I wrote my first children’s book and it was published by a publishing house that went out of business. I have continued to sell my books by myself, but as you can imagine it is hard to do. Plus I am running out of books. So my question is; how do I get another publisher to look at my book, let alone publish it. I have sold over 1000 books and have traveled a lot selling it. I still have a few readings and signings for this year, but am worried about what to do now. I have all the rights to my book and the other volumes that come after this one.

It’s difficult finding a publisher for a book that’s gone out of print, so there are no easy answers. Since you have several books done, there are some things you can try. First is to get the Children’s Announcement issue of Publishers Weekly, which comes out twice a year – in February and in July – and which has seasonal book lists from many publishers. Look for publishers who have lists with books similar to yours. You can also check PW and online sources for announcements of new publishers, who may be more open to new authors and illustrators. Another thought is to find out about regional publishers in your area, specialty publishers, or associations with a publishing division – if your book is particularly topical, that may have an interest in you as a local author or in your book’s topic. You may also want to see if any of your subsequent books can work as stand-alone titles, and look to sell that first as a title that hasn’t been on the market before. Then, if there’s interest, you can let the publisher know there are more volumes about the same characters. 1:2/10