Seeking Advice on Writing a Book.....

First she has to get the ideas onto paper... and then present them to a company to publish them. You can do it by yourself but it is very time consuming so having an agent can really help.

If this would be a younger child books (5-10 pages) get them down on paper, do sketches so that when talking there is something to show. If it is young adult or longer books (over 100 pages) best to have a few chapters written to show.

ABOVE all you need to have started writing something to actually SHOW the publisher so they know what they are investing in. It is very competitive and it is a long process BUT if it is something she really wants to do go for it and don't give up! I have a relative that has written a few books/screen plays and it is something she is pressing VERY actively and it is really hard to get a publisher to give their time to listen even with a fully written book.

I'm not in the industry, but from everything I've heard, you need an agent to get anyone to listen to you.

Changing Hands Book Store in Tempe offers several writers classes on that exact thing. The people there are an amazing and she could probably find a lot of connections to help her.

it's brutal unless you no someone in the business. these are the steps that I was told a few years back. she needs to go through copyrighting first. then she has to find a printer (most people look overseas for cheap labor) and publisher and market the books...good luck!

She may also want to look into self publishing. I met someone at a networking event that wrote a book about the hidden job market. She took the self publishing route - I think she did 3000 copies. It takes some $, but I think you have a lot more control. Maybe some moms out there have some experience with this, or perhaps her library might have some resources about it? It might be a way for her to get published if a big publishing house won't do it. Good luck!

Oh exciting, because I have this on my agenda also. A lady that wrote the book, called Stick Family, told me to visit the library and get the book that includes all the publishers. She said to locate one that is interested in the type of book you are writing. Then, mail them a copy, along with a self addressed stamp envelope.. She said that she got around 30 rejections before a publisher called her.. Good luck!! I'm going to do it also...
Debra

The rule with publishing companies is that the book must be finished before you query. Make sure you are querying to the right agent as well (some only handle certain types of children's books and are very specific).

Self publishing is a great way to go as well.

:)