Publishing a Children's Book

The publishers who print books on your dime are probably not the ones who could help this book succeed. If the book is good, your husband can probably find an agent to promote it to various publishers who would not only print it at their own expense, but market it as well.

I've known a few people over the years who have paid big bucks out of pocket to print their beloved projects, sold maybe a dozen copies, and ended up with a garage full of unsold books. Basically all they got out of it was being able to call themselves "published authors." For this reason, those printing companies are often referred to as the "vanity" press.

Promoting a book is a huge part of the process of getting it out there. Printing is only the first step.

Good luck on this project.

Trafford Publishing, and Publish America will offer on ANY book. I'm not trying to toot on your parade, but I've been there, done that. I wrote a book about 5 years ago and one thing I found out is that the big publishing companies that actually are reputable only allow submissions to come through an editor. I still haven't put the money into hiring an editor because it's expensive and my book is long. I received offers but Trafford and another one that's probably just like Publish America, and the thing is, they make their money off of YOU, not the public. So they don't really care about the actual book, just that they can get YOU to use them so they make money that way. They charge you a fee for print. Publishing companies that are big don't get money from you. They give you an upfront amount, and then you receive royalties. So, I would say to NOT use those, and instead concentrate on looking into editors.

Ok, so I don't want to rain on your parade BUT I just googled "Publish America" and "scam" and I got a bunch of hits. You need to be sooooo careful about publishing companies. I would also google Trafford Publishing and scam as well before you do anything. Any company that wants money up front is a NO as far as I am concerned. I have tried very hard to get some of my stories published and it is HARD. I have had offers from companies only to find out that they are not legit and that they operate under the names of several publishing houses at once. It's heartbreaking but it is an incredibly hard industry to crack if you don't have connections. :( I hope you guys have better luck than I did--I do intend to keep trying. Just be sure to do your homework because there are almost more scammers than legit companies out there in publishing.

Don't go to realcostplus.com. Owner, Rick Reynolds aka Adkins is a crook. Funny how he has to change his name and company name. Here is a link to one of the articles you will find on him. Steals investors moneys, can we say Bernie Madoff. http://www.sao.mt.gov/news/20090623MLMScheme.html

My mom has been trying to publish for years (3), she has two children novels that my daughter enjoys thoughly. we just don't have ten thousand plus dollars to do self publishing and even if we did , we don't have connections to market her books.
I agree with doing your research first, don't shell out hundreds of dollars and be stuck with books that won't sell.
I think if you don't have connections it's not a bad idea to self publish a LITTLE amount of books and then spend the bulk of the money you're investing in promotion, that way you might be able to get an agent.
We haven't had luck getting an agent because we don't have the right connections but your hubby might know people.
I agree it's a tough bussines to get in,

1. Go to the library and find some books that are similar in subject matter and style
2. Write down the publishers name, address, phone number and the name of the editor.
3. Send a 'query letter' to the Editor at the publishing house.
4. Await response.

Meanwhile he needs to join a children's book critique circle and have his book peer reviewed. GL!

Hi B. - if you're on facebook, you might want to ask for help from your friends. They may have used someone or know of a reputable service to direct you to. It's always good to get a referral! And when you're ready to start marketing your book, please contact me. I work for an online store, realcostplus.com, and we are always looking for new product vendors!

Good luck and congratulations!