COMMIT
TO SUBMIT
One-on-one guidance to move your picture book story from your computer to an agent or editor’s desk
MY picture book STORY IS READY. NOW WHAT?
Once you’ve written that story, you’re eager to get it out there, to see it in print, to read it aloud to a group of engaged and excited kids who love it as much as you do. And I want that for you too, which is why I’ve developed this Commit to Submit step-by-step program. I can’t guarantee you will land an agent or get a publisher to offer you a contract—no one can—but I can guarantee you will have the tools and confidence to enter the world of children’s books and improve your chances by targeting the right agents and/or publishers for your story.
While agents and editors at publisher houses are always looking for the next great story, they read dozens a week and many are looking for a reason to say no due to the volume of submissions they receive.
That’s why writers must do everything they can to submit a polished story to the agents or publishers most likely to be open to their story.
Enter the Commit to Submit program
In this program, I’ll be your experienced guide, taking you through the ins and outs of this process.
Together we’ll make sure you understand the world of children’s book publishing and how to approach it professionally and confidently, increasing your chances of getting an agent or editor to take you seriously and read your story.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Before you begin your Commit to Submit journey, you’ll need to have a solid, well-written picture book story, based on comprehensive experience in picture books which should include the following or the equivalent: classes and workshops specific to children’s picture book writing, group and individual feedback, quality revision.
If you don’t have this experience or a solid, well-written picture book story, check out the Picture Book Story Mastery program.
THIS PROGRAM IS FOR YOU IF YOU…
✔ Want to feel confident your story is ready to submit
✔ Want to know where to start to find an agent and/or publisher
✔ Are overwhelmed by the sheer number of agents and publishers
✔ Want to be “in the know” when it comes to traditional children’s book publishing
✔ Want to know what a query is or how to write one
✔ Are ready to commit to your picture book career
✔ Will set aside the time and energy necessary to see the program through
These last two are really important. I will be putting in a lot of time and energy to support you and expect you to do the same! Together we can get you where you need to be to submit with confidence.
This program is NOT for you if you…
✔ Are absolutely confident your story is ready to submit or are already submitting
✔ Know how to find story-appropriate agents and/or publishers
✔ Have a good working knowledge of traditional children’s book publishing
✔ Already know how to write an attention-grabbing query
OR
✔ Are not quite ready to commit to your picture book career
✔ Cannot set aside the time and energy necessary to see the program through
If you’ve already got the experience and can submit on your own, hooray! That’s awesome. I send all my best wishes to you and thank you for stopping by. Please let me know when you get a book published so I can celebrate with you!
Or, if you know in your heart that you are not ready to make this big of a commitment to further your picture book career and invest in it, kudos to you as well. It’s important to know what you can and can’t do right now and listen to your gut. I hope to see you in the future when it is the right time to commit to your career.
Frequently asked questions
How long will it take to complete the Commit to Submit program?
This depends on which option you choose. For the Toolbox, we’ll be finished after our three-hour live video call.
For the Personalized or Full Programs, the goal is to have you submitting to agents and/or publishers within 6-8 weeks, but it will depend on our mutual schedules and the time you will need to complete the work involved. You will need to devote a number of hours to polishing your story, resarching publishers and agents, reading books, creating lists, and writing rewriting queries. I try not to go beyond 12 weeks so as not to lose momentum, but I understand that life happens and that may not be possible.
Do I need to have a completed picture book story before I start the Commit to Submit program?
YES! This program assumes you have been writing picture books for some time, have attended pictrue book writing classes, received quality feedback from peers writing picture books, instuctors, professionals, revised and revised your story and believe it’s the best it can be. That said, we will still be working on the story together as part of the Personalized Submission Plan or the Commit to Submit Full program.
If you are in the beginning stages of writing a picture book, you can explore my Picture Book Mastery Program. If you have quite a bit of experience but know the story needs more work before it’s ready for the Commit to Submit program, we can talk about one-on-one manuscript consultations. See the “Been There, Done That” contact area on the Picture Book Mastery page.
I've heard I need to have more than one story completed before I submit. Is that true?
YES…if you’re looking for an agent. Most agents will want to know you’ve got other stories that are complete and that you feel are submission-ready—whether they agree that they are is a different story!—because they may love the story you sent, but would like to see other stories to determine which one is the most marketable. You don’t have to have more than one to join the Personalized or Full Commit to Submit program; we can discuss other stories and ideas and strategize. (The Toolbox is a general program so we won’t be disucssion your specific stories in that step.)
Will you be telling me who to send my story to?
We will do this together in the Personalized and Full programs. (In the Toolbox program, you’ll get the tools to locate and identify publishers and agets without input or recommendations from me.)
In the Personalized and Full programs, we will work together to identify publishers who—at least through our research—appear to be a good fit for your story, increasing your chances of having it read and considered for publication. And while I will know your story and do my best to select agents and publishers I believe are a good fit, you may come across some that speak to you in a way that never occurred to me. You know your story and your intentions best so you will help guide some of this process.
My goal for the Commit to Submit programs is for you gain the confidence to do this on your own after our time together is over. I’ll be able to say “You’ve got this!” and you’ll be able to say “I’ve got this!”
Will I get an agent after completing this program?
I hope so, but there are no guarantees! There are many factors that go into an agent deciding whether to take you on as a client. Personal taste in types of stories plays a role, as does whether they believe there is a market for your type of story and/or that it is well-written and engaging.
