Hi all,I have been writing children's short stories over the years and have been encouraged to attempt publication. I have no idea how the business works so can anyone give me some guidance please.

Some questions I have are:-
Do I send off the stories to 20 publishers without any personal contact?
Do I go to an agent?
Do I self publish (whatever that is) or are there other methods available?
I have not had the stories illustrated yet, should I do that first?
My aim, if I take the effort to try to have something published is to sell many books and enjoy others reading them. I need some good basic information to get started, many thanks for any help.

Vaughan.

Hi Vaughan, and welcome to WW.

You could get hold of the Children's edition of the Writer's and Artist's Yearbook, which is full of good information about lots of this stuff.

These are my take on your questions - others will be along shortly, I'm sure.

Do I send off the stories to 20 publishers without any personal contact?

Yes, unless you decide to try for an agent first.

Do I go to an agent?

With children's it's not essential, but they will have the personal contacts you don't have - knowing which editors will be interested, knowing how to pitch it, perhaps helping you to refine it (beyond the point that you thought was perfect and finished , because you didn't submit it till then) so it's even more saleable; knowing how the trade works and negotiating with the trade from a position of knowledge and experience.

Some publishers (though fewer in Children's) only take submissions from agents, not direct from writers, so an agent opens those door for you. In the long term, a good agent who loves your work, can perhaps help you develop it further, and is committed to you in the long term is the nearest thing you'll have to a best friend in the trade.

The downside of getting an agent is finding an agent - they only take on writers they think they can sell, because that's how they live, and it's always possible that they turn you down, when a publisher would have taken you on - and it's not uncommon in children's, especially, to get interest from a publisher and then get an agent on the back of that. And of course they take 15% commission.

Because an agent will be less interested in your work if you've already been rejected by publishers (those publishers are no longer an option, IYSWIM), it would be usual to try agents first - they will always ask who's already seen it, and you need to be honest about that. But there's no law about it.

Do I self publish (whatever that is) or are there other methods available?

Not if you want to be paid rather than paying, to publish a professionally-produced book to be available in shops and all online outlets, with editorial, publicity, marketing and sales backing, and the possibility of selling international rights (very important, I gather, if you're writing picture books as they're so expensive to produce that it's hard to get them taken on unless they can be published in translation in lots of places)

I have not had the stories illustrated yet, should I do that first?

Generally, publishers prefer to choose their own illustrators. Unless you know a professional illustrator who wants to collaborate with you, and you can sell a real project together, you as the writer would just sell the text.

My aim, if I take the effort to try to have something published is to sell many books and enjoy others reading them.

The many books thing is the great imponderable, isn't it... You will almost always do that better through the conventional channels, than self-publishing: the rare, runaway success is vastly outweighed by the hundreds of thousands who sell hundreds of books. It's easy enough to produce books, and now to make them available. What's hard is getting people to want to buy them.

I need some good basic information to get started, many thanks for any help.

This is Children's WAAYB:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Childrens-Writers-Artists-Yearbook-2012/dp/1408140063

(not sure when 2013 will come out - but libraries often have this)

and this isn't so much focused on Children's, but is the best guide I know to the practicalities of getting published and the publishing trade, from the author's point of view:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Writers-Artists-Yearbook-Getting-Published/dp/1408128950


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The other thing I meant to say - and there are lots of others on WriteWords who know MUCH more about this than I do, is that the children's market is very stratified into known segments, depending on the age of the child it's aimed at: subjects, length, reading-level, how much and what kind of illustrations, and so on. It's one thing an agent might help with, but you do need to be working within those boundaries from the off, if the trade's going to be interested.

You might find Nicola Morgan's blog useful - she's a hugely experienced writer for all ages of child, and a goldmine of practical advice. This is the children's-and-YA bit:

http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Children%27s%20and%20teenage%20writing

Thanks that's very much appreciated it's a great help to get me started.
Cheers Vaughan

You're welcome, Vaughan. Best of luck with it!

Hi Vaughan, I think Emma's advice is excellent. What age group do you write for?

Do drop in on the Children's group (on the groups list, top left of the page) if you'd like to shoot the breeze with other children's writers.

Hi Vaughan, Children's is a very active and helpful group, do join. Emma's advice is good, I would just add that there is hardly any market in conventional publishing for children's short stories (as opposed to picture books - picture books is a pretty tough market too, but see this excellent blog: http://picturebookden.blogspot.co.uk/ )so be aware of that as you write.

Hi Vaughan,

You've had some great advice here. I'd just add that it's true, the market for children's short fiction is not great. But there are some magazines you could try which take short stories. Play around with the Search facility at Duotrope.com; you'll find several paying markets for children's fiction. Probably the top one is the Cricket Magazine Group - but beware, competition is fierce!

Also, think about joining SCWBI: http://britishscbwi.jimdo.com/. They're great for writers trying to break in.

Terry

Thanks again presently the books are for say 2-6 year olds and I will take you advise and have a look at the childrens group.
Cheers Vaughan

Hi Terry thanks for the advise that all looks good will examine further. Cheers Dave

This might sound a little presumptuous for me to say this but I hope you have been reading some children's stories as this gives you a flavour of what they want and explored with them to find out their tastes - it is after all part of your market research for although you might well have a brilliant children's story and I am sure you have but literature is like fashions, they go in and out so while you may have sent it to a publisher, there is always the danger that he or she may say that this particular trend is not selling so well or outdated so keep abreast if that does not sound pornographic, of what appeals to publishers. Finding an agent may not be a bad idea while not essential but they can find out what is selling and what is not.

Hi Vaughan,

I host the Childrens' Writers' Group and you'd be very welcome to drop in there, where there are people with lots of experience of submitting children's stuff to both agents and publishers (with some success), and also self-publishing.

If you sign up on here, you can join more than one group, and there is a new group devoted to self-publishing.

Look forward to getting to know you and your work



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but I'd advise you to sign up quickly because the group is often full because it's very active! We can chat over your questions at more leisure there, with people who've been down the same road you're about to embark on. And hopefully you can learn from our mistakes

just give us a shout if you need help navigating the site

HI Vaughan

Hope to meet you in Children's soon and that you enjoy WW