I write children's books and story songs. I'm not yet published. I've taken a couple of courses on self-publishing but it sounds like if I want my work to be taken seriously by a good publisher I will have to work through an agent. Is this correct? I wonder if it's possible to earn enough money though the traditional process to be able to continue. Are there publishers that work specifically with books that use audio? Thanks!
Yes, you will need an agent and getting one is incredibly difficult. Generally speaking, they will only take you on if you have the potential to earn enough to make it worth their while. That's one of the difficulties. You might have just written a masterpiece, but if they don't see earning potential, they will post it straight back to you.
There are different types of agents and all are listed in the Writers and Artists' Yearbook. There are certainly those who specialise in children's books and they will know about audio books.
I guess we, as newbies, are all asking the same questions, or at least a variation of it. But reading some success stories of writers who also seemed to have started from such darkness, it is possible (eventually). I presumed the magic word is persistence. Good luck.