Tania McCartney: Approaching Publishers

I am delighted to welcome to my blog today children’s author, publisher and all round lovely person, Tania McCartney, here as part of her blog tour to promote her new book Riley and the Curious Koala. Tania has kindly agreed to guest blog here – and the topic I gave her is one which is near and dear to my own heart – how to approach a publisher. Over to you, Tania.

Approaching Publishers

by Tania McCartney

Congratulations! You’ve written a wonderful children’s book. You’ve spent the time letting it bubble away and enrich like a good pasta sauce. You’ve honed it, tested it (on kids, that is… and none were harmed during the testing process), had it edited and appraised either professionally or via a very clever friend… and now you’re left with an al dente newborn babe, bundled up in snowy white paper, smelling all fresh and new and ready to be launched into the world.

Eeeep. This is where things get hairy. Nerve-wracking. Gut-wrenching. Breathless. And also endurance-testing, patience-inspiring, self-esteem-buffeting and hopelessly helpless… for this is when you hand your baby over to someone else. To prod, to poke, to pull apart… or perhaps even – gasp – gently and quietly put aside, to be forever forgotten.

While all this is happening, you wait. You wait and wait. Perhaps for them to tell you your baby is ugly. Perhaps for them to tell you nothing at all. Perhaps for them to say your baby has promise and may succeed quite nicely upon its 18^th birthday. Perhaps – and only just perhaps – for them to say they want to see more… how you live for that moment. Nothing promised – just a glimmer of hope that you might not be nudged further down the priority line as some else’s work appears on the publisher’s desk to tempt them away from your baby.

It’s almost a game of chance, only you are probably gambling part of your heart and soul. Any writer will tell you their manuscripts are part of who they are. Some manuscripts are a powerful and life-altering chunk, others are a small but meaningful slice – but all are handed over with a feeling of anticipation that can only be described as agonisingly bittersweet.

I first began approaching publishers with my work twenty years ago. Things were a little different then. You just sent in an entire wad of paper with a covering letter and kept your fingers firmly crossed for the 3 to 6 months it took for a rejection letter to arrive. Or an acceptance phone call, as was the case with my non-fiction book You Name It (Hodder Headline, 1995). I can still feel the scream of joy rising from my toes and bursting from my mouth. The series of rolling backflips I performed soon thereafter was truly a miracle (I actually can’t perform rolling backflips).

Since that day, I’ve had a rollercoastering writing career and have only half-heartedly and occasionally approached publishers. It’s not been until the past two years that I’ve really made it a full time job – and boy have I made up for it – in a big way. I’ve actually lost count of the amount of publishing proposals I’ve written in the past 18 months. Some have failed, some have worked, and some are in the process of working (squeeee!)

If you’re about ready to launch a baby into the arms of a publisher and are feeling sick with anticipation, I hope these tips I’ve learned on my own journey will help you feel a little more at ease. Letting your baby go is mighty heartbreaking – but remember, our babies must all fly the coop some time – and may they sour and flourish in the world of books. Good luck!

· Research who to send your ms to; this is vital because it wastes everyone’s time if your book is not what the publisher normally publishes or it doesn’t fit their ‘style’ of book. Publishing houses can be quite specific, so get to know their needs; read what’s already on their list.

· Find out if your targeted publisher is accepting unsolicited ms. If they’re not, and you are still super keen, try sending it anyway, but be prepared for it to be scooped into the bin, unopened.

· Learn how your publisher likes to receive submissions and follow it to the letter. Some publishers are now accepting ‘enquiry emails’ whereby you can suggest a book idea to them, so take advantage of these.

· Research your book’s target market (you should have already done this anyway) and present a marketing outline with your submission letter.

· If your prospective publisher does not clearly outline their requirements for an ms submission you will need the following – a covering letter outlining (succinctly!) who you are, what your book is called and why you have approached this particular publisher, a marketing plan on why your book would succeed in the market (including books already on the market that might compete with your title), a short synopsis or chapter outline, and the first three chapters of your ms. Also enclose a concise writing résumé.

· Only submit your ms to one publisher at a time, unless told you can submit elsewhere.

· Some publishers require you to indicate if the ms has been presented to other publishers.

