The stories we read as children create lasting memories for some, and spark a lifelong obsession with books in others. Though the building blocks of a children’s book — story, illustrations, word use, and characters — may appear simple on the surface, the depth of feeling and meaning transmitted through its pages casts a powerful spell.

You may be considering making the brave jump from “reader” to “writer” by writing and publishing a children’s book of your own. That leap can be a tough landing to stick without the right support. 

Enter: this all-inclusive guide to publishing children’s books! Here we will teach you how to turn an idea into a fully realized manuscript, how to write appropriately for your target audience, and how to go from raw manuscript to published book. By the time you reach The End, you’ll know how to publish a book that will stick with the next generation of readers for years to come.

Divided into three primary sections, this guide will review the following:

Preparing a manuscript for publication is the first (and arguably most important) step in the publishing process. It’s where the idea in your mind is nurtured into a fully realized story, and finally polished into a document that will become a published book. With children’s books, that requires a deep understanding of the broadest readership around — children aged 0 to 18!

In this section, we’ll discuss how to determine your ideal reader, the different categories of children’s books, the importance of age-appropriate writing, and the content development process. 

Get to know your readers (and yourself)

Authors interested in writing a children’s book are well-served by practicing curiosity — especially if you’re unsure what to write about.

Start by thinking back to when you were younger. Recall the kinds of things that interested you: what events did you look forward to with excitement? What mysteries did you want to solve? As a child, pre-teen, and teenager, what kind of stories did you enjoy reading? What kinds of books would you have wanted to read if only you’d known they were out there? Reflecting upon the characters, stories, and genres that interested you as a child is a great starting point. After all, if you don’t enjoy your topic, you won’t enjoy the process of writing it, and that is likely to come through in the finished work. 

From your initial concepts, expand your curiosity to the children in your life. Ask your kids (or those of family and friends) what kinds of books they like to read now and what kinds of characters they like reading about. What sorts of topics pique their interest? Invest yourself in what engages them. This will help you discover your audience’s wants, thereby empowering you to produce a story you’re confident they will want to read. 

Once you have your idea, you need to decide which category of children’s book is the right vessel for the story you want to tell. 

Start by identifying your main character — and how old they are. One of the most effective ways of getting a reader engaged with your story is presenting it through a perspective they can relate to. Age is a defining characteristic of relatability, as people around the same age generally experience similar situations. Children are generally most interested in reading about characters their own age or slightly older than themselves; they often dislike reading about protagonists younger than themselves. Apply this notion to your book idea: consider the story’s subject matter and which age feels most appropriate for the character, given when they will experience in the story.

For example, your idea could centre around a child learning to make friends. This is a situation common for children around ages 4 or 5, as they begin going to school and meeting more new people. In this context, it would make the most sense to write a character around the same age of 4 to 5; this would make your story best suited to the picture book category.

What children’s book category is best for your story?

Every author — regardless of genre — should understand the wants and needs of their target audience if they want their book to sell. But authors of children’s books need to be particularly attuned to their target audience.

Encapsulating readers aged 0 to 18, the category of “children’s books” is one of the most versatile in all of literature. The finer points of language use, word count, and illustration style vary widely between a 6-year-old and a 16-year-old. For example, using language that’s too “childish” in a young adult novel for a teen can take your reader out of the book completely. 

Understanding the different types and age ranges of children’s books will help you confidently identify and write for your audience in a manner that’s challenging, delightful, and rewarding. Each type appeals to and reflects different age groups and reading needs. Here are the five categories of children’s books:

Picture Books (Ages 0–5)

Picture books are a little one’s first introduction to their reading journey. This category pairs written content with illustrations to convey a story, where both the words and the pictures do an equal job of conveying the characters, action, and story. Written for readers ages 0–5, picture books cover several sub-groupings of readers:

• Picture books written for babies (children under the age of 1) have a minimum word count of 0 and a maximum word count 300. Typically, books written for babies are published in the board book format for increased durability;

• Picture books written for toddlers (children between ages 1–3) range between 250 and 500 words. These are typically hardcover or paperback books;

• Also typically in hardcover or paperback format, picture books written for preschoolers (children ages 3–5) can be up to 1,000 words.

Excluding board books, the industry standard length for picture books is 32 pages. Those with lower word counts generally include more illustrations with larger text spread out across the illustrations. Picture books with higher word counts use smaller text and can include fewer illustrations or more text per illustration, depending on the book’s layout. 

