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Last updated on Aug 02, 2023

How to Write a Children’s Book Families Will Love (+Template)

Many authors' dream is to write a children's book, and to inspire young minds with heartfelt stories and playful imagination. Many assume that writing for kids is easier, but writing great children's literature is no easy feat, especially if you're brand-new to the game.

In this post, we cover everything you need to know about writing a children's book, borrowing insights from experienced children's book editors like Anna Bowles, Jennifer Rees, Cara Stevens, and others. 

How to write a children’s book in 8 steps: 

1. Start with a simple, fun idea

2. cast a relatable main character, 3. structure your plot like a fairy tale, 4. consider repetition and rhyme, 5. make the story easy to follow, 6. write with illustrations in mind, 7. work with a children’s editor, 8. get an illustrator to add some visual magic.

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Children’s Book Development Workbook

Bring your children's book to life with our step-by-step workbook.

The best picture books are simple stories that engage children, and show them a fun or valuable perspective. Think about Dr. Seuss’s classic Green Eggs and Ham : the whole story premise is that the main character, Sam-I-Am, tries to convince his friend, a picky eater, to try green eggs and ham. It engages children with something relatable 一 being reluctant to try new foods 一 and it shows that perhaps it’s not so bad to give it a try.

If there’s one thing that most classic picture books have in common, it’s that they look at the world from a child’s perspective. 

1ZD9HswlFCk Video Thumb

Address children’s hopes and doubts

It can help to write your story with a specific child in mind — one you know personally. If you are a parent, a teacher, or have dealt with kids personally, think of them as you write your story. Connect with the way they experience life and the things they value. Remember the sorts of things that make them laugh. 

Most importantly, consider what’s compelling to them. Maybe your story can address some of their fears and doubts, or evoke their most cherished moments. Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes is about a little mouse who’s concerned about all kinds of things — especially starting school. The story reflects an anxiety many children experience and provides a hopeful message that things will be okay. 

Illustration of a child picking up fireflies during a summer night

Dianne Ochiltree’s picture book It's a Firefly Night tells the story of a girl who catches fireflies in a jar on a warm summer night, but ultimately makes the decision to release them. This is an experience many kids will relate to 一 and will make them feel good as our young hero learns to care for and respect the little creatures around her. 

But before you run with your story idea, it’s important to validate its market potential.

Know which themes are selling right now

Try to assess what's working in the marketplace already, and if your book idea fits in. What are the most popular picture book themes?  

As long-time children’s book editor Brooke Vitale points out, the most popular picture book concepts haven’t massively changed over the years. “Across the board, the top-selling themes for picture books have been bedtime, farm, and ABC.” This is because they’re subjects kids can relate to: bedtime rituals, farm animals and their sounds, and learning to read.

“Also high on the list have been holidays, in particular Christmas, Easter, and Halloween, and the reason for this is because they're marketable.” By marketable, Vitale means that these sorts of picture books are ones that people could easily buy as gifts for children. 

Illustration of two little cats playing

Some smaller holidays are on the rise too, like Mother's and Father’s Day, as well as graduation celebrations. But you don’t have to tie your story too closely to the specific holiday you’re targeting 一 a Mother’s Day book can be about a mother-and-daughter relationship, or a graduation title can be an aspirational tale set around education, making the story evergreen and relevant year-round. 

There are always new themes bursting onto the scene, like empowerment or mindfulness, which you can tap into to bring fresh stories to market. For example, in The Princess and the Pizza , Mary Jane Auch subverts the classic princess story: instead of accepting her fate and marrying into another royal family, Princess Paulina becomes a self-sufficient founder of a pizza empire. And of course, this idea ingeniously combines three things that many children love: princesses, carbs, and cheese.

Once you’ve landed on a great story idea, don’t forget that you’ll need a memorable lead character.

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The most iconic children's book characters have distinct and relatable personalities. Think of Leo Lionni’s Frederick, a field mouse whose fondness for poetry and art is seen as distracting from his family’s efforts to gather supplies for winter. Or take Jim Panzee from Suzanne Lang’s Grumpy Monkey , another outsider who struggles with his “bad temper” while everyone around him is having fun 一 something many kids will relate to. 

Illustration of Jim Panzee, a Grumpy Monkey

Whether your main character is a child, robot, animal, or sentient gas cloud, what matters is that they feel real — with specific abilities and challenges.

Define their strengths and flaws

Young readers don’t want to read about perfect heroes, but rather characters they recognize. Memorable characters should come with their own fully realized strengths, weaknesses, conflicts, and motivations that make them compelling to their young readers. 

To help you create great new characters, we have some additional resources for you:

  • A list of character development exercises to test your knowledge of your characters.
  • A free 10-day course on developing memorable characters , taught by a successful professional editor.

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Reedsy’s Character Profile Template

A story is only as strong as its characters. Fill this out to develop yours.

Besides being relatable in their behavior, your main character should have their own sets of dreams and desires — and the willpower to realize them.  

Give them agency to reach their goals

If there’s a younger character in your book, it’s usually their story you should be telling. It should be about their dreams, and they should be the ones making decisions that drive the narrative forward. 

As Reedsy Children's editor Anna Bowles suggests, don’t forget who the heroes are. “A lot of beginners write about children as we adults often see them: as cute and slightly comical little beings. But what children actually want is stories where they are the heroes, driving the action, facing challenges, and making choices.”

Patrick Picklebottom and the Penny Book is the story of a young boy who goes to buy his favorite book. On the way home, his friends invite him to fly a drone, play video games, or scroll through social media — but he declines and gets home to read instead. In real life, a child might have a parent giving them advice, but in the book, it’s Patrick himself calling the shots. He buys the book, he says no to the various temptations, and he gets himself home to read it.  

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Once you’ve got a great story and some interesting characters, it’s time to consider your story structure. 

Even within the word limits of children’s books, you need to create a satisfying story arc that captivates young readers from the very start, takes them on an exciting journey, and culminates in a gratifying and memorable conclusion. One way to achieve this arc is to think of your story as a simple question and answer.

Ground your premise in a simple question

Picture book editor Cara Stevens , who in her long career has written and edited for Nickelodeon, Disney, and Sesame Street, believes that every story should begin with a dilemma and end with a resolution. “There's usually a question: Will Mr. Frumble get his hat? Why doesn't Priscilla like chocolate? Why doesn't Elmo want to go to the dentist? These questions are a vital point in diagnosing your story or giving it direction when you're not sure where it's going.”

📼 Watch the Reedsy Live in which Cara Stevens reveals the 20 questions that can help picture book authors turn their ideas into finished manuscripts.

Once you’ve identified the story-driving question, you then want the character to face some challenges and doubts. 

Add conflict to the mix

Novels are often about characters dealing with a challenge, and how they change as a result of it. Children’s books are no different. Even in the simplest of narratives, the character should grow and learn something by overcoming internal and external conflicts .  

In Richard Scarry’s Be Careful, Mr. Frumble! , the title character goes on a walk on a windy day and his hat is whisked away by the wind. Will he get it back? After chasing it through trains, trees, and the sea, he does. Despite the initial worry, he finds that he’s grateful for the fun that losing his hat brought with it. 

Picture book illustration of Mr. Frumble losing his hat

Or think again of Patrick Picklebottom, who just wants to read his book: his conflict is created by his friends’ requests to do other things. By the time he reaches home, he has learned to say no and prioritize what he values most.   

Whatever journey you set your characters on, it’ll have to fit within the standard picture book’s length.

Keep it under 30 pages

It’s easy to fall in love with your story and characters and find yourself overwriting as a result. Children's books have rather standard lengths, depending on their type, and it’s important to try and stick to them to ensure your book is readable for your target audience. 

The average word count for a standard picture book falls between 400 and 800, with a length of 24 or 32 pages. The page count includes the copyright and dedication page , as well as your author bio , which means your story has to be told within 30 pages or less. With so little room, you’ll have to be mindful of the number of characters you introduce and the number of plot points they will encounter.    

Table showing picture books' average lengths and word count

At this point, you have a lot of story elements cooking and a structure to mix them in. But before you do that, you’ll want to think about the secret ingredient — style. 

Picture books often feature repetition, rhythm, and rhyme. These literary devices add a musicality to books, making them a pleasure to read or listen to. Children will want to have their favorite stories read to them repeatedly, so parents will greatly appreciate it if the words fall trippingly off their tongues when doing so. 

🤔 Should your picture book rhyme? Listen to editor and children's author Tracy Gold's opinion on Reedsy Live .

Let’s have a closer look at why repetition and rhyme are so common in kids’ books.

Repetition facilitates understanding

You can use different types of repetition in picture books, such as for words, entire sentences, or sounds. You can use it to structure your story, pace it, or reinforce a certain point or concept. When executed well, it can create a nice build-up that kids can pick up and easily follow.

The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith uses repetition in a few different ways. It starts with the narrator walking down the road and spotting a donkey. The first sentence is repeated in every scene, along with the donkey sound (Hee Haw!) Then it adds a line describing the donkey 一 its appearance, mood, and music taste (a sort of donkey dad joke). But that’s not all: each scene adds a short, rhyming description of the donkey, which, as the book progresses, keeps building up into an amusing climax.  

A picture book illustration of a donkey

Building the story incrementally through repetition and rhyme can be powerful. But remember, it’s not compulsory — and not all rhymes are created equal. 

Not all picture books rhyme

In recent years, many children’s book editors have advised against rhyming in your book. That’s because it’s quite difficult to rhyme well, and children's book agents are able to spot a bad or derivative rhyme from a mile away. That said, if you’re a master of the perfectly unexpected rhyme and you think your book demands them, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t go for it. 

Llama Llama Red Pajama is packed with rhymes from start to finish. It’s a simple story of a cria (that’s a baby llama!) waiting for their mother to comfort them at bedtime. The story’s simplicity and very short lines are perhaps some of the reasons it works so well.   

Illustration of a baby llama going to bed

If you’re writing in verse and rhyme, always read it aloud. Ask yourself if it feels forced, excessive, or awkward in any way, and whether the rhyme contributes to building the story. If it doesn’t sound quite right, you can always see what it’s like without the rhyming.

According to writer and editor Jennifer Rees , you can sometimes achieve even better results without forcing it. “So often, I get some really sing-songy stuff that forces the reader into a rhythm that people think is fun — but in truth, it just drags on. 

“There are so many gorgeously written picture books that do not rhyme but they just sound beautiful. Someone has really paid attention to how the lines read and how each and every single word sounds when you read it out loud.” 

There are also a few more literary choices to consider as you write your story…

Your core audience is at a crucial stage of their mental development and is currently mastering basic literacy skills. This calls for a few considerations as you write and edit your children’s book .

Start the story quickly

Even at the best of times, kids have limited attention spans. It's essential that you jumpstart the action with some sort of hook in the first few pages. This ‘hook’ could come in the form of an intriguing character or an inciting incident . 

The inciting incident of Dr. Seuss’s classic The Cat in the Hat , as you might recall, is an intriguing character. After setting up a scene with two bored siblings, Seuss introduces a mysterious cat who invites himself into their home. Is the cat good or bad? Should he stay or should he go? The reader understands that the cat brings chaos with him, and the story is set in motion. 

