8 years
Language: English
Sort Results by: Publication date (Sorting your
search by publishing date helps you to
see what the publisher is publishing currently.
Their needs change so what they published 5 years ago may not be what
they are publishing today.)
Follow the submission guidelines
Now that you
have downsized your list, it's time to go back to the website and follow the
publisher's submission guidelines.
Sometimes it is difficult to find it.
It will sometimes be under the "contact" information. If not, you can do a Google search of the
publisher's submission guidelines or editorial guidelines.
Things to look
out for when submitting: Are they
accepting snail mail or e-mail? Do they
require a SASE or not? Do they want a
full manuscript submitted or just a query.
Follow the guidelines exactly or they will reject you without even
reading your manuscript.
Find out who the submission editor is
You probably
have the editor's name listed on your list as I suggested in step one. But be sure it is the right one. Again, the Book Market Guide may have the
wrong information, and in this business, editors come and go.
Do a Google
search on the editor to find out exactly what they are looking for. I usually put quotations around the editor's
name with the word "interview" next to it. Google will give you results of all the
interviews of that editor. By reading
the interviews you will be able to see if your manuscript is still what they
are looking for. Also, you can use the
interview to your advantage and make mention of it in your cover letter. For example:
"In your
interview with (source of interview), you've indicated that you were looking
for fun, quirky picture books. I hope
you find (title) a fit for (publishing house)..."
This shows that
you did your homework and are not submitting blindly to just any
publisher. You should also mention what
you love about the publisher. Mention
some books by the publisher that you admire.
This personalizes your letter to the publisher.
---
This seems like
a lot of effort to go through in finding the right publisher. But in the end, it'll all pay off. If the editor sees that you've done your
homework, the better your chances at being published.
I hope this
helps you. I'd like to hear about your
process in submitting. Please share it
with me in the comment section. Is there
something I need to add to my list? Any
other tips you'd like to share with me? I'm
all ears! I am still learning as much as
you are.
Best wishes to
all your endeavors!
These are some great tips! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYou're welcome Julie!
DeleteFrom reading so many picture books, I do have a list of favorite publishers. Most of them accept unsolicited mss. Some only see agented work. My favorite market guide is Book Markets for Children's Writers. It is smaller than the one you mentioned and has subheadings in the index to search by topic (biographies, history, humor, animals, etc.)
ReplyDeleteAh, yes. Another great resource. Thanks for mentioning BOOK MARKETS FOR CHILDREN'S WRITERS. I did forget to mention that one.
Delete