They say that in order to live life to the fullest, you must be able to do the following: plant a tree, have kids and write a book. What better way to come up with your own book than by writing for children. Children’s books are timeless. I’m sure that inside the heart of every adult is a childhood adventure waiting to be written.

Last week, we wrote a blog stating the reasons why writing children’s books are great. For all the reason we stated, one thing stands above the rest- writing a children’s book is fun. For self-publishing authors, the children’s book is a great stepping stone for starting a writing career. Many best-selling authors did start their literary journey with children’s stories.

Nowadays, publishing a children’s book is something that almost everyone can do as long as you set your heart to it. With the correct guide, time, effort, a little investment, and the right publishing partner, you can reach your dream of becoming a published children’s book author.

Of course, if this is to be your first time to write an actual book, you might as well take time to read the guidelines below.

Choose a title. Or a topic. This is true to every other book genre. Reflect on what you truly want to say. There are many narratives out there but you must choose a topic that is close to your heart and truly wants to tell about. As far as children’s books are concerned, make sure that’s it is a story they can relate to. Remember the readership of children’s books range from 3 years old up to 14 years old and above.

Set on a format. Whether it’s eBook or coated paper print, you must decide how will you publish your story. Most children’s books are still print published but eBook format is becoming a trend as well. But of course, you can always publish in both formats to cater to as many readers as possible.

Pick a category. This the reason why we ask early on to first pick a topic. You see, the children’s books genre houses many categories and each category has a set of parameters such as word count, themes, elements, and so on and so forth. Below are just some of the basic categories:

  • Board Books (0-3 years old)
  • Picture Books (0-5 years old)
  • Chapter Books (6-9 years old)
  • Middle Grade (9-12 years old)
  • Young Teen (12-15 years old)
  • Young Adult (14-adult)

Stick to a style. For children’s book, you can choose to write using rhyming lines, in past-tense as if telling a tale or a myth, or you can write using present-tense. Modern children’s book writers prefer to write in present-tense. For some categories, there is a need to decide if you are writing from a first or third-person perspective.

Also when writing your manuscript, please take note of the basic elements required to come up with a memorable children’s story.

Make sure that you have a strong character. Children love protagonists who are bold, adventurous, kind and will go to great lengths to follow his or her dreams or to overcome obstacles. Heroes like Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and Peter Pan are some of the most memorable characters ever written in children’s books.

Make sure your story is interesting with enough suspense, realistic dialogue, interesting narrative arc, and is easy to recall. Your readers are kids with relatively short attention span, so be careful writing complex, lengthy narratives.

Add Illustrations. This is perhaps what separates the children’s books from all other book genres. Illustrations play a vital role in every children’s books. Relevant and well-placed illustrations make up a good children’s book. In addition, make sure that your drawings are of good quality. If it’s print, make sure to use glossy pages. If your book is in eBook format, use high-definition images.

Look for a publishing partner

In order to ensure the success of your first children’s book, you must partner with a publishing company that provides quality publishing and book marketing services. Self-publishing service providers like the ReadersMagnet offer service packages that are reasonable, especially for authors who are just starting.

Since 2017, ReadersMagnet has published many children’s books of various categories. They also market these books and in fact, showcase most of them in national and international book fairs.

Contact ReadersMagnet Self-Publishing at their office number: (619) 354 2643 Toll Free Number: (800) 805 0762 Fax Number: (661) 338 1442 or email them at [email protected] for more details