Illustration of The Cat in The Hat by Dr. Seuss

Once the story has started, it’s just as important to maintain a good pace. Each scene should ideally act as a little hook that builds the tempo or raises the stakes until the story's resolution.

Another important thing to consider is your choice of words. 

Use age-appropriate vocab

There are many great places to show off your bombastic grandiloquence, but a kid’s book is not one of them. Children won't be impressed by four-syllable words — they'll only be confused by them. That said, children's editor Jenny Bowman often tells her authors that, when used intentionally and sparingly, the occasional big word can be welcome. “Children are smarter than you think, and context can be a beautiful teacher.” 

To figure out the most fitting vocabulary for your story you can read other books for kids in your age group, or browse famous word sets for early readers, like the Fry and Dolch lists or the Children’s Writer Word Book , which feature the most commonly used words for children’s books depending on their age. 

It’s not just the vocabulary that needs a double-check. Also consider your characters, their behaviors, and the environments they inhabit 一 they should all be tailored to resonate with a child’s life experience. A talking eagle who’s a corporate lawyer working on a big M&A case might not be as relatable as a little mouse on her first day at school.  

To know if you’re on the right track, the best thing you can do is road-test your early drafts with their intended audience.

Ask a child what they think

Read your story out loud to children and parents in your social circle. Pay attention to how it sounds with an audience, and whether it invokes an emotional response. Kids are usually pretty honest, so their feedback will be some of the most valuable you’ll receive. 

Aim for a few rounds of reactions, and incorporate their suggestions as much as possible. Only once you have thumbs-ups from your young beta readers should you begin to think about your next step, which is to start combining your words with powerful visuals. 

In contrast to many other types of books, where words alone are sufficient to tell a story, in picture books text and illustrations complement each other to create a more immersive experience. Whether you’re planning to bring in an illustrator or pick up a pen and brush yourself, you should always be thinking of pictures when you’re drafting your manuscript

Think in terms of scenes

Think of your book like a (very) short movie. Every time you flip a page, you enter a new scene that holds the potential to surprise your young readers. To achieve this effect, consider placing your surprises strategically on the other side of page turns. 

To help you visualize the flow of your story and its pacing, try using a storyboard template to mock up your visuals and match your text to the right scenery.

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Children's Book Storyboard Template

Bring your picture book to life with our 32-page planning template.

Let the visuals do the talking

When self-editing your manuscript, try to cut unnecessary sentences and let the visuals do the talking instead (by showing, instead of telling .) There’s no need to squander your precious word count describing the weather or a character’s clothes if the pictures can do the same. So instead of writing them into your manuscript, include those details in your art notes so that your illustrator will know precisely how to represent them. 

Once you’ve written and rewritten your children’s story, consider bringing on board a children’s book editor to polish it further. 

If you've gotten feedback, self-edited extensively, and still feel your children's book isn't quite there, consider hiring a professional children's editor . Their years of experience will both improve your storytelling and make sure that your book is ready for the market.

Fortunately, we have the best children's editors right here on Reedsy, many of whom have worked with major authors like Daisy Meadows (author of the Rainbow Magic series) and R.L. Stine!

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Make your story sing

Work with a professional children’s book editor to take your book to the next level.

There are two types of picture book editors you may be looking for:

Developmental editors. These editors will look at your story’s backbone, from characters and settings, to the story plot and concept, and make sure it’s solid and ready for the market. They will also comment on whether you used rhyme and repetition wisely, if you need to change the time frame or point-of-view, and suggest other potential improvements.  

Copy editors. The copy editor will correct your typos, spelling, and grammar, assess your choice of words, and make comments to ensure your text is perfectly polished. 

Very often, you can find a single editor to handle both services — they’ll give your book a developmental edit, provide any notes for revising your draft, then copy-edit the manuscript once you’ve made the changes.

Read our post on children’s book costs to find out the average price for each service. If you’re self-publishing, there’s one important part of your budget you’ll want to put aside: that would be to hire a skilled illustrator to bring your words to life.  

If you want to publish your book traditionally, don’t bother looking for an illustrator. It will be handled by the company who will represent your work, as they prefer to be in charge of that. Just prepare your picture book query letter and start pitching agents. 

If instead you’re self-publishing your picture book , you’ll have to locate your very own Quentin Black. We wrote an in-depth guide on how to hire a children’s book illustrator , but one of the most important points is to determine your ideal illustration style.

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Identify the visual style for your book

What style best captures the mood and world of your story? Perhaps your book is for very young readers, who will enjoy bright, bold, and graphic illustrations. Perhaps you’re aiming at a slightly older audience, who’ll appreciate whimsical characters and a more muted color palette.

Various illustration styles of humans in picture books

Each illustrator brings a distinct touch to their human characters, from intricate linework to striking realism, edgy designs to gentle human-like figures. You’ll have plenty of options to choose from, depending on what you’ve envisioned for your book. 

To find your ideal professional, gather a range of references to make sure you have ample inspiration and “mentor texts” to refer back to. Browse through your favorite kids' books, or the portfolios of some professionals, and identify what you like — and, perhaps just as importantly, anything you definitely don’t like. This post on 20 children’s book illustrators will be a helpful jumping-off point in finding visual references and the vocabulary to describe what you’re looking for.

While some artists might welcome a challenge, and enjoy trying out a new style, the best way to guarantee results that you like is to find an artist whose style already matches your vision fairly closely — rather than asking them to fit a square peg into a round hole.

And there you have it! Once you've completed these steps, you'll have a completed children's book ready for publication. Make sure to check out our guide on how to publish your children’s book for more information on how to get your story in the hands (and hearts) of your young readers.

6 responses

10/02/2019 – 10:53

Where can I listen to my target audience if the kids around me don't speak English?

↪️ Reedsy replied:

11/02/2019 – 09:08

Thanks to the internet, that's not so much of a problem anymore. Social media and online communities can make it a lot easier to find your ideal audience. Check out this post we wrote about target markets from children's books: https://blog.reedsy.com/childrens-books-target-markets/

Jeff Dearman says:

08/05/2019 – 12:28

There's also newer illustrators looking to get their foot in the door who might be willing to help for relatively cheap compared to the more establish artists the more establish artists will want a lot more $$$$ , so look around. if youre on college campus or recent grad and know some illustrators or a friend or family member who does great art. ask them . Offer like $100-300 for black and white story boards and maybe a couple colored cover designs or what not and give them full authority and ownership over the art and development of the characters. Once the work is done maybe offer them a bonus if they do good work. There's plenty of newer illustrators with extremely good talent who are looking for opportunities.

You can also go to places like the New England film board and or other boards or even reddit and put out a post saying you're looking for an illustrator interested in getting material for their portfolio and offer them the ability to develop the characters etc. and such and offer lke a couple hundred bucks for sketches/character storyboards. - also state you'll put them into a writers' contract and split any royalties once the time comes if the book is susccessfl and write out an agreement you both sign. and agree to.

Penelope Smith says:

24/08/2019 – 04:32

Writing a children's book does seem like it could be tricky. I liked that you pointed out that you should look at that an illustrator past work. Also, it seems like a good thing to consider asking them to draw a sample page for the book. After all, you would want to check they draw in a style you like.

Sjsingh says:

20/11/2019 – 14:04

"pug"book writer Sharma is said a sardaarni, she is not a "Kaur", Kaur can be said as sardaarni. And what a mockery she has done for tying pug, real sardaarni never can dare to do that. Pug is very respectful in Sikhs and many other cast too, and she has made it joke, she has done very wrong to the sentiments and feelings of many Indians. And you have any humanity you should Apologize for this heart breaking act , Publisher has done not less than you. Have you ever thought , write a book on tying a saari or lungi in same style and illustration used in "pug"?

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The Write Practice

How to Write a Children’s Book: The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Successful Book for Young Readers

by Marianne Richmond | 0 comments

Have you wondered how to write a children’s book? A lot of people do! The idea of crafting a sweet or silly tale that delights young minds and hearts is a compelling invitation.

how to write a children's book

Maybe you already have an idea about subject matter or a memorable character in mind. Perhaps you are inspired by favorite books from long ago ( Judy Blume , anyone?). Frequent guidelines suggest just 500 to 1000 words in the average picture book—and many people who are not children's book writers wonder how difficult this could be.

Harder than you think.

Children's author Margaret Meacham sums it up well:

“Well-written picture books are works of art that demand an intuitive sense of child appeal, and like poetry, a firm command of language.”

In this article, you'll learn all about how to write a children's book with writing tips that will help you craft your writing for the littlest reader.

How I Became a Children’s Book Author

I never dreamt of being a picture book author. I became one unexpectedly.

How this started was I wrote, illustrated, and self-published my first children’s book, The Gift of an Angel , in 1997—long before self-publishing was a thing.

I was recovering from brain surgery in my twenties with a lot of down time. Inspired by my large circle of support—earth angels, I called them—I wrote a book about the belief in a guardian angel for every child, printed a few thousand copies of my book at a local shop (I was optimistic!), and began peddling them to gift shops and book stores around town.

Emails came to my inbox telling me how my feelings were their feelings—a huge “Ah-ha!” moment for me. In one year, I sold 10,000 copies, which quickly lit the fire in me to create more books that honored life’s emotions and relationships.

One book became two. And two became seventy-plus with millions sold.

For sixteen years, I co-ran my own publishing company with my husband before selling my book line in 2010 to Sourcebooks, Inc., the largest independent, women-owned publisher in North America.

With them, I still create and learn daily how writing children’s books performs in the business. I also understand how a children's book, in the business of publishing, needs to sell to a target market with a benefit to the buyer and reader.

And that distribution–how and where you’re going to sell it—is everything.

If you want to become a children's book author, you can't separate the writing from the business.

The Making of a Children's Book

There’s a lot of thought, preparation and nuance that goes into creating a successful, sellable children’s book that engages all types of children and, equally important, connects with parents, teachers, or caring adults who will it read over and over (sometimes at 9:00pm, when they are done reading ).

This separates the books that publishing houses, book editors , and readers choose for a child’s bookshelf versus the ones buried and abandoned in the bottom of a toy trunk, or not bought at all. Or not published.

I want to help you write a successful children's book. I want to share what I’ve learned about writing for children—from where to get ideas and illustrations to how to publish and market—from my twenty-plus years as a bestselling book author.

Throughout my journey, my personal mission as a writer hasn’t wavered: To create books that help you share your heart and connect with those you love.

This knowing what you want the experience of your books to be can help focus your creating and help you build a clear brand as a writer.

3 Key Factors to Consider Before You Write a Children's Book

Before beginning your dive into children’s book writing, there are three key factors you need to know and consider.

1. Book Category

When you walk into the children’s section at a bookstore or large retailer, you will see several categories of books that comprise this department, shelved in different areas.

The target age ranges are rough guides to a child’s age, maturity and reading proficiency that will dictate a buying decision:

  • Board book (newborn – 3)
  • Illustrated picture book (ages 2-8)
  • Easy reader and chapter book (ages 6-12)
  • Middle grade book (ages 8-12)
  • Young adult book (span the younger and older adolescent years of 12-25, depending on content)

I suggest you wander into a bookstore or retail book department and familiarize yourself with the different types of children’s books, their page and/or word count , complexity and use of graphics. You will get to see, too, the great variety of book design and book format within each broader book category.