Some great examples of picture books published in multiple formats include The Gruffalo (paperback and board book) by Julia Donaldson and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (board book, paperback, and hardcover) by Mo Willems.

Early Readers (Age 5–7)

Early readers, also known as “easy readers,” are the transition between picture books and chapter books. This category of children’s books supports readers who have begun reading independently. However, these books are often still read aloud, with the child re-reading the book solo. Written for those aged 5–7, early reader books contain more structured blocks of text and slightly fewer illustrations. The word choices should be those that children at this age can work through on their own.

Ranging 3,000–5,000 words, these are short books filled with illustrations. What differentiates them further from picture books, however, is that the illustrations are supplemental. Pictures support the story as told through the written content, but the crucial details of characterization, dialogue, and plot happen in the text. Typically, each illustration captures a single moment from the paired text, which is placed either on top of the illustration or on a facing page. 

Some fun examples of early reader books are The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Please Don’t Read This Book by Deanna Kizis.

Chapter Books (Age 6–9)

Chapter books are the stepping stone between picture books and middle grade books. The industry standard for chapter books is around a 10,000 word maximum; however, they can occasionally range between 15,000 and 20,000 words. Written for children ages 6–9, the general rule is the fewer words, the better. This prevents the book from looking too daunting, and also helps to promote a swift pace to keep young readers engaged.

Aptly named, chapter books earned their title because they are the first category of children’s books to divide a story into chapters. Chapter books can use illustrations sparsely (for example, one illustration per chapter), or they can be littered with illustrations (for example, an illustration every few pages) — it all depends on the book. 

Some good examples of chapter books are the Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park and books like James and the Giant Peach and The BFG by Roald Dahl.

Middle Grade (Age 9–12)

Middle grade books are written for children ages 9–12, and they mark a different kind of growth in a young reader's journey. While on the continual path of improving their skills and expanding their knowledge and vocabulary, middle grade books introduce young readers to more clear distinctions across genres, such as fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, and sci-fi. With the introduction of more distinct genres comes the ability for young readers to investigate what genres they enjoy reading.

The range in middle grade book genres influences the range of middle grade book word count. Middle grade books most commonly range between 25,000 and 50,000 words. However, upper–middle grade books in the fantasy or sci-fi genre can sometimes range all the way up to 60,000–80,000 words.

Middle grade books generally contain fewer illustrations than chapter books. Typically, images are used for chapter headers (placed in combination with the chapter’s title) or as spot illustrations (smaller illustrations that have text formatted to flow around them). They may include fewer full-page illustrations spread across multiple chapters or make use of visual devices, such as mirrored text or “hand-written” journal pages to break up standard pages of text.

Some examples of wonderful middle grade books are Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events and Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. 

Young Adult (Age 13+)

Written for children ages 13 and up, young adult (or YA) books generally begin around 50,000 words with a maximum of around 90,000 words, depending on the genre. Similar to middle grade books, the fantasy and sci-fi genres for young adult books tend to have a greater word count. 

Young adult books centre around teenagers; as such, YA book content is more versatile than content written for middle grade (and younger) readers. For example, young adult books may introduce readers to topics such as sexuality, romance, violence, and explicit language in writing. Sometimes YA books will be labelled as lower-YA and upper-YA to signify the shift between teens just coming into their teenaged years (dealing with topics like puberty, entering middle school, or bullying) and older teens looking ahead to more adult topics (like driving, graduation, experimenting with alcohol or other substances, or exploring sexual themes).

Some popular examples of young adult books are Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

In addition to the above are crossover books. Crossover books are those that span two categories of book type and/or genres. For example, a picture book that’s also a STEM teaching aid, or an “upper-YA with crossover appeal” that may also appeal to new adult readers (19–25 years). Identifying the boundaries between book categories is crucial for bookstores and libraries, as it enables them to properly shelve books for readers (and writers) to navigate. That’s why things like BISAC codes and search engine keywords are crucial accompaniments to publishing a book. However, we readers are a versatile bunch and our interests and abilities often span more than one category and/or genre. For example, some middle grade books are written with such advanced language and syntax that the reading level crosses over in young adult territory; and some fantasy books contain elements common in the thriller genre, and therefore, may be shelved in both genre sections within bookstores and libraries.

The qualifier of “crossover” book should be treated as secondary to your children’s book category and genre. Be careful not to sacrifice your target readership in an effort to achieve crossover status, or the result will be a book that doesn’t meet the wants and needs of either group. It’s up to your readers and reviewers — those marketing your book — to determine whether your book is awarded “crossover” status. Your job is to show publishers, agents, and readers that you know how to write for your target readership. Show you have a keen understanding of where your book should sit on bookshelves. If they determine you have written a crossover book, consider it a bonus!

