Children's publishers

[H.Wilkinson]

I have recently written a series of children's story books. They are rhyming story books and I am very interested in carrying out a lifelong ambition and would like to submit them to publishers. However, i have no real idea as to how manuscripts should be typed correctly. Is there a correct format I should present them in? Also, does anybody know the best publishers to send them to? Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

[xyzzy@bok]

you need an agent, you need Writer's and Author's yearbook, available in libraries or whsmith; the book says about presentation etc and has addresses of agents. good luck. - no agent=no published book, not a chance, not even in France, not if you prance, not if you dance, not even if you necromance. :-)

[Quizmonster]

Click http://teenwriting.about.com/cs/formatting/ and a link will take you to a website all about formatting manuscripts. Once there, just click on each of the blue-coloured headings for the necessary information.

(What Xyz says above is excellent advice but he made just a tiny slip-of-the-keyboard...the reference-book you can consult in your local library is called 'The Writer's and Artist's Yearbook'. This will provide a more British-orientated version of the facts.)

You'll get lots more helpful material by doing a Google search, putting "manuscript for publication" into the search slot. Good luck!

[H.Wilkinson]

Thanks for the advice, I am going to go out and buy The writer and Artists Yearbook straight away. Where do I get an agent from? Why do I need one to get published? Thanks.

[xyzzy@bok]

you will eventually realise the facts through rejections; publishers work through agents, it's their game and function, to bypass the agent by going straight to publisher is unprotocol and doomed to failure except in the rarest circumstances of luck; all publishers tend to bin stuff that's not agent supported, i.e. a rejection letter of thanks but no thanks, and they probably won't even clue you in to the agent route. A comprehensive listing of UK literary agents can be found in the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook.

[H.Wilkinson]

Does an agent cost a lot of money?

[xyzzy@bok]

Dunno H, its my ex who is into writing for a living not me.