I enjoy hearing from readers. Feel free contact me at the email address, below. If you have a question, please take a look at the list of FAQs.

Email Brad brad@bradsneed.com

Frequently Asked Questions

1. I have written a story. Will you read it?

I enjoy a good story, but am lousy at offering advice on what makes a story good…or not so good, as the case may be. And I am not in a position to determine if a publisher would be interested in evaluating your manuscript. The only way to know if your story is publishable is to submit it to an editor!

2. Will you illustrate my story?

Illustrating a picture book requires a substantial time investment (about nine months, for me), therefore I only illustrate stories that have been accepted for publication by a publishing company.

3. How do I get my story published?

The short answer: Submit your manuscript to a publishing company. While this is the proper course of action, in reality it’s a little trickier than that. And to be truthful, the odds are against you. Having said that, here a few things you can do to maximize your chances of hearing from a publisher, “We would love to publish your story!”….

Do some research. Visit a bookstore and pull books that you LOVE. Take note of companies publishing quality books. Search their websites to determine if they accept “unsolicited” manuscripts, and if so, their submission guidelines. If they don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts you may want to seek a literary agent to represent you.

Do more research. Publications like, How to Write and Illustrate Children’s Books and Get Them Published, and Children’s Writers and Illustrators Market offer helpful information about shopping your manuscript, hiring an agent, how to write a cover letter, and more. There are also informative websites. Check out, www.verlakay.com, www.write4kids.com.

Join your local Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) chapter. Membership has lots of benefits. Learn more at, www.scbwi.org.