How do you go about getting a childrens book published?

Question

Being a preschool teacher for 4 years I made books for my class. They were very usefull and everyone keeps telling me I should get them published. How do I go about doing that?
Thanks in advance for all you help:)

Answer 1

If you want to get it published soon, self-publishing is an option. A reputable Print On Demand publisher is http://www.lulu.com - you're in charge of everything from layout to marketing, though. But you pay nothing unless you want to order your own book. Also, you keep your copyrights.

For a list of children's book publishers, you can go to this website: http://www.cbcbooks.org/about/memberslistA-G.html
This is a list of publishers who are members of the Children's Book Council. (There are heaps more, but it's a place to start!)The ones that say they DON'T take unsolicited manuscripts - that means you would need an agent if you wanted to submit to them. The ones that take unsolicited manuscripts generally require you to send a query and proposal or the entire manuscript if it's a pre-K book.

Waiting time for a response can be anywhere from 3 months to a year, and they frown upon simultaneous submissions (meaning you send the same manuscript out to different publishers at the same time). For the traditional publishing route, you must have incredible patience - and even then you may not hear back from the publisher unless they are interested.

To find a good agent, you would want to find books that are similar to what you have written, contact those authors and ask them about their agents. You want to find an agent with a good reputation. You never should be paying anything upfront.

Good luck!! I'm a certified professional nanny, and I'll be submitting several different manuscripts this year, too.

Answer 2

Candy, You'll need to get a copy of Writer's Market 2009 and look up agents that represent children's books. I'll give you a little insight on that. It's not easy to get them published unless you're a celebrity of some kind. It's sad but true. If you find an agent in the book, you'll need to write him/her a query letter explaining what you have with a little synopsis included. Make sure your letter is free of any errors in spelling or grammar. You can get samples of query letters on the internet. Good luck! PJ M

Answer 3

Get a copy of Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market 2007
(http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Writers-Illustrators-Market-2007/dp/1582974357/sr=8-3/qid=1168397130/ref=sr_1_3/002-5651246-3013608?ie=UTF8&s=books).

Also, try to find an agent who works well with you. Make sure you do some research on him/her, though, because not all agents are equal.

Good luck!