12 Tips for Writing a Solid Children’s Book Proposal

Greetings, authors, and would-be authors! Are you considering submitting a book proposal to us (or to anyone)? If so, as Free Spirit’s acquisitions editor, I’ve put together a few tips to review before you hit “Submit.” In this article, you’ll find 12 tips for writing a solid children’s book proposal, and Free Spirit Publishing’s downloadable Manuscript Wish List which contains submission guidelines for authors and our current manuscript wish list for children’s and teen’s book titles in fiction and nonfiction.

Children’s book authors should take several considerations into account before submitting manuscripts and book proposals to publishers. Doing so will ensure that their project will stand out for the acquisitions editor who will receive the proposal. Here are 12 tips for aspiring authors.

Know who you’re submitting to

Research the publisher. Reference our books by title. Butter us up! Which of our books do you love? Which ones do you see your book complementing and why? What makes you an especially good fit with us?

Free Spirit is the leading publisher of learning tools for youth and educators that support young people’s social, emotional, and educational needs. We help children and teens think for themselves, overcome challenges, and make a difference in the world. We care about young people and the issues and challenges they face every day. Our titles inform, engage, and inspire children and teens, and the adults who live and work with them. 

Decide if you need an agent

At some publishers, you’ll need a literary agent for your children’s book proposal and manuscript to be considered. A literary agent works as a mediator between the author and the publisher. Determine whether the publisher accepts unsolicited manuscripts. For example, Free Spirit does welcome both agented and unagented submissions, so you can submit your proposal without an agent.

Read your manuscript aloud

If you haven’t yet, be sure to read your book out loud several times—to yourself, a friend, a child, your cat, and so on. It really helps to reveal weak spots. It may also help to have someone else read the work aloud to you. Reading aloud, or listening to your manuscript being read aloud, allows your brain to process the information in a different way. You’ll notice issues you may have missed by reading silently, such as grammatical errors, problems with tone, awkward sentences, or improper sequencing.

Follow submission guidelines

Most publishers will make their submission guidelines known. Take the time to read, understand, and follow them so that your proposal and manuscript gets proper consideration. Even a great idea and an excellent manuscript can be passed on without the required elements.

Say you are open to revision

Tell us up front that you will be happy to work with us on revisions to your work, if needed. (Every book needs revisions.) Revision is an important part of the writing process at any stage, so it helps to be open from the start and to express that willingness to the potential publisher.

Include illustration ideas

Unless you are one of those unicorn author-illustrators, your publisher will choose the illustrator for your book. We do welcome a few art ideas in your manuscript (just describe them in words; don’t try to draw them). We also welcome a short list of your favorite children’s book illustrators—as examples only.

Add heart

In your brief cover letter (fewer than 600 words), tell us why you wrote this book and why the world needs it. Get personal. Show your deep attachment to the subject matter, the characters, and the audience. Confirm your unique approach—tell us why your story is yours to write, and yours alone.

List at least five competing titles

What are the titles that you envision your book sitting alongside in a bookstore display or coming up with in an online search? Include recent (published within the last five to ten years), well-selling titles and explain precisely how yours is different. Note: Even if you believe your book to be one-of-a-kind, it still has competition. Every book has competition. The Bible has competition.

Give details about how you will promote your book

Promoting your published book is a team effort. Publishers unfortunately can’t just sign your contract with a quill pen and mail you royalties a year later. Instead, we need you to use all your connections and all your social media prowess to help us sell your book. Will you join a debut group? Get an ace endorsement? Hype it to your 5,000 social media followers? Spread the word to dozens of relevant organizations you’re affiliated with? Show us you’ll be our partner in getting your book to readers.

Provide teasers to your other projects

Publishers love series. Could your book be part of a series? Or maybe a themed collection of other books you’ll write? What ideas do you have? We will be investing a lot of our resources to build you as an author, especially if you’re a novice, and we need to feel assured that you’re not going to be a flash in the pan.

Spellcheck

Remember: we are editors.

Be very, very patient

We read a lot of proposals, and we likely need to discuss your book with other members of our team—often a few times—before deciding on it. It’s okay to check in with us once if it’s been a while; just know we will eventually respond to you!

As editors, we’ll always read your story first. That’s the cake; the rest of the proposal is mostly the package. And the cake/story is my favorite thing. It’s why I go to work. I live for children’s books. And if I like your story, I’ll read the rest of your proposal, which will ideally make me like your story even more. So, make the package pretty. Make it simple. Make it sturdy. And wait.

Happy writing!