2. Target Audience

One of the more challenging aspects of writing for children is to meet your audience where they are in terms of topic, word choice, writing style, and comprehension.

Specifically, are you painting a picture through words and illustration that makes sense to your reader? Does it have some harder words but not too hard as to be frustrating? What topics do the child reader's parent, caregiver, or teacher have on their list?

Often we get close to an idea because it is personal to us. We need to ask ourselves, “Who else will care?”

Know why you're writing your children's book, and you'll probably have more success writing it.

Instead, writers who want to write a children's book should ask themselves: “Who else will care?” Tweet this

2. Choose a Universal Theme or Niche Message

What your book idea is about will directly inform who wants to buy it. One of my go-to lines about my own work is:

“I write for the unique everybody. Our stories are different and our feelings a lot the same.”

When you set out to write your book, ask yourself what topic is timely and holds universal appeal (i.e., love, diversity, empathy, anxiety, life skills, grief) or which theme captures a niche topic like divorce, adoption, immigration, climate, or blended families.

To help you clarify the universal theme or niche message in your picture book story idea, you might consider using the X as told through Y approach.

Memoir coach Marion Roach offers an excellent formula that can be applied to kids books as well:

“It's about X as told through Y.”

The X is the universal, the Y is the story. Using Lisa Katzenberg's picture book, IT WILL BE OKAY, for example, her story is “about empathy and kindness as told through a zebra helping his worried giraffe friend.”

The story structure and character development will follow that specific character helping his friend.

3. Choose a book title and cover image with high salability

Imagine yourself standing in a bookstore surrounded by thousands of competing titles. Think of your perfect title and cover image as your way of jumping up and down saying, “Pick me! Pick me!”

A good book cover design is your clear promise to the reader.

In a fraction of a second, you need to tell your potential reader what your book is about and the tone they can expect (sentimental or funny, for example).

Your best title isn't always the most creative title. Clarity is queen. WHEN ANIMALS KISS GOODNIGHT. BE BRAVE LITTLE ONE. HAIR LOVE. Your choice of book illustration goes a long way to communicate this promise, too!

A silly monster or dancing elephant conveys humor while a child tucked in bed hugging a teddy bear communicates a sweet bedtime tale. Similarly, are you choosing to depict your book characters with people or animals — or nothing at all? (Check out the unique bestseller THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES.)

The use of bright images is key, too, to draw your reader in. Each choice you make contributes to your clear promise.

Some book titles can be enhanced with a descriptive, powerful subtitle. For example, Dan Santat's picture book, AFTER THE FALL featuring a cute egg has the subtitle How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again.

This additional book description quickly tells you it's a story of resilience. A recent title from Sourcebooks is called OUR WORLD IS A FAMILY with children of all nationalities on the cover. Its subtitle—Our Community Can Change the World— quickly communicates a story of inclusivity, connection and kindness.

cover promotion

In the book industry, this holistic impact of your book concept is referred to as the book “package.” Does the package connect with the intended reader? And often traditional publishers will test a few options with virtual focus groups before committing to a final choice.

Regardless of how you choose to publish, I suggest a quick exercise you can do when pondering your book idea: Brainstorm a potential title and subtitle for your picture book, referring back to your Story Intention to focus your thoughts.

Using Canva, freepick.com, Google images or even sketching it yourself, you can gather some inspiration imagery. Now, share these few tidbits with a trusted friend or two and ask them what they believe your book is about.

Do you hear an answer that circles around your intention? You're on the right track!

4. Write for Your Target Reader

As a picture book author, your are giving a child and caring adult (your target audience) a “pleasant reading experience.” (In the words of my publisher!) But think of your book, too, as a conduit for connection, learning, and growth.

So many parents, teachers and grown ups use children's books as gateways to bigger conversations, for example, family values, a recent hardship, or an aspirational behavior.

To give your book its best chance at “being so much more,” you'll want to pay special attention to word choice, cadence, and complexity to ensure it as “enjoyable and easy to ingest” as possible.

Think succinct text. Descriptive language. Compelling story .

Early childhood educators reiterate, too, how using rhyme and repetition of words and ideas helps children develop early literacy skills and boost brain development.

As you can see, children's books have a big, important job to do! A single sentence can be so rich with meaning and teaching.

5. Create your Story Arc

I love the concept of the six word memoir: say a lot with few words. That's the heart of a good children's book, too.

You're dealing with the short attention span of a child and often the adult reader, too. (“It's time for bed!”) This means you need to:

Don't spend a lot of time setting the stage for your story. Start in the action . If writing a board book where the pages will be cardboard, you reduce page count to twenty-four pages.

A good way to start is to brainstorm a book outline and the main takeaways of your story (again, your Story Intention).

Next draw an semi-circle on a piece of paper (think upside down ‘u') and jot down thoughts on your beginning, middle and end. If your picture book is the expected thirty-two pages, aim to use one to two spreads (a full spread is the left and right page together) to begin your story and another one to two to bring it to a close.

This leaves you a nice, long middle to tell your story and/or create and resolve conflict. Creating your own book layout or “book dummy”—even if rough—is a great way to help you visualize your story.

Using a real life example from my USA Today bestselling I LOVE YOU ALL WAYS, a board book to convey love, the first page is this:

“In case you ever wonder in the busy of our days, exactly how you're loved by me, I think you'll be amazed.”

Spreads two through nine tell all the ways while two spreads wrap it up:

“Top to bottom, inside through, you're the certain of my days. No need to ever wonder more … I love you all ways.”

6. Find a Professional Illustrator

Yes, more decisions! Artwork is key for children's books, as illustrations from a professional illustrator help tell your story, boost a child's comprehension and enhance literacy.

Is your message best supported by people or animals? The children's book market loves animals for their ability to appeal to diverse families.

Believe it or not, some animals sell better than others! “Bears are evergreen,” says Art Director Jordan Kost. “With brown/grizzly being the most popular.”

You'll want to choose what art style conveys the emotion of your story, whether soft watercolor, bright pastels, contemporary collage or simple line art. So much art is created digitally, which is easier for revisions but one thing doesn't change: good illustrations can make or break a picture book.

If you don't illustrate yourself, you will learn that traditional publishers will choose a professional illustrator for your manuscript. If, however, you are self-publishing, you will need to find your own through various resources like online groups, local colleges, trade associations and/or a talented friend.

Be sure, however, that your illustrator is very good . Nothing screams amateur like poor illustration. As for cost, you'll find some illustrators charge per page, per project or want an split of the sales revenue. This is all negotiable.

7. Choose a Publishing Path

As you're writing, you'll need to decide which publishing path you with to pursue. There are two main paths: traditional publishing and self-publishing.

Many authors aspire to be published by the “big five,” but this is a challenging road for first-time authors. And one that can take several years pitching, editing, printing to marketing and selling.

If you sold your manuscript today, you might see it in stores three years from now. Plus, most large publishers will only look at agented submissions and even then, they want to know your sales potential in the marketplace. In other words, do you have built-in ways you can start getting traction for your book?

This is commonly called “your platform .” Are you already known in any particular industries? Are you aligned with a certain cause? Do you have a large social media following? Are you an educator already connecting with students and families? Are you a psychologist who writes and speaks on social emotional issues?

And even if your answer is no, no and no—you can still pitch what you WILL do should a publisher choose to invest in your work.

For example, you will speak to local classrooms, host local events and exhibit your work at festivals and farmer's markets.

If traditional publishing is your dream, however, you'll want to first research finding a literary agent . Or perhaps set your sights on a smaller publishing house who accepts un-agented manuscripts and is more willing to grow together.

Gaining popularity with authors is self-publishing, which allows you to get your book for children into the marketplace sooner, but comes with the learning curve of navigating the most popular self-publishing platforms: Ingram Spark and Amazon's KDP which both offer numerous tutorials to get you on the path to self-publishing.

In addition, this path will also require you to hire your own professional editor to ensure you are moving forward with a tight manuscript as well as a book designer to lay it out. A developmental editor can speak to your big picture idea and theme versus a copy editor who critiques line by line.

8. Sell, Sell, Sell

No matter how you publish your book— traditional or self-published — you will quickly learn that authors need to be marketers as well.

I advise aspiring authors to create an “expertise” around their writing, if possible. Something you are known for that will help you focus your selling efforts. Are you the kindness expert? Do you play a musical instrument? Can you connect with an organization that shares a cause or passion?

For me, this is the Epilepsy Foundation as I grew up with a seizure disorder. I also do workshops at education and literacy conferences, giving ideas about art projects around my books. Author Susan Verde teaches yoga and mindfulness to little ones to showcase her books about peace, love and kindness.

Writer and restaurateur Mary Nihn created a super-successful (self-published) Ninja Life Hacks book series. And schoolteacher Shannon Olson self-publishes books with messages to her students that she couldn't find in the marketplace.

These eight steps summarize much of the thought that goes into crafting a successful children's book. The good news is there is guidance waiting for you in many places starting right here at The Write Practice as well as my suggestions in the ‘Supporters' section above.

One final thought is to prepare yourself for the long game. Success is built over time as more people become aware of you and your books. I'm twenty-plus years into this industry and still a beginner in so many ways. The industry and marketplace are ever changing.

Want to Learn More? Check Out These Children's Book Articles

I've shared a lot in this article on how to write a children's book—and still have a lot more to share! Below is a list of topics that I plan to cover in a special blog series on writing children's books.

Through them, I hope to take away the mystique of writing and publishing children’s picture books.

I also will provide practical tools that will help you go from idea to book whether your plan is to share it with your own family, your local community or with the world.

Where to Get Ideas for a Children’s Book

The title of one of my bestselling books, If I Could Keep You Little , is an exact phrase I said to my then six-year-old during a bedtime conversation.

While many writers do find ideas close to home, you can discover inspiration everywhere when you exist in “receiving mode”—approaching life with a curious, open, and playful mind. Find inspiration for your book in this article .

Defining Your Target Market

Writing to sell is a business and like marketing any successful product, you need to know your target buyer which, for picture books, is the grown up.

Compare this to chapter books, for example, where the potential readers are likely a parent/child combo. Having a clear sense of your reader dictates everything from topic to word choice to page count. Use the tips to find your market in this article .

How Do I Start Writing my Children’s Book?

By starting. In all seriousness, I understand how paralyzing the blank page can be.

Over time, I've developed some tricks and tips for jumpstarting my creativity and moving my mind into that right brain space where words and ideas flow more easily, and I share them here .

To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme

We've heard it said that publishers don't like rhyming picture books. Not true. What's more accurate is that publishers don't want a bad rhyming book which happens when rhyming is forced or the poetic meter is off (emphasizing the same syllable in each line).

A book in rhyme has many benefits. Rhyming helps babies and children learn about words, sounds and language formation. But writing rhyme that is “joyfully readable” is an art unto itself. Plus, are you telling a story that should rhyme? Find out in this article and when and why to rhyme here .

Also check out this list of my favorite rhyming books !

How to Illustrate a Children's Book (or Find One)

Illustrations are central to a successful picture book, offering readers a “yes and” element that helps boost their ability to understand a storyline and increase their comprehension. Illustration style is another key decision.

