How does one get published?

I’ve been thinking of finally writing some original short children’s stories that I have told to my kids over the years. I’m am completely in the dark regarding publishing original works so I could certainly use some guidance. How does somebody get published? What are the pitfalls to watch out for? Any helpful links?

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

One prays. Really hard.

One doesn’t. One writes and polishes. One researches the LMP and the Literary Market. One gives one’s writing to a friend whose an editor to make sure one’s work is as technically correct as possible. One targets agents and publishers who are receptive to one’s genre.

One rushes to the mailbox with high hopes and one receives rejections with dismaying regularity. One never even gets one’s manuscript read, much less accepted. One becomes very bitter. One drinks oneself into liver failure.
Or so one’s heard.

That should read “LMP and Writer’s Market” LMP being The Literary Market Place.

Find a book company (s) that you think would best fit the story.

Get thee to the book store and read Writer’s Market for children’s literature ( or something like that).

Write a snappy, but not too peppy query letter (Dear Mr. Book Publisher, this is a heart felt story I have told my children and many other children over the years about the perils of running iwth scissors…)

Send it in.

Keep sending it in until accepted.

( I have three children’s stories that I’ve written everyone loves but I don’t know anything about illustration and copyright stuff. I suppose if I weren’t addicted to SDMB, I could actually find this information out on some place called the WEB or visit some ancient building called a Library.)

Oh, wiping your query letter with some kind of crack and coke might help. I hear that’s how Stephen king got noticed. :slight_smile:

If you run out of patience waiting for someone to realize how great your work is, try iUniverse. Two friends of mine have published there, and one of them has since had quite a bit of recognition and published several more books.

The internet is a marvelous thing!

One can eventually get published if one is bloody lucky and if one has talent. Hopefully one has both.

Research, research and research your potential market. Do not send HP knockoffs to Bloomsbury FI. Look at who sells the kind of stuff you write. Network, network, network if you possibly can. Selling unagented kidslit is very difficult. Getting an agent is very hard, possibly harder than getting published.

NEVER pay an agent to read your work. It’s OK to pay an editor for a manuscript appraisal (and probably a good idea to do) but the mantra is the money flows to the author - the author does not pay the agent or the publisher until the book is published or contracted.

Release any idea of becoming wealthy and receiving the adulation of millions. It’s rare to have this happen. Accustom oneself to the idea that authors must do publicity.

But mostly research and pray. Our household is currently accepting prayers on the subject of a book which has been sitting with a publisher for several months now. On the one hand she’s paying for an outside reader but on the other hand, she hasn’t contracted the book… this is book number 14.

Shirley drop me an email if you want to know more about illustration and copyright.