The time has finally come: You’ve decided to start writing the children’s picture book you’ve always dreamed of writing.
You’re feeling equally excited and nervous because this is a big deal! You’re not just investing your time, you’re investing money. The experience can leave you feeling pretty vulnerable, too.
But you’re ready to go, and you’re prepared to do whatever it takes to put your story into children’s hands. That’s great!
Before you get too far into the process, I want to make sure you’re ready for what lies ahead. Yes, creating a beautiful story that children will relate to is important. Your message matters.
However, there are a lot of other things that go on behind the scenes on the way to publishing a successful children’s book. Being prepared for them will save you from a lot of unpleasant surprises.
In this blog, I’ll share a few of the publishing industry secrets I’ve learned in the 10+ years since I published my first book, because they all came as a surprise to me. I want you to be well educated on what goes into publishing a children’s book.
Secret #1: Illustrations Shape Your Story
Yes, a great story is at the root of every successful children’s picture book, but the illustrations are just as important. Art can drastically shape your story’s tone, appeal, and audience.
That’s why it’s so important to choose an illustrator who’s more than just a capable artist. You want to work with someone who understands your vision for your children’s book. They must be able to take that vision and turn it into images that help tell your story.
Illustrations play a big part in setting the mood for your book because children interpret much of a story through what they see. Pages filled with bold colours will influence your readers differently than those filled with soft, pastel colours.
The images in your book should match your intended audience. For example, younger children are drawn to bright colours and simple illustrations. Older children are drawn to more detailed artwork.
You’ll also want to consider how children will connect emotionally with what they see. The expressions on your characters’ faces, how they dress, their ethnicity, and even the setting in which they’re shown affect how relatable your book is.
Knowing how important illustrations will be in making your book successful, here are some questions you might want to ask a potential illustrator:
- Do you have experience illustrating children’s picture books?
- What is your creative process for developing sketches based on what’s in the manuscript?
- How do you go about creating characters and settings for stories?
- How would you describe your illustration style?
- How do you make sure your illustrations resonate with children and match the author’s vision?
- How do you approach diverse characters and cultural representation in your illustrations?
Secret #2: You’re the Marketing Department
Just because you write it, doesn’t mean they’ll come.
This is something I remind writers of often – even ones who’ve published a book before. After months of putting in the hard work of writing, editing, illustrating, and launching a children’s book, there’s still more to do.
Your book won’t automatically reach readers once it’s published; you have to tell people your book exists!
Personally, my favourite way to promote a book (and the way I’ve promoted all of mine) is to bring it to schools – directly to your intended audience.
I like this marketing strategy because I get to see firsthand how children respond to my book, and it’s a great opportunity to sell books, too.
Not every school visit is the same, but mine typically involved reading my book to a group of children, talking to them about writing the book, and sharing the importance of reading. I also like to bring some interactive activities to engage the children, plus I let them ask questions.
If you want your book to reach a global audience (and you do!), social media is key to your marketing plan.
There are more than three billion active monthly Facebook users and about two billion active Instagram users worldwide – and millions of them are teachers, librarians, and parents. You can reach them all just by promoting your book on social media.
The wonderful thing about using social media to generate excitement about your book is all the ways you can do it:
- Post “sneak peeks” from your book, such as illustrations or a quote
- Share photos or videos of you working on your book
- Host a virtual storytime on Facebook Live or YouTube
- Host giveaways or run a contest
- Join groups dedicated to children’s books
If you’re worried that people will get tired of hearing about your book on your social media, just remember that not every person who follows you or likes your page will see everything you post. Plus, people need to be exposed to something multiple times before they even consider buying it.
I like to tell my authors that marketing a book is less about selling it and more about sharing it. Social media lets you do that.
Secret #3: You Have to Be Patient
Whether you choose to self-publish, use a traditional publisher, or work with a hybrid publisher, you’ll have to make some kind of investment – either money, time, or both.
Not everyone writes a book to make money, but a lot of people do. If you choose to do it with a traditional publisher, it could take years to find a publishing house that wants to publish your book, or years before you see it published.
If you choose to self-publish, you’ll have to front all of the costs of producing the book, and then try to recoup your costs through book sales.
If you choose to work with a hybrid publisher, you’ll pay a fee up front in exchange for their resources and expertise. The upside to that is you’ll be putting out a high-quality book that could lead to more book sales. But it still takes time. On average, it takes 10 to 12 months for authors who work with ML Publishing to publish their book.
Trust the Process
Writing a children’s book is both exciting and challenging – which makes it all the more rewarding.
Knowing that something you’ve written is out in the world making a difference in children’s lives is a feeling like no other. But you want to make sure you’re prepared for the work that goes into it.
Have a great story, yes, but also have great illustrations. Find someone whose work will match the spirit of your book.
Don’t underestimate the importance of marketing your children’s book every chance you can – in any way you can. Opportunities to share your book are everywhere.
Understand that writing a children’s book doesn’t happen overnight. A good children’s book takes time to be creatively written, carefully edited, expertly illustrated, and successfully launched. If you rush the process, you risk publishing a substandard book.
If you’re just getting started, check out my 5 simple steps to bring your children’s book to life ➡️ Attend my free training here and find out everything you need to know about writing a book that children will love.
FAQs
Q: How can I publish a children’s picture book?
A: You have three options for publishing a children’s book: Traditional publishing, self-publishing, and hybrid publishing. With traditional publishing, you sell your manuscript to a publisher and they take care of publishing the book. They also buy the rights to the book and keep the profits from book sales (though you might earn a small royalty from each sale). With self-publishing, you’re responsible for all aspects of publishing the book, including finding an editor, illustrator, and book designer. All costs are incurred by you. With hybrid publishing, you pay an up-front fee for professional services (such as editing and book design), but you maintain creative control over your book.
Q: Which publishing option is best?
A: Traditional publishing is best for authors who want to sell their manuscript and have someone else take care of publishing their book. Self-publishing is good for anyone who wants to publish their book quickly and can afford to cover the costs themselves. Hybrid publishing is best for authors who want professional support while still maintaining full creative control.
Q: How do I know if a publisher is legit?
A: Do your research. Established publishers have a reputation and a history that you can access easily. A publisher with an established track record will have reviews, testimonials, and a full catalogue of books that they’ve published.
TL;DR
- Writing a children’s picture book can be exciting but also challenging. It requires time, money, and vulnerability.
- Illustrations are crucial to a book’s success. They shape its tone and appeal to the intended age group.
- As the author, you’re responsible for marketing your book. Use strategies like school visits, social media, and virtual storytimes to promote it.
- Patience is key in the publishing process, whether you self-publish or work with a traditional or hybrid publisher, as the payoff might take time.