Although only a handful of unknowns get published every year, some become stupendous successes, and there is no reason you couldn't be one of them. If you have the time and patience, you can find all the information regarding children books publishers yourself, on the web or in the book stores and libraries. There are many publications at your disposal, like "Writer's Market", "Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market", etc. A simple search on the internet will reveal hundreds of children books publishers, their submission requirements and guidelines. It's all a matter of sifting through all the info, and finding the best fit for your specific book.

If, on the other hand, you can't spare the time or you feel overwhelmed by the incredible amount of data, we can do the looking for you. There is no secret that most publishers do not accept unsolicited materials, but some do, so whether you decide to find a literary agent, or go directly to the publishers, we will ensure you receive the practical help you need:

1. Once we establish what age group and category your book belongs to, we will compile a customized, comprehensive list for either literary agents interested to represent your particular genre, or a list with publishers open to accepting unsolicited materials.
2. We will give you all the information regarding agents' or publishers' contact information, guidelines, query, book proposals and manuscript formatting requirements. Any other specifics will be listed, so you will be equipped with the necessary knowledge to focus on your target.

Six good reasons to look for a children's books publisher:

1. If you have written a children's book and had your manuscript edited and evaluated/critiqued professionally–with positive feedback–you are certainly entitled to dream big.
2. Editors need manuscripts. They have to publish a new list every season. They need you.
3. The prestige that comes with having your book published by a known publisher is nothing to sneeze at...
4. Your "out of pocket" expenses will be limited to the charges for professional editing, evaluation/critique, and mailing/shipping your query and manuscript to agents or publishers.
5. All printing, illustration, advertising and marketing charges will be the publisher's investment, not yours.
6. The publisher will pay you to purchase your manuscript. Although the publisher will own the rights to your book, once published you will receive royalties for as long as your book sells.

Some practical advise and insight into what to expect:

Your submission materials will have to be packaged according to the specific instructions of each agent or publisher that will be doing the review.

• You may be asked for a query letter, synopses, or chapter outline and sample chapters from your book. Each piece has its own industry-wide conventions and specific techniques.
  
• Your manuscript must be double-spaced with each page containing approx. 250 words per page. Standard format and standard font (Times New Roman with a 12 size font).
  
• Familiarize yourself with the category or genre of your book so that you know what the editor/agent is going to expect. Make sure your book has in-depth characterization with emotion and sensory detail, and develop a strong voice that will catch the ear of the reader. The plot needs to develop a story arc that reaches fruition.

"Nobody buys unsolicited manuscripts" is what they'll tell you in any literary circle. They're wrong, you can get offers without an agent! But to prove them wrong, you also need to approach publishers in a particular way! Of course, you will need to do the extra work, but we'll direct you to the right reference materials, and help you customize your submissions with each publisher's specifics. Here is a sample of the kind of help you can expect:

Write a query that gets results

A good query will get you read at most houses – even by the eminent publisher at an eminent New York firm who told a first-time author, "For the record, we are generally unable to review unagented material." "However," he went on to say, "I am intrigued enough by your query to ask for your proposal."

Any pieces of paper you send editors–from three-paragraph queries to thirty-page proposals–will persuade them either to move your manuscript one stage closer to publication or to reject it right then, depending on whether they've been led to answer yes or no to the two all-important questions that echo in editors' heads:

• Will this book, if it's skillfully handled, add to my company's prestige and/or profits (and therefore to mine as well)?

• Can this writer handle it skillfully?

Every query has two important tasks to accomplish. First, it must sell your idea to the editor it's addressed to, and, second, it must help that editor sell it to colleagues, who–it's necessary to remember–will be asked and can say No.

The query checklist

The checklist that follows outlines the elements of a good query letter about a nonfiction manuscript; if you adapt them creatively, they'll serve for fiction as well.

• Explain why you believe each editor you're addressing will be interested in the work you're offering (because they've edited material on similar subjects or material displaying similar sensibilities; because they come from areas where your story is set; because you've discovered they share your interest in or indignation about or passion for whatever your topic may be). This portion of the query, which is usually the first sentence, must obviously be different for every editor you approach.

• State your specific idea (as opposed to your general subject). In addition to a catchy title and a subtitle that conveys the substance of your book, a "tag line" that expresses its appeal will be useful here. To create an effective tag line, look to book cover copy for inspiration and then focus firmly on the benefits your work offers readers. More than any other element of the query, the tag line can help interested editors convince marketing colleagues of the project's merits (eventually, it will also help the marketers sell it to wholesalers, retailers, media people and the public)

• Describe the main point your manuscript makes, the ground it covers and its style, with specifics by way of illustration.

• Mention your relevant credentials and connections, professional expertise and achievements, publishing credits, mutual friends, mentors and acquaintances, whatever makes you more of a known quantity and more credible in terms of promotion will be helpful. Even beginners should be able to cite some relevant achievements.

• Say where and how you got (or are getting) your raw material (primary sources? personal experience? exhaustive research?).