Cute little bears in pastel watercolors conveys a different emotion than a diverse cast of children in bold collage. Book illustration is a unique skill.

Depending on your budget, you can find book illustrators in several ways from local colleges to licensing agencies. You'll need to decide, too, if you will purchase the artwork from the book illustrator outright or arrange a royalty deal based on sales.

Read more about illustrations here .

Is Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing Better for my Children’s Book?

Before you start writing, you may already be thinking about publishing. Do you go it alone or query a publisher? Recent years have seen a proliferation of options for the independent writer (Ingram Spark and Amazon's KDP, for example), and so many choices can be overwhelming.

Like with any decision, you learn about the pros and cons based on what's important to you as a creator.

You can learn more about the differences between traditional and self-publishing in this article .

Finding a Children's Book Literary Agent (or Not)

If you choose to pursue a traditional path of publishing, you will often need to find an agent to represent your work to a publisher. Think of an agent as a personal advocate but most important, they are a salesperson for the product of you and your writing.

When you put the relationship into business terms, you'll quickly understand why you need to show yourself as a worthy investment of an agent's time and commitment.

I answer the most asked questions about agents here .

How to Market a Children's Book

Think of being a children's book author as twenty percent creating and eighty percent marketing. While my year is punctuated with starting new projects, I spend the bulk of my time looking for opportunities to promote and sell my books.

This need to market yourself is the same no matter how you publish your book. I've tried lots of things through the years as well as watched other authors do the same.

You can learn more about this in my article 12 Tips for Marketing Your Children's Book here .

Brand-Building for Children’s Book Authors

“Brand” is one of those buzz words you hear a lot about. Nike is a brand. And Apple. But an author? Yes! Think of an author brand as the multi-faceted “experience of you.”

Your books are the obvious embodiment of your brand, and so are these ancillary things — logo, tagline, website design, social media content, in-person events, personal interactions, and licensed merchandise.

Some strong children's book author brands include the late Eric Carle and Amy K. Rosenthal, Adam Wallace, and Sandra Boyton to name a few. In the self-publishing arena, Mary Nihn has created a rock-solid brand story for herself and her books.

You can learn more about this in my article about how I built my brand here .

How to Make Money as a Children's Book Author

“Are you rich?” asked the kindergartner. Seems I get this question once at every school event. While we know the definition of “rich,” varies, I do think people want to know if one can make money being a kids book author. My elusive answer is: it depends.

A traditionally published picture book will receive an advance anywhere between $5000 to $15,000 and more, depending on the author's longevity and the book's salability. Whether one sees additional royalties depends on the ability to “earn out the advance.”

Does your book sell in the mass market? The volume here can help things, too. If you are self-publishing, there is no advance, naturally, but you do keep a higher portion of each sale.

Many authors look for additional ways to supplement their author income through other employment, school visits, workshops, etc.

You can learn more about this in my article about income streams here .

Best Advice for Aspiring Authors Writing a Book for Kids

One of my favorite quotes is this: “You can only be alive in experience.” Which means you can only know by knowing. You can only gain wisdom by doing.

That said, we can all learn from others. I wanted to know what some of the folks I know in the industry — fellow authors, editors, art directors, and publishers—would tell offer you as far as advice.

You can check out all the industry insider advice here .

Writing a Children's Book Isn't Easy, But It Can Be Done

If writing and/or publishing a children's picture book is on your wish list, it can be done. Recently I received a note from an aspiring author. She shared a few paragraphs with me that needed revision:

“Is there any hope for me?” she asked.

“Of course,” I replied. “Writing takes learning and practicing like tackling any new endeavor.”

Even the most accomplished writers need guidance and editing.

My hope is that with my insights, shared on The Write Practice blog, you can create a happy ending of learning how to write a children's book—and put that learning into the makings of your future book.

When you do, you will bring your best book ideas for children into the world.

Have you tried to write a children's book? How did it go? Let us know in the comments .

It's your turn! Share your idea for a children’s book that you want to write with a brief description of the message it conveys.

For example, I have a book called Be Brave Little One . Before writing this story, my intention was to write a book about courage that conveyed to children that bravery is a choice that shows up in all different ways.

Don't overthink this. Spend fifteen minutes jotting down an idea, and then try to pitch that idea in one to three sentences. When you're done, share your thoughts in the Pro Practice Workshop here .

And after you share your idea, be sure to share feedback on other writers' ideas, too!

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Marianne Richmond

I'm Marianne Richmond—writer, artist and inspirationalist. My words have touched millions over the past two decades through my children's books and gift products. Basically I put love into words and help you connect with the people + moments that matter. You can find me on my website , Facebook , and Twitter (@M_Richmond21).

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Home / Book Writing / How to Write a Children’s Book in 9 Easy Steps [2024]

How to Write a Children’s Book in 9 Easy Steps [2024]

How do you write children's books and get them published? You write a children’s book by choosing a target audience, incorporating captivating elements, and beautifully illustrating it. Children’s books may either be self-published or submitted to traditional publishers .

And this article can give you the other tools you need to write the next great children’s book that you may have been thinking about for years, but never thought you'd be able to write and share it with little ones.

What’s your reason for writing children’s books? For me, it’s that smile.

Many authors or aspiring writers dream of publishing a children’s book. Maybe you have an incredible idea that you can’t stop thinking about. Or perhaps you want to put to paper your little one’s favorite bedtime short story — the one you made up while snuggling together.

Whatever the reason, now is the time to check this dream off your bucket list.

And I'm here to help you do that.

I'm a multi-award winning & bestselling children’s book author and ghostwriter of more than 50 children’s books. And I founded a little thing called Children’s Book University®, which helps other authors create books like I have.

What follows is as much information as I could condense into a single article on how to write a children's book. Enjoy!

Writing and publishing your own children’s book is no longer super challenging to achieve, nor does it take all your life savings (like it might have 20 years ago).

Unless you’re a celebrity or have a large following already, self-publishing your children’s book is a great way to get your foot in the door, even if your ultimate goal is to eventually explore traditional publishing.

If you present a well-performing book and an established author platform, your chances of landing a publishing deal are much higher than if you simply submit a query or manuscript.

How much money can be made from writing a children's book? The answer to this question greatly depends on the subject of the children's book. That's why doing our research is so important, even before we start writing our children's book.

Even for children’s books, we need to validate our book idea .

Table of contents

Additionally, book series are generally doing very well with kids. Once little ones come to love a character, they often can't get enough of them and their parents continue buying the books. The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne and The Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle are wonderful examples.

The roadmap below outlines what steps we’ll take to write and publish a children’s book:

Questions to Consider Before Writing a Children’s Book

For books marketed to younger audiences, you need to know that parents will want to buy this book. Children usually don’t spend the money to buy your story. Yes, make something entertaining for kids — but you need parents to buy your book first.

The primary purchaser of children’s books is between 30 and 44 years old. Females make up more than 70% of these buyers.

A few ways you could really get to better know your audience are:

Market research is also a huge tool to see what books parents are looking to buy their children. You'd be surprised at how much interest some themes get when compared to others. Take a look at this example here, showing the search volume for common children's book themes on Amazon:

Data provided by  Publisher Rocket

Right away, you should see that some topics get way more interest than others- and depending on your personal goals, you might want to avoid writing a book about a topic with low searches.

Side Note: We recently reviewed another great course on publishing children's books, read our review here .

When writing a children’s storybook, it’s really important to know the basic structure of a children’s book. There are lots of templates for writing a children’s book!

To learn more about children’s books and how to structure your writing for a younger audience, you could:

Is there a template for writing a children’s book? Yes, there are many templates for writing a children’s book. Here are some of my favorites:

You should be able to explain your book concept to anyone in a single sentence and in fewer than 30 seconds.

To best explain your book concept to potential readers or traditional publishers, you should develop a logline that encapsulates the plot and the hook.

If you’re not concisely explaining your book’s concept, you might lose potential readers and publishers because it’s too confusing.

These 7 writing tips may help you avoid common issues when writing a children’s book:

Best Book Marketing Software

Over 47,000+ authors, NYT bestsellers, and publishing companies use Publisher Rocket to gain key insight to the market.  Help your book now

You want to make a children’s book. Below is every resource you’re going to need.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to write a children’s book:

STEP 1 . Choose the Format

Should you publish an ebook or paperback? You should consider publishing your children’s book in both ebook format and paperback format.

Paperback is still the most popular format for children’s books. If you’re looking to sell your children’s book on Amazon or in brick-and-mortar stores , you should invest in a high-quality paperback format.

Ebooks are not a very popular medium for children’s books. However, children’s ebook usage is continuously increasing.

Most parents still prefer their kids to read print books, but the number of parents who prefer ebooks or who have no preference is growing.

Ebooks also come in handy during promotions and review requests. Giving away an ebook for review is a lot easier and more cost-effective.

With a little research, you can determine how well books are selling in your desired format. Here's an example of five competing paperback books on Amazon showing for the keyword “Children's Books About Puppies”, which should give you an idea of how well that format is performing. You can even see how many pages these books are, so you can calculate your estimated costs!

Price, Earnings, and Pages Data provided by  Publisher Rocket

It’s worth noting that a study out of the University of Michigan found that storytime with ebooks is not as effective . Compared with physical book storytime, parents spent more time talking about the technology, instead of the book’s content, during ebook storytime.

So physical children’s books won’t go away anytime soon.

STEP 2 . Know Your Target Category

To write a children’s book, you need to know your target category — that is, the age of your target audience.

When publishing on Amazon, you will be asked to list what ages your book is for. So it’s important to add the most appropriate age range. Otherwise you may receive lots of negative reviews from parents and other caregivers that thought your book to be unsuitable for their little ones.

Depending on the kids’ age reading your book, you will want to adjust the number of illustrations, word count , writing style, and more.

Most children’s books fall into one of these 5 categories:

Below is a table to show average statistics for the most common types of children’s books:

Children's Book Categories

Short words and short sentences are critical for the youngest children, so readers don’t feel overwhelmed. Colorful illustrations and fun characters are more necessary in children’s books than in adult fiction. Where adults can mentally grapple with ambiguity, kids prefer resolved stories and answered questions.

Each stage of development in a child’s life requires a different story structure and book setup. Adapting to each stage and its cognitive ability is essential if we want our book to be meaningful, educational, and fun.

Board Books are considered the youngest category — including on Amazon’s marketplace. They are for kids aged 0 to 2.

A Board Book is printed on thick paperboard. Often, it contains all pictures or fewer than 100 words.

In most of these categories, but especially these Board Books, marketing to parents is probably more important than appealing to kids. Of course, you want your book to be fun and intriguing to children. But make sure you give parents what they’re looking for: a good message and subtle, effective education.

Picture Books are the next category of children’s books. They are for 3- to 5-year-olds.

Children’s picture books contain up to 400 words, but there should still be vibrant illustrations on every page.

Also called the “Early Readers” category, Chapter Books are just what they sound like — the first books that children will read with the story split up into chapters.

Though some children will be excited to start reading chapter books, others will be reluctant. The broad age range for basic Chapter Books is 6 to 10.

Middle Grade books are for children 8 to 12 — a step up from Chapter Books.

