Getting a Children's Book Published

[Nucular]

My mother has written a rather good children's novel - it's aimed at sort of 8-13 kind of ages, and is, I can report, well-written and exciting - and, I think, somewhat unique. You could probably place it in the 'fantasy' range, maybe somewhere over with Beverley Nichols' creepy but gripping stories of magic and spells (in terms of atmosphere more than content) and I think it would probably appeal to boys and girls alike (I keep changing my mind about which group it should appeal to more).

Having spent years writing it and rewriting it, she's currently at that stage of contant disappointment where she sends it to various agents, who send it back almost certainly unread with a very short note that says it's not what they're looking for this time.

It's really frustrating to watch! :(

So I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions or experiences of getting a book published that might help?

[Hydrogen Cyanide]

I have no experience what-so-ever... I am a reader not a writer.

But I did hear one local anecdote: Apparently there was a woman who wrote a very nice novel. She found an agent and was just about to get her novel published when her agent dropped her like a hot potato. Apparently the agent came across someone she liked better --- some guy by the name of Sherman Alexie ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120321/ ).

Publishing is a cold cruel world.

I wish your mom the best of luck.

Oh, oh... just thought of something. I live near a very nice children's book store ( http://www.allforkidsbooks.com/ ). They bring lots of writers into the store for book signings, etc... and the staff know all sorts of things about the authors, and their agents. I love this store --- and when I my kids go to birthday parties I get the gift here because I can walk in and describe the birthday child and then get directed to the appropriate reading material (I am known as the cruel mom who gives books). I also like their Harry Potter release parties (I walked my kids down a dark bicycle trail at midnight for the 5th book).

Suggestion: Have your mom check out your local independent children's bookstore.

[jay gw]

Here's an article on self publishing:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E4DD103EF937A15757C0A9639C8B 63

The article says that self publishing is now expected. If you can't market your own book, who can? The big publishers like Random House want to know if you're able to go out and work it.

And:

Richard Paul Evans originally wrote The Christmas Box to show his two daughters he loved them, and to tell his mother he understood her grief in losing a child. Yet through his persistent determination and marketing genius, Evans parlayed his self-published novel into a $4.25 million advance contract from Simon & Schuster and established himself as one of the most financially successful authors of the '90s.

The Christmas Box made history as the only self-published novel to hit #1 on The New York Times best-seller list as a self-published book. It further set a precedent as the only book to simultaneously hit #1 on The New York Times hardcover and paperback best-seller lists. According to The Wall Street Journal, in 1995, The Christmas Box had the highest one week sales of any book in their list's history.

http://www.writing-world.com/selfpub/box.shtml

[Nucular]

Thanks both, great ideas :)

I have suggested self-publishing before, but she (understandably, imo) feels that she needs some kind of validation of the book by an 'expert' (agent or publisher) before she can have the confidence to go out and do that - not so much because of the financial risk (though money would be a huge obstacle), but much more so that she doesn't end up looking daft in some way. I'll show her the article though.

We'll also look into children's bookshops locally and see if we can gain some opinions or advice.

Great links, thanks!

[jay gw]

I have suggested self-publishing before, but she (understandably, imo) feels that she needs some kind of validation of the book by an 'expert' (agent or publisher) before she can have the confidence to go out and do that

What about publishing a small number and handing them out free to book store owners - if they don't know books, nobody does.

[Beanbag]

Originally posted by Nucular
she (understandably, imo) feels that she needs some kind of validation of the book by an 'expert' (agent or publisher) before she can have the confidence to go out and do that

The publishing experts are (for the most part) looking for something "that fits in our current plans." Translation: we want the next Harry Potter clone. ;)

I would suggest finding a literary agent and working through them. They have entre' into the publisher's world that the average off-the-street first-time author doesn't. Publishers use agents as a prefilter to eliminate the real dogs and to brief the author about the way things are handled in the publishing industry. Fewer unpleasant surprises for the publisher and the author when an agent is involved.

True, you have to pitch yourself and your book to the agent, but they deal with authors all the time and tend to be a little more understanding and patient. The best thing is to approach the agent with the finished first draft in hand. That way, you actually have something tangible, rather than some ideas, an outline, and maybe a few pages of scribblings.

Beanbag

[Mauler]

Getting published is the art of submitting more times than you can find people who say no.

http://www.aar-online.org/mc/page.do
http://www.writers.net/
http://people.clemson.edu/~toddp/ninetips.html

[crimresearch]

Originally posted by Beanbag
The publishing experts are (for the most part) looking for something "that fits in our current plans." Translation: we want the next Harry Potter clone. ;)

I would suggest finding a literary agent and working through them. They have entre' into the publisher's world that the average off-the-street first-time author doesn't. Publishers use agents as a prefilter to eliminate the real dogs and to brief the author about the way things are handled in the publishing industry. Fewer unpleasant surprises for the publisher and the author when an agent is involved.

True, you have to pitch yourself and your book to the agent, but they deal with authors all the time and tend to be a little more understanding and patient. The best thing is to approach the agent with the finished first draft in hand. That way, you actually have something tangible, rather than some ideas, an outline, and maybe a few pages of scribblings.

Beanbag

This jibes with what I observed from a friend of mine, whose struggle to become a repeatedly published author took something on the order of 20 years. And he was a good writer with an excellent command of his subject matter when he started.