Write it. And get to know your market. Go out and visit the children's sections in shops and libraries to see what's out there already. If you don't normally read children's books, start today. Talk to people who work in this area. Don't just rely on what you know about books you read when you were a child. Have a look at what kids are reading now. Before you try submitting your book, get some other people to read it - particularly kids or people who work with kids - and see what they think. It might work perfectly in your head, but you need to know what it's like for other people to read.

 

 

It depends on where you think your book should be marketed. If you want to approach an Irish publisher, there's no need to have an agent, but you should join the Irish Writers' Union and get advice on publishing contracts before signing a contract with a publisher. Because of the sheer number of submissions they get every year, many UK publishers - particularly the biggest ones - will only deal with agents. But some are still willing to take unsolicited manuscripts. If you do decide to go with an agent, try to find one who has a good track record in getting your type of book published by finding out what authors they already represent.

 

 

You need to decide if you need an agent to represent you, and then which publishers produce the kind of book you've written. Then you need to pick the ones you think would do the best job. cb info has some introductory information on publishers and agents in Ireland and the UK, along with their submission guidelines, but for more detailed information about children's publishers - particularly in the UK - and a full directory of their contact details, you should check out The Children's Writers' and Artists' Yearbook.

 

 

Your submission should include a brief letter - no more than a page - introducing yourself and outlining any experience or expertise you have in the market you're writing for. You should also explain why you think this particular agent or publisher would be interested in this book. Don't send a standard letter to everyone. Try and find out who in the publishing company is the right person to receive your submission and address it to them. Make them understand that you've been deliberate in choosing their company. That said, you don't have to send out your submissions one at a time. Keep a record of where you've sent each one, who has rejected it (and you will probably get rejected more than once) and what they said about it, if anything. Don't be offended if you get a standard, impersonal rejection letter. Most people do.

 

 

This depends on what kind of book it is; publishers' and agents' guidelines vary. But all submissions must be typed, with 1.5 or double line spacing. Most publishers prefer to receive submissions by post, rather than email. And most won't read a full manuscript from cold, they want a taster first, and will then ask you to send a full manuscript if they're interested enough to go further. For a children's novel, it's a good idea to provide a synopsis of the story - no more than a page long - and a sample of the writing; for example, the first three chapters. Obviously this will vary depending on how long the book is and the length of the chapters.

Publishers receive thousands or even hundreds of thousands of submissions each year. If you want yours returned, send it out with a stamped addressed envelope. If you're submitting to the UK from Ireland, your SAP will obviously need UK stamps. Don't send out anything you can't afford to lose.

Here is a useful list of some of the publishers in the UK and what they will accept.

 

If it is a picture book, you don't need to supply pictures unless you intend to do the finished illustrations, in which case you should check out our FAQs for Illustrators. Publishers prefer to produce design work themselves, rather than deal with writers who want to illustrate. If you do want to illustrate it, your artwork must be of professional quality and it would help if you had commercial experience. If you want to present a pitch to write and illustrate a picture book, one way is to do a very rough mock-up of the whole book, with the complete text and two or three finished spreads. As with a normal submission, send a stamped addressed envelope out with it if you want it returned. Don't send out original artwork, as there is every chance that you will never get it back.

 

No reputable publisher is going to rip off your work - respect for copyright is a founding principle of the publishing industry. If they want to use it, they'll sit you down with a contract. Under law, your text - though not the concepts or ideas it describes - is protected by copyright from the moment you write it.

If you're very concerned about having to prove you are the author of your work, you can post a copy of it to yourself by registered post and leave the envelope unopened as proof that it was created before a certain date. Or you can register it with the Copyright Protection Agency for a fee, but as long as you're dealing with mainstream publishers, this shouldn't be necessary. For more information on protecting copyright in Ireland, you should contact the Irish Copyright and Licensing Agency.

 

The vast majority of writers - even the most successful ones - have been rejected; some of them have been rejected scores of times. Don't take it personally. Don't be discouraged. Don't call up the agent or publisher to demand why. Keep sending out your submissions to other people. Remember, persistence pays, but harassment doesn't. Get started on your next book. If someone takes the time to explain why they have turned your book down and how it could be improved, perhaps think about taking their advice. It may help improve it or make it more attractive to publishers . . . or it may not. It's up to you to decide.