These books typically feature a protagonist aged 10 to 13, slightly older than the reader. They should contain no profane language, no violence, and no romance outside of a first kiss or an innocent crush.

Common themes include friendship, acceptance, good conquering evil, and the importance of family.

A Middle Grade book is longer than a Chapter Book but shorter than a YA book. It usually contains between 30,000 and 45,000 words.

Young Adult books are targeted towards readers aged 13 to 18. Abbreviated as YA, Young Adult is meant to appeal to teenagers, although it’s important to note that more than half of YA books sold are read by adults older than 18.

Some people also use “Young Adult” to mean a genre where the protagonist doesn’t fit in, the parents are absent, they live in a post-apocalyptic world, and a coming-of-age story takes center stage. These are tropes and don’t necessarily apply to every YA story, but you get the picture.

YA books won’t always be considered children’s books. But some traditional publishers may classify “Young Adult” as a children’s book category.

STEP 3 . Choose a Title

You need to choose a winning title for your children’s book. You could do this after it’s written, but having a title in mind may guide you in your writing. You can always improve and change the title after the story is written.

A creative title lets your story’s personality shine through. But you also want readers to actually find your book. This could be difficult if you don’t name your children’s book correctly.

Fortunately, Dave at Kindlepreneur wrote excellent articles on How to Title a Book and Book Title Generators . They will definitely help you craft that perfect title.

To title a children’s book, you need:

The book The Color Monster : A Story About Emotions is a great example:

Speaking of subtitles: It’s important to include a subtitle underneath your title. This helps the marketing of your book by including additional keywords that parents can search for.

As you can see, some kids book genres have decent money coming into them, with less competition. So, make sure you do your research beforehand and see what possible types of kids books you can create. One way you can quickly see the competition of a genre is checking out your book's Amazon categories, and seeing how many sales it takes per day to become a bestseller. That should give you a good idea of the competition in that genre.

For example, take a look at the competition difference here for several children's categories about specific animals. Many young children have a favorite, and making a high quality book in a lower competition category can help your book be discovered by readers.

By writing a quality book for a category with low competition, but significant interest, your children's book will stand out from the crowd. If you decide to target a high competition category, just know there are publishers and authors with high experience already in that space, and you will have to work harder to capture a customer's attention.

STEP 4 . Find a Writing Style

You need to find a writing style that fits the age group you are writing for, the associated word count, the story you’re telling, and your own preferences.

You may be an excellent writer, an engaging blogger, maybe even an already accomplished author of adult fiction or nonfiction. But when it comes to writing style for children, you have to adopt a new mindset and an appropriate writing style.

Here are some writing styles you should consider:

There is no right or wrong approach; it’s merely a question of style. Once you have chosen your style, you will need to stick to it throughout the book.

STEP 5 . Incorporate Important Elements

When you write a children’s book, there are important elements that you need to incorporate, such as an appropriate theme, memorable characters , and relatable dialogue .

Your inspired story idea is only as strong as how you tell it. There’s a beginning, a middle, and an end. There are actions, scenes, and emotions. Be sure to be clear about your core message.

The 5 most important elements in a good children’s book:

While the sequence and rhythm of events are significant, keep in mind that not all stories have the same structure. There is no one formula because following a formula would rob stories of their true potential.

Yes, it’s crucial to have an intentional structure. But if it doesn’t fit perfectly, don’t force it.

STEP 6 . Use Solid Characters

You have to use solid characters in your children’s book. Interesting, unforgettable characters are a must, especially when helping kids recall your story and core message.

The best characters in children’s books…

It's also important to research a character's surface level attributes before starting to write your book. Children will often ask their parents for a specific type of character such as a train, or a pig, or any other current interest they may have. For example, take a look at how much bestselling books earn for these character types, as well as the level of competition become a bestseller:

STEP 7 . Make the Story Engaging

You need to make the story engaging in your children’s book.

First, you need a good ending. Younger kids need a happy ending that satisfies them. You don’t want to make a kid cry because your story ended sadly. That doesn’t mean slightly more realistic conclusions are pointless, but your audience may struggle to understand complex topics.

Next, make sure your main character is making deliberate choices to move the story forward. If they aren’t making any decisions, they probably shouldn’t be the main character.

Any good story needs suspense, no matter your age category. Cliffhangers are a great way to engage your reader. In a younger book, a cliffhanger may be as simple as writing “Peek-a-” on one page, then “BOO!” on the next.

Here are some examples of suspenseful questions that different age ranges should ask throughout the story:

STEP 8 . Proofread & Edit

When you finish your first draft, you need to proofread and edit your children’s books.

Check out Kindlepreneur’s useful article on the Best Proofreading Services You'll Ever Find .

You should wait to hire a professional editor until you have self-edited your book. But you need a pro to look at your work before publishing.

Editing is a valuable and necessary investment, particularly for anything longer than 600 words. A professional proofreader or a line editor can help with spelling and grammar. For chapter books and beyond, you may want to hire a developmental editor to look at the big picture.

A good editor is instrumental in making your book a success because poor spelling, grammar, and book structure will reflect poorly on you as a children’s book writer, leading to negative reviews and fewer sales.

Your book and its message might be fantastic, but too many errors will be noticed by your readers. They may voice their opinion in a review like this, which ultimately lowers your overall rating.

So if your book is more than 600-800 words long, you should send it off to a professional editor for proofing.

Yes, you can go over it yourself and let your significant other read through it. But letting an unbiased, independent professional look over it will make your manuscript as good as it can be.

To find a great editor, read Kindlepreneur’s handy article Selecting The Best Book Editor .

STEP 9 . Illustrate Your Book

When it comes to adding illustrations to your children’s book, there are three options you can choose from:

The best option for you will depend on your budget, time, skill level, and trust you’re willing to put into someone else's interpretation of your story. Illustrating your book may take almost as much time as — if not more time than — actually writing the words of your children’s book. I’ve broken up the illustration process into 7 steps:

When it comes to picture books, there are 3 orientations to choose from:

(This doesn’t apply to chapter books or books for older children. Those usually feature the classic 5½” x 8” format.)

You should choose your book’s orientation early on since it will inform virtually every decision about illustrations down the road.

This is not a hard and fast rule, but here are general reasons to choose each:

Whether you hire an illustrator or create the illustrations yourself, you’ll want to make sure you plan your image sizing correctly. This way, once you upload your artwork, everything runs smoothly.

Below are the most common sizes for children’s book images:

If you plan on having your images cover the entire page, make sure to add 0.125” to the top and bottom, as well as one side. This accounts for trimming (sections to be removed in printing).

Amazon offers handy templates to plan your image sizing. But remember that you’ll still have to add the bleed allowance yourself.

Here are great inches-to-pixels and pixels-to-inches converters. These help you know how large your image should be, depending on your selected trim size. Be sure to choose a DPI (dots per inch) of 300 when using the mentioned converter.

A storyboard or book dummy helps you decide what to include in each illustration and how the text will match up with the images.

This is meant to help you determine which illustrations you want to include, better informing your quest to find and hire an illustrator. This step is extra helpful if you are planning to create your illustrations yourself.

The storyboard creation process doesn’t have to be perfect. Be expressive, and have fun. In the end, you’ll probably create a few different versions, each being an improvement over the previous one. How to create a storyboard or book dummy:

4. Combine Text & Illustration

How you combine your text and illustrations is entirely up to you.

However, it's a crucial element on how to write a children's book. Whatever you choose, be consistent throughout.

There are two ways of combining text and illustrations:

Having the text as part of the image makes your book format much more straightforward,, and looks consistent across all devices.

However, you decide to include the text in the image itself, this will have to be done by your illustrator. This method makes editing the text a bit harder — any changes or corrections have to be made within the image itself.

Below (left) is a page from my book The Garbage Trucks Are Here , and on the right is a page from my book A Gemstone Adventure .

The other option is to have the text and image separate. The text sits below or above the illustration or on a separate page.

Below is a double-page spread from my chapter book series, The Amulet Of Amser. It has an image on the left-hand page and the text on the right-hand page.

You can arrange this layout by yourself. You don't have to involve your illustrator.

I've started gathering individual authors and agencies into one big list to help with your search. Check them and their sites out below. Keep in mind that I haven't used these services myself.

Here’s a list of outsourcing sites and social media sites where you can choose an illustrator for your children’s book:

These outsourcing sites provide you with reviews from the artist’s previous clients and may even include information about previous completion rates . Most importantly, these sites are cost-effective .

On most outsourcing sites, you’ll post your project (similar to a job offering), and children’s book illustrators will bid on it.

To get an idea of how much you should be offering, browse some of the platform’s current projects. Know that your bid sets a baseline only, as each illustrator will bid individually on your project if he or she is interested in working with you.

After the initial bidding process (usually a couple of days), you will have to go through each illustrator’s profile and portfolio to decide who would — or wouldn’t — be a great fit.

You’ll need to pay for illustrations. An illustrator is more critical than an editor for picture books — the illustrations are what the reader will be most focused on.

To get a feel for acceptable prices for a project, browse websites to find postings for similar projects. Actual prices differ significantly from service provider to service provider and change drastically over time.

Payments are generally released based on milestones that you set, such as the completion of the storyboard. The milestone setup will depend on the scope of your project and the platform you are using to hire your illustrator.

The cost of your illustrator depends on multiple things:

Once you choose the best-fitting illustrator for your project and they’ve completed their work, you need to obtain the illustrations.

You want high-resolution images (300 dpi) with the proper sizing and the raw files of all images. This will enable you to make changes directly to your illustrations if need be.

A signed art release form is relevant if you decide to hire an illustrator directly . Any art attained via outsourcing sites should automatically make the illustrations your intellectual property.

Need Help with Your Keywords?

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FAQs for Writing a Children’s Book

The answer to whether or not you should copyright your children’s book is entirely up to you. Just know that under U.S. copyright law, you already own your work the instant you write it down. However, you can protect your copyright by registering it with the US Copyright Office .

Read Kindlepreneur’s handy article written by a lawyer: How to Copyright a Book in the US

What should I not do when writing a children’s book?

You should try not to sound too preachy or instructional about your themes and morals. Kids are very perceptive. They smell an agenda miles away.

You should not leave a story unresolved or a question unanswered. Depending on the age group you’re writing your children’s book for, you need to provide a satisfying ending — particularly for smaller kids.

You should not break patterns. Children love a routine. The key to routines or patterns is to not break them. In your children's book, once we’ve established a pattern (rhyme, repeating phrase, character behavior, etc.), try your best to stick to it.

One of the easiest ways to convert your children’s book into an ebook is Amazon’s Kindle Kids’ Book Creator .

While I use other methods, I love working with and recommending this simple yet powerful tool. It’s FREE and helps you create an ebook version for your illustrated children’s book. You can import artwork, add text, and create Kindle Text Pop-Ups.

And the best part is that there’s no HTML/CSS knowledge required!

Yes, your children’s book should have a subtitle , mainly for marketing purposes.

As I share in my book How To Self-Publish A Children’s Book , making use of a subtitle can be very beneficial for connecting with potential readers.

Giving your children’s book a subtitle provides you with an additional opportunity to use keywords, key phrases, or synonyms that potential readers might be using when searching for a children’s book like yours.

