Peachtree Publishers is a well respected publisher with good distribution. They are based out of Atlanta Georgia and they specialize in publishing children’s books, young adult books, self help titles for parents and educators and guides to the American south. They also  publish books on gardening and cookbooks, but usually only with a southern focus.

They were just purchased by Trustbridge Global Media. They will be known as Peachtree Publishing Company Inc. going forward. This might create changes in what they are seeking moving forward, although they say that as of now they are not looking to broaden their list. Their distribution will remain the same. You can learn more about the sale here.

They are a general trade publisher which means that they publish books that are sold in book stores and found in libraries and schools. They do not publish professional or scholarly books or textbooks, even though their books are used in classroom settings. It is good to review their catalog to get a better idea about what they have previously published.

They accept unsolicited submissions and have clear submission guidelines, but do be warned that it takes up to a year for them to respond to most submissions.

They are currently accepting submissions in the following two categories.

• Children’s fiction and nonfiction picture books, chapter books, middle readers, young adult books

• Education, parenting, self-help, and health books of interest to the general trade

Peachtree only reads query letters if there is a manuscript or sample chapters attached. You must submit a full manuscript for a picture book. For all other books you can send a full manuscript or the table of contents plus three sample chapters.

All submissions must be made through the mail.

To learn more you can visit their website here.

My first mistake: impatience.

I had the glorious dream that my book, my quartet in fact, was ready for the ultimate in traditional publishing – the BIG 6: Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, Random House, Macmillan, The Penguin Group, and Hachette.

So I started looking for a literary agent…

I did not look hard enough: I, of course, read everything I could afford on how to find the right literary agent (and I couldn’t afford much). I scoured query letters of all quality, size and design online. I looked at well-read blogs (that didn’t require a paid membership) on the best practices and picked out what I felt ultimately represented my style and genre.

I wrote and re-wrote my one page synopsis over a dozen times and got feedback on my efforts at least half that time. Then, I dove into those troublesome choppy waters without a life jacket, trusting I could swim with the best of them… I didn’t use an industry resource like the Writer’s Digest Guide to Literary Agents – A book that I now cling to like it’s my first born.

The research I thought I was doing by scouring the internet with my limited abilities felt far more substantial that it actually was. I really only found a few dozen decent agents that matched my ideal before sending out queries three at a time. I thought I had this figured out. I was determined to do this myself without asking for help or spending money I didn’t have. However, when it’s your future writing career, you should give yourself a decent budget and a lot of time to research your resources – it’ll save you undue grief and pressure.

I did not look long enough: I gave up on my dream after 28 rejection letters (a pittance to the minimum of 50 suggested by most agents and industry professionals). I didn’t know what I was doing wrong, why I wasn’t even getting the “we won’t take you because…” responses. I was just getting the “I don’t have time to deal with you” rejections that give no hint or clue.

So I started looking elsewhere at smaller publishers. And I didn’t look very far, very hard, or very long. I tried a few of the medium-sized publishers but got the same response as the agents. Just as I started looking seriously at self-publishing and all its wonders, on a whim I sent a colleague my manuscript. We’d met via a LinkedIn group. I knew her small publishing house had been looking for new manuscripts and even though they were only just starting to branch out into other genres, I asked her if she’d be interested. I mean, I’d built up a rapport with this woman working on an article and getting to know her in the forum; I liked her. What could go wrong? This was what I wanted right? It was traditional publishing after all.

My colleague offered me a contract on behalf of her publishing house that I accepted on a whole lot of faith. Unfortunately, that contract ultimately fell through.

I did not listen to the advice of other writers! Look carefully and know what you want. Don’t sign if you can’t negotiate. Don’t rush.

Had I invested in my reference book from the beginning, and spent a little money to have a professional review both my query letter and my synopsis, I would have felt more confident in the product I submitted. I would have known more about the agents and agencies I reached out to.

Overall, my list of would-a, could-a, should-a’s spiraled back to a lack of patience.

Now, here I am with a dissolved contract having to start all over again (with a new novel!) and not make the same mistakes. I am self-publishing the quartet but my goal hasn’t changed. I want to land a literary agent and earn a contract with one of the BIG 6. I can make this happen. it has been done before. I just need to listen to the advice of those who came before me and have a little more patience in myself and the process.

Take my advice and learn what not to do when it comes to making your dream a reality.

*          *          *

M.J. Moores began her career as a high school English teacher with a passion for creative writing. She left the teaching profession to work as a freelance writer and editor but was unimpressed with the lack of straightforward, simple (and free) resources available to new and emerging writers; so she started her own writers’ blog (Infinite Pathways) to help her fellow compatriots. M.J. is the author of Publicizing Yourself: A Beginner’s Guide to Author Marketing and two writers guides through Authors Publish. Her debut SSF novel The Chronicles of Xannia: Time’s Tempest edition 2, with Infinite Pathways Press, is now available in print and ebook. http://mjmoores.com

Cream City Review is published biannually, spring and fall. They have two submissions periods: August 1 to November 1 for the fall issue, and January 1 to April 1 for spring. Each edition includes 25 to 35 poems, five to eight stories, one to three essays, and one to three book reviews or author interviews. Submitting writers can expect a response within about two to eight months. Accepted submissions will appear in Cream City Review the following year, and contributing writers receive a one year subscription to the journal.

Poets may submit up to five poems. Fiction and nonfiction writers may submit one piece of writing 20 pages or fewer. Longer material is occasionally considered. Writers may also submit author interviews and book reviews, and should query for more information.

Cream City Review accepts submissions online, but not via post or email. They accept simultaneous submissions, but ask that writers withdraw work published elsewhere. They do not accept previously published work.

If you’d like to learn more or submit to Cream City Review, please visit their website at http://www.creamcityreview.org/submit-2/

SnapDragon, an online journal of art and healing is looking for submissions about “The Art of Creating”, they want you to submit unusual, abstract, over-the-top work that talks about creativity, the act and art of it, especially if it’s connected to how you become one because of/through it. Submissions are due by the 31st of October. All submissions must be made online. To learn more visit their website here.

3Elements Review is a themed literary journal. All three elements must be included in your story or poem. For this submission period these elements are the specific words, Mania, Tower, and Exposure. Synonyms of the elements will not be accepted. The deadline for submissions is October 31st. The issue will be published on January 1st. You can learn more here.

Local Nomad, an online journal that publishes poetry and flash fiction is looking for work that fits the theme of dreams. The deadline for all submissions is November 10th. To learn more visit their website here.