Research the market

Now that you’ve outlined your target reader and the book type(s) that suits them, it’s time to fill in the picture. When writing a children’s book, a little research and reflection can go a long way towards identifying your target readership’s wants and needs.

In this crucial information-and-inspiration-gathering stage, visit bookstores and libraries. Read books in the same category in which you are looking to write; try to focus your research on books published in the last 3 years (5 max). This will give you a sense of how other authors are writing for children today, and therefore what these young readers’ expectations are. If you want to write a picture book, spend as much time as you can reading picture books. Consider the different types of subjects being written about currently, the various approaches to writing and storytelling, and the gaps you see in the market. Just as children learn the rules of writing (in part) through reading, the same applies to authors: to learn how to write children’s books, you must read children’s books.

While you’re out visiting bookstores, be sure to scan the bestselling and featured titles sections and take note of the popular children’s books there. This exercise will give you a sense of the topics and authors that are trending at that moment. It also helps to illustrate the types of books that traditional publishing houses may be keen on acquiring.

Ensure your writing is age-appropriate

Writing in an age-appropriate manner is the responsibility of all those writing for children — and a key ingredient in preparing your manuscript for publication. 

In the case of children’s books, there are two primary facets the author must consider for how to write in an age-appropriate manner for their target readership. The first is by introducing new and suitably challenging themes to your readers through your story’s content. The second is by demonstrating the rules of literacy through your use of syntax, language, and word choice (known as its “copy”). These aspects create your reading level, which needs to match the age group of the children’s book category you’ve chosen.

Content

Children’s books — specifically picture books and early reader books — tend to communicate some sort of message or moral to the reader, which readers interpret through dialogue and narration. Chapter books, middle grade books, and young adult books often also include some sort of moral or lesson for the reader to interpret; however, these books tend to communicate those messages more subtly through plot and character development. The challenges characters face and the ways they overcome those challenges, how characters interact with one another, and the plot arcs of the characters’ motivations and actions — all of these elements communicate lessons to the reader. 

A book’s content can also teach them about a new subject or new situations, providing them with the tools to face these subjects or situations in their own lives. The kinds of topics introduced and the ways they’re shared with readers also need to be age-appropriate for your target audience. For example, picture books and early reader books introduce children to concepts such as friendship and bullying through a combination of explicit writing and illustration: showing characters upset on the page, discussing how the situation is affecting them emotionally, and presenting practical and practicable solutions. Whereas middle grade and young adult books explore concepts such as peer pressure more implicitly through narrative writing: such as showing character reactions like anger or sorrow but allowing the reader to sympathize with that emotion to infer how the character is feeling about their situation, and perhaps coming to their own conclusions as to the efficacy or appropriateness of the character’s actions. 

Copy

Children’s books are readers’ first foray into the rules of writing. Children begin by listening to adults read to them and observing the way the text looks on this page as they follow along. By listening and watching, they begin understanding how punctuation influences speech and how to represent that in writing. They identify patterns of pronunciation, the purposes of words, and how they interact. If the text uses rhyming couplets or rhythmic structures, it can create a musical quality that’s more engaging to read aloud.

When introducing new language and vocabulary to readers, the writing should provide them with sufficient context to be able to figure out the meaning of the words for themselves. This can be done through the narrative and dialogue. In cases where that may be more challenging, such as some nonfiction books, a glossary is a great addition to improve the book’s educational value. 

As children enter school and progress through their education, they learn reading and writing skills, which are often based on lists of “sight words” that children are expected to become familiar with by certain ages. This progression is echoed in the children’s book categories. As readers move up through book categories, word counts increase and the complexity of how these stories are written grows. For example, picture books should contain short, simple sentences that incorporate basic sight words. Chapter books should contain slightly more complex sentence structures and introduce readers to new vocabulary, and so on. More advanced techniques (like metaphors and colloquialisms) should be reserved for older children. 

The general rule is: the younger the target readership, the simpler the language and syntax should be. You may also be familiar with the adage that we write for our readers’ current reading level and one reading grade above that. This provides them with solid footing and encourages their growth. Luckily for us, the children’s book categories (as outlined above) encourage and enable these reading patterns. 

The content development process

Whether self-publishing your children’s book or submitting it to a traditional publisher for publication, the process for creating your content is the same: write, edit, illustrate. 

