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Your Odds
of Getting Published
by
Laura Backes
Write4Kids.com - The Children's Writing SuperSite
Most beginning writers are curious about their chances of
ever seeing their work in print. Editors have told me
that a mid- to large-sized publishing house gets upwards
of 5000 unsolicited submissions a year. About 95% are
rejected right off the bat (most get form letters, a few
promising authors get personalized notes stating why the
manuscript was rejected).
Of the 5% left, some are queries for which the editors
request entire manuscripts. Others are manuscripts
submitted in their entirety, and these go on to the next
stage of the acquisitions process (get passed around the
editorial department, presented at editorial meetings,
perhaps looked at by sales staff to get a sense of the
market for the book). The end result is that 1-2% of
unsolicited submissions are actually purchased for
publication.
But, you ask, if so few manuscripts are bought from the
slush pile, why are so many new books are published each
year? The unsolicited "slush" comes from
authors the editors have never worked with before: new
writers and those who don't have agents. Experienced
writers and those who have already published with that
house make up the rest of the list.
Before you trash your computer and take up knitting,
let's put this all in perspective. Most manuscripts are
rejected because they're just plain bad. The stories are
trite, the characters wooden, the endings predictable.
The plots may smack of didacticism or patronize the young
reader. Authors who don't understand the basic rules of
grammar or who can't send a properly formatted manuscript
won't get a close look. Those who submit their work to
every publisher listed in Children's Writer's &
Illustrator's Market instead of taking the time to
target publishers appropriate for their work add
substantially to the glut of publishers' mail (and the
eventual banning of unsolicited submissions by some
houses).
If you take the time to learn how to write a strong story
with multifaceted characters, your manuscript will rise
to the top. If you study the age group for which you want
to write, and keep the length and content appropriate for
your audience, your work will stand out. If you watch the
current market and find a niche you can fill, an editor
is more likely to give you careful consideration.
One more point: General fiction is the most competitive
genre in any age group of children's books. It's also the
most subjective, meaning your manuscript has to appeal to
exactly the right editor. If you have any interest in
nonfiction and can approach a topic in a unique,
entertaining way, you'll be a bigger fish in a much
smaller pond. Or, try narrowing your niche so your work
stands out from the ocean of fiction: write historical
fiction for beginning readers, funny mysteries for middle
grades, science fiction for young adults. Stretching your
writing beyond general fiction will give you a "hook"
and also help you zero in on publishers who want exactly
what you've got.
©
Copyright 2003, Children's Book Insider, LLC
Laura Backes is the publisher of Children's Book Insider,
the Newsletter for Children's Writers, and co-founder of
the Children's Authors Bootcamp seminars (www.WeMakeWriters.com). For more
information about writing children's books, including
free articles, market tips, insider secrets and much
more, visit Children's Book Insider's home on the web at
http://write4kids.com
Copyright 2003, Children's Book Insider, LLC
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