I have written a children's story, which is available to download for free online. I am in the process of writing the sequel, which I am considering submitting to an agent. However my question is this, if the first in this series is available online, would any Agent consider that a cheek and reject the sequel anyhow? This is not just one book, but would be a series, hopefully to include activity books, songs and many other things... plus a sequel to the sequel. Or would they reject the whole package? Any advice would be most helpful, because I am unsure what to do about this!
Hi Angela,
I would like to thank you for your question, as it is one I have considered myself many times; should I or shouldn't I pre market my work?
Good luck with your books, I hope they bring joy to many children universally.
Amanda Chapman
New Blogger
My understanding is that to write for the children's market is specialised and that you'd do better to discuss the whole project with an agent first. I would write a letter to all the agents you can find who deal with the children's market, tell them how they canread the online book and see what response you get. Also use the internet to find agents. Not everyone will be in this book although I do know that this book has agents not in other directories.
Jane Hayward
who blogs as chiswickwriter.wordpress.com
I have submitted my story (first of a trilogy) to most of my list of appropriate agents in W&A with no luck. I've now published The Princelings of the East as an eBook through Smashwords.com which then gets distributed to all the major eBook retailers. I plan to do the second, and the third, and the prequel (already finished) and the sequel (half written but stuck) and the next one (concept written down)... and they will all need marketing. Mostly by me, some by the retailers, with a great base of content at Smashwords. I don;'t think that would be too different if the agent was involved, but they'd have more contacts.
I think part of the question is Why do you want to publish? There was a great blog addressing this on W&A a few months ago. If you want to get people reading it, to share your story, then ebook is as good as a printed book that sits on a few shelves, in my view. But then I havent sold many yet... but nearly in double figures three weeks post-publication!
It may depend on the real market for your book. More research, perhaps?