• Show how what you have to say is fresh and different from specific books already in print (hit the highlights here–you have information such-and-such an author didn't reveal; you hook your findings to a narrative instead of presenting them in the scholarly format of such-and-such a book).

• Estimate length. A word count that's appropriate to your topic and to the publishing concern you're writing for gives an editor a clue that you do your homework.

• Assuming your book is not ready at the time of the query, provide a tentative delivery date for your manuscript.

• Convey your enthusiasm for the project. Enthusiasm is infectious, which is lucky because it's also essential. "I wouldn't buy a book I was lukewarm about," says a VP and Senior Editor; "More than ever, enthusiasm is a necessary prerequisite for acquisition." If the editor isn't passionate about a book, the sales force isn't likely to get behind it.

In essence, what you're asking when you send a query to a book editor is, Will you look at my book proposal? It then becomes the book proposal's job to give editors the information they need to answer the harder question, Will you buy this book or at least ask to read it?

Editors routinely bid for books on the strength of proposals alone – including (to be sure the point sinks in) proposals from writers who don't have agents.

(Adapted from the fifth edition of How to Get Happily Published by Judith Appelbaum.)

Mark Twain, Zane Grey, Upton Sinclair, Carl Sandburg, Edgar Rice Burroughs, George Bernard Shaw, Edgar Allen Poe, Rudyard Kipling, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Robert Ringer, and Spencer Johnson? Do you know what these writers have in common? That’s right, all of them were self-publishers!

The simple truth is that self-publishing can be a smart choice for any writer:

"Self publishing has become a legitimate method of getting into print, as libraries and even bookstore super-chains are opening their shelves to the growing number of entrepreneurial writers."
– Newsday

Good reasons to self-publish

1. You will certainly avoid the heartache of literary agents' and publishers' rejections that may not reflect the inadequacy of your book, but rather their narrow guidelines, or luck of room for new clients.
2. You set the timetable. Big publishers will either rush and pressure you, or put your book on the back burner for months–maybe shelve it all together.... When you self-publish, your book will come out when you're ready!
3. Traditional publishers will only put a promotional push behind a book for a short time (perhaps three or four months). A self-published book can be aggressively marketed by its author for years on end.
4. You retain all creative rights, you control decisions regarding the editing, design, distribution, and promotion. (When working with a publisher, an author gives up a degree of editorial control, and sometimes has no input into the design of the book, its distribution, and its marketing.)
5. Control over your own retail price and royalty.
6. Many more books from self publishing companies are picked up by major publishers. In fact, according to The New York Times and Publishers Weekly, a self-published book is the newest and fastest way to pitch your manuscript to agents and publishers.

"We're always watching what's going on with self-publishers. We always ask our reps to keep their eyes open."
– Random House

"Every single publisher is on the lookout for self-publishers." – Simon & Schuster

"Now it's very frequent for mainstream houses to go prospecting among the self-published books to make them their own."  – The New York Times

How much does it cost to self-publish a children’s book?

We'll try to give you a general idea of what to expect financially. The list bellow reflects standard industry prices, so please check out our list of services and fees to see if we measure up. Since we don't have any overhead expenses, we adjusted our prices to pass the savings on to you.

Standard/average Children's Books Publishing industry charges:

– Reading & Critique fees (optional): minimum charge: $65-$550.00
– Editing - $45 - $695
– Layout - $250- $550
– Design & production: $350-$850
– Illustration - $1000 - $10,000 +
– Art Editing (optional) $300-$695
– Printing:
a. Offset printing

• Test - $25 - $175
• Second test $25 - $175
• 3000 Main print run - $3,874 (1000 copies - $2.75/book, 2000 copies - $1.65/book, 5000 copies - $1/book, 10,000 copies - $.65/book

b. Print on demand option (all color): $3.75–$5.50 per copy
– Book Promotion/Marketing - $150 - $4000
– Distribution - the huge range of distribution options does not allow us to speculate on costs.

A Word of Caution about Financial Returns:

No one can predict how a book will sell and, consequently, how much of your expenses you are likely to recover by self-publishing your work. Some authors have received much more than satisfactory returns. Others, however, did not find the market receptive and their financial rewards have been negligible. AbbraCaddabra's staff can help you narrow down your market by helping you clearly define your reader and your customer. This is just one way we help new and up-and-coming writers avoid the pitfalls, and take their books to a successful level. If financial gain is not your prime concern, self-publishing can be the right choice for you and you could very well be the next success story.

What can AbbraCaddabra do for you:

All information about publishers catering to self-publishing authors is readily available on the web, so you can do the research yourself. Most of these publishers have all the needed services to acquire your ISBN code, to print, market, and distribute your book, in various packages and for different budgets. Some are more reliable than others, some even promise to publish for free, some have better deals than others, etc... It may take you some time to get quotes and details, since you'll have to register on each site and wait to be contacted by their sales reps.

If you can't spare the time or you get easily frustrated with the sales pitches, we can do the looking for you. Once we know your publishing goals and budget, we can provide you with a list of the most reputable publishers that meet your criteria. All pricing and submission specifics will be listed, so you will be equipped with the necessary information to choose the right publisher for your book.