It all started with an idea for an article. Then, Connie Dow took her idea and turned it into a picture book that helps kids move more. And now it’s officially out as her debut picture book!
I had the pleasure of interviewing Connie about her journey to publishing and what insight she had for other aspiring authors.
…It happened. I got a rejection letter in the mail. Have you had a rejected story lately? It’s no fun to be rejected. However, it doesn’t mean that our stories suck or that we’re bad writers.
Watch the latest author confessional to know what to do with your rejected story. (Hint: rewriting the whole thing isn’t always the answer.) Video below.
…It happened. You got the email and now the agent has set up a call. Your heart is beating and your palms are sweating. This is YOUR moment! Don’t let all those questions you were going to ask an agent escape you when you pick up the phone.
Catch your breath. And let’s prepare for the time when the call comes–because it’s GOING to come!
And when it does, you’re going to be ready.
…Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting with Children’s Book authors and other kinds of authors from all over at the DSM Book Festival. I listened to all sorts of stories and publishing tips from authors to help other aspiring writers.
There were so many different breakout sessions and author talks, that one could come inundated with notes on various topics. However, I sifted through all my information to bring you their top tips and things that were mentioned multiple times.
…Do you have a story that you want to publish? I’ve combined everything you need to know in order to publish a children’s book with a traditional publisher.
Writing a book is fun, but actually getting it published, is where the magic happens. Now, parents can buy the book and children get to READ it! It’s what all of us authors dream of, right? But how do we exactly publish a children’s book?
…If you research children’s publishers, there’s an endless list of options! How do you choose the publishing house that’s going to work the best for you and your story?
I interviewed authors who have published with both a small press and the big five publishing houses to find out which is best. They laid out the pros & cons of both options from their publishing experience. Here’s everything I learned about choosing a publisher that’s best home for your book.
…Congratulations! Your have an offer to publish your book. But what’s the publishing process look like now?
At every conference I’ve ever attended, there’s always a breakout session from an editor to explain the publishing process at their house. To save you the few hundred dollars by attending the conference, I have the easy breakdown for you.
…It’s very exciting when you finish your book, but the next step is to actually sell it. Once you find the perfect agent that you want to send it to, you have to write a query that will make them say yes.
But how do you do that?
I just finished a course of query letters and sent my query out to over 30 agents. For the first time ever, I actually got a response off my queries! Here’s what I learned about writing a query that can help you sell your manuscript, too.
…Are you wanting to find an agent? I’m going to go with yes since you’re reading this post! I know that I am because an agent is
I’ve been researching query letters and literary agents a lot lately–I even watched a webinar on tips to land agents that sell adult books.
As a writer, you’re going to experience rejection. Anyone who tells you otherwise is LYING to you. The sooner we accept the truth about being rejected, the sooner we can move forward in our writing.
In the last few weeks, I’ve been collecting rejection letters. I sent out over 30 queries in October and about 1/3 of those agents have come back with a no. I also submitted to 2 contests that I lost, and heard a no from my picture book query to a publisher.
If you look at the surface, it seems like a world of no for me lately.
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