How to publish a children's book?

Question

I am in the process of writing my first children's book. It is non-fiction.....and I want to use photographs that I have found on the internet. My dream is to have it published by Scholastic, Inc. My questions are these: what is the process of publishing? What is a good way to get my manuscript to Scholastic? How do I gain legal rights to the photos on the internet? Or are the photos not protected by copyright laws because they were posted on the net? I would love to hear your publishing stories, PLEASE!

Answer 1

You will need the best of the best in literary agents if you want to be published by Scholastic. The top publishers are incredibly selective and won't be taking manuscripts from the slush pile. So look at a copy of the "Guide to Literary Agents" or "Writer's Market" and start finding agents who have sold similar projects to yours to the top publishing houses.

Here are some websites that can help. Read them thoroughly and research, research, research!
http://www.agentquery.com/
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com
http://www.absolutewrite.com/
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/

And be warned of the people on this list:
http://www.sfwa.org/beware/twentyworst.html

If you posted a section of your story on the internet, would you want people stealing it? Of course not! Those photographers have just as much right to protect their work as you have to protect theirs.

Don't worry about the photography right now, because often publishers will want to choose the art themselves. They can help you gain the permissions when you get to that point.

Answer 2

You cannot use photos you find on the internet, unless you want to be sued.

The photos on the internet belong to the PHOTOGRAPHER, you cannot use them, of course they are protected by United States Copyright law.

If you can find the name of the photographer, he or she may be willing to sell them to you for a large sum of money.