We’d like to thank Harold Underdown for this blog post! Harold is faculty for the Crash Course in Children’s Publishing and has sage advice for those just getting started.

1. Work on your manuscript.
Writing the perfect query letter and targeting just the right publisher or agent is useless if the story isn’t ready.

2. Follow the rules and don’t be “clever.”
That means read submissions guidelines and standard practices.

3. Do your research.
Look beyond the names you already know.

4. Ignore the odds.
Persistence is no guarantee of success, but giving up too soon IS a guarantee that you won’t get published.

5. There is no one sure-fire path to publication.
Find your own. Everyone’s path is different.

6. You don’t need an agent, except in particular circumstances.

7. Think outside of the/your box.
What about magazines, nonfiction, and other paths?

Bonus tip!
Conferences and workshops like Crash Course in Children’s Publishing can give you a leg up.