Research literary agents. Most publishing houses prefer that you submit your book through a professional literary agent. Find agents who represent books similar to yours by finding toddler books similar to yours and reading the acknowledgements or the author's blog (if she has one) to find that author's agent. You can also research literary agents through the Publisher's Marketplace website.
Query agents. Your query letter should be a brief introduction to you and a description of your toddler book's premise and storyline. Describe what your book is about in a pitch: a one- or two-sentence summary of your story idea that leaves the reader wanting to know more. Include the genre and word count in your query as well. Most toddler books are picture books, but they can still be part of different genres such as fantasy or humor.
Send your full manuscript when requested. If an agent is interested in representing your book, he will respond to your query with a request to see the full manuscript. Send him your book, but, unless you are a professional artist as well as a writer, do not include illustrations. Most publishers prefer to buy the words for toddler books separate from the illustrations and match the artist with the book themselves.
Choose an agent. If an agent likes the full manuscript of your book, she will ask to represent you. She will then begin submitting your book to publishers.
Negotiate a contract with the publisher. Once your agent has found an interested publisher, he will help you negotiate a contract. Talk to your agent about what you want included in the contract. For example, if you want input in choosing an artist for the illustrations, ask for that.
Choose a publisher. There are many options for self-publishing your book. Print-on-demand publishers will cost you less, because they will only print a copy of the book after it sells, so the publishing costs will be paid for as the book is published. Self-publishers will sometimes require large fees upfront. Make sure it is worth it to you to spend the money on self-publishing instead of making money through traditional publishing.
Choose an illustrator. You can illustrate your book yourself if you want. Some self-publishing companies will provide your book with custom illustrations for an additional fee. You can also ask a friend or artist whom you know to illustrate your book for you.
Edit your book. Self-publishing companies sometimes provide professional editorial services, but they may charge more than a freelance editor would. If you are confident in your grammatical and editing ability, you can edit your book yourself. Make sure the copy is perfect, since no one else will be checking it before publication.
Choose the style of your book. A self-publisher will allow you to choose the details of the physical look of your book like binding style and page size. Most picture books are 32 pages, and you can choose a hard cover so your book will withstand rough toddler use. You will also choose the fonts and page layout, such as the location of words and illustrations on each page.
Design your cover. Some self-publishing companies will provide you with custom art for the cover for a fee; others will require you to provide your own.
Submit your final manuscript to the self-publisher. Follow their guidelines on format and method of submission.
Pay the publisher. Most self-publishers require you to pay a set fee for publication and an additional payment to buy copies of your book.
Market your book. Although many self-publishers offer you some resources for selling your book, most of the marketing is up to you.