Julia Cook’s Tips for Publishing Your “Good Stuff!”

By Julia Cook

Note of Encouragement: If you are a person who knows what people need to make themselves more successful in their lives, why not publish your ideas so that others can benefit from your expertise. You CAN make a positive difference in the lives of others! If you have “good stuff” and it makes it into the right hands…it will get published! Here are a few tips:

1)  Make sure your work has both an idea and a purpose. It doesn’t matter which comes first, but they both must exist for your work to be successful. For example, in writing A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue, my purpose came first. Teachers were complaining about the tattling problem so I looked for a book to read to kids and I could not find one that said what I wanted them to hear. The idea of the book was evolved from the purpose. My Mouth is a Volcano! started out as an idea first, because when I was small, my babysitter once said to me “Julia, you interrupt too much. Your mouth is a volcano!” The purpose of teaching children not to interrupt was incorporated into the idea.

2)  Ask yourself the magic questions: Why would people want to read my book? People place very high value on their time. Is your book worth the time spent to read it? What will the reader walk away with after reading this book?

3)  Allow your ideas to EVOLVE. What you start out with may not be what you end up with. Write, erase, rewrite, read it to yourself, try it out on your prospective audience, ask your peers for their opinions, seek the advice of content experts, tweak it to fit. Write your book in the voice of your audience!

4)  When you feel you have finished your book and it truly is your “personal best work,” mail a copy to yourself – certified mail. This serves as a “poor man’s copyright.” When you receive your book that you have mailed to yourself, DO NOT OPEN IT! This is your proof that you had your idea first. Label the outside of the envelope and stick it in a safe place.

5)  Visit a local bookstore, look on-line, or look in book catalogs for books that are similar to your book. Make a list of the publishers of these similar books. Contact each publisher by phone and ask for the name or names of the people who are in charge of deciding which books are published and which are turned away. ALWAYS GET A NAME! If they tell you that the decision is made by a department, ask for a name of a person in that department. Some companies get close to 1000 proposals a day. Specific names are a must!!!

6)  Send your “personal best good stuff” directly to the name of the person you were given. A day later, call the publishing company again, and ask to speak directly to that person. (If the person’s name is Freida Stewart, just ask for Freida.) When your person answers, simply tell them that you have just written a book about “your good stuff” and that you are sending it to them for consideration. A personalized phone call can make all of the difference in the world, especially if your topic is of interest to the company. If you are unable to establish contact over the phone, try emailing your person – ask the publishing company for your person’s specific email address.

7)  Wait patiently! If you haven’t heard anything for a month, contact your person again. You may wish to make your second contact via email.

8)  If your stuff is good, and you can get it into the right hands…you will get published!!! Be persistent. If one company doesn’t work out, try another one. Often times, a small publishing company is much more willing to take a chance on a new author.

9)  When offered a contract by a publisher, make sure the contract is looked over carefully by an attorney. Your book contract should be for one book only – you would not want to sign a “first right of refusal” clause that may cost you a lot of anguish and money later.

10)  When you do get your good stuff published, and your company involves an editor to work with you, be open and accepting or your editor’s suggestions. Use your own literary voice to comply with these suggestions. Most editors truly are experts in their field and they know a lot more than you do about how your book should read. TRUST THEIR JUDGEMENT!!! If you establish an accepting and workable relationship with your editor, you will get a lot farther in this business.

I hope these tips are helpful. Feel free to reach me via email if your have any questions. Have fun making a positive difference!

Julia Cook

www.juliacookonline.com

The Nuts and Bolts Outline of Writing a Children’s Book

??? – What is the one thing that you want the reader to get out of your book?

1.  What Happens First?

3. What Goes Wrong?

5. Empathy Event

4.  What is Learned?

2. What Happens Last?