Writer's Place

11 Submission DON’TS

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Here are some mistakes that will make you look inexperienced to a children’s picture book agent.

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1. Having a friend or relative illustrate your manuscript prior to sending it in.YOU DO NOT NEED TO FIND YOUR OWN ILLUSTRATOR. Doing so will actually decrease your chances.
    

2. Using cheesy, predictable rhyme.
    

3. Submitting a book “dedication” with your prospective manuscript.
    

4. Putting a copyright notation somewhere in the manuscript.
    

5. Using titles like “Timmy the Turtle,” “Lucy the Ladybug,” or “Sammy the Snake,” etc.
    

6. Writing a very long query that says things like, “I read this story to some children in my neighborhood and they just loved it,” or “I predict this book will be a best seller,” etc.
    

7. Sending it in without first getting feedback from reliable sources. (Published authors, people in the industry, or a critique group.) 
    

8. Making it very long, with lots of description and dialogue and not enough action. Illustrations are not required to make the story “work.” 
    

9. Emailing the manuscript to an agent who does not represent that kind of book. Making unreasonable requests, like asking the agent to call you, or sending repeated follow-ups.
    

10. Spelling or grammatical errors in the text.
     

11. Not following the agency’s submission guidelines as outlined on their website.

9 Submission DOs

 

1. Educate yourself.
   Enroll in writing courses, especially writing for children courses, at your local college or university. Buy or check-out books on writing for children. This kind of writing does have specific techniques you need to understand.
    

2. Attend writers’ conferences and workshops.
   Get involved in your state’s SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). It is an organization dedicated to authors, illustrators, and aspiring writers of children’s literature. (Find it on the internet.) Or find other writing for children conferences to attend.  You will learn what certain publishers are looking for, marketing trends, and other vital tips.  Your participation immediately puts you ahead of the crowd. Good workshops cost money. Usually they are worth every penny. You’ll not only get manuscript feedback and writing instruction, but you’ll meet other writers and possibly agents and editors. You’ll get submission tips and other information. I’m published today because I attended a writing conference and got my work in front of the right people.
    

3. Join or Create a Writer’s Critique Group.
   Extend yourself to other writers in the classes, workshops, and writing societies you participate in. Swap email addresses. Create or join a “critique” group, where you can share your works-in-progress and get honest, even harsh, feedback.
    

4. Read and familiarize yourself with as many children’s books as you can.
   Go to your local bookstore and read the best-selling picture books. Read Caldecott winners. Pay attention to the amount of text per page, and how words work in conjunction with pictures. You are competing with authors of new, modern picture books. You need to know what is selling in the market now. Older classic books are good to read, but may be wordier and less relevant than the picture books of today. 
    

5. Write and get feedback.
   You need feedback from reliable sources, like serious picture book writers, authors, and people in the industry. Your spouse or friends are not reliable.
    

6. Research and submit to agents. 
   Getting an agent can be difficult. But the advantage of an agent is that he/she knows the publishers and their editors, often personally, and has inside tips on what they’re looking for. Most publishers won’t even look at a manuscript that isn’t represented by an agent. Once your story is selected for publication, an agent will negotiate the contract for you.
   
   Don’t be fooled by scamming “agents” who ask for lots of money up front.  A legitimate agent will not ask for money or “reading” fees.  He or she will also represent authors with current books on the shelves.
    

7. Wait.
   Writing is not for the impatient. You will wait to hear back from agents, then wait to hear from editors. You will wait to get published, to get your advance, to see the illustrations, to get your book on the shelves. Sigh.
    

8. Become a project juggler.
   Get into a routine of writing stories and submitting them.  Send off your manuscript, and before you get a response, start working on another story. Use your critique group, revise, polish, and prepare to send it to another agent (unless you receive the great news that the first agent wants to represent you!) This way, you’ve always got something out there, and you keep hope alive.
    

9. Be determined.  
   Since I dreamed of being published when I was in kindergarten, you could say I spent thirty years waiting for it to happen. But I didn’t know a lot of things about the process which could have saved me time. Educate yourself, and network with other writers. Never give up.