Originally published in the Children's Book Insider, this article shows how editor Randi Lynn Mrvos got her first children's book published.

Every time I visited a bookstore, I envisioned my manuscript as a book on a shelf. This ritual developed after I wrote a picture book about a girl named Maggie and then created a blog that chronicled the hopeful journey of getting it published.

The Maggie Project blog was fashioned after the Julie/Julia Project in which Julie Powell blogged about cooking all of the recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking book in one year. The premise of my blog was to submit a picture book manuscript to 30 publishers, 15 agents, and 5 contests in one year. Unlike Julie, I did not end up with a book deal. It was humiliating. The Maggie Project closed down and the manuscript was shelved.

This setback prompted me to do three things initially. I read more books on the craft of writing fiction for kids. One of my favorite books is Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul. This book offers the necessary background needed to write picture books, which will appeal to editors, agents, and children. Paul covers creating characters, developing point of view and plotting, and researching the picture book market.

Second, I attended online writing webinars offered by the Children’s Book Insider where I learned more about the craft of writing picture books. I also participated in Writeoncon, a three day online conference on writing children’s literature. In addition, I traveled to Louisville, Kentucky for a writer’s workshop and pitch session and attended a Writer’s Digest conference in my hometown, Lexington, Kentucky to learn about how to get an agent.

Last, I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Members may have the chance to meet agents or to have a manuscript critiqued at writing workshops. Twice a year SCBWI has conferences, one in Los Angeles and the other in New York City, where attendees can schmooze with published writers and with writers wanting to get published. The Bulletin is the quarterly publication that has gobs of informative articles on writing and illustrating for kids. Then, there’s The Book: The Essential Guide to Publishing for Children, a publication that helps in targeting publishers for queries and the SCBWI discussion boards where members can post questions, find out about current market news and writer’s contests, and learn about blogging and using social media.

Reading books, attending conferences, and joining SCBWI are important steps to take to develop a writing career, but…they don’t always guarantee publication. I put fiction writing on hold temporarily and tried my hand at nonfiction. It’s easier to get nonfiction published than fiction because it is less subjective. Since my background was Medical Technology, I wrote technical articles and got them published in scientific journals. From there I wrote science article for kids and had these articles published in children’s magazines such as Highlights for Children and Appleseeds.

After spending several years publishing nonfiction, I returned to writing fiction for kids. I wrote a handful of picture books and submitted them. But sadly, my work was rejected even though my bio looked more impressive.

I was frustrated. There were times when I wanted to give up. But one of my husband’s remarks that kept me positive despite the rejections: “It only takes one person to like your work.”

Six years had passed since Maggie was shelved. I decided to work with editorial consultant Mary Kole. She offered a package which included a picture book critique and a review of three query letters. By chance, I pulled out the query for Maggie. After she gave me her impressions I realized the Maggie manuscript had potential. Noting that picture books had gotten much shorter, I cut five hundred words and changed the title as Mary suggested. The picture book story was submitted to five publishers.

Two weeks later I went on vacation with my husband. Before going out to dinner one evening I checked my e-mails. One of them was from a publisher. Incredibly it read: I like your book.

Say what? My scream was probably heard throughout the entire hotel.

Since then, I’ve signed a book contract with Cactus Moon Publications and my days are spent marketing Maggie and the Summer Vacation Show and Tell. When I look back on the road to publication it had been a long difficult journey. It demanded the willingness to develop the craft, the determination to never give up, the strength to remain positive despite rejection, and the resolve to hold fast to a dream. It also required getting involved with a professional writer’s organization. But even before the journey began, it took the daring to envision a book on a shelf.