Have You Ever Wanted to Write a Children's Book?: 10 Tips for Beginners

Have you ever dreamt of publishing your own children's book? Would you love to see your book on a shelf when you walk into Barnes and Noble? Have you ever wondered how difficult it is to sell a book on Amazon? Well... there are a few things that you should know first. 

Here are my top 10 tips for beginners:

1. Have reasonable expectations

Too many people make the mistake of thinking that anyone can create a children's book. Part of the reason for this is the number of celebrity picture books on the market. Nevertheless, the reality looks very different. Children's book publishing is a very competitive field. Think of it like this. If you put your book on Amazon, for example, your book will be one of about nine million books. This means that if you do not advertise your book, no one will know that it exists. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't publish your own book, just that you shouldn't expect it to be a bestseller or sell thousands of copies. Publishing is a business. You will need to consider if your objective is to make a great book or to sell one.

2. Know the term "Vanity Press"

There are various ways to get your book published. A traditional press is very difficult to get into and usually requires an agent. They pay their authors an advance when they sign them plus royalties. Self-publishing, on the other hand, means that you do the publishing process by yourself. Nevertheless, a lot of people who self-publish outsource some of the work, such as editing, layout, and printing. This is where hybrid publishing comes in. They offer various publishing services for a price. For example, they may offer to layout your book for you and publish it for you on the platform of your choice. What is a vanity press? A vanity press is a hybrid press with the intent to just take author's money without offering much in return. Unfortunately, there are a ton of vanity presses out there (see list here). 

3. Don't rush it

Most authors spend months to years perfecting a book before they bring it to press. If you have only spent a couple of weeks, your book is nowhere near finished. Join a critique group, have other authors read your work, or pay for an editor to help you out.  Even bestselling authors send their texts to editors to be improved and this process often takes longer than writing itself. My tip. Edit. Edit. Edit.

4. Illustrations can make or break a book

If you are self-publishing, get a great illustrator! When your washing machine breaks down, you hire a repair person who is an expert to fix it. Your illustrator should be an expert, too. Illustrators work hard at their craft and should be paid for their expertise. If you think minimum wage is reasonable, your book will look minimum, too. This is why traditional publishers have their own in house illustrators who they know are experts in their field. If you want to sell lots of books and you are not an artist, do not do your own illustrations. Also, finish all of your editing before you find an illustrator. 

5. Show your book to strangers

Your family and friends will always say your book is great. They love you and don't want to hurt your feelings. You need to find people who do not know you who are willing to read your book. Join a local writers group. Go to your local library and ask your librarian if she knows of any people who would be willing to anonymously critique your book or mentor you. Ask if you can read your book for story-time and see how children react to your book.

6.  Spend time coming up with a superb title

First and foremost, your book needs a good title. This should not just sound good, but should also explain to those who do not know you or your book what they are going to expect when they read it. Also, make sure that your title does not sound scary, does not have any negative connotations, and is free from anything that could be considered controversial. A good title stands alone. In addition, look up your title on Google and Amazon and see what other books and products have similar names. This is an important step that shouldn't be forgotten as once your title is uploaded, it is almost impossible to change.

7. Your cover is more important than your book

When people see a link or advertisement to your book, the first thing they will do is look at the cover and read the title. Often this is only a tiny thumbnail image on a mobile phone. If the title is illegible or does not catch their attention, they will not even read your blurb and they will definitely not buy your book. Your cover should tell us about what we will expect in the book. If you are doing your own cover, take time to look at other popular books in your genre to see how a good cover looks. A cover is not just an image and a title, its layout, typeface, and understanding industry standards. Zoom out until your image is very small and see if it still works. My advice is to only do your own cover if you have experience in book or graphic design. Unfortunately, you can usually always spot a first time author by the cover of their book. A good cover sells a book because you only get one chance to make a first impression. 

8. A great blurb says it all

Amazon, for example, only shows the first 2-3 sentences of your blurb and then writes 'more...' You need to catch people's attention in those first few sentences so that they click on either the 'more' button or buy your book. Hook your reader. Tell them why your book is so great and give them a taste as to what your book is about. While putting together my Best Coronavirus Children's Books blog post, I looked at hundreds of product pages and the majority of pages I saw were from first time authors.  Many, were teachers, parents, and medical workers who decided to try to break into the children's book market for the first time. Although some of the newcomers surprised me with their concepts, ingenuity, and talent, others had absolutely no idea what they were doing. Nowhere in your blurb, for example, should you put yourself down and say that you are not a professional writer or illustrator. This may be true, but keep that information to yourself. If you are a teacher, than promote yourself with your experience working with children. If you are a parent, use that. And, don't forget to write in the third person. 

9. Consider self-publishing

Personally, I am a fan of self-publishing. Platforms like Amazon KDP are free. Why should you spend thousands of dollars on a hybrid publisher when you can learn how to do it yourself and save all of that money? Learning how to self-publish is also not that difficult. It just takes a little time and effort. Plus, there are many advantages. You will receive full royalties instead of having to share them with a publisher. This is a huge difference. Traditional and many hybrid publishers take a huge chunk of your paycheck. You also own your book and its rights. This means that if you decide to sell your book somewhere else or change a part of it, you can. Self-publishing puts you in the driver's seat.

10. Don't stop now

In order to be successful, treat publishing like a business. If you really want to make it in self-publishing, you will need to have more than just one book. Like many, I didn't begin really earning money until my fourth or fifth book. It takes time to get to know the industry. If you are serious about publishing children's books as more than just a hobby, join the Society of Children's Book Writer and Illustrators. They offer invaluable courses on how to write and illustrate, critique groups, and have chapters all over the world. I would never have gotten to where I am if I hadn't joined this wonderful group of people.

If this all seems to overwhelming, I understand. When I first got started it seemed like a lot to take in. This is why I began offering webinars and consultation services. There were so many things that I had wished I had known when I began that I know now. 

I hope these tips help to get you started. Good luck! You'll find more information about A Little Donnerwetter Books and how to sign up for my latest webinar "Have you ever wanted to write a children's book?" on my author website at KelleyDonner.com.