I recently saw a social media post by an aspiring author at the very very beginning of their journey. They were unsure what the next steps were once they had a picture book manuscript written. So, I thought I’d go over the usual next steps taken at this point. If you’re completely new to traditional publishing, here’s a post to get you started.
What Happens First?
Well, let’s say you start by drafting a PB manuscript.
What’s next?
Write a few more. Writers improve with practice, so keep writing PB drafts.
Something to keep in mind is that if you plan on going with traditional publishing, agents who rep picture book authors tend to require you to have multiple polished drafts before they offer you representation. You query them with one manuscript, then send more if they request more. It’s rare for an agent to take you on with only one manuscript.
While you are writing drafts, and revising them, what else can you do?
I recommend joining the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, aka SCBWI. Here are a few reasons why I recommend joining.
I also recommend finding critique partners and/or a critique group. Having fellow aspiring authors critique your manuscripts will help you revise them to be stronger and stronger. You can support each other and learn from each other. I found my first partner via SCBWI and my first group through my first partner. I found my second partner and my pitch critique group through a Twitter event. Facebook groups are another place to find partners.
As such, joining Facebook groups is another great step during this time. KIDLIT411, Sub it Club, and KidLit Latinx are my three favorite.
To Recap:
- Join SCBWI (and Facebook Groups)
- Find Critique Partners and/or Groups
- Draft and Revise Multiple PB Manuscripts
What Happens After You Have Multiple Polished PB Manuscripts?
At this point, you are ready to start querying literary agents or editors who accept unsolicited submissions.
With one caveat: If you’re an author-only creator, you do not need an illustrator for your manuscript before querying. Editors will pick an illustrator for you. So, you’re good to go.
But, if you’re an author-illustrator, you’ll need to create a dummy to submit, rather than just a manuscript.
[Not sure what some of these terms mean? Check out this post about terminology.]
Moving on: Since most big publishers don’t accept unagented submissions, querying agents is a major step in the traditional publishing process.
Where do you find agents to query?
- Query Tracker
- Manuscript Wish List (MSWL)
- A Google Search for Literary Agencies
- Conferences
Keep in mind, not all agents represent children’s literature and not all children’s literature agents represent picture books. And not all picture book agents represent author-only creators; some agents only rep author-illustrators.
So, a lot of research happens in this stage. Make sure the agents you query represent what you create. And, make sure the agents are legitimate. Are they part of respected agencies? Do they have clients who have been traditionally published? Do they get paid on commission when they sell your book(s) (as is expected), or are they asking for extra payments (red flag)? Research!
If you don’t want to query agents, you can instead submit your manuscripts to small publishers that accept unsolicted, unagented submissions. Do some research to find them. Then, research publishers who offer short periods when they accept these types of submissions. This second research session will help increase the amount of publishers you can submit your polished work to.
Technically, you can query agents and editors during the same time period. But, from what I’ve heard, that’s not recommended, as your future agent (if you get one) won’t be able to query those editors on your behalf later down the line. At least, not with the same manuscript. Just something to keep in mind.
Whether querying agents or editors, you need to include a query or cover letter along with your PB manuscript. Make sure you have a strong query/cover letter before submitting to anyone. Here’s one resource about creating your query, but there are many out there. Research, research, research.
What Happens During the Agent Querying Process?
Well, it’s recommended that you query agents in batches of about 5-10. That way, if you get feedback from agents on improving your manuscript or query, you can revise before sending out the next batch of queries. Or, you can send out your first batch, then do a 1-1 replacement. One agent sends a rejection, send a new query out. Another rejection, another query.
Make sure you’re tracking your queries carefully. Most agencies don’t let you query more than one agent in their agency at once. Some also require you wait a certain time period before querying another agent in their agency. So, you query one agent from the agency. They say no or don’t reply to your query. After their reply time period ends (they’ll usually say how long to wait for a reply before assuming it’s a no), you might need to wait 3-6 or more months before you can send a query to a different agent in that agency. Read agency submission policies very carefully, so you follow their rules exactly.
You can also participate in pitch contests on Twitter while querying. Find out more about pitch contests here. Pitch contests can be a way to get to the top of an agent’s or editor’s query pile.
Querying can take a really long time, so pace yourself. Make sure you are researching the agents, so you’re not sending them something they don’t represent. Carefully track who you are querying and what you are querying them with. I use Query Tracker and Google Spreadsheets for this task.
What Happens After You Have An Agent?
At this point, you and your agent work on getting your manuscripts ready to submit to editors. Just like you queried agents to see if they wanted to represent you, your agent will submit to editors to see if they want to publish your work.
This phase of publishing can take up a whole blog post. So, I’m going to stop at this point, since your agent will be with you at this point to help you on your journey.
Or, What Happens After a Publisher Expresses Interest in Your Submitted Manuscript?
From what I understand, publishers often ask for some revision before offering a publishing contract. Then more revision afterward. If you get offered a contract and you don’t have an agent, I highly recommend hiring a lawyer familiar with publishing contracts to help you negotiate your deal. Once the deal is made, your editor will guide you through the rest of the journey.
So, that’s a very simple break down of next steps. I hope it helps!