Picture Book Queries

[Dollywagon]

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?

[Grey Malkin]

Send the whole thing with the query letter. Simple as that. It's what I did and I got a great response - a rejection - but a positive one.

[moondance]

Interesting - can I ask why you are submitting to US pubs and agents? Is it because you haven't had a good response from UK ones? I only ask because my agent has told me that it is much harder to get accepted by an overseas market before you have been successful in your own country.

[Dollywagon]

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.

[Grey Malkin]

Yup, the PB market is grinding to a halt here in the UK - so much so that I know at least one agent who is moving more into older children's fiction markets because she simply can't sell work from her picture book clients. It's nothing to do with the quality of the work being pitched - it's all to do with publishers slashing budgets and space available in shops for picture books.

[Dollywagon]

Why am I not cheered up by your comments, GM:D

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!

[moondance]

Ah, that makes sense (and I also understand your comment on the other thread about crossing threads!) - well, best of luck. Is the pb market doing better in the US at the moment?

[Dollywagon]

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;)

[josephwise]

Send the whole thing with the query letter. Simple as that. It's what I did and I got a great response - a rejection - but a positive one.

I'd recommend getting a copy of the US edition of Children's Writer's Market, and simply following the specific guidelines of each target publisher. Some want a query only, and you don't want to give a bad impression by ignoring that.

I had some success with a query I sent for a picture book (even Bantam requested a manuscript). It was just like a query you might write for a novel. DO NOT make it cute or try to fill it with the personality of your characters. It should be short, concise and convey the uniqueness of your concept. If you want them to know it's poetry, say something like "My book is a rural fable written in iambic tetrameter."

In any case, concept is key. Let them know, with 100% objectivity, what it has that other picture books don't have.

[Dollywagon]

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:D

[Grey Malkin]

Just thought I'd add, because I illustrate too, that I have also made full mss submissions with a sample illustration by email - costs nothing and who knows, if it's there on screen, it might just hit the mark.

er... mine didn't tho. :cry:

[Dollywagon]

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.:D

[Arna]

Hi,

This thread is right on time. A great help. Thanks.

It just so happens that I will be putting a ms in the mail today to two agencies. One agency is in the US and the other is in the UK. One has requested a synopsis and the first three chapters. The other agency has requested the full manuscript with a SASE.

If I understand the input given so far if they don't ask don't send? Neither agency requested a query letter.

I did not know the pb market was so bleak right now, but I'm going to remain positive.

Dollywagon, thanks again for the thread. I'm new at this so I hope I've identified the thread creator correctly. Please forgive me if I'm wrong.

[josephwise]

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.

Appologies. I understood you were joking, but I never hesitate to repeat the principles of the query letter when I can. I should have made that more clear.

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.


Agreed, but by concept perhaps I don't mean merely the story concept. Again, I should have been more clear.

For example, if one's book is unique because it's written in mirrorscript, THAT's the concept. Not the story. Of course, that particular concept wouldn't sell. In any case, uniqueness must be emphasized in the query letter. The query isn't supposed to say "I've executed this book with impeccable skill." The query is supposed to say "I've done something that hasn't been done before."

The manuscript is where you prove your impeccable skill.

But I can't say it enough: find and follow the publisher's submission guidelines. If they ask for a query only, send only a query.

[Maisy]

Just wanted to pass on some info. I've heard from several people who attended the national SCBWI conference in LA last weekend that PB's are making a comeback. One qoute from an atendee is that the editor leading the workshop they attended said, "PB's are back!" Good news for all those PB writers out there.

[Dollywagon]

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:D

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.

[josephwise]

What I am saying is that you cannot tell how somebody writes for children simply from a query.

You can't tell how somebody writes anything from a query. That's not the query's job. But I understand your dilemma.

Yes, many of the US publishers to whom I submitted accept full mss. They're out there, and they're easy enough to find. If the guidelines don't specifically say "query only," then it's a good bet the publisher would accept full pb mss. submissions. All of them rejected mine.

My manuscript did get through quite a few cuts, and was in consideration for quite some time with Bantam before I got a lengthy, specific, and surprisingly "glowing" rejection from their top children's editor. For me, that was a small success. And it started with a query only, by itself, with no manuscript attached.