Publishing Nonfiction Children's Books
It's a dream shared by many: becoming a bona fide published author whose books are stocked on bookstore shelves and in libraries across the country, just waiting to be discovered. However, the reality is that publishing nonfiction children's books requires more than a dream. You must be focused, hard-working, and willing to be flexible with the work you create if you want to become a successful, published children's author.
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Instructions
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Thoroughly research the topic about which you want to write to ensure that the market isn't already saturated with books on the subject. If you find there are an abundance of books on the topic and you do not have a unique angle, seriously consider finding another topic about which to write.
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Study the market to determine for which publishers your nonfiction children's book is most suited. Compile a list of the publishers, using a reference tool like the Children's Writers and Illustrators Market Guide, that most closely meet your needs, making note of each publisher's submission guidelines.
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Prepare a well-written, professional query letter to send to publishers you've identified as being suitable for your manuscript. Your query letter should grab the editor's attention with a compelling hook which should be followed by your idea pitch.
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Follow the publisher's submission guidelines to the letter or else your submission may automatically end up in the rejection pile. Send only what the publisher requests.
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Contact the publisher to follow-up on your submission, but do not be a pain and constantly bother the publisher. Generally, the publisher's submission guidelines will state how long it typically takes for a response, so do not contact the publisher until that time period has lapsed.
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Be flexible, especially if you are a new author. If an editor asks you to take your nonfiction children's book in a different direction, be open to and make those changes, especially if it means the difference between getting published and not getting published.
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Always carefully proofread your work, including your query letter. Nothing will squash your hopes of getting published, especially if you are a new author, like a manuscript, query letter, or sample riddled with errors.
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Network with other nonfiction children's writers and get to know what publishers they've had success with and how they broke into the business. Networking may also open more publishing avenues and allow you to meet agents, editors and publishers.
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Tips & Warnings
Proofreading your work is absolutely essential. If you are afraid you might miss an error, have a friend proofread your manuscript or hire a professional editor to go over your work for you.
