As the first line of defense for Illumination Arts' email, I often get questions on submissions, not just for our company, but for getting published in general. Below are some answers I gave one recent questioner, which you may find useful.

I was hoping you could tell me the best way to get it published. Do I just send it to as many publishers as possible? Is there something else I should do before sending out my copies of this children's book? I can't really draw cartoons, but should I pay for an illustrator? They are very expensive.

Before you send your story out, make sure it as polished as humanly possible. There should be no typos, misspellings, or bad grammar. Have a friend who's good with words look over your manuscript for you; they may find things you missed.

After that, the best strategy is for you to do your research on publishers, and find out where your book fits best. Get yourself a copy of Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market, which has contact info and submissions guidelines for just about every children's publisher in the country. After you've narrowed down the field, select three or four of those publishers to send your manuscript to. After you've heard back from those three or four, you can send it out to another set of three or four publishers. This can be a very long, tedious process, but don't give up hope. Almost everybody who gets published has gone through it.

As for an illustrator, it's actually preferable that you send your manuscript in without illustrations. When you include illustrations, the acquisitions editor may find that they like your story, but can't stand the artwork, leading them to reject a good story. Instead, send it in with no illustrations. After a publisher accepts your manuscript, they will set about commissioning an illustrator to create the artwork.

Good luck finding a publisher for your story!