Writing children’s books can be a uniquely fun experience. Not only is it absorbing and enjoyable, but it also allows you to stimulate your imagination and foster your creativity. However, even though many people might think that writing a children’s book is an easy process, there are actually numerous challenges that usually come with the job.
For one, the market for children’s books is becoming more competitive than before. Particularly, a constantly increasing number of illustrated children’s books is being sent for publication annually. The burgeoning of self-publishing services online also makes the competition even stiffer. For this reason, if you want your books to sell, then you need to get them to the top of this huge pile of illustrated children’s books. To do this, you might want to follow these handful tips for writing illustrated children’s books that will stand out:
Choose the best story for a children’s book
Popular illustrated children’s books usually contain great stories. Children generally love to read stories, so storyline is an important element of a children’s book. To become a successful author for children, you always need to come up with fascinating, stirring, and unique stories for your children’s books. There plenty of themes that you can choose from when formulating your stories – courage, identity, family, friendship, grief, love, and more. Always choose the best stories that you can come up with. The best stories are not necessarily those that are complex and mind-blowing. More often than not, they are the stories which are simple but unique and valuable.
Develop the story well
After choosing the best story for your illustrated children’s book, the next important thing that you should do is to develop such story well. It is one thing to think of a good story, it is another thing to work on it and develop it into a marketable and compelling book. To make sure that your book will attract as many readers as possible, your story should be developed in such a way that it hooks the readers from beginning to end. Figure out the main goal of your story (What outcome do you want for the characters of your book? What message do you want to convey to the readers?), and work your way around it. Make sure that your writing and storytelling are consistent to the goal of your book as much as possible.
Write in a simple language
When writing children’s books, you should always be considerate of your target audience. The language that you use in your books should be compatible with the level of understanding of your readers. If your target readers are children, then you need to write in a language that is simple and understandable for children in general. This is one of the main reasons why it is also important to determine the age range of your target audience. Different people coming from different age range have varying levels of understanding words, sentences, and stories. So, it is necessary to know what your target audience’s age range is to be able to speak directly to them.
Find a balance between the text and the illustrations
Compared to ordinary children’s books, illustrated children’s books are filled with illustrations and images that can further capture the attention of young readers and stimulate their creativity. In writing illustrated children’s books, however, you always need to be careful not to overwhelm your book with either text or illustrations. You need to find a balance between these two. Usually, illustrated children’s books range between 50 and 1000 words in length. It might sound challenging to tell your story effectively while balancing your words and pictures, but it is necessary. Using a good balance of text and illustrations throughout your story can help you build a quality children’s book.
Use colorful illustrations
Children love colors. Colors are very effective in attracting the eyes and capturing the attention of young people. For this reason, you might want to use colorful illustrations in your children’s books. Particularly, using bright colors and contrasting colors are greatly recommended because children generally prefer them. These colors stand out more in children’s field of vision since they are perceived better than fainter shades. Many popular illustrated children’s books are stuffed with vibrant-colored illustrations and images. Not only are they good for the eyes, but they can also foster more creativity and imagination among children.
Overall, writing illustrated children’s books is a time-consuming and challenging process, but it is also quite fun and fulfilling. By writing these kinds of books, you have the opportunity to touch the hearts and improve the lives of many young people across the world. The growing competition in the market for children’s literature should not discourage you from writing and publishing books for children. Instead, it should motivate you to work harder and to come up with illustrated children’s books that are more creative, stimulating, and valuable than the rest.
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