Every couple months, I would be pleasantly surprised that I would hear back from her again.  She edited, rearranged, made content suggestions, and even brainstormed illustrations that could make the story come to life.  Daddy Tries was shared among her team, and even with some triathlete friends, generating a fair amount of positive feedback.  Throughout the conversations, she was always careful to temper expectations by reminding me how much she liked the project, but was not sure it was a perfect fit for her publishing house.

That was my precise problem.  For what publisher is Daddy Tries a perfect fit? Sports Illustrated for Kids?  Nope.  The same imprint as Fancy Nancy or Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?  Not really.  How about the big names in the industry with a deep list of titles?  Nope.  They don’t even accept submissions from authors outside of those they currently publish.  So, if you’re in, you’re in.  But if you’re out, you can’t get it.