Step 1: Write 

Writing is the process of getting the story out of your head and onto the page. Everybody’s writing process is different, and no writing process is wrong. Whether you start with an outline or develop as you go, just write.

Step 2: Edit

Once you have finished writing, the next step is to edit. There can be as many rounds of editing as needed — it all depends on the project and the professionals involved. 

As the author, you will likely revise the manuscript independently a few times after you’ve first written it. You are refining both the writing and the content prior to sharing it with others. 

Once you’ve shared your manuscript with your editor, they will make their own editing suggestions and provide you with feedback, guidance, and consultation. You’ll work together through developmental edits (i.e., edits to improve character and plot development), copy edits (i.e., edits to improve the manuscript’s “four C’s”: correctness, completeness, consistency, and conciseness), and proofreading (i.e., edits to remove any lingering errors in text or layout prior to publication). 

Another layer of manuscript refinement that falls during the editorial process is the involvement of alpha and beta readers:

• Alpha readers (also called critique partners, or CPs) are people who review your manuscript while it’s still in a draft stage and offer feedback from a writer’s perspective. They focus on the craft of writing. If you belong to a writer’s group, for example, the other members of that group who workshop your manuscript with you are an example of your book’s alpha readers.

• Beta readers are people who read the finished manuscript before it’s published and offer feedback from a reader’s perspective. Their review focuses on what they did and didn’t like about the book. While beta readers can technically be anyone, such as friends and family, the best beta readers belong to your target readership group (i.e., kids within the age bracket for the type of children’s book you’ve written).

• You may also choose to seek out sensitivity readers or subject matter experts if you’re writing on topics that need to be delicately handled for young readers.

Once you get this feedback, it’s up to you to decide which pieces you want to incorporate (and how). Sometimes feedback will be contradictory, and you’ll need to choose which opinion you want to uphold (if any).

Editing is the most involved stage of the publishing process because it’s the process of continuous development and refinement. Some might think that since the word count is so small, children’s books are faster or easier to write, but often they require a much higher degree of scrutiny to be successful in the marketplace. Together, you (the author) are working with your editor and readers to create the best, most polished children’s book you can create. For best success, you’ll want to ensure you hone the book, bringing your authorial vision for the project in line with the wants and needs of your target readership, as you ready the story for publication.

Step 3: Illustrate

Illustrations are the final step in developing the story’s content, because creating illustrations is dependent on having a finalized manuscript from which to illustrate. If you or your illustrator were to illustrate the draft manuscript, the artistic details (such as elements of character, action, or scene) are still subject to change. For example, if the original manuscript depicts a character reacting fearfully in a situation, you may decide that reaction doesn’t feel true to the character during the editing phase and thus rewrite the scene to have the character react with confident surprise. Or perhaps two characters are having a conversation while sitting on the bleachers at a school basketball game and you rewrite the scene to have that conversation take place in one of the character’s bedrooms. Perhaps you decide that an anthropomorphic mouse is better suited to your audience than a human child.

Changes such as these, depending on the scope of the illustration and how close the art was to completion (e.g., initial pencil sketches versus colour versus final proof), would require revisions. Earlier on in the process, it’s easier to make revisions to the sketches. Once line art is completed, especially if the artwork is being done with traditional media like watercolours, the original illustration might need to be scrapped and a new illustration created. 

For the most efficient and cost-effective approach, tackle illustrations only after your manuscript revisions are complete. Of course, if you’re also an illustrator and don’t mind constantly revising your work, you can start playing with concept art or composition at any stage. All non-illustrating authors, however, should avoid generating illustrations for your book until your manuscript is 100% finalized. Your publishing path will also influence when (and how) your illustrations are created — which just so happens to bring us to our next section!

There are three main avenues you can take to see your manuscript published as a fully realized children’s book: traditional publishing, self-publishing, and enlisting the support of a publishing services provider.

In traditional publishing, publishers acquire manuscripts from authors and work with their team of professionals to complete the books’ editing, illustrations (if applicable), book design, marketing, printing, and distribution. The publishers incur all costs associated with publishing their books, and the authors are paid in royalties. If the author was paid an advance on the book (a payment up front on acquiring your manuscript), you will need to “earn out” — meaning you must sell sufficient copies to cover the cost of your advance — before you would start accruing royalties. Depending on the publisher, you may also be expected to source your own illustrator or conduct your own marketing efforts.