Whether an agent wants to take you on as a client is out of your control. What is in your control is the how well-written your story is, how well you target agents, and how you present yourself and your story.
Will I get publisher after completing this program?
I hope so, but there are no guarantees! There are many factors that go into the decision to publish a book and many have nothing to do with the quality and appeal of your story. Personal taste plays a role, as does whether a publisher believes they can sell your book and hopefully make a profit. Its also possible that a publisher already has a book like yours on their list and it hasn’t come out yet (and there’s no way for you to know this!) Also, children’s publishing changes a lot and there may be shifts in the types of books getting published and it may not be the right time for this story, but perhaps you have another that fits.
Whether a publisher wants to publish your book is out of your control. What is in your control is the how well-written your story is, how well you target publishers, and how you present yourself and your story.
Will this program save me time?
That’s my goal! (One of many) While you will still spend time researching on your own, reading books, and creating submission lists during our time together, I believe that my expertise and knowledge will cut many hours off the time you would have spent going it alone. That said, only you can decide how much time you can devote and how much your time is worth.
This sounds perfect for me, but I'd like to spread out the cost. Can I pay in installments?
Yes! Payment is through PayPal and they offer a Pay Later option that enables you to pay in four installments. If you’d like to pay in installments, choose the Pay Later option after you click the appropriate pay button below.
CHOOSE YOUR PATH
Whether you start with Step 1 or skip to Step 2 depends on:
- your current experience with finding publishers/agents
- your current experience with submitting your stories
- how much personalized support you’d like
Keep reading to see which step might be right for you. Or set up a call before deciding!
Step 1: The toolbox
For those who have little or no experience with researching agents and/or publishers and submitting. The Toolbox is similar to the Find an Agent/Publisher course I teach locally in Denver and online, with a few added benefits. But if you’ve taken this class, most of it will be review.
If you’re interested in hearing more about the course I teach, check the Classes and Workshops page for upcoming dates.
The Toolbox option will enable you to:
(1) develop your own submission plan and submit stories on your own
OR
(2) have the foundation for Step 2: Personalized Submission Plan.
What we will do together
Part 1: Getting Ready
✔ Is your manuscript ready?
✔ Are YOU ready?
✔ Publishing terms
✔ Publishers vs agents
Part 2: Diving In
✔ Learn places to find publishers and agents
✔ Identifying publishers/agents
✔ Approaching publishers/agents
✔ Formatting your manuscript
✔ Anatomy of a query
Bonus Info
✔ Tracking submissions and responses
✔ Current state of children’s publishing
✔ From acceptance to publication: the process
What You Get:
✔ 3-hour one-on-one session
✔ The Commit to Submit Toolbox Guidebook & Workbook
✔ A solid understanding of what’s involved in getting an agent/publisher
✔ The “how to” of finding potential agents/publishers
✔ An outline or draft of a query letter
Commit to Submit Toolbox $250
If you’re ready to commit to the Toolbox only for general support on finding a publisher and/or an agent, click the pay button below.
(PayPal Pay Later option available if eligible; pay in 4 installments)
Step 2: Personalized Submission Plan
For those who have completed the Toolbox session or have equivalent experience and are ready to develop a customized submission plan with my support.
What we will do together
Part 1: Your Story
✔ Story Identification – which story should go out first?
✔ Story Power Up (review, feedback, revisions)
✔ Story Finalization
Part 2: Your Targets
✔ Identify publishers/agents
✔ Research targets
✔ Identify the story to submit
Part 3: Your Query
✔ Draft a standard query
✔ Customize query for each target
✔ Query Power Up (review, feedback, revisions)
✔ Finalize query
Part 4: Submit!
✔ Submit your story
✔ Prepare for responses
✔ Celebrate this milestone
What You Get:
✔ ~5 hours of one-on-one sessions
✔ The Commit to Submit Guidebook and Workbook with additional content for your personalized journey
✔ Your submission-ready story
✔ My own outside research on potential agents and/or publishers
✔ A customized submission plan that includes 4-5 agents and/or publishers for your story and that meet your career goals
✔ Your submission-ready, customized queries for at least three agents/publishers
✔ The tools to create additional submission-ready, customized queries on your own
✔ Post-plan support that may include being an accountability buddy, interpreting responses and more
✔ Automatic subscription to the monthly Commit to Submit newsletter, which will have encouragement, writing and submission strategies and industry news such as agents accepting queries, publishers accepting stories from unagented authors, contests, and more!
Commit to Submit Personalized $850
If you’ve taken my Agent/Publisher class or already have experience researching and identifying publishers, writing query letters, and perhaps even a bit of submitting, but you want a personalized program, click the pay button below.
(PayPal Pay Later option available if eligible; pay in 4 installments)
Need Both Steps?
If you’re just starting out and want to do the full Commit to Submit program, you can save $100 when you purchase the entire package, rather than each one individually. The Full Progam combines the Toolbox and Personalized Submission Plan into one personalized program from the start, so total hours of live one-on-one time will vary as we develop your plan along the way.
Commit to Submit Full Program $1000
(PayPal Pay Later option available if eligible; pay in 4 installments)
Program Availability
Right now, I’m open!
Not Sure?
Let’s set up a get-to-know-each-other call and figure out your next steps together. Fill out the form below. Feel free to edit or replace the default message.