· Be open, honest and completely yourself in communication with the publisher. Show your enthusiasm for your ms but always remain professional and don’t rant and rave about how fabulous you are (everyone is fabulous!).

· Most publishers prefer picture books to be submitted without illustrations.

· Remember that even though publishers are interested in a wonderful, well-written story, they absolutely require a book to be marketable – they invest a lot of time and money into a manuscript – it has to have financial return.

· Don’t pester once your ms is in the publisher’s hands. There’s nothing wrong with a polite enquiry email or phone call after some time, but don’t expect an answer and don’t do this often. It can take many months for a book to be approved (or not approved).

· Remember – publishers are professionals and it’s wise to respect their opinion.

· Do things with a high level of professionalism at all times.

· Network with other authors and illustrators – become involved in the writing community and you’ll not only make great friends, you will learn an enormous amount and enjoy quite an astounding level of support.

· Don’t torture yourself over making your ms ‘perfect’. A successful author once told me publishers are more likely to become enamoured with a brilliant book idea rather than a perfectly honed, endlessly revised ‘perfect final’ manuscript. Don’t send yourself crazy with edits. The publisher will more than likely ask for changes or send your ms to an editor anyway – and it could get seriously chopped to pieces, making all your pedantic agonising for nought.

· Be prepared for changes; if you can’t cope with that, self-publish instead.

· Don’t expect a publisher ms appraisal or a ‘reason’ for a rejection.

· Try a variety of publishers and don’t underestimate small indie publishers – they are producing incredible books.

· Get to know publishers. Develop a relationship. Ask them if they are looking for a particular style of book and whether you could submit an outline to them. No harm in asking.

· Don’t take knock-backs personally. I know this is incredibly hard to do! but it’s absolutely true – there are a myriad of reasons why your book could be rejected, and many times, being unpublishable or ‘not good enough’ is not the reason.

· Publishers, even small indie publishers, are bombarded hourly by an avalanche of manuscripts and publishing requests. Wading through these ms must be truly Mt-Everest-like. The wait is hard, but let go of all expectation, start work on your next ms and never get shirty with publishing departments – you don’t want to burn your publishing bridges!

· DO. NOT. GIVE. UP. Ruminate. Revise. Resubmit. Did I mention don’t give up? Ever.

· Emit patience and graciousness like a radiant literary beacon – and let me know when your book hits the shelves!

Tania McCartney is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, book reviewer and mango devourer who loves writing, celebrating and supporting children’s literature – and literacy. She is the author of the Riley series of travelogue picture books, as well as several published and self-published books. Tania is also an experienced magazine writer and editor, is the founder of Kids Book Review http://kids-bookreview.%20com/ and is a Senior Editor at Australian Women Online http://www.australianwomenonline.com/. She lives in Canberra with a husband, two kids and a mountain of books.

See http://www.taniamccartney.com/ for more.

Riley and the Curious Koala: A journey around Sydney

Riley and the Curious Koala is the third in the Riley travelogue series of picture books, taking young children on a journey to far flung destinations. Riley’s first adventure began in Beijing with Riley and the Sleeping Dragon, continued on through Hong Kong with Riley and the Dancing Lion, and now enters home turf, with a fun-filled adventure through the beautiful city of Sydney.

Will Riley find this terribly elusive and quite curious fluffy creature amongst the gorgeous watery vistas of one of the world’s most beautiful cities? Panda, Dragon and Lion from earlier books join this little aviator on his sensational Sydney search… and their discovery is a curious (and funny!) one, indeed.

Using stunning black and white photos, pictures of a real life tin aeroplane and hilarious illustrations by illustrator Kieron Pratt, Riley and the Curious Koala is perfect for experienced travellers, armchair travellers or for those wanting a fuzzy little adventure.

Part of the profits for Riley and the Curious Koala will go to the Australian Koala Foundation https://www.savethekoala.com/.

Available Australia-wide from 22 November 2010.

Riley and the Curious Koala Blog Tour Schedule

Monday 15 November

Writing Out Loud http://writingloud.blogspot.com/

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Monday 15 November

The Book Chook http://www.thebookchook.com/
Crafting a Book Using Photos

Monday 15 November

Handmade Canberra Blog http://canberrahandmademarket.blogspot.com/

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Tuesday 16 November