With self-publishing, you are both the author and the publisher. As publisher, you are responsible for all the costs associated with publishing your book, in addition to collecting the book’s royalties. Functioning as the book’s publisher grants you added benefits of having more control over the finished product. Whereas traditional publication requires you to work with your agent, editor, and publisher to come to an agreement on the publishing decisions, in self-publishing, the decisions are all yours to make. This means timelines are more flexible, as are your distribution and marketing options.

The publishing services model represents an empowering middle ground for authors who want the creative freedom and flexibility of self-publishing without sacrificing the professional results and support of the traditional process.

In this section, we’ll discuss these three publishing approaches and conclude with a list of questions that will help you determine the path that’s right for you .

Traditional Publishing

When pursuing traditional publication, having a literary agent in your corner can be helpful — if not downright essential. 

Sometimes, getting a literary agent and becoming a traditionally published author can feel a bit like the chicken and egg conundrum. Becoming a traditionally published author without a literary agent can be challenging and potentially exploitative, but it can be difficult to secure a literary agent without having the clout of a traditionally published author. The reason for this Catch-22 is that both the agent and the publisher are managing the risk of taking on a debut author. They both want to ensure you’re a good investment. Seeing evidence of previous successes and the quality of work you’re capable of producing can reassure them that you could produce such quality work again. 

Despite how it may seem, having a literary agent is not a requirement for becoming a traditionally published author. It is possible without an agent, but it can limit which publishers will consider your work. You may find that some publishers only accept manuscript submissions through literary agents (“no unsolicited manuscripts”), in which case, having an agent representing you can open additional doors and provide you with negotiating power as to the publisher’s contract for your rights. Remember, a traditional publisher’s contract not only covers publishing your book, but where it’s distributed.

When submitting your manuscript to a traditional publishing house, first look to see if the publisher is accepting unsolicited submissions (meaning submissions from authors without agents). If not, you’ll need to secure an agent first, and they will submit your book on your behalf. Second (and most importantly), review the submission guidelines to see what children’s book categories they are accepting submissions for and when (e.g., picture books, young adult books, etc.). Sometimes publishers accept general submissions only during certain times of year, sometimes they are only accepting submissions through agents, sometimes they are only accepting submissions in a certain category or genre of book, and sometimes they are not accepting submissions in any capacity. 

Publishers receive incredibly high volumes of manuscript submissions every day, and as such, their submission guidelines may fluctuate. These guidelines help expedite the submission review process, allowing acquisition editors and editors’ assistants to review manuscript submissions and respond to authors as efficiently as possible. This also means that they often won’t respond unless they are interested in pursuing the material, or if they do respond to all submittors, their wait times are often 12 to 15 months. Moreover, many publishers require an exclusive submission, which means you cannot submit to another publisher until they provide a reply.

Publishers also have strict guidelines as to how your manuscript needs to be formatted, including font size, typeface, margins, spacing, footers and headers, and even how punctuation is formatted! Because traditional publishers have such strict parameters through which they review manuscript submissions, a misstep in following the submission guidelines will result in your manuscript being dismissed, so treat the submission guidelines as law. Trying to “stand out” by willfully ignoring requested guidelines implies to the publisher that either you don’t attend to the details or that you’ll be difficult to work with, and that may result in a rejection before your materials are even considered.

Once a publisher has acquired your manuscript for publication, they will assign you to an editor, match your project with an illustrator (if applicable), and provide you with a publishing schedule for when they need materials from you (such as edits, review of proofs, etc.). Publishing schedules are notorious for shifting depending on material shortages, publishing date conflicts, promotional timing, and so on, but typically traditional publishing takes 1 to 3 years to produce a book.

Self-Publishing

Self-publishing is the process of independently publishing your own book, free from the gatekeeping constraints of the traditional publishing system. Without having to jump through the hoops of the submission process, self-publishing children’s authors can instead jump right into the publishing process, saving months (if not years) of waiting for that elusive traditional deal.

Developments in print-on-demand technology mean self-published authors no longer need to sacrifice quality in order to control their publishing journey. Someone self-publishing their book is both author and publisher, meaning the costs to publish are wholly theirs to bear. They could forgo investing in their project entirely and publish their unedited, template-generated book for free on Amazon. Suffice to say: this is not a path we recommend! For a high-quality book, the author needs to hire subject-matter experts to perform individual publishing services. 

There are three primary stages to focus on in the self-publishing process: manuscript preparation, book design, and printing and distribution. The fourth stage follows publication, and that’s promotion. 

