[britni-potthoff Posts: 1 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Ok folks, so I've written a children's book, something small..this is my first. I need help!! Where do I go from here.... I've read a lot of advice on the site but really it's not clear to me what the first step should be after the manuscript is written. How do I find a publisher and illustrator?

I'm so very confused on where to go from here... where do I submit my work to be seen by anyone that can help me get this thing in the works??

[lisa-katzenberger Posts: 69 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Hi Britni,

The next step, if you haven't already, is to find critique partners to review your picture book and provide feedback. Make sure it is in tip-top shape before submitting. Then decide if you want to submit directly to publishers (who will be responsible for getting the illustrator) or if you want to query agents who would submit to publishers on your behalf. Many large publishing houses do not accept unsolicited work but smaller independent publishers are more likely to.

A couple good resources to find both agents and publishers is the 2017 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market book or www.manuscriptwishlist.com. Do lots and lots of research to determine which agents or publishing houses are the best fit for your work. Another good resource for learning about the publishing process is kidlit411.com.

I hope this is helpful to get you moving in the right direction. Good luck!

[mrh Posts: 4,797 Status: Offline www.marciahoehne.com WWW]

Britni, here's a post written to address just what you're asking! And welcome to the boards.

https://www.scbwi.org/boards/index.php?topic=75988.0

[RebeccaL-G Posts: 1,428 Status: Offline RA SCBWI Cen-Cal WWW]

Britni,
Since you are an SCBWI member you can download a copy of "The Book" from SCBWI for free here https://www.scbwi.org/online-resources/the-book/     It gives lots of information on what to do as well as resources on where to send your work once it is polished.  If you haven't done so, you might also want to check out events and resources offered through your local Carolinas SCBWI chapter  https://carolinas.scbwi.org/

[Debbie Vilardi Posts: 6,936 Status: Online Language is so cool! WWW]

Congrats on completing a manuscript draft. The next step is to polish it while you learn about the industry. Joining these boards was a good start. The SCBWI is a great resource and there are a couple of places on these boards where you can find critique partners. You can also post your manuscript for critique in the SCBWI only section. Here's another source of great info: http://www.underdown.org/