Using a subtitle also allows for more creative freedom than with your actual title. So if your title itself doesn't fully communicate the topic of the book, you’ll have the subtitle as a backup.

Figure out what is trending in children's books using Publisher Rocket . Use this info to develop an effective subtitle.

Just type in a children's book idea , and you can quickly see how many people are searching for those books on Amazon, the average amount of money made by the top books, and even the competition:

As you can see, some kids’ book genres have decent money coming into them with less competition. Make sure you do your research beforehand and title/subtitle your children’s book accordingly.

You write a children’s book description (blurb) by looking at similar books’ descriptions. Pay special attention to length, word choice, and the style they are written in. That’s usually a great way to see what your audience expects and is used to.

Like books of other genres, your book description is fundamental to your children’s book’s success.

While your book cover and title help with your book’s discoverability and grabbing a potential buyer’s attention, your description is often the reason a reader decides to buy (or not to buy) your book.

To help you with your blurb format, be sure to check out Dave’s amazing Book Description Generator that takes care of all the text formatting for you.

Amazon has over 450 paperback and 260 eBook categories for children’s books. Your children’s book should be in the category that best describes your audience:

(These categories are how Amazon’s marketplace categorizes children’s books.)

During your children’s book setup, you may have noticed that not all children’s book categories are offered as an option. That’s because some of Amazon’s categories need to be unlocked before being selected.

However, if you set up your children’s book correctly by adding age ranges, you will be able to add your book quickly and easily to any of these hidden categories by following Dave’s steps in his article How To Choose the Best Book Categories . This is a game-changer for you and your children's book.

The best book cover design for your children’s book is one that entices potential readers, looks professional to parents, looks fun to kids, and communicates what your book is about.

To get the best cover design you can for your children’s book, follow this guide for making standout book covers . Then create a book mock-up for your book marketing efforts.

Now you know how to write a children’s book!

Follow this guide, and you’ll craft a beautiful story tailored toward your audience. And you’ll have the illustrations to make your children’s book eye-catching, and intriguing.

Children value creativity and individuality. There is no one way to draw. No one way to paint. No one way to write. It’s about being uniquely you, lending your unique voice to your unique story.

That’s why you shouldn’t be afraid of the way you write, and you draw because that’s what sets you apart. Diversity is important. Tell your story.

Check out my book, How To Self-Publish A Children’s Book – Everything You Need To Know To Write, Illustrate, Publish, And Market Your Paperback And Ebook .

It will teach you how to:

Writing a children’s book is one thing; writing a children’s book that sells is another. Check out Kindlepreneur’s video on How to Write a Children's Book: 8 EASY STEPS!

Want more videos like this? Then click HERE to subscribe to Kindlepreneur’s YouTube channel.

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

Related Posts

How much do ghostwriters make common rates, how to read faster and retain more: speed reading 101, goal setting for writers: a 3-step process to achieve success, sell more books on amazon, how to title a book checklist.

Titling your book can be hard…really hard. As you go through choosing your book title, use this checklist as your guide and make sure you have a title that will sell!

182 thoughts on “ How to Write a Children’s Book in 9 Easy Steps [2024] ”

Wonderful post Eevi ???? Thanks for sharing this article.

Animal Characters in Children’s Literature comprises various bodies of work made especially for children. This consists of picture books and easy-to-read stories for the entertainment and development of children. Children love books not only…

Please read my blog: Animal Characters in Children’s Literature

Have a wonderful day!

Thanks so much for your kind words and for sharing, Caroleann!

Thank you for all of this great information. Does your article or website include how to reach out to publishers once you have your ‘prototype’ book?

Forever grateful,

Thanks so much for reaching out and for your question, Habiba! I mainly share information about publishing your children’s book independently. If you would like to try to reach out to traditional publisher, I would recommend the book “Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market ( https://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Writers-Illustrators-Market-2020/dp/1440301239 ). They have a updated edition out about every year, so this would be a great way to start, as it includes publishing houses, agents, as well as a short section on how to write your query letter. As for any publishers that are not listed in this book, please be sure to do your due diligence when it comes to deciding whether or not to approach them. Hopefully, my quick article on how to find out whether or not a publisher is trustworthy right here is helpful as well: http://www.eevijones.com/vanity-vs-hybrid-vs-traditional-publishing/ . I hope this helps, Habiba!

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How to Write a Children’s Book in 12 Steps (From an Editor)

Children reading children's books

As a children’s book editor, I’ve helped hundreds of authors write, edit and publish their children’s book.

Anyone can sit down and dash out a children’s book, and with a little help and guidance, yours can be good enough to earn the attention of thousands of children.

And nothing beats the feeling of holding your printed book in your hands and reading it to a child for the first time.  Follow these 12 steps and you’ll get there in no time.

In this article you’ll learn:

I also help authors with:

Lastly, you can read this whole post and get a decent understanding of how to write a children’s book, but if you want the full, in-depth experience with even more information, videos, PDFs, quizzes, and exercises, you can take my 30-video course on how to write a children’s book:

Online Course: “Two Weeks To Your Best Children’s Book.”

Okay, buckle up and get ready! These are the 12 steps to writing a children’s book.

1. Find Your Best Idea

Writer in brown suit with a lightbulb appearing over his head: he's getting an idea

You probably have an idea already, but you should work on refining it. Here’s how:

This might seem commonsense to check what’s already out there before putting all your time and energy into a book, but so many authors don’t do it! This is just basic research that you can do in 2 minutes that will give you a sense of competing books.

Mother reading a children's book to her son

When I lead most authors through this process, they discover that their idea has already been written about. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing — actually, it’s proof that children want to read about their topic!

The trick is to have one twist for your story that makes it different. If it’s a story about bullying, perhaps your book tells the story from the point of view of the bully! Or if it’s a story about a dog, make this dog a stray or blind in one eye.

Maybe your story is different because you have a surprise at the end, or maybe it’s different because it’s for an older or younger age group, or your character has a magical guide like a fairy or elf to lead them through their journey. Just add one twist that distinguishes it from other books.

2. Build the Character

A friendly black bear sits reading a children's picture book, and says "Hello"

I edit hundreds of children’s books every year, and the best books have unique characters. They are quirky in some way. They have a funny habit. They look strange. They talk differently than everyone else.

But when I see a book where the main character is indistinguishable from every child, that worries me. You don’t want a character who stands in for every child, you want a main character that feels REAL.

My advice would be to go through a Character Questionnaire and figure out how much you know about your character:

Now score yourself on how many you knew right away:

First place gold ribbon

8 – 10

Congrats! Your character feels like a real person to you!

Second place bronze ribbon

6 – 7

Pretty good! You have thought deeply about your character.

Third place Bronze ribbon

5 and below

Take a few more character questionnaires before you start writing.

If you’d like more questions, I have an expanded version of this questionnaire in my  course . 

I also have another post on the 10 steps to writing a memorable character .

3. Find the Right Length

What’s the right word count for your book?

This is probably the most common question I get asked, and it’s also the one that most writers get wrong.

Ultimately, you need to figure out what age range you’re writing for, and then write within that word count.

Infographic on children's book lengths for board books, picture books, chapter books

Most writers are writing picture books for ages 3 – 7 — that’s the most common category. If that’s you, then shoot for 750 words. That’s the sweet spot.

If you write a picture book more than 1,000 words, you’re sunk . You absolutely have to keep it under 1,000 words. It’s the most unyielding rule in the entire industry. Seriously, take out all the red pens and slash away until you’ve whittled it down.

4. Start It Quickly

Many unpublished children’s books fail to grab the child’s attention (and parent’s attention!), and that’s because they start too slow. If your story is about a child joining a circus, they should join on the first or second page. 

Don’t give backstory about this child’s life. Don’t set the scene or tell us what season it is.

Just have the circus come into town, and as soon as possible, have the child become a clown or tightrope walker or lion tamer. 

Infographic answering how fast do children's books start

You have such a short space to tell your story that you can’t waste any time. The pacing of children’s stories generally moves lickety-split, so don’t write at a tortoise pace. 

For instance, look at the picture book “ HippoSPOTamus .” When do you think the hippo discovers the red spot on her bottom?

Cover of the book Hippospotamus by jeanne Willis and Tony Ross

Yep, it’s on the first page.

And that event launches the entire story.

Start your book that quickly.

5. Create A Problem

Every character has a problem. It could be a mystery, it could be a person, it could be a crisis of confidence. That problem is what they will struggle with for the entire book.

The majority of the book will be obstacles the main character has to hurdle before they can solve their problem.

Here are the main mistakes beginning writers make with their character’s Main Problem:

Infographic of children's book plot and structure guide

6. Use Repetition

Lollipops repeated in a grid

Children love repetition! Parents love repetition! Publishers love repetition!

Everybody loves repetition! (check out my post on  17 fantastic examples of repetition in literature).

If you’re not repeating something in your children’s book, it’s not going to be a great children’s book.

I mean, all of Dr. Seuss is basically built on repetition (and he’s pretty much the godfather of children’s books).

Here are three types of repetition that you can use:

Any book that rhymes is using repetition of similar words, and I would argue that story structure repetition is even more important than language repetition. 

Click on the image below to learn more about my children’s book course:

Course offer to write, edit and publish your children's book

7. Write for Illustrator s

One of the main jobs of the writer is to set up the illustrator for success. (and you can hire an illustrator from the SCBWI illustrator gallery )

But so many writers aren’t thinking about what kind of material they’re giving to the illustrator.

If you have a book that takes place inside a house between two characters, the illustrator is going to struggle to draw visually interesting images.

A good illustrator can radically improve your book, but they’re also working with what you give them. So give them more:

Inside locations like a school limit illustrators:

Animated children reading books inside a playroom

While illustrators have much more freedom with fun outside possibilities:

Illustration example of a child running into a city with skinny yellow skyscrapers

Remember, a publisher isn’t only evaluating your book on the words alone. They’re thinking about the combination between your words and an illustrator’s pictures. And if you don’t provide a solid half with the words, they’re going to say no. 

And if you’re self-publishing, good visuals are much more fun for the child!

Also, if you’re exhausted by trying to find an illustrator that you can trust, and is affordable, let Bookfox Press do all the legwork for you. We have trusted illustrators that we’ve worked with before, and who do incredible work.

8. End the Story Quickly

Once the main problem of the story is resolved (the cat is found, the bully says he’s sorry, the two girls become friends again), you only have a page or two to finish the book.

Since the story is done, there’s no longer any tension for the reader, which means they don’t have an incentive to keep reading. So do them a favor and end the book as quickly as possible. 

Basically, you want to provide a satisfying conclusion and wrap up all the storylines. 

One of my favorite tricks for an ending is a technique that stand-up comedians call a “Call Back.” This is when they reference a joke from earlier in their set to finish out their routine.

You can use this in children’s books by referencing something in the first 5 or 6 pages of the book. For instance, if the main character was so focused on a purple lollipop that they wandered away and got lost, then after she was found the final page of the book might say: “and from then on she only licked red lollipops!”

how do you write children's books

9. Choose Your Title

The titles of six children's books about adventure, fairy tales, and dinosaurs

Now you may say: why are we figuring out the title after we do all the writing? Good question.

The truth is that many writers don’t know the essence of their story until after they write the book. So you can have a temporary title, but just know that you’ll probably revise it after you finish.