Stage 1: Manuscript Preparation

Who you need to hire: editors, illustrators, a project manager

The first section of this guide walked you through much of the manuscript preparation process. When you’re self-publishing on your own, you need your finalized manuscript and any other applicable materials — such as your “about the author” blurb, back cover copy, and illustrations — for publication. This process includes writing and editing the manuscript (as detailed above), commissioning and completing illustrations, and writing and editing any additional copy you intended to have appear on or within the book (such as acknowledgements, additional resources, etc.).

When working through the manuscript preparation process, you’ll need to find, hire, and work with editors and illustrators in particular — and perhaps a project manager, should you want professional guidance. Spend the bulk of your time on this stage, to ensure the finished product will be the best it can be. You want to produce something you are proud of so that readers, and those who buy books for your readers, will want to invest their money in your book. 

Stage 2: Book Design

Who you need to hire: a book designer (with a specialization in children’s literature)

Book design is the process of creating the book’s front and back cover design and the interior layout. In this step of the process, you will want to work with a book designer with expertise in details such as margins, bleed, RGB versus CMYK ink levels, layout, and file specifications (including print resolution).

You should walk away from the book design process with print-ready proofs that you can submit to a printer for manufacturing and distribution purposes. These should include the digital hardcover, paperback, and eBook files (in multiple formats) for your completed book — both covers and interior pages. You may choose to print only one or all three of these formats, depending on what your audience is most likely to buy.

Stage 3: Printing and Distribution

Who you need to hire: a book distribution expert

At this stage of self-publishing, you will want to enlist a printer/distributor through which you and book buyers can print bulk orders of your book as well as on-demand copies. You’ll want to consider the reach of various printers/distributors against your goals for sales volumes and accessibility of orders. For example, how expansive are the distribution channels available through each printer?

Some printers have limitations on what printing features they can offer. If you want specific trim sizes, paper types, ink coverage, coated pages, gold foil, or limited editions, you may need to place a bulk order. If you don’t have space to store those copies at your home, you may want to consider storage and fulfillment services, especially if you plan on supplying bookstores, schools, or libraries far and wide.

At this stage, make sure you don’t overlook the subtle yet important metadata details like keywords, BISAC codes, and ISBNs. Ensuring your book has complete and (most importantly) accurate metadata helps it become more searchable in stores and online, and therefore easier for your readers to find.

When it comes to printing and distribution, the sky truly is the limit! You’ll need to plan ahead so you can budget your time, money, and any hired services to deliver your book exactly as you dreamed. 

Stage 4: Promotion

Who you need to hire: a book promotions coach, marketing specialist, and/or publicist

Promotion comes toward the end of the publishing process, once you have a product to market, and ramps up after the successful publication of your book. Without promoting your book, you cannot expect readers to know about, be interested in, or buy your book. The best book in the world won’t sell if readers don’t know it exists, so get out there and promote your work!

Again, it’s a good idea to plan ahead for the kinds of opportunities you’re interested in. Who do you want to reach? Do you want to facilitate distribution yourself, or be more hands off? Do you have a social media presence you can leverage to promote your book? Do you have contacts that might provide an endorsement or testimonial? Do you want to pursue professional book reviews? These considerations may change some of the choices you make during the book design and printing stages. 

Once you have books in hand, it’s time to share it with the world. You could do local readings and promotional events, launch a social media campaign, advertise on an author website and in bookstores, do guest spots on podcasts, and so much more. There are endless possibilities for how to promote your book, either independently or in partnership with marketing services, you just have to do it!

Publishing Services Providers (and What Makes FriesenPress Different)

Publishing services help manage all four stages of the self-publishing process for authors choosing this path. A publishing services provider like FriesenPress is a “one stop shop” for authors, offering a full range of editing, illustration, design, promotion, printing, and distribution support tailored to your publishing needs. Authors invest in their publishing project with this model upfront,  gaining access to traditional-level publishing support in exchange.

The publishing services model combines the high author royalties, shortened timeline, and creative freedom of self-publishing with the professionalism and care of traditional publishing. If you partner with a company like FriesenPress, you get to make all the decisions for your project — including  your trim size, illustrator, cover design, and more — with the guidance of experienced industry professionals.

FriesenPress is the world’s only 100% employee-owned publishing services provider. We work one-on-one with authors seeking to self-publish a children’s book that doesn’t look self-published. From professional editing and design to our illustrations team, we vet our teams constantly and hold them to the highest standards in the industry.

Because FriesenPress is a part of the Friesens Corporation, you’ll also have access to Canada’s best and largest independent book manufacturer when it’s time to print a run of your book.

