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Hi, Silas,

Congratulations! Finishing a novel, and having people approve of it, is a giant step. I can’t tell you what to do. I can only tell you how it worked for me, and remind you that it was (gasp!) 50 years ago!

I chose Scholastic, mostly beause they were the only kids’ books publisher I really knew about, and they had an office just outside of Toronto, which is where I lived. I packaged up my book and wrote a covering letter, telling a little about me and about my story, and asking if they would please read it. They did, and liked it, and that was over 100 books ago. I have several publishers now, but I’m still with Scholastic.

I don’t know if that would work today. Many publishers won’t read manuscripts that don’t come through literary agents. But you can try. Or you can look up a literary agent who might be willing to give your work a look. There are books that list all publishers and agents — books on writers’ markets. Try your public library.

I wish you tons of good luck, Silas! Please keep me posted!                             —–Gordon Korman—–