With holiday shopping still in full swing, this post from the past is still timely.
As a children’s author, I’m often asked how someone can get their book published. I used to try and cram as much information that I’ve learned over the past ten years into ten minutes or less. Then my husband came up with a brilliant solution.
He suggested that I give people the title of the book I refer to as “The Bible” for getting published in the children’s market. It’s Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market, and it’s available in the reference section of just about any bookstore, or online. You also can find it at many public libraries, but usually not the newest edition. And if you are serious about submitting your work to publishers, you must have the newest edition. Things change in the publishing industry in the blink of an eye, so it’s essential that you have the most up-to-date information. This year’s edition offers an online database of all listings so you can do a search to double-check that a particular publisher is still open to submissions, or that an editor is still working there.
So, why do I consider Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market to be the one book to get for anyone who wants to write for children? First of all, it contains detailed information for hundreds of book publishers and children’s magazines. But even more important, in the case of those who are new to the world of children’s publishing, are the helpful articles on genres, formatting, submitting, agents, and such. It’s a one-stop way to research a market for a book or article you’ve already written, or to get an idea of the places you want to target once you’ve written something.
The 2010 edition of Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market is priced at $29.99, but with online or bookstore coupons, you can get it for less. It’s not too late to get one for the holidays for someone you know who has always wanted to write for children, or to make sure it’s on your own list. Update: The 2016 edition is still priced at $29.99, and there’s now a digital version for less than $10.
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