I am going to get a children's story published… PII

Dear readers, it has been two hours since I last confessed…

Perhaps writing what I am going to do first is a good way of actually doing it.  After I wrote my last blog I began researching publishing children's books.  This is what I found:

“So You Want to Publish a Children’s Book: Advice from an Insider” by Victoria Fanning
Some words of wisdom on submitting your work.  Most importantly it answered my question of whether or not it needed to be illustrated.  The answer was an overwhelming NO!

"How to format your manuscript for a children's book" by Cynthea Lui

A step by step guide to how exactly to format your children's book for submission.  Typical double-spaced times new roman nothing fancy.

I also found two three publishing houses that are taking unsolicited manuscripts for children's book:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Boyd Mills Press
Orca Book Pulbishers (Canada Only)

As well as a good list of others that aren't quite what I was looking for but still good to know

So, I have formatted my story as per Cynthea's advice, stopped worrying about the artwork.  I now have two other things to do.

Get someone to look over my manuscript for mistakes/grammer etc. and find out if I can submit to both of these places.  I have heard that some PHs only want you to submit only to them.  

For the record, if you are going to take 3+ months to get back to the submitter (which I completely understand) I don't think it's fair that they have to wait for an answer/non-answer before submitting to someone else.  I know that you believe someone is wasting your time if they submit to multiple places and may decide not to go with you but it is only the time it takes to read/think/write a letter as opposed to three months of waiting.

Here is my goal.  To have my manuscript in the mail to someone by Friday!  Luckily I have two great editors by way of my wife who is an elementary school teacher and my friend Allison who has an English degree.

I am going to get a children's story published…

just don't know how yet.
Two years ago just before my daughter was born I wrote a book for my son called:

My Baby Sister is an Alien

It's a look at pregnancy, birth and early infancy from the perspective of an older brother.

My wife has been bugging me ever since to get it published and perhaps I should.  There are just a few things that I want to find out first.

1. It's not illustrated (well the version I made used clip-art but that doesn't count), do I need to have it illustrated before I try to submit it or will they hook me up with someone?
2. Who is a really good children's book publisher that is taking submissions from unknown hacks like me?

I am going to start some research and let you all know how it's going!

So far I have:

Asked twitter

Googled and read a bit on some of them.

Next, make a list of my preferred publishers and look into submission requirements for each.

Wish me luck!

Thanks for Reading

Almost Getting Laid by a Vampress (c/w ugliest Vampire Picture I ever Drew!) and Avatar Contest

My latest chapter of "Too Dumb to Dance" is out complete with an incredibly terrible picture I drew.  Not sure why I am insisting on drawing a picture to go with each and every chapter but hey, what the hell.

One more little detail.  I am running a contest over at Threadless (User Name Disgruntled_Pacifist) to design me a new avatar for use with regards to my writing.  Are you a designer?  Want a free signed copy of my book and a chance at designing a cover of a book later (if I can talk whatever publisher I may have into it).  Show me some ideas.

Anyway go ahead and catch up or read it all in it's entirety for the first time.  Off to work some more on my #SaturdayShorts (look it up on Twitter)

Thanks For Reading
D. Ryan Leask