Guys and Dolls

To date, I have never once attempted to get anything professionally published--I just write for fun, I write for me, and I write for YWS (because you know you are my addiction).

BUT...I have recently decided to venture into the world of publication. Most of you don't know this because there is no good place to post them on the site, but I write children's books as well as poetry, short-fiction, and novels. I have this one children's story that every time I read I love it more and more called Three Penguins and a Pearl (TPP, because I'm lazy). This I am to publish.

So, from here on I need some advice:

1. I am in need of an illustrator. I am an okay artist, but for this I feel like my mediocre drawings will not suffice. What do I do to accomplish this? Is that my responsibility or the publishing companies responsibility?

2. How do I even go about finding a publisher? Do I look locally or do I go to a big popular company first?

3. What do I do to get them to publish my book (after I find "them", of course)?? A.k.a., how do I 'audition' my book?

I'm honestly not quite sure about the illustrator, though if I had to guess, I would say the publisher would do it (but don't quote me on that.)

As for being published, first you have to decide whether you want an agent, or just go for a publisher. I'm doing the same thing right now, and, personally, I decided to go for an agent. They definitely lighten the load, and it's hard to deal with the publisher yourself. They'll make sure they get you the best deal, and a lot of times have special admissions privileges (such as being able to send a full manuscript when just an author can only send a partial.) If you want an agent, if you go to sites like www.agentquery.com, it will give you agents for the field you write, and will tell you how to submit to them. If you want to look for publishers, I would suggest the writer's market, and it is the same general idea. Anyway, I hoped this helped!!

Agent....I must pay this agent, right? How does that work?

I don't think you have to pay agents. They just get a percent of the profits, or a lump-sum of money for getting your book published

No, some agents don't expect you to pay them, but if your work gets published they take a percerntage of the profits, well I have been looking into Agents and that would appear to be the way they work. I think getting an Agent would take a load off your back as they do all the hard work

Meevs
x

Sorry, I should have mentioned that. oops. Anyway, an agent WILL NOT ask you for money up front. In fact, if they do, don't send your work to them, because it's a sign that its some kind of scam. They will profit from selling your book, just like you will. They will take a percentage, I believe the going rate right now is 10-15%.

snap wrote:Sorry, I should have mentioned that. oops. Anyway, an agent WILL NOT ask you for money up front. In fact, if they do, don't send your work to them, because it's a sign that its some kind of scam. They will profit from selling your book, just like you will. They will take a percentage, I believe the going rate right now is 10-15%.

Exactly right.

Cool. So how do I go about getting an agent? Do I just email them like "Yo dawg, u wanna b my agent homie?" (Mm I like being dramatic) or is there a process to it?

Yes, there is a process. You have to find agents that specialise in your genre of writing, ie. fantasy, crime, romance etc. You then send them a query letter for your book, as you would a publisher. It is quite important to send a query letter before the whole manuscript, as most agents, unless otherwise specified, will just send a manuscript back if they haven't asked to see it.

I've put three links to agent listings, one for the UK, one for the US, and one for the rest of the world:

UK Agents

US Agents

Rest of the World

Each agent has a specification of what they want to be sent to them. Unsolicited MSS are manuscripts that you send without sending a query letter first.

Well, good luck, I hope this helped. Let us know about any progress!

-Kaz

What do you write in your query letter normally? Like, what kind of info? What's the purpose?

Agent Query

This has all the necessary info you'll need on submitting a query to an agent. It should come in handy.

-Kaz

Thank you so much! You have been ridiculously helpful!

Lol, no problem! Remember to tell us when you get some news!

Haha I will. Right now I'm trying to decide about the query letter--because it's a children's book and it isn't ridiculously long, so the synopsis really doesn't need an entire paragraph. Hmm..

The Children's Writers' and Artists' Yearbook 2007

I have the general (ie. non-Children fiction) 2006 copy, and 'tis full of loads of useful advice, and tells you the publishing process.

Although, that book is designed for UK writers, so most publishers/agents in there work within the UK. If you don't live in Britain, you can get exactly the same sort of book wherever you live.