Publishing a picture book that has already been published in journal

Kats · Jun 25, 2014

I'm interested in entering a picture book manuscript in a competition in a literary journal where the winners and runners-up get published in the journal. Given that the entire PB manuscript (without illustrations) would be published though, does this mean publishers would not be interested in publishing it later? The rights revert back to the author after it has been published in the journal.

Any feedback on this would be great. Thanks!

Old Hack · Jun 26, 2014

I don't think a picture book could be published effectively without pictures.

In that case, what benefit would winning this competition give you? Is it well regarded? Does it have a good reputation of finding brilliant books which go on to sell well?

If not, why bother with it when if you win it you might well be reducing your chances of finding a publisher who would be interested in it?

Terie · Jun 26, 2014

If you have a manuscript that can stand as text alone without the pictures, it will unlikely sell as a picturebook. The whole point of a picturebook is that both text and pictures are required for the story. (Yes, when reading a picturebook to a visually impaired person, you have to explain what's happening in the pictures.)

If you have a manuscript that can't stand as text alone without the pictures, it will never be accepted for a publication in a journal that doesn't include pictures, because the story is incomplete with them.

So you need to decide: Is it a short story for children, in which case, if you think the contest is worthwhile, you could submit it. Or is it a picturebook, in which case, there's no point in submitting it to the contest because you will have no chance of success.

Kats · Jun 26, 2014

Old Hack said:
I don't think a picture book could be published effectively without pictures.

In that case, what benefit would winning this competition give you? Is it well regarded? Does it have a good reputation of finding brilliant books which go on to sell well?

If not, why bother with it when if you win it you might well be reducing your chances of finding a publisher who would be interested in it?

Thanks for your thoughts. It is a well regarded literary journal, and winners have gone on to be published (novels) after having short stories published. There is also a cash prize. It would definitely be worthwhile to enter a short story, but I am not sure about PBs. I am asking the same question about if it's worth it if it might reduce my chance at publication later--probably not worth the risk.

Terie said:
If you have a manuscript that can stand as text alone without the pictures, it will unlikely sell as a picturebook. The whole point of a picturebook is that both text and pictures are required for the story. (Yes, when reading a picturebook to a visually impaired person, you have to explain what's happening in the pictures.)

If you have a manuscript that can't stand as text alone without the pictures, it will never be accepted for a publication in a journal that doesn't include pictures, because the story is incomplete with them.

So you need to decide: Is it a short story for children, in which case, if you think the contest is worthwhile, you could submit it. Or is it a picturebook, in which case, there's no point in submitting it to the contest because you will have no chance of success.

Thanks for your feedback. I am well aware of the requirements for PBs - my manuscript does need illustrations in order to be published. The competition however is for writing for children and young adults, and there is a specific category for PBs and writing for younger children (and they make it clear you do not need to include illustrations for your entry).

Debbie V · Jun 30, 2014

Whether the manuscript can be sold after the journal publishes it depends on what rights the journal takes. If they take only first rights, there is a chance of selling it again. However, be sure to notify the publishers that you won the contest and that first rights aren't available. Some publishers will balk at this. Others may be fine with it.

If the journal takes all rights, you'll be out of luck.

If you let us know which publication you are referring to, we may have a better idea of whether it would be worth doing. You may also get better responses in Writing for Children than in this section.

Publishing a picture book that has already been published in journal

Kats

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

Terie

Writer is as Writer does

Kats

Debbie V

Mentoring Myself and Others