How to determine the right publishing path for you

With many different ways of bringing a children’s book to the masses, you’d be forgiven if you feel uncertain of which path to take. Here are a few key questions to consider when deciding which direction is the best fit:

• How much time can you afford to wait for publication?

  From querying to acquisition to publishing, the traditional process is very lengthy (with no guarantee that your book will even get picked up at all). If you have a great story idea and want to get it out on your own timeline — or as soon as possible — you shouldn’t pursue traditional publishing.

• How sharp are your technical and project management skills?

  Self-publishing a book on your own takes a great deal of technical and logistical coordination. From hiring editors, designers, and illustrators, managing contracts, agreements, paying your team, and managing your retail listings and royalties — there’s much to manage.
  
  If you’d rather focus simply on writing and promoting your book, you should consider traditional publishing or partnering with a publishing services provider like FriesenPress.

• Is owning your book (and its rights) important to you?
  
  Control and ownership over the rights of your book are important issues for an author to consider — especially if merchandising around your book is a possibility. Unless you negotiate rights ownership in the contract, your traditional publisher will get to dictate if/when/how your book is used in other media. Traditional publishing contracts transfer ownership of your book (usually for terms of 10 or 15 years), as well as the Intellectual Property (the world/characters in your book) — preventing you from writing new material in your own setting for anyone else, including self-publishing. This means, if the book doesn’t sell enough copies for the publisher’s goals, they can shelf your title, leaving you unable to earn income on it, republish it elsewhere, or even continue the series until your term with the publisher expires.
  
  If you want to retain 100% ownership over your book, self-publish or partner with a publishing services provider like FriesenPress. (We don’t own any aspect or part of our authors’ books.)

• Do you want creative control over your book’s text, illustrations, and format?
  
  When you self-publish a book, you retain complete creative control over its look and feel, from the front cover and illustrations right down to the thickness of the paper. This can be a double-edged sword for new authors; there are myriad decisions to make, so professional guidance throughout the process can prevent you from making costly mistakes.
  
  If you want professional backing and advice to help make your book the best it can be, explore traditional publishing or the publishing services offered by a provider like FriesenPress.

• How do you want to get paid for your book?
  
  In traditional publishing, authors are sometimes provided an advance upon the acquisition of their book. Advances are, in essence, interest-free loans from the publisher to the author, which is repaid out of the author’s cut of book sales. These are frequently broken up into smaller chunks over several landmarks, meaning that a $5000 advance might become incremental payments of $1000 over the course of several years.

  In self-publishing, an author invests in their publishing project up front but begins making money per copy sold immediately after publication. Some DIY self-publishers may require you to pass a minimum threshold of sales before they will pay out your earnings. For example, Amazon requires a minimum of $100 in royalties per currency. FriesenPress requires only $25 across all currencies.

• Have you lined up your own illustrator?
  
  A traditional publisher will often assign a member of their illustration team to your project. If you want to bring your own illustrator to your project, you should self-publish or connect with a publishing services provider like FriesenPress.

It’s wonderful if you are both a writer and an illustrator, but that is neither the norm nor a requirement of being a successful children’s book author. In this section, we’ll discuss the process of finding and working with an illustrator to produce the perfect illustrations for your book — and when in the process to start! 

As we mentioned in Section 1, some children’s books include plenty of illustrations and some don’t include illustrations at all. Young adult books might include an illustrated cover and signet-style symbol to mark scene breaks; middle grade and chapter books tend to include 1 to 4 spot or full-page illustrations per chapter; early reader and picture books heavily feature full-page illustrations and even double-spread panoramas.

For picture books and early reader books, writing and illustrations are like a pair of mittens; you need both to keep your hands warm. Both writing and illustrations tell the story in picture book or early reader format. Because the text is more simplified, the pictures fill in the blanks and expand the action, emotion, and characterization in the story. Just look at Where the Wild Things Are — the illustrations make it.

For chapter books and middle grade books, illustrations are more like the scarf underneath your jacket. You can keep warm without it, but you’re a little toastier with the scarf. The writing tells the story, and the illustrations are there to accentuate specific elements and bridge the gap between fully illustrated and non-illustrated books.

Lastly, for young adult books, illustrations are like a set of earmuffs for extra comfort. Readers have the writing, which is the only tool they need, and the illustrative details are an added bonus element. 

