Articles, interviews, and industry insight for children's book writers.
Getting Published
UK children’s book writing competitions; what’s available, what you can win, and what’s worth entering This article was verified in August 2026 and will be updated regularly. Always check the competition’s own website before entering, as deadlines, entry fees, and eligibility change from year to year. Writing competitions occupy a specific and useful place in […]
Getting Published
What to pay attention to in your publishing contract if you don’t have an agent Getting a publishing offer is one of the most exciting moments in a writer’s life. It is also one of the most important moments to keep a clear head, because book contracts are tricky things to navigate. How much can […]
Getting Published
A practical, step-by-step guide to finding the right literary agent for your children’s book Finding a literary agent is not a lottery, even though it often feels like one. It is a research process followed by a writing process followed by a waiting process, and the writers who approach it systematically do better than those […]
Getting Published
How to write a query letter for a children’s book – and what agents actually want to see A query letter is one page with a simple purpose, but it stops plenty of talented writers from getting published. Not because the writing isn’t good enough, but because writing a winning query letter is a different […]
Getting Published
From literary agents to self-publishing – a guide to every option There is no single route to getting a children’s book published. The agent-to-major-publisher path is the one most writing advice assumes you are on, but it is one of several viable options, each with different trade-offs, different timescales, and different definitions of success. Understanding […]
Getting Published
The conventional wisdom says you need an agent. For the major UK publishing houses, such as Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, and Macmillan, that’s true. But the children’s publishing landscape is broader than the blockbuster publishers, and there are independent publishers who actively want to hear from unagented writers. It’s good to note that this […]