July 2005

Where Can I Find a Book Distributor?

I'm the author of a children's book I'm trying to get distributed. I'm looking for an agency and/or individual who can work on percentage of books sold and can get books on bookstore shelves. Can you help me?

Book distribution is a challenge for independent publishers. Mainly because Ingram is the largest book distributor in the US and they generally don't deal with small quantities and independent publishers. Ingram now owns Lightning Source, a POD company (print-on-demand). So if your book is printed with Lightning Source it goes into a catalog that is distributed to booksellers and they will special order POD books for customers on request.

It would be impossible for me to explain the book distribution business in one column but suffice to say that it is largely controlled by publishing conglomerates and bookstore chains. There are book distribution companies, and you can do a Google search for "book distribution" but I have found that all of these companies charge a fee, usually $100-$300, plus a percentage of sales. PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, is a support organization for independent publishers providing cooperative marketing programs, education and advocacy within the publishing industry. They do charge a fee for membership.

You can list your book at Amazon's Marketplace program. They also have the Amazon Advantage program but there is an annual fee of $29.95 and the commission rate is 55%. With Marketplace, you can set your own price and there's no annual fee. They do charge a single fee when you make a sale.

Rather than distribution, the key is marketing. Para Publishing is Dan Poynter's company (author of The Self-Publishing Manual). His web site offers many suggestions for "thinking outside the bookstore" for marketing your book, plus a free email newsletter. Another excellent resource is 1001 Ways to Market Your Books by John Kremer. He devotes an entire chapter to "Getting Distribution".

Since you have a children's book, look into doing school visits. Many children's authors do well selling their books through their school visits. The main drawback is that school visits take up a huge amount of the author's time and resources, so unless you live near a major metropolitan area, you will do a lot of traveling. You can find information about planning and scheduling school visits, workshops, and personal appearances at Elizabeth Kennedy's Guide to Children's Books at About.com.

Editor's Note: You can find more information on the topic of self-publishing and distribution in our Self-Publishing section.

Are There Standard Age Groups That UK Publishers Recognize?

I've written a story book for 4-12 year olds and before I send it round I need to know in what age group division it would be considered. Are there standard age groups which all UK publishers and literary agents recognize?

Picture books are generally for 4-8 year olds. A story for 4-year olds wouldn't necessarily appeal to 12-year olds. In her article, "Understanding Children's Writing Genres", Laura Backes says: "Traditionally, picture books (also called "picture story books") are 32-page books for ages 4-8 (this age may vary slightly by publisher). Manuscripts are up to 1500 words, with 1000 words being the average length. Plots are simple (no sub-plots or complicated twists) with one main character who embodies the child's emotions, concerns and viewpoint."

Publishing is an international business. Many books published in the US are eventually sold in other countries and translated into other languages. Likewise, books published in other countries are published in the US and around the world. Therefore, genres and target age groups are universal, or the same in the UK as in the US.

Where Do I Find Examples Of Query Letters?

I've been looking for information about writing a good query letter. But the examples I've found are for adult fiction and nonfiction. Are query letters for children's books the same? Where can I find some examples?

The point of sending a query letter is to hook an editor or agent into reading your story or book. In that way, query letters are the same for children's fiction as they are for adult fiction. However, query letters for fiction are different than query letters for nonfiction.

The good news is there are resources for writing query letters for children's fiction. At her web site, Linda Sue Park (winner of the 2002 Newbery Medal for A Single Shard) shares her simple query letter template, and how to adapt your book to her format. In her article, "Query Letters for Children's Book Fiction", Margot Finke goes over the basics of what to include, provides an example, and a list of resources. In their new book, Writing Children's Books for Dummies, Lisa Buccieri and Peter Economy delve deeper into the ways in which query letters to agents differ from query letters to publishers. For instance, Lisa recommends presenting a unique marketing idea for your book in your query letter to publishers, but that's not necessary when you query an agent.

For more information:

PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association

http://www.pma-online.org/http://www.pma-online.org

Amazon Marketplace

http://www.amazon.com

Para Publishing

http://www.parapublishing.com/

School and Library Visits by Authors and Illustrators

http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/visits/

Understanding Children's Writing Genres

http://www.writing-world.com/children/genres.shtml

Query and Cover Letters, by Linda Sue Park

http://www.lindasuepark.com/writing/cover_letters.html

Query Letters for Children's Book Fiction, by Margot Finke

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

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