Finding an Illustrator

Traditional publishers often have a roster of professional illustrators they work with. Should they acquire your manuscript for publication, most traditional publishers will provide their own illustrator to illustrate the project. If you are also an illustrator, you may wish to illustrate your own project, or should you have an illustrator that you’d specifically like to work with, this is a conversation to have with your publisher once your manuscript has been acquired for publication. 

A publishing services company, like FriesenPress, will have their own team of illustrators you’ll be able to choose from. They will work with you to gain an understanding of your vision for the project and the style of artwork you’re drawn to, following which they will provide you with a selection of illustrator portfolios to choose from. They will also guide you through how to appropriately and clearly communicate with your illustrator to ensure that your vision for the illustrations is captured in the artist’s work. The service provider typically has already managed the contractual agreement with the illustrator on the author’s behalf, including elements of copyright transfer, use rights, promotional licensing, the number of revision rounds you’ll have to make changes, and standardized rates.

If you self-publish your children’s book independently, you will need to find your own illustrator and negotiate your terms. Similar to how you might search for a literary agent, you can look for illustrators online through your internet browser and social media. Visit your local bookstores and libraries and peruse the bookshelves once more. Just as you would take note of the publishers behind books like yours, take note of the illustrators whose artwork you enjoy and could envision for your book. When you’re back at your computer, search those illustrators specifically, see if you can find a website with any contact information, and go from there.

Types of Illustrations

Just as you work to determine the best-fit illustrator for you and your project, you will also need to consider the kind of illustrations that are the best fit for your audience. Illustrations range from line art to fine art, and can be created as colour or black and white and in a variety of mediums. Different combinations of these elements appeal more to certain target readerships, so there are industry expectations for different categories of children’s books. Similarly, depending on the category and target readership, either spot illustrations and/or full-page illustrations are more effective for the storytelling. The final option is a double-spread illustration, where the image fills both the left-hand and right-hand pages when the book is open. These illustrations can create lush, immersive experiences with the reader and can provide contrast, dynamic panoramas, or heightened details. 

Spot illustrations can be either half- or quarter-page illustrations, typically depicting a single key character and/or object. For example, you could have 4 quarter-spot illustrations, each depicting a character’s face expressing a different emotion. Conversely, a full-page illustration typically depicts a complete scene, with background setting and characters interacting, etc. These can be created at any trim size and orientation, but make sure these match the trim size of your book. If they are irregular in size and orientation (without careful consideration of the effect in storytelling), it can create a chaotic or unprofessional layout. If you get landscape illustrations but you’re printing a portrait trim size, your pages will be forced to have a lot of blank space above and/or below the illustration to make it fit on the page.

Communicating with Your Illustrator

Clear communication with your illustrator is integral to the production of illustrations. In addition to articulating details such as scene and physical character description and the emotional experience you would like the illustrations to provoke, you must also communicate the scope of the illustrations. The scope of the illustrations includes:

• Illustration type (level of detail, colour or black and white, and artwork medium);

• Individual illustration scope (spot illustration, full-page illustration, double-spread, and portrait or landscape orientation);

• Technical specifications, including the resolution (DPI) and the colour format (Greyscale, RGB, CMYK) which must match the printer’s needs;

• And illustration trim size (the book’s trim size for printable area, the corresponding margins required for the placement of key content, and the bleed margin where the book materials will be trimmed during manufacturing). If you are printing multiple formats, such as a paperback and a casebound hardcover, your images may need to have different margins for the different formats, for both the interior images and for the cover.

Keep in mind, it’s rare for an illustrator to completely nail your vision right from the initial pencil concept. This is because there are myriad ways for your request to be portrayed, so you should expect to check in with your illustrator at regular stages (such as at pencil concept and again at colour concept), to ensure the illustrations are progressing on the right track. This also provides you the chance to request revisions to nudge the artwork closer to your vision.

For more support with understanding how to find an illustrator, assessing the illustration type best suited to your project, and communicating with an illustrator to produce the finished product in your imagination, check out this resource!

Creating a children’s book is a multifaceted process, with factors like book category and type, age-appropriate content, writing and revisions, and illustrations to consider. When it comes to publishing your children’s book, the different publication options each have their own processes. Thankfully, there is some overlap, so you can get started on your content development, and decide how you want to publish later. As you’ve learned above, understanding your audience and writing appropriately for your target readership are the biggest advantages you can give yourself when embarking upon a successful publishing journey.

We hope the insights in this guide have provided you with a greater understanding of your publishing options and given you the confidence to bring your title to the world — whichever path you choose.

The end! And for you, just the beginning…