Mel’s Tips for Breaking in as a Picture Book Author

Dear friends,

Here are my thoughts on breaking in as a traditionally published PB author, deriving from my own experience and my NBN interviews with over 170 authors, illustrators, editors, agents, librarians and publishers. You can listen to them all here:

https://newbooksnetwork.com/hosts/profile/49a97044-c418-403b-8490-650f27d9c71b

The first rule is ‘that there are no rules’. Other people are going to have different takes. These are just my thoughts, nothing more. You are more than welcome to write to me at [email protected]

Ostensibly, the chances of a PB manuscript being picked up by an agent are about one in three thousand. Experienced agents may receive several hundred manuscripts a month and take only a few new clients each year. You can do the math. But as daunting as that seems, most manuscripts and query letters submitted are not at a level where they will be seriously considered. Here are the ways to try to beat the odds.

First, the manuscript you are submitting has to shine. It has to be not good, not excellent, but outstanding. It has to stand out among all the work that agents/editors see.

Based on my interviews, agents do read submissions. But they are looking for the needle in the haystack. You have submit the needle, and they have to take notice of it.

I’m not going to deal with the question of how to make your manuscript* shine except to restate the obvious: revise it multiple times, have it read to you, dummy it, and pare it down to size (yes, IMO you should break in with PB manuscripts of less than 500 words, it shows you can do it).

*Actually, manuscripts. When agents like a manuscript, they will ask to see a few more. Have additional super-polished manuscripts ready before you even consider sending out the first.

You should attend courses and webinars, join SCBWI (a must), work with critique buddies and groups, read hundreds of picture books, stay current, take private lessons if you can afford it, avoid rhyming (unless you are an expert or a musician), leave tons of room for the illustrator to ‘own’ the story too, and write from your heart and passion.

Buy a good book on writing books for children. Here is one by Ann Whitford Paul 

Join SCBWI – It’s critical!

Join KidLit411. and visit their website for tons of information and instruction. There are mountains of information and insight on Harold Underdown’s website, THE PURPLE CRAYON.

The query letter has to be standard and not ‘weird’, and yet there has to be something special that hooks the agent to consider reading your work and/or representing you. Remember that most agents want a long term relationship, not a single book sale. Sometimes they only sell a single book and you end up parting ways, but that is not their intention.

Agents represent both the manuscripts and the person who writes them.

Some of the authors I have interviewed come from fields such as copyrighting, advertising, marketing, etc.

They seem to have an edge. Is it because they are skilled and concise writers? Is it because they know how to tell an engaging story? Is it because they know how to write a killer query letter with a hook in the story description and a hook in the bio paragraph? I’m guessing all the above.

If you know someone from one of these fields, get him/her/them to help with the query letter.

A couple of the authors I interviewed did submit to agents they didn’t know and were picked up ‘from the slush pile’ (check out the interviews with Bea Birdsong and Pat Zietlow Miller).

These are stellar rarities, though.

More frequently, authors who found agents had gone far beyond the ‘writing and submitting to the slushpile’.

Agents are people, and tend to pay more attention to writers whom they have met, or who have some personal link or connection.

We humans are like that. It’s important to get on an agent’s radar.

Agents are also more interested in people that can show an ‘investment’ in the field.

You can get on the radar of agents by meeting them at a conference, attending one of their webinars (I prefer SCBWI to the more commercial outfits that sometimes provide elaborate promises and strew false hope). You can set up a podcast and ask to interview them (they are human, they do interviews). You can invite them to address groups and communities (another good reason to get actively involved in SCBWI groups).

Don’t stalk agents! Rather, provide something of value for them. And research them before you start.

Agents also prefer to look at work by authors who have gone the extra mile, e.g., participated in contests, and won awards. Not just because they won or received citations, but because of the effort they put in. Enter as many contests as you can. Or, organize one of your own.

Be a supportive figure in the writing community. Connect with authors. Help out. Write positive comments and reviews. Be social and sociable. Write about published books you love (there is usually an agent behind each of them!). Buy your favorites. My own experience is that when you help others, others help you.

Some traditional publishers allow you to submit to them directly. They also receive thousands of submissions. If they pick yours, fabulous! This is also a great way to subsequently find an agent to represent you.

BE PATIENT and PERSIST. Writers are often declined hundreds of times before getting a deal (me, for example). It can take 2,5,8 or 15 years to break in. Those who never give up and continually improve their craft are those that eventually make it. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and listen to the podcasts. This is the number one advice successful authors give: NEVER EVER GIVE UP

Be daring, be fierce. Dare. Ask. If you don’t ask (as my friend Jeff Pulver has told me often), the answer is ‘no.’

Finally, it also comes down to luck.  Finding the right agent/publisher with the right manuscript at the right moment. But as a friend once told me, “people who work hard tend to get luckier.” The harder you work, the likelier you are to get lucky. Make your luck happen.

It happened to me when I was over 70, following hundreds of rejections, and it can happen to you.