TRANSCRIPT

Hi, in the last few videos I went into detail about the querying process.

Before I wrap up talking about this subject, I wanted to mention two other points that I always noted when writing my query letters…

First, I always indicated if the query was a multiple submission or not. I don’t know if this is mandatory, but I always wanted to err on the side of caution and let the agents and publishers know that my submission was not exclusive to them.

Second, I also acknowledged past submissions to agents and publishers. And again I don’t think this is mandatory, but I always thanked agents and publishers for reviewing any of the past work that I sent to them. And my goal for doing this was twofold: first, I simply wanted be courteous. But, second and more importantly, I wanted to let them know that I had more than one story in me.

Before I wrap up this video, I do want to recap just a few of the main points about querying…

The first one is to make sure you craft a compelling query letter. But don’t worry if it’s not perfect. In reviewing my old query letters, I noticed that they really improved over time… and that makes total sense. The more you do something, the more comfortable you become doing it. But the takeaway here is that your query letters do not have to be the best things ever written to lead to a publishing contract. I mean yes of course, you want to strive to make them as awesome as they can be, but it’s your story that matters the most. Make it the best it can be.

Second, avoid vanity publishers. You shouldn’t pay anything to get your work published.

And finally, be sure to check each publisher’s site before submitting to ensure they’re accepting submissions and to make sure that you’re following their guidelines exactly.

The querying process is so tedious. But when you’re bored and tired of it, remember your why and keep going. One of your queries is going to hit the right publisher at the right time. The more shots you take, the better your chances.

And just FYI, in my book, the Unstoppable Picture Book Author, which is available for download at my website, I’ve included 9 query letters that I wrote that led to publishing contracts. I mean, feel free to use them as reference or as a guide in crafting your own query letters, but they give you a real-life idea of what actually works.

Thank you so much for watching. If you got any value out of this video, please like it, subscribe to my channel and share the video with other aspiring picture book authors.