March 2003

Where Can I Find A Directory Of Publishers And Agents In The UK?

I've written a children's book that I believe would do better in the United Kingdom. Do you know where to get a directory of children's book publishers and agents in the UK? I've checked out the UK branch of SCBWI online and found nothing.

After a quick Google search, I found two books that come highly recommended by other writers. The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook 2003 and The Writer's Handbook 2003, edited by Barry Turner, both contain information about publishers and agents in the UK. The Writer's Handbook has a web site with a complete index of agents, what they're looking for, and how to contact, including email addresses. For online research, take a look at the UK Children's Books web site. Click on the "Publishers" file and you'll find an alphabetical list of children's publishers with links to their web sites, where you'll find submission guidelines. Be sure to spend some time at Bloomsbury's Writers Area. They offer comprehensive advice on how to submit manuscripts, literary agents, advice from an editor, and more.

How Do I Find an Illustrator and Publisher for My Storybooks?

I am a stay-at-home mother and am beginning to write children's books. I have many ideas as far as what to write about. Except, I am unsure how to go about getting an Illustrator and publishers that would be interested in these preschool storybooks.

I have recently joined the Society of Children's Book Writers. I hope you can help guide me in the right direction.

By joining SCBWI, you're already headed in the right direction. Go to the Publications page on the web site and click on "SCBWI Publications," then click on the "Members" prompt. You'll find a complete list of publications available for free to members. You can download and print the PDF, or send an SASE with sufficient postage to have a printed copy mailed to you. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find "Publishers of Books for Young People/Market Survey," which is a list of children's publishers, editors, and submission guidelines.

Be sure to contact your Regional Advisor for conferences, critique groups, and other activities in your local area. You can locate an email address for your Regional Advisor when you click on "Regional Chapters" at the SCBWI web site.

You don't need to worry about finding an illustrator for your storybooks. Editors always choose illustrators; writers seldom have any input in that decision. For more information on why you should not submit illustrations with your picture book manuscript read, "Who Draws the Pictures?" at Harold Underdown's web site, The Purple Crayon. He goes into more detail on why editors choose the illustrators.

Can You Help Me Find Wiccan Coloring Book Publishers?

I have illustrated a coloring book called, "Wynda's Wiccan Ways." Wynda is a character I designed for a line of greeting cards by Panda Ink. I can't find any publishers of coloring books of new age, wiccan, or pagan subject matter. Can you help me?

Whenever you are researching a niche market, the best place to begin is in the marketplace. Find other coloring books with the same subject matter and make a note of the publishers. Because new age, wiccan, and pagan subject matter is usually found in specialty stores, you should be sure to visit a few to look for coloring books. In large metropolitan areas, you're apt to find new age or wicca bookstores.

The Internet is another place to search the market. A Google search of the phrase, "wiccan coloring book publishers" yielded several results: "Gods and Goddesses of the Zodiac" from Crossquarter Breeze, "The Celtic Coloring Book" from Dufour Editions, "A Coloring Book of Ancient Ireland" from Bellerophon Books, and "Gargoyles and Medieval Monsters Coloring Book from Dover Publications. Llewellyn publishes new age and wicca subject matter. I couldn't find any coloring books listed in their bookstore, but you could query them about your book. While I found web sites, I couldn't find submission guidelines for all the publishers. Look in the 2003 Writer's Market for more information.

I also found a lot of self published wicca and pagan coloring books online. The creators use specialty web sites, and most likely specialty stores to sell them. Apparently you self publish your own line of greeting cards and novelty items. You should consider self publishing your coloring book and offering it for sale at your web site and in specialty stores. The New Age Retailer is an excellent resource for finding distributors for your products.

For more information:

UK Children's Book: Publishers

http://www.ukchildrensbooks.co.uk/pubs.html

Bloomsbury Writers Area

http://www.bloomsburymagazine.com/WritersArea/Get_Published.asp

The Writer's Handbook 2003: UK Agents' Index

http://www.writersservices.co.uk/WrHandbook/wh_uk_index1.htm

SCBWI Publications

http://www.scbwi.org/pubs.htm

Who Draws the Pictures? by Harold Underdown

http://www.underdown.org/cig_ch14.htm

Crossquarter Breeze guidelines

http://www.crossquarter.com/AuthorsGuidelines/CQtrBlist.html

Dufour Editions

http://www.dufoureditions.com

Bellerophon Books

http://www.bellerophonbooks.com

Dover Publications

http://store.doverpublications.com

Llewellyn submission guidelines

http://www.llewellyn.com/history/submit.php

The New Age Retailer

http://www.newageretailer.com/editorial/content/distributors-02.asp

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