Getting Your Children's Book Published
Posted: Monday, March 15, 2010
by Terence Tam
Bookpal
Once you've written your first children's book, the next step would be having it published. Just like mainstream book publishing, there is a lot of competition with publishing a children's book so you need to be able to offer something creative and unique to publishing companies that other authors haven't been able to bring to the table.
In getting your children's book ready for publishing, you need to consider the following:
Be certain that there are no errors on your final manuscript, and have someone proofread your final work aside from yourself. In fact, having several people proofread it may be more beneficial.
Page Layout
Make sure your pages are double spaced with a one inch margin all the way around. Each page should not only have the page number, but also the title of the book and your name.
Print Copies
Once you have your manuscript perfected, you need to print out several copies that will ultimately be sent to publishers.
Research Available Publishers
Spend some time researching the available publishers, and plan to contact only the ones who publish children's books. Find a publisher willing to take a chance on a new writer. This can prove to be frustrating as the publishing market is inundated with children's book authors. The best thing is to do your homework first. Know about the publishers you are sending your work to. What do they typically look for when selecting a children's book to publish? Familiarize yourself as well with the company's submission requirements.
Write a Cover Letter
Write a compelling cover letter as to why they should consider your book and what sets it apart from others. Remember this will be the first impression, so make it good.
Send Out Your Manuscript
Once you have done your homework, start sending out your book to potential publishers. For first time authors, it is probably best to stick to smaller publishing houses or local companies. With each manuscript that you send, make sure you follow each publisher's requirements to the letter. Send your manuscript to each publisher, making sure that you address the envelope according to the guidelines.
Keeping Track
Keep a record as to which publishers you've written, the date, and other pertinent information. Once several months have passed since you sent the original manuscript, you can write a brief, polite letter informing them you sent a manuscript and you hope they'd received it. In order to make correspondence easier, include a self addressed stamped envelope.
Now the hardest part is the waiting. Publishers get thousands of manuscripts every day from known authors as well as unknown authors. Be patient if you don't hear anything at first. If you have a good story, you will eventually get a reply.
If it takes a while, don't become discouraged. The publishers have many manuscripts to read, but in the meantime you can continue to send out manuscripts to other publishing companies in hopes of one of them finding interest in your book.
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Top-level comments on this article: (10 total)Terence,great instructions, good encouragement, Thank youHi Jose,You are welcome and I'm glad you are encouraged by the information contained on this article!Terence
Great ideas - I have many, many kid's stories - some written and some still in my "to do" folders on the desktop....THANKS!Wow, i didn't know you love writing children's stories too Marijo... Hooray to you! May I suggest you go on with publishing them. I am sure they are great as you are really good with your other stories. I always enjoyed reading your articles here in searchwarp. I am sure parents and children will love your stories!!!TerenceThanks for the encouragement! Right now I am taking a little time off from all writing and getting things done around the house.... we are getting more snow today too maybe the most at one time for the whole winter so far! I have posted many Children's Stories on Faith Writers and My Pet Tales.Our weather here in Australia is the complete opposite! The summer just started and oh my, temperature's getting really high.I would really encourage you to get all your children's stories published someday so children across the globe get the chance to read them too!Terence
Terence,Wonderful information, thank you so much for this article. I have thought about writing a book for children, and this is very helpful. Thank you.Thank you too Kim for your kind words. It feels great being able to help other writers even in simple, little ways such as sharing this article.About your thoughts on writing a children's book, go with it. We need more books in this genre nowadays and it would be wonderful if you can share with parents and children alike your stories that may help mold our young ones.Wishing you the best with your book,Terence
Thanks for the opportunity to review your article. I found it to be well-balanced between outlining the real challenges of getting published and still providing hope for new authors. Take care, LindaYou are welcome Linda. I'm happy to know you find it informative and insightful especially for new authors. Thanks!Terence
Very useful for me as I've just been asked as a profesisonal editor to help someone who's written a kids' story and it's not a field I'm particularlu experienced inGreat to know this article is quite useful for your job Alison! Thank you for the time well-spent on reading this. You may be interested as well to read other articles I posted here in Searchwarp about book writing and publishing too!Regards,Terence
This article is good, down-to-earth practical advice. Thanks Terrence!You are welcome Jennifer... Happy to know you find the article practical and helpful!Bests,Terence
Interesting article, Terence. Although I haven't written any children's books, I have two historical fiction books published and am working on another. I lost faith in my traditional publisher and will probably self-publish my next book. Thanks for sharing a great article.SandraThank you Sandra for the time spent reading my article and pretty glad you find it interesting!True, you can always try self publishing your book and there are companies offering such services. You may like to check out Bookpal website to get a quote in getting your book published internationally. You can do your homework then and compare prices with other firms before making any commitment to any of them. Wishing you success as you get your books published!Regards,Terence
Thank you for sharing this Terence, this is something that has always interested me but never got round to checking it out. So glad I opened up the article to read. Again thank youKeepw wellKacyYou are most welcome Kacy! I am glad you get around in reading this article and get interested with the information and advices outlined. I hope it inspires you to get your book published soon!Cheers.Terence
This is a very useful article Terence and I wish you well with your publishing house, Leah
ps. Maybe searchwarp can put some sort of book together at some point (with permission of all contributers of course) as a keepsake for members. Something for Bruce and his team to consider?Thank you Leah! I am pleased to know that you find this article very useful!You have a good idea right there. Maybe it is possible in the future.Cheers,Terence
Thank you for sharing this information. It is good encouragement.Thank you Jenn! I am glad to know you are encouraged by the information found in the article.Bests,Terence
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