And revising is fine! Everybody revises. Don’t be afraid to change your title multiple times until you hit the exact right one.

Also, the title is the number one marketing tool of your book. Most readers decide whether or not to pick up your book from the title alone. That means choosing a title might be the most important thing you do (although it’s probably a tie with choosing an illustrator).

10. A Revision Strategy

Children's book illustration of a pirate making a blindfolded man walk the plank off into a sea of sharks

Most unpublished picture books are far too wordy.

In fact, if you talk to publishers and agents, they will say that children’s books being too long is one of the main things that makes them reject a book.

Here is a revision technique that will fix that problem . Make every single word, every single phrase, every single sentence “Walk the Plank.”

In other words, you highlight it and hover over the delete button (this is the “walking the plank” moment) and ask yourself: if I cut this, will the story no longer make sense?

If the story will still make sense, then PUSH that phrase/sentence off the plank and delete it.

If the story will not make sense, then that word or phrase or sentence gets a reprieve (at least in this round of editing!).

In general, the shorter your children’s book, the better chance that publishers/agents will like it and the better chance you’ll have of pleasing children and parents (not to mention shorter books are cheaper to illustrate — and illustration is expensive!).

11. Find an Editor

Graphic of how to find a children's book editor with coffee and computer

Once you’ve written your book, you really need to get an expert’s opinion to help you improve it. An editor will be the best investment in your book. After all, I know you love what you’ve written, but there are so many tricks and techniques to writing that can improve the experience of the reader.

There are two different types of children’s book editors.

Sometimes you’ll find an editor who can do both, but you can’t do both at the same time — you have to make all the big picture revisions before you start tinkering with all the small details.

Here is a handy checklist when looking for an editor.

The cost of editors vary widely, but if you’re not paying at least $400 – $600, you’re probably getting an amateur without a lot of experience in the industry. And you don’t want a beginner messing around with your book.

If you’d like to hire me as an editor, check out my children’s book editing page .

Giraffe standing next to a sign that says "Improve Your Children's Book"

12. Find an Illustrator

This is the most important step of the post-writing process.

An illustrator will be the most expensive step of publishing a children’s book, but also the most essential for a successful book. The more you spend on this step, the better your book will look. I mentioned the SCBWI illustrator gallery above, but I also wanted to recommend Fiverr as an inexpensive place to hire an illustrator. 

If neither of those work out, check out the website Children’s Illustrators or for another option, Illustration X .

When you’re considering an illustrator, this is what you should ask for:

Infographic on how much children's book illustrators cost

Make sure you’re really in love with the illustrator’s style, and that it matches your vision for what you want the book to look like.

WHAT FOLLOWS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

You can’t just throw words up on an illustration and expect them to look good. It’s essential to have a happy marriage between text and image. You want to think about:

So either hire the illustrator to do book design, or hire a book designer. But just don’t choose the fonts and placements and font size on your own — get a book designer to help you .

If you want to learn more about how to work with an illustrator, check out my post, “ 12 Tips on Working with a Children’s Book Illustrator .”

Common Questions

Q: should i copyright my book.

Light bulb hanging over children's book with a copyright C stamped on the page

There are differing opinions on this, but in general I would say NO. You don’t have to worry about someone stealing your book. If you go the traditional publishing route, the publisher will copyright it for you. If you go the self-publishing route, you already own the material the instant you wrote it, so getting copyright only gives you added protection.

If you need more advice on this, read my post, “ Should You Copyright Your Children’s Book .”

Now if you’re going to chew your nails down to the nub worrying about this, then set your mind at ease. If you live in America, go to the U.S. Copyright Office website and you can register for under a hundred bucks. I walk you through the steps on how to do this in my children’s book course .

Q: Do I need illustrations before sending my book to editors, publishers, and agents?

Children's book illustration of two camels standing in a desert with a cactus behind them

This is a hard and fast NO.

Editors want to work with the language alone, so unless your book requires the illustrations to make sense, you don’t want to send the illustrations. Even then, you can easily put the illustration explanation in brackets [like so].

Publishers always always always hire their own illustrators, so save yourself the money and submit the text alone. This is because choosing an illustrator is a marketing decision (that they need to make, not you) and because a good illustrator can cost $20,000. You probably don’t have that kind of money lying around.

Now what if you’re the illustrator? Well, then you DO want to send the illustrations. But if you get a rejection, it could either be because of the story or because of your illustrations, and sometimes you won’t know what the weak link is.

In general, though, agents are looking to represent illustrator/writers much more often than they’re looking to represent writers alone. That’s because children’s book illustrators earn A LOT more money than children’s book writers (sorry, that’s just the way it is).

Q: Should I ask for a non-disclosure agreement? (NDA)

Laptop with NDA sheet in front of it to protect copyright

If you want to you can, but you have a better chance of a bear eating you than someone stealing your book.

Plus, if they steal it, you can easily sue them and take all the profits and more, so there isn’t much motivation for someone to steal your book.

The truth is that writers worry about this far more often than it actually happens. My advice would be to put all your energy toward creating the best children’s book you can create, and if you have a great book, the agent/publisher/editor will want to work with you, not steal from you.

Q: Will you be my literary agent?

No, I’m an editor, and the role of an editor and literary agent are very different. An editor’s job is to help you make your children’s book the best it can be. The role of a literary agent is to play matchmaker and find a publisher who wants your book.

However, if you sign up for my children’s book email list (via a pop-up on this page or at the bottom) I will send you a list of children’s book agents. Also, here’s another list of agents .

Q: Will you help me find a publisher?

That’s mainly the role of a literary agent, but I do have a list on Bookfox of 30 publishers who will accept submissions without a literary agent.

And if you hire me for editing , sometimes I’ll be able to recommend a few publishers where your book might be a fit, but it’s not like a handshake deal. Publishers get a large number of submissions and they have to take on the books they know they can sell.

Q: How many submissions will an agent or publisher get in a year?

Five children sitting on a green hill reading stacks of children's books

A beginning agent might get 2,000 – 3,000 submissions in a year, while an established agent might receive 3,000 – 8,000 submissions.

Publishers who accept submissions get anywhere from between 2,000 submissions to 15,000 submissions, although almost all publishers who start getting too many submissions stop accepting submissions (because it costs too much to hire people to wade through all those submissions).

I don’t mean to discourage you, but just help you make an informed decision about whether you should self-publish or seek a traditional publisher. It’s really tough to land an agent or a publisher, and it can take a lot of time and work.

What’s wonderful about self-publishing is that within a week you can be holding your book in your hands.

Q: Should I self publish or seek a traditional publisher?

A animated person sitting on a typewriter with the words "Self Publish"

So for self-publishing, there’s lots of upsides : there’s no wait time, and you get complete control of the project (such as cover art and illustration), and there’s not that much of a cost if you do it all yourself.

But … you have to do all the marketing yourself, and you don’t have anyone to guide you through the process, and you don’t have the reputation of being published by a traditional publisher. You should do self-publishing if you’re a real go-getter and you think you can get the word out there about your book.

For traditional publishing, there are also many upsides: you would get an advance (money is nice!), they would handle all the proofreading, ISBN, illustrations, cover art, etc, and they would give you some guidance with how to do the marketing and promotion.

But … it can be very, very hard to get an acceptance from an agent or from a publisher. Sometimes you have to send the story out for a year or two, submitting to a hundred outlets or more. Go this route if you have a lot of patience and you want the book to reach a wider audience.

Read my post on “How to Self Publish a Board Book” if you want more info on that.

Did you want more advice on how to write a children’s book?

So let’s review the 12 main points:

Please leave a comment below if this material was helpful and if you have any other questions.

Also, please check out my:

how do you write children's books

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349 comments

This is a good article

Brilliant article. So much I never knew

The best article I’ve found on the internet on writing for children. Superb job!

This article is fantastic. Straight to the point and very clear. Thank you

I found the article to be full of good information, it gave me a lot of insight into writing a children’s book.

I searched Google on how to write a children’s book and this is by far the best information…Really helpful

Hello,I wrote a children’s book that will be a series. It’s a killer name and character.I need help and guidance cause I wrote a short story too and need a editor.

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This article has been very helpful.

Thank you for this article,it is very detailed and comprehensive .It gives a very structured insight on how a story becomes a book. The story behind the story.

Thank you a great article. I will try self publish Amazon, I have written this children’s book/true story and will illustrate as I’m a graphic designer… I can only try

Thank you. It was absolutely illuminating!

I am writing the first book of a series. Do you have any tips for this particular genre? Ie. Franklin the Turtle, Clifford, the Big Red Dog.

Wow! THANK YOU for writing this. I have always wanted to try writing children’s books. Now I know where to start. Thanks again, this is incredible.

This was so helpful for me. I am very interested in writing a children’s book. Thank you for the advice.

Professional advice for free. I am inspire, thank you for helping me structure my thoughts into something worth daring to start.

This article is so interesting and really helpful. I have a question though…. I’d like to write a book,my grandchildren are my inspiration for this!. Is it possible/usual etc to write a series of books for children to read at age 4 but grow with them til around age 10, so each book in the series is for the next age group, if that makes sense. thanks Clare

Great article I! Very helpful!!.. I have subscribed to your email list.

I agree. You gave me lots of things to think about from many different perspectives as I embark upon this adventure. Thank you so much!

Great article

Quite a good article for the beginners.

So incredibly helpful!! Thank you for your insight.

Great insight on the book writing process, from start to finish. Thank you.

Very helpful and well organized! Thank you for your insight on the writing process!

Amazing article! I’m in the process of editing my 4th draft; after that, I will be looking to hire an editor and illustrator. Thanks for writing this !

This was soo insightful and inspiring. Great guidance for my book writing

Oh, come on. Good article? No. It’s a GREAT article!

One of a kind that has quality and depth to it. This is advice borne from experience. I’ve written quite a few books for kids and this is the best breakdown of the picture book creation process I’ve seen in a long time.

Very generous too.

So sit down, get a cup of tea, and read this through – many times. Until it sinks in.

Then do what it says. (Essentially: Quality children’s books only get written when you, the author, have something worthwhile to say. And when you say it in a way that engages, inspires and entertains young readers.)

I agree -very generous, thank you!

Thank you. I have been hired to illustrate a book which is very challenging. I am also anxious to start my own. My ideas have been brewing and now it’s time to make them a reality. Your advice is great. I’ve been studying hundreds of children’s book illustrations. Some are incredible works of art! That’s the goal.

Thank you for this great info that makes me excited to get started. Im only at the idea stage so along way to go but I am excited!

Thanks for your good comments which was very helpful specially for anyone who is a begginer in this field.

This article is a godsend!

Yes, great article, inspirational and also a call to action…just what’s needed. Now, back to work people! 🙂

Thank you for this post. I am an author and illustrator who has published a kids book. And there is a lot of time consuming work involved. Word choice and the correct placement of illustrations is so important it’s not even funny.

I think that many people believe that children’s books are easier to write, because they’re for children but they’re not . Like you’ve shared, they should be written according to age group. And they have to be very engaging because they’re heavily illustrated and if the cover’s no good, no sale.

