Little Lamb Publishing / Little Lamb Books

Too many red flags for my comfort. Not one person on their staff has even a hint of a bio on their professional experience in the industry.

One of their titles is 7.99 ebook - 12.99 hard copy on their website, but on Amazon the price is 4.49-7.99. Huh-wha...?

As stated, many small presses are against the wall when it comes to production and experience. They have to be uber picky about who they publish. They do not have the resources available to larger companies to risk themselves with new writers. You want someone who knows what they're doing.

Here's how things work when submitting a book for publication: start at the top with the biggest publisher you can find and work your way down. Never start at the bottom!

Long before you reach a microscopic operation like this, you may well have sold your book.

You do not need a Christian publisher to get a Christian book published. Not that this place may in that number, but many, many scam operations wave the flag and praise Jesus to lure in trusting victims. The tell is if they want money. First they claim the office is buzzing and excited about your book, then they want you signed up fast, have your credit card ready. You don't want to go there.

How to find a legit house for your work?

Go into a bookstore and look for works similar to your own. A Christian bookstore is fine if that is your preference.

Look inside the front matter of similar books, write down the names of those publishers. Look them up in Writer's Market (your library will usually have a copy in the reference section) and check their submission guidelines.

If they want agented submissions only, then drop an email to the writers of similar books and ask who represents them. Most will have websites and may mention their agent there. Do not ask (or hint) for the writers to read your work, that is seen as very rude.

Books in the stores will have been through the editing process, have professional looking covers, and are part of a proper distribution system. Small presses may have good intentions, but the bottom line is can they sell your book for you? You may not care about getting paid, but this is a business. Cake is way better with some frosting on it!

Well, I can't help but like the name of the outfit.

Best to consider the advice of those who have responded to your query.

Querying for two years sparks one major question: are you rewriting and polishing when rejections come in?

I shopped my first book for 2 years and got 25 rejections. Every single time it came back I tried to look at the MS with fresh eyes and figure out what it was that caused the rejection. Then I'd do a rewrite. Usually the 1st chapter, three full rewrites of the whole book over that period--and with a manual typewriter, so no groaning! It's part of the job.

I would suggest you check the Share Your Work forum after you work up enough posts to qualify or ask for beta readers to swap manuscripts. Having fresh eyes and feedback are a necessary part of the process.

In the meantime, be writing the next book and the next to keep your head from exploding. Kid lit is the hardest kind of writing there is and not for the faint hearted. Your heart and soul are in it, but the bottom line is that publishers, even Christian publishers, are looking for something that will make them money.

That name.