Hi there. In pure haste and desperation, I have self-published two children's books. I have now, after a year realised that I simply do not have the time to market these books and was looking at going down the traditional publishing route. I have approached agents in the past who have given the MS good reception but then decided not to take it on (Grr.). My question is how should I now approach agents with my published book? I haven't approached agents for at least three years and the title has changed, so I can't imagine any would remember. Do I tell them I self-published or do I just submit it like a normal MS?
PS: You should listen to Clare
I guess they'd find out easily. You should tell the true.
Nothing is secret if it's been mentioned on the web. An agent who thinks they are dealing with brand-new, unpublished work may well be disgruntled if they find it's been published before and the author has tried to hide that. There are instances of self-published authors going on to publish the same book via a traditional publisher, so it's not unheard of. I'd be honest. They may well want to know how many you've sold, what marketing you've done etc, so be prepared to provide details if you get a bite. I wouldn't put the details in your initial approach, but do mention you previously self-published the material, although it has been revised since. And then do revise it - you may well find you can tighten or improve it before sending it out.
And remember - authors now are expected to participate in marketing their books. Ian Rankin, the top-selling crime author in the UK, does a book tour in small venues each time a new book comes out. Authors have to be in contact with their fans, to keep them coming back.