 

A good writers' group or even an online writers' forum can provide much needed encouragement, advice and support for unpublished writers. There are also editing services that will, for a fee, edit your book and offer comments and tips. As with anything else, you need to find the right one for you.

 

 

There are several organisations in Ireland who support writers and illustrators in a variety of ways. These include the Arts Council, Irish Writer’s Centre, Illustrators Guild of Ireland, Irish Writers Union and Poetry Ireland.  Details of relevant organisations are contained in cb info's directory.  Here you will also find links to relevant websites and blogs that can keep you informed.

 

 

CBI does not currently keep a list of writers and illustrators, although you will find details of organisations for writers and illustrators in cb info's directory . If you wish to attend any CBI event, you will likely make valuable connections there with many other writers and illustrators who attend such events regularly.

 

 

There are various means of publishing your own work, but it's not for everyone. Vanity publishers will charge you for producing your book, but they will not sell it for you, or even get it into the shops. Publishing and selling a book yourself takes a range of skills, and the most problematic for most writers are distribution and marketing. That said, if you have the nerve, the money and the entrepreneurial skills, self-publishing offers much more independence, control and, of course, a bigger cut of the profits.

Digital publishing and print-on-demand are creating exciting new possibilities for self-publishing and there are new methods of marketing being created on the web almost every day. In some cases, small press publishers have been quicker to take advantage of these new technologies than bigger, more mainstream publishers.

 

Unless you are publishing your own book, this is more a question for your publisher, editor and their marketing people than for you. The whole issue of ‘age-banding' is a controversial one. In terms of gauging the level of language of your audience, the length of story they can handle and what subject matter the industry considers suitable for them, have a look at what's out there already. The main thing is to write the story you want to write and, after that, worry about who might buy it.

 

 

If you don't have an agent, join the Irish Writers' Union. They can check over contracts for you. They have a sample contract and some helpful tips on their website. Always read a contract carefully before signing. If you're not happy with it, or if there's anything you don't understand, don't be afraid to ask questions. Publishers don't stay in business by cheating their authors, but they are running a business in a tough market. It's not in their interest to be too generous. Some key things to look out for are the dates for final delivery, payment and publication; the advance; royalties; foreign rights; film rights; the rights for every other form of publication or distribution; and how many copies of the book you get when it's printed and reprinted.

 

 

Payment for a book is broken into two main forms: advance and royalties. The advance is a kind of payment up-front, normally broken up over two or three stages, based on how much the publisher thinks the book will sell. The royalties are a percentage of either the recommended price of the book or the net receipts (the money the publisher has received for it; so you'd get less money, for example, if it was sold at a discounted price). You don't have to pay the advance back if the book doesn't sell, but you won't get any money from royalties for it or subsequent books until the advance has been paid off. Royalties are often paid at the end of the financial year in which the book has been released, so they can seem to take a long time to come through.

 

 

The Arts Council provides bursaries for writers and illustrators and in some instances local arts offices may also offer bursaries and awards.

 

 

The publisher will then need to plan how to produce the book and how to sell it. They will have a conversation with you about it; this is where the age and type of reader will start to become an issue. Try to find out as much as you can about the children's book industry so that they are not dictating all the terms. cb info is a good place to start. Once the completed manuscript has been accepted, it will need to be edited.

 

 

This normally happens in three stages: a general editing of the plot and storyline; then a line-by-line edit, checking things like language and consistency; and finally the copy edit, to find minor errors like punctuation and typos.

Listen to what your editor has to say and remember that they have more experience than you in publishing and that they know their market (or should). If you don't agree with them, say so, but don't take criticism personally; it's only intended to make your book better. This is an essential part of getting published. Remember, you don't know what it's like for a complete stranger to read your book. What's in your head might not be what somebody else is getting from your story.

Choose your fights. If you object to every change, you'll just end up at loggerheads, which is no way to start a career. Sometimes it's best to give in on some minor points in order to be able to dig your heels in on something you really care about.

Even after you've published your first book and are about to submit the next one, get some family and friends to have a read of it before you submit it. No matter how experienced you become, it never hurts to get somebody else's perspective.

