Picture Book Queries

Right, I'm definitely having problems with this.

I'm in the UK, and here, for PB's we are obliged to send in the whole manuscript. It seems to make sense from quite a few angles, not least that some queries could be actually longer than the PB itself.

Now I would like to start submitting to US pubs and agents, but all of them in the writers directory want a query first.

How on earth do you query for a picture book? Yes, you can give them a hook etc, etc, but it's a bit like trying to query for poetry! How on earth can you get across to them the style, tone, characterisation, dialogue and everything else that comes with a pb ms?

I have thought of putting something like:-

Dear Sirs
I am a magical elf living in a snowy land
One day a rabbit called Patrick told me a story
Now I want to tell it to you!!!

OK, I'm only joking but you get my drift?

Is there anybody out there who has actually got a PB even looked at through a query? If so, how did you do it - answers on a postcard please?

Or, on the other hand, if I were to email (too expensive to phone) these publishers and ask if it were acceptable to send the whole MS, would I find most were amenable?

The whole thing it is then!

To answer your question, Moondance, basically because the PB market seems to have shut down drastically to unsol mss here in the UK.

There are still a few publishers to go at, but most want agent submissions. At my last count there are only 12 agents that will accept unsol mss, as well.

I don't know how to register my luck here in the UK, but one story I have sent out four times and has come back rejected but with positive comments on two. I think that is pretty good going - but I am hearing the same story over and over again. They are commissioning from current authors but are saturated with unsol subs so are closing their books.

I've actually had, in the adult non-fiction story market, a lot more success in the US, so I thought I might as well give my work a shot on that side of the water.

Why am I not cheered up by your comments, GM

It's certainly no fun out there at the minute.

The trouble is you do start to question the quality of your work, so it does help that publishers and agents are willing to take the time to put comments on rejections.

Best get the US stamps out I think!

From the other thread:- I think your agent is probably spot on about the PB situation at the moment. I expect at some point it will pick up, but haven't got any hopes that it will in the short term. Besides which, if you get more satisfaction producing work for the older market, then why not?

I would like to try my hand at easy reader type stuff, and am sure that I will get around to it sometime before I retire!

I really don't know how the US pb market is. I get the impression that it is tightening up, but not nearly as much as here.

Anyway I can let you know when the rejections start coming back

Joseph,
I think you should go over my original post again. The one that says Writers Directory/joking about being cutesy/'like' writing poetry, as in similar to.

I disagree about a childrens book purely being an original concept. Yes, it's part of it and you need the hook to catch the publishers eye, but I see so many PB's published on so many boards that seemingly bear no relevance whatsoever to their introduction.
The structure, pace, wording are all vital to the story.
You can have as much concept as you like, but if you can't put it together with the remainder then it's going to end in the same result.

Surely it makes more sense to send off the entire mss when the stories themselves are only 750 words max?

And if I ever find out what Iambic Tetrameter is, I'll get back to you.

....Bet William Haskins turns up now

Bad luck!

At least I know if I illustrated, I would be absolutely sure and certain to get rejected.

You do know that people are going to leap in now and do the "text but no illustrations" thing, don't you?

I may switch off for the night.

I like you, Maisy!!

Arna, when you say you are sending the first 3 chapters, what does that consist of in the context of PB's? - Just asking out of curiosity.
I'm glad you're finding the thread helpful

Joseph, it's just that, looking at it realistically, and not generalising, and talking in a very quiet and sedate tone - most pb mss are actually not very good.

There, I've said it.

If you don't believe me, just nip over to one of the sites where people post their work and lurk about in the childrens section. I can't remember the name of any but I'm sure somebody will oblige.

The titles are usually brilliant, as is the synopsis. Generally speaking, the actual stories are.....????

What I am saying is that you cannot tell how somebody writes for children simply from a query. You just can't. And US publishers must know that. This is why I'm saying, if UK publishers want the whole mss, is it feasible that US publishers would also want the same thing, despite them not specifying in the directories, which usually just tend to guide towards novellas upwards?

We even have one publisher here that won't accept anything less than 3 mss. It makes sense. Shows if the writer is consistent as well?

I wish phone calls to the US were cheaper. I'd just plain ask them.