My thirteenth book will be out in ONE MONTH. Woo-hoo! I struggle to get published. Still.
For those who read the sentence above and wondered why I said I struggle to get published when I've had many books come out since my first one in 2016, you should know I've also had multiple manuscripts on submission for years. I have other manuscripts that sit on my computer. Revised. But not ready for a reader. Or rejected by publishers.
One thing I've learned with these 13 books is that there are lots of ways to get traditionally published.
Want to know about these books and how I received publishing contracts?
Five books were with an educational publisher. They asked me to write their book idea for a certain grade level. The first invitation came in 2015 after meeting an editor at a writing conference. BUT you don't have to attend a conference to write educational books. You can learn more about the educational market here.
(Since then I've done additional educational writing that were not published as books. I also wrote five books that will be published in the future...and two more series are in process.)
One book found its publisher when I scoured a market guide without an agent. Chicago Review Press was one of my top choices to submit to for The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide.
But getting it published was still difficult. (Story in the link, if you're interested.)
One book was a work-for-hire book. It had a similar situation as the five books above where they asked me to write it. This was The Story of the Wright Brothers.
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Five books were based on a contract from an editor I met at a conference. They are in a The Truth About series. The Reycraft editor critiqued my manuscript and let me know of his interest. Later, I signed the contract for just one book, but together we have turned it into a series. The sixth book comes out this fall. (My newsletter subscribers have already seen the cover! I can't wait for you all to see Chomp! The Truth About Sharks.)
Edited: Read the hard process of getting Quirky Critter Devotions ready for readers!
If you're considering purchasing this book, please consider pre-ordering from your local bookstore or online retailer. You can even ask your library to order it!
You can see a list of all of my fact-filled books here. Two books will be published this year and more in 2025 for both the trade and educational markets. Despite struggling to sell my ideas, work-for-hire/educational market writing has definitely kept me busy this past year.
Thanks for sharing your process! Congrats on the upcoming book birthday! So exciting!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It really has been quite the process!
DeleteCongrats on lucky 13 and thank you for sharing your different approaches.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! It's been a great journey!
DeleteThank you for sharing your struggles. I'd say, you have won!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Despite the struggles, we all need to persevere!
DeleteCongratulations! Thanks for your helpful blog posts. Do you have a post that lists websites of all the publishers who have published your books? Or a list of the educational market publishers? I know the publishing houses are always changing, merging, or closing but I thought if you have a post with info like that I'd share it with our readers on Write2Ignite. Even if the information changes, it might be a helpful starting point for writers to use as a springboard in their research.
ReplyDeleteHi! No, I don't have a list of the publishers' websites, though they are all mentioned at https://www.annettewhipple.com/p/books.html. I have multiple posts about the ed market with resources at https://www.annettewhipple.com/search/label/educational%20market. I hope that helps!
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