 

Once you've finished this process, you will be asked to check the whole thing from start to finish in the form of proofs. These used to be supplied as printouts of the final page layouts, but now they are more often sent as a digital file, such as a pdf. Make sure you are sent these proofs before the book goes to print and make sure you check them carefully. This is the point of no return for the publication of your book. It is a kind of informal contract where you and the publisher agree that this is what the finished product is going to look like. The book should not go to print unless you have signed off on the proofs.

 

 

It's your book. You should get a say in every part of the production and marketing processes. Make sure the publisher shows you their ideas for the design, especially the cover, at the concept stage, before they go to finished artwork. Are you happy with them? If you're not, say so. The publisher will want to know while they can still do something about it. They may not keep you well informed about this process, so you might have to chase them from time to time. Are they writing the blurb or are you? Are there any types of books already out there that you'd like your book to emulate? The publisher will probably insist on having the last word on the cover, but it's still your book - they should consult you at each stage. Find out when it's going to print, when you'll get your copies and when it will hit the shops.

 

 

This is one of the most important questions that you need to ask your publisher, because how they go about marketing the book will be a major decider in its success and, of course, how much money you make from it. Books can be marketed like anything else, using advertising, promotional events, branding campaigns, etc. But all of this costs money and the publishing industry runs on narrow margins.

It's hard enough to get a good space in bookshops and, with a constant turnover of new releases, even harder to keep your books there. Even the window space in some shops and mentions in certain catalogues have to be paid for. Most of a publisher's marketing budget goes on selling their A-list authors. The rest have to make do with a percentage of what's left.

The harsh truth is that most books, and especially children's books, get little or no marketing. To make things worse, children's books are sold at lower prices than other types, so there is less money made on them for everyone concerned. Go into any large bookshop, take a good look at the children's section and ask yourself how many of these books you have actually heard of. Ask yourself what will make your book stand out among them. Why would someone choose your book over any other book on these shelves? It can be a depressing exercise, so you need to be able to do something about it.

 

Going out and promoting your books yourself will be the difference between making a living and not. Getting onto Poetry Ireland's Writers-In-Schools Scheme is a good way to get sessions in schools, but tell your publisher you are willing to speak at local schools and libraries too. They are often approached by people who are looking for writers and illustrators who will do visits. The best way to go about making a living from your writing is to find ways to make money that also promote your books.

Apart from visits to schools and libraries, things you can do include festivals; talks in colleges and at conferences; articles and reviews; and teaching writing courses. If you don't do public speaking, learn. Try it out on your friends. Time your readings and your speeches so you get to say everything you want to say in the time allowed. Try and find out how other authors and storytellers do their sessions and pick up some of their techniques. Think of ways that you can make yourself different from the rest, so that people will remember you. Learn how to deal with kids, how to set up and control your sessions and, most importantly, learn how to read your stories aloud.

Most writers nowadays have a website or blog or both. Your publisher is unlikely to set these up for you, but there are plenty of ways of doing it for free, if you're willing to look online and put in some work.

Selling foreign rights is a complicated process that requires a wide network of contacts in other countries. It's best left to your agent or publisher. Bear in mind that a publisher will often take a much bigger cut from foreign rights than an agent. And both will often need other agents who act on their behalf in other publishing territories and who will take an additional percentage of the deal. The same goes for selling film or television rights. If you have your own contacts, by all means, use them, but your contract will most likely include a clause that empowers your agent or publisher to sell foreign, film and other rights on your behalf.

 

 

You will need to register yourself with the Revenue Commissioners as self-employed. You should also apply for the Artist's Exemption, which will save you from paying tax on the income from your books. Doing a basic business course can be a big help, as you will have to do your own accounts - publishers and agents will only provide you with a statement of your sales; the rest is up to you. It can be intimidating at the start, but most of it is actually very straightforward once you've made a start.
If you get paid for any events, you will need to invoice the organizer. You can see a sample invoice form here. If you've never been self-employed before, try to talk to someone who is. You can also apply for various grants and bursaries from organizations like the Arts Council. There is more information on these and much more that you'll find of use on the cb info site.