Writers' Tips From Mary
(For those who have no agent and want to publish anyway.)
by Mary Peace Finley

More and more houses that publish for children are attempting to cut down on the quantity of manuscripts from writers whose work isn't ready yet. Some publishers require that manuscripts--even query letters--be submitted through an agent.

Do you need an agent to "get in" those houses? It depends.

If you are a published author, do your market research. Find exactly the spot for your book to be published, not only the house, but the imprint in that house. Find a house whose values--yes, values--and focus and style are in harmony with your own.

Ask yourself how you feel about quality, prepublication censorship, revisionist history, "bottom Iine" focus. Create your own list of values for the publishing "home" where your book-children will reside. Consider your potential publishing house with as much care as you would select your child's daycare center. Send only to those houses which meet your requirements.

Of course, your work must also meet the requirements of that house. You and your publisher want to stand hand-in-hand on a harmonious foundation which will benefit all concerned. It is a 50/50 proposition (not 100/0!). They meet your needs, you meet theirs. Together you work to bring a good book to your readers.

If you are unpublished, concentrate on your work. When your critique group or your mentor insists it is ready to go to market, go a step further. Have it read by a tough critic. Rewrite. Revise, and take the manuscript through the cycle again with your critique group and careful proofreader.

Finally, submit it to a well-researched market, a house that accepts unagented material. Make your first sale yourself.

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