How I Do Publisher Research and Submit My Children’s Book Manuscripts: Part 3: My Publishers Database

Previous entries in the series:

Part 1: Overview
Part 2: My Tools

Part 3:My Publishers Database

I thought I’d go into a little more detail about the database I keep of editors and publishers. This is a crucial part of my submission process, and I rarely meet anyone else who does this. Of course, that may be because they have better memories than I do. I have a very hard time remembering who publishes what, which editors are where, and so forth. And editors move around a lot, which does not help!

I used to keep a database of all publishers and editors. That was a nightmare. I did it so that I could help Mentors for Rent clients with market research, but now that we no longer offer that service, I focus just on the editors and publishers who put out the kind of books I’m interested in writing.

Probably the most useful source of information for my publishers database is the PW Children’s Bookshelf free e-letter. Here’s a video of me going through a recent newsletter and gleaning info from it.

Highlights I hope you noticed:

• It takes time to learn an industry! Do not feel like a failure because you don’t recognize editors’ or publishers’ names! Start slowly. Pick one age or genre to focus on, and begin building your list, little by little. It’s like an investment account. What you put in today is not worth much. But as you build up your store of information, as it earns interest through your own submissions and attendance at writers’ conferences and such, it will become priceless.
• The newsletter is a starting point. I often have to do a quick Google search to check out a publisher.
• You are not trying to create a comprehensive market listing! If you have one or two editor names at a publisher, you might not want to add any more unless you see that an editor has acquired something very close in style or tone to your own work.

And that’s it! I find a database to be a flexible way to store and access the information I gather about editors and publishers in the kidlit industry. Maybe you will, too. Happy writing!