Which way is up?

I took a great children's writing course by Writers Online Workshops. I had a great instructor. I belong to a great online critique group that is full of talented writers. I finally joined the Society of Children's Bookwriters and Illustrators (SCBWI). But, it is only recently that I seem to be getting the hang of the business side of writing.

I stumbled upon Anastasia Suen's web site, Yahoo Group and blog. I've received more useful information from her in the last week than I have from any other source in the past year. I'm not sure why the world of publishing is so mysterious. You need Writers' Market or Children's Writers Market to find publishers. You need to check their web sites to see who is accepting submissions and who is only accepting agented material. You have to keep on top of which editors are at which houses. You print and pack the manuscript according to each house's requirements. Then, you wait for three months for a rejection letter and start all over again.

It's all crazy. There has to be a better way to try to stay on top of it all. With all my subscriptions and memberships, you'd think I'd know which way is up. I'm learning...slowly. I just sent two manuscripts back out into the world yesterday!