Great! Now go write your ideas down! This is the perfect time to stretch your creativity and imagination to build awesome characters. No matter the genre, romance or mystery, character agency and world building are fundamental parts. It’s important to read other books in your genre topic. For example, research what it means to write for children:
Learn what makes your reader engaged with this particular story. Understand the your chosen book market and write down every single one of your ideas!
Awesome! Now that you’ve researched the kid literature market and crafted your story from your ideas, it’s time to get feedback on it. Get to know and interact with other authors in your genre. See how a writing resource blog, a writing workshop, a professional editor, and a critique group can give you guidance and feedback on your story. For example:
This is the time to do more research on the craft of writing and get critical feedback on your story. Get samples from editors (who work in the genre you’re writing in) before you hire each one.
Congratulations! Now that you’ve had your story critiqued, edited, and rewritten, it’s time to consider publishing. When it comes to publishing a book, it’s important to know what that means, so you can figure out if you would like to self-publish, submit to an agent, or be accepted into a small press. If you are not sure what this means, ask your fellow writers in a Facebook group you’ve joined or an editor who’s worked with you. If you have the best possible manuscript and understand the basics of the publishing industry, submit to us:
For unagented submissions, we REQUIRE each manuscript to have gone through a developmental edit, manuscript critique, AND substantive/content (line/copy for kid’s books) edit by a professional editor in the chosen genre PRIOR to submission.
We are open to all genres, and are open to expanding our current focus of children’s books, coloring books, novels, and planners. You may submit an unlimited amount of different stories, but please know that if your submission is “conditionally accepted” or “rejected,” you can only submit again after six (6) months of the initial submission, so submit your best work wisely. Also, children’s book authors are advised NOT to submit artwork along with the manuscript. Please make sure the polished final draft is properly formatted for submission and your query letter meets all required standards. If you do not hear from us within four weeks, please note that this means we do not foresee your submission as being a right fit for this press.
For illustrators: if you would like to be considered for a project, please send one black and white sample piece of what diversity means to you to: submissions [@] includas.com. If you’re only able to submit your finished story verbally, please call 818.350.3652 to set up an appointment with us.