Does anyone have any recommendations for making the task of selecting a publisher(s) to submit my work to seem less daunting? I thought about going through an agent but since this is my first children's book, I decided to wait and try it on my own first.
I'd suggest trying for the agent first. A lot of publishers just won't take unsolicited manuscripts, plus - among other advantages - the agents know which publishers would be best suited for your book.
with children's books, if you're a new and unknown writer, it's not a bad plan to query both agents and publishers, since they don't make enough money to interest many agents... so query those agents who say they take new authors and children's books, as well as any publishers who accept unagented queries/submissions from/for same, to maximize your chances... if one of the two shows interest, that can then make you more attractive to the other... that said, be sure to have your ms looked over by someone knowledgable, before querying, to make sure it's ready to be submitted... i write children's books for a chicago publisher, so if i can be of any help, don't hesitate to drop me an email any time... best of luck to you... love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
I'd echo the advice to go for agents. But also, I'd recommend the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook, which is published every year. It's a list of pretty much every publisher in the UK.
Go for an agent first. Limiting yourself to publishers who accept unagented submissions means you cut out the biggest publishers in the world. Why do that? If your book is good enough for a reputable publisher, you WILL find an agent. Good luck!
kitt... the op is in florida... so W&A won't be any help to an american writer wanting to publish in the us, but it is a good source for UK writers...
Sorry I'm late responding to your post but thanks for the response, Shadowwalker. I think I may try for an agent first.
