Success Stories

Although we have links with both publishers and agents we do not automatically make specific recommendations. It is important to remember that children’s publishing is an extremely competitive industry. Publishers are businesses, not charities, and they will only take on work which they feel will result in high sales.

At The Writers’ Advice Centre we are only too aware of the demands of the industry and will not make false promises of success. To do so would reflect badly both on us, as a service, and on the author concerned. When appropriate we are certainly able to suggest specific publishers and agents, but for us to do this a manuscript needs to be as near perfect as it can be, both in marketing and editorial terms, when it reaches us. This is rare. What we can do, in the majority of cases, is work on a manuscript with you and guide you through the complex market that makes up children’s publishing.

Obviously in those rare cases when a manuscript is suitable for submission we will do everything we can to ensure that your work gets published – including forwarding work ourselves after discussion with the author.

Success Stories

The Writers’ Advice Centre is proud of all its authors. It is no mean feat to write a book whether it receives international acclaim or not. However we are here to help you achieve publication so we do, naturally, like to shout about those of you who do find success.

Sometimes our success is indirect. For example at our suggestion Patrick Cooper sent his manuscript to Ginn. They didn’t want that particular story, but they did take his next submission and he placed his first stand-alone novel for older children with Andersen.

Sometimes authors hear about publishers’ requirements from us and, as a result, place their work. Jill Atkins has had considerable success with educational publishers and Cherith Baldry placed Mutiny in Space after hearing about Puffin’s Surfers through us.

Anthologists often come to us at The Writers’ Advice Centre looking for contributions. Both Sue Vyner and John West placed manuscripts in this way in two separate short story collections published by Orion.

More direct successes include The Master of Secrets by Ruth Symes (Puffin), A Friend for Rachel by Margaret McAllister (Oxford University Press), Control Shift by Nick Manns, and the Fidler Award winner The Memory Prisoner by Thomas Bloor (Hodder).

Many of our authors are now turning to self-publishing with considerable success. Ian James has sold over 4000 copies of his Greedy Cow picture books and even managed to persuade prestigious London store Fortnum & Mason to stock his books.

Ashley Brooks self-published Max and his Clean Hands and over the next couple of years will be taking his Max books into 21,000 schools in England and Wales reaching some 6 million children nationwide.

And Writers’ Advice Centre author Steve Richards has converted his book The Tale of the Bungaroo into a play which he will be taking into schools with his company Splatz.

Since approaching The Writers’ Advice Centre with her original manuscript Louise Dale has done so well with her Time Trigger book series that she has set up her own publishing company Dragonheart Publishing. Her latest book is The Masks of Robin Hood .

Many of our success story books are available to buy in our shop.