The next step: finding an author's agent

A friend of a friend put me in touch with someone who used to work for a major children's publisher. I've been a marketing copywriter for many years but the publishing world was brand new to me, so she kindly spent an hour answering all my questions and helped me see things with a publisher's marketing and business hat on.

We discussed the possibility of turning my story into a series. "Publishers like series," she said.

This ex-children's publisher - and others - advised me to go down the agent route, because sending in unsolicited manuscripts direct to publishers would mean my work ending up (and unread) on a mountainous slush pile.

The Society of Authors was extremely helpful, as it sent me a list of children's agents. I also bought a copy of the Children's Writers' and Artists' Yearbook and drew up a list of possible agents who specialise in picture books.

My next step was to buy 'The Insider's Guide to Getting Your Book Published' which told me everything I needed to know about getting my submission just right.

I was ready to write my letter and post off my picture book text to the first agent on my list.