Write Queries, Cover Letters, Synopses, Outlines, Author Bios, and More

You’ve come to the spot where we’re going to learn everything that could be in a submission package you put together for an agent or editor. If you had a look through CWIM, CBC member list, or other publications, you’ve probably heard the words listed above before. And guess what? People will give you different definitions of these terms all the time. It’s completely crazy. BUT I will tell you how C LIU defines everything. I hope it will make sense to you, too.

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May Manuscript Madness: FREE-TIQUE ROUND

IN OTHER NEWS:

DOORS ARE CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s time for freetiques. THREE SLOTS. ONE ONE slot for a retiquee and TWO for new tiquees. First pages don’t count. So if you’ve only had a traffic cop tique, you may participate in this round. Three chapters or full PBs. Get moving folks!

ATTACH your file. (note: only send ONE file.) One work per person.

email to cynthEaliu AT yahoo DOT com

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Exclusive Submissions or Simultaneous Submission?

Whether you’re submitting to agents or editors, you’ll need to understand what the difference is between exclusive and simultaneous submissions.

  • Exclusive – Once you send your work to the agent or editor, you do not send it to anyone else. You wait until you hear back or until the exclusive expires.
  • Simultaneous – You may send your work to more than one editor or agent at the same time.
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How To Submit Your Work To Children’s Book Literary Agents

Whether you’re submitting your children’s book to agents or editors, you’ll need to understand the difference between exclusive and simultaneous submissions. A wrong move here and you could torture yourself needlessly. Read my post, Exclusive Submission or Simultaneous Submission?

Now that you understand how exclusives work, we’ll get more into the manner in which you submit to your top picks.

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Should I Find a Literary Agent Now?

Assuming you’ve followed steps one through four (be sure you’ve read my post, Get a Second Opinion), you might wonder if you should be looking for an agent now. That depends.

What do you have to sell? If you only have one picture book (PB) manuscript completed, it is very unlikely (almost impossible) you can get an agent off this one work. Why? PBs are difficult to sell in general (because so many people write them and the market for them is so competitive).

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Should I Self-publish My Children’s Book?

Let me give you the C Liu take on self-publishing. Self-publishing carries a certain stigma in the children’s writing world. However, that is not to say it’s not the right way to get your book published. It depends. The general rule of thumb is NOT to do this on your own. Why? It can be an expensive proposition. The final product often looks unprofessional. And your book won’t be carried by retail stores unless you sell a jillion copies on your own.

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How I Found My Critique Partners

Fate was on my side the day I attended my first SCBWI conference. I decided I’d go to an open critique session and bear my writing soul to complete strangers. My only hope was not to make a fool of myself. When I got to the room, a lady at the door directed me to the middle-grade fiction table. I sat and eyed the spunky looking girl across from me, her own manuscript in hand. She looked comfortable, even relaxed. I wondered if I looked that way, too, but I doubted it.

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