This is truly a great article to read and I was really hooked. Joslyn, I agree with you that if the cover and word choice are no good then it is a no sale. As a Librarian when selecting books to purchase for the library, it is compulsory to select covers which are eye catching. Additionally, children are excited when they see attractive illustrations with fantastic colour schemes, intriguing characters and unique settings. I am about to write my first children’s story book and I hope to draw from my experiences from spending 5 years living in Japan.

Thanks for sharing and best wishes.

Wonderful article! Extremely informative (I even took pen and paper notes) and it covers components I had no idea about nor would have even considered (first time writer here). Thank you for the point blank honesty and clear, detailed guidelines!

Wow! This was an amazing read. I’m so happy that I stumbled upon it because I learned so much! Thank you for being so thorough and transparent!

Great article thanks for sharing this info. Structure stuff is really interesting

Thank you so much. This article is very useful and informative. 🙂

This was very helpful. I have just written my first children’s book and found this article really insightful for what I need to do. Thank you

Goal: Have my HS kids write, edit, illustrate, publish a book in 180 days! Any further suggestions about pacing, clumping tasks, etc. would be greatly valued!

Absolutely fabulous article! Thank you!

Very helpful!!!! I’m starting with trying to self-publish a book my 10 year old granddaughter wrote, but after reading this and with your kind of help I may get inspired! Thank you!

I’m so glad I found your website! Thank you for this in depth post!

Lots of great info. Thanks! It really covers fiction well, but would love to see more info on writing (fun) non-fiction for kids.

very helpful

Great article. Although I have published 20 picture books, I still picked up many pointers. Thank you for your generosity. Beryl

Absolutely helpful, informative and I appreciate it.

Amazing Concept, Its very helpful for us.

This is amazingly beautiful, an article.

Thank you for sharing!

This is amazing information. I have thought about writing children’s books for years. Maybe it’s time I actually do something.

Hi, very good article, had a lot of information I never thought about before. I’m interested in writing my own children’s book but I’m 20 years old and probably won’t be able to afford agents, editors and publishers. Do you k ow how much these cost as most publishing websites don’t include costs. Also is there writing grants you can apply for? Thank you Clare

So agents are free up front (they only take 15% of whatever you make).

Publishers are also free — both traditional publishers (they pay you) and self publishing (it’s free on Amazon, and other companies that require money are kinda scammy).

If you want to get an agent or a publisher, though, your book has to be good, which is why you should save up for an editor.

Hi, I wondered what the format is for the video course. Is it in DVD or access to on line videos? Thanks, Ellen C.

Hi Ellen, the videos are all online. I don’t offer DVD access. Hope that works for you!

Excellent article, thank you

Thank you for the information. Much appreciated.

Very helpful indeed, almost finished my first childrens, was interesting to know how illustrations receive more money than writers, I’m doing both. Thank you. Dont have a website yet.

Excellent article. I am sure–without a doubt–your content will be helpful to a lot of writers. Thank you for being brave enough to share your wisdom.

This is a great article one that I need to be able to start writing a book intended for children. Thank you for sharing it.

I am getting ready to get the ball rolling on my first children’s book. I was amazed at all the things in this article that I hadn’t even thought about! What if your husband or son, who are fantastic artists in their own right, want to be your illustrators? Does that fall under editors wanting to promote illustrators/writers?

Sometimes they’ll take on a team of an illustrator/writer. You can always try.

Thank you for this article- very helpful. I’m wondering if it’s appropriate to attempt to self-publish while submitting to publishers and agents? Would a publisher not want to touch a project that is already being marketed in some other way?

Hi Benjamin, So once you self-publish, no publisher wants to touch it. It’s either/or — you can’t do both.

Excellent article and so generous that I just signed up for your video series which was reasonably priced. I’m a best selling author but my first time at a children’s book. I’m confident I will learn from you and may call on you for editing.

Thanks, Linda! Glad it was helpful and I know you’ll love the course, which includes so much more material beyond this little brief post. 🙂

Let me know when you’re ready for me to edit your book!

I am a big fan of your book, Solutionaries: You Are the Answer. Hence, I am reading John Fox’s article. I teach students with Autism and aspire to publish an educational book to create a positive impact in schools, at home, and in the community– one book at a time. Thank you for your beautiful mind. You’re an inspiration!

Sincerely, Flor G.

This article was so helpful. I’m based in Canada and I’ve just written my first children’s book…I’m definitely at the editing stage but I’m considering the traditional publishing option. I would love to work with a Canadian publisher. Can you recommend?

Hi Cindy, I don’t have a list of Canadian children’s book publishers specifically, but I do have a list of 30 publishers looking for unagented submissions.

I would love your opinion on writing an educational children’s book. Would all the same principles talked about in this article (which was WONDERFUL, by the way) apply? Thanks!

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I would think almost all of them would apply, absolutely.

There are some additional considerations with an educational book — is the teaching too heavy handed, what about the balance between fun/learning, is there a moral in addition to the learning — stuff like that.

And you definitely have to nail down the age range for a book like this, and target it to exactly what they’re learning in school.

Hello John,

Do you think it is possible to get published in a traditional way in the US for someone who is not a citizen and lives elsewhere?

Thank you so much!

Yes! Definitely possible. But some of the time it’s better to look in your own country first.

Very helpful article. Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I have written four books, but never a children’s book.

Great article, I’m going to read it again and again as it covers many helpful points, thank-you!

Hi. I am an author using Amazon/Kindle. I have 11 books in different Editions. https://www.Tom-the-Atom.com is my web site and amazon.com/author/tom-the-atom.com my author’s page. Looking for a publisher on-demand to publish my book in hardcover and thicker pages. Also looking for an agency that helps to promote my books, If you offer such services please contact me. My books are copyrighted, have a Serial number registered at the Library of Congress ISSM and an ISBN number given by Amazon. The Series is Non-Fiction Science Books for Children: parents, baby to 12 years old.

Hi , I am a daughter of Holocaust survivor and my father wrote a book about it. I would like to write a children’s book based on my father’s memoirs. My father saved my cousin from a ghetto, she was only 4 years old so there is a story to tell that might appeal. I need some guidance before starting this project … can you help?

Great article, thank you! I’m at the very beginning (thinking about it!) stages of writing a children’s book and this article has given me much perspective!

Great content and well articulated. Thank you for bringing it all together.

What an awesome article! I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a children’s book for years (I’ve had a title in my head for far too long) but never had the courage to attempt it – you’ve inspired me. Can I just ask, once a book is written, approximately how long does it take to go through the editing/illustrating/publishing? I know there’s a lot of variables, I’m just wondering if you could give me a ball-park figure?

A lot longer than you would think. If you’re referring to traditional publishing, it can be a year and a half. Self publishing can be much quicker.

I was thinking around a year, so I wasn’t too far off. Thank you so much for the excellent information you’ve provided here.

This was very helpful! I plan on printing it out so I can go back over it in depth. What are your thoughts about Amazon’s e-book publishing? Also your input on using Fiver?

Fiverr can be a great source for cheap illustrators.

Amazon’s book publishing is great, but only publishes soft cover books. If you want hardcover, you need Ingram Spark.

Wow! Thank you so much for writing this article, it’s honestly helped me see writing in a different form. There are so many articles out there that only enhance the fact of beginning, middle and end, but you have literally dot pointed how it works and how each individual piece should be written, you have really done an amazing job at dissecting children’s books into a more understandable format! Now off to writing!

Extremely helpful! I’m illustrating my grand daughter’s book for children. It’s not that easy. But with your guidance I think we can make it work.

This article is an absolute godsend for my UK Year 8 Creative Writing club. There is a wealth of good advice, generously given. Thank you so much.

Thank you for this post, it’s very insightful and informative! I’m more determined to start my book after reading this.

This was very very very helpful as I am a beginner in writing children’s stories! Looking forward to enrolling for your courses! Thank you very much!

Hi Faith, Great, glad this was so helpful!

The course includes a ton of information that I didn’t have time to mention here, so I hope you enjoy it.

Wow. Thank you so much. So helpful for me. Thank you again and again and again. Now I know why I always think I’m not ready to go beyond thinking and writing the first draft. I need to know more, but honestly it’s the best article I ever read about writing. Thankssss. God bless you.

Great information, thank you. But you do assume that every children’s book is going to be a fictional story. What about if it’s an educational book in some way? No need to answer, just something to think on. All the same, there was a lot I could still take from this.

Who says educational books have to be nonfiction? Fiction can teach quite a lot. And if they are nonfiction, you still need a structure for them, even if it’s not a narrative structure.

Great article, thank you!

Extremely helpful information! As a self published author who also started a publishing company, I can attest to the time, talent and treasure required to be successful in this arena. Thank You!

Wow this information was so helpful! I’ve been wanting to write a book geared towards medically fragile children. This article gave me the reassurance I needed to stop doubting myself and just get started! Thank you

It’s very informative and useful. Thank you for sharing! I’m on my way to the first children book with self-publishing. Been trying to offer it to publisher some last few months, but still no news yet. So, I’ll try self-publish this time. Thank you!

Thank you for all your hard work to keep us informed. I’m a French author for children and would like to sell my books in US. My publisher thought we could work with Amazon but they do not print landscape books. Any tips? You can see my work at https://marinaanca.wixsite.com/ancamarina

Try Ingramspark.

Hi, I’ve just read your great post and I have a question. You have stressed how important an illustrator is and while I am not a professional illustrator I am an artist and really want to illustrate the book myself with a unique multi media technique. What are your thoughts on this. Thanks, Wendy

Well, you can give it a shot. Worst the publisher can say is no.

Could I be my own illustrator or do I have to hire an illustrator? I have many ideas for the art in my book and I have a specific style I want.

If you’re good enough, yes, you can be your own illustrator.

Thank you very much 🙂

Thank you for a thorough article. I am an English learner and my dream is to publish an educational book. I am sure you can help me achieve that dream. As per the article, I would need an editor/quality illustrator/publisher, but I am financially incapable to do so. Which one should I invest the most in? Any technical strategy on this? Also: – how many times can I resubmit my work to a publisher or self-publish the same book (after multiple no’s)? – If I submit my book to a publisher and not hear from them for over 2 years, can I self-publish instead or it will be revoked? – Say I received the manuscript from you with your corrections, is there any additional charge for resubmitting the revision?

You’re welcome for the article! Publishers don’t cost anything — you can self publish for free. Split your money between an editor and an illustrator. Find a cheap illustrator on Fiverr .

You can only submit to a publisher once. After they have passed, don’t send it again. (not answering means they don’t want it).

If you haven’t heard from them in 3 months, consider it a NO.

So when I edit, I give you a lot to revise and a lot to think about. But if you did want to revise and resubmit, I’d charge a discounted rate for another round.

Great Information there. I am from Kenya. I love children’s books and my 7 year old son loves to read. I have been having so many ideas about children’s books. Your article has really enlightened me. Thanks for sharing

This is the best information on writing children’s books that I’ve come across thus far. I am researching tips/ideas and am at the very start of my journey. Thank you so much, I really appreciate these awesome nuggets!

Hi LaTanya, great, glad you liked it! If you want a lot more information like this, my course doesn’t overlap with the information here and you get a lot more.

I’ve written a chapter book about 11-year-old characters. It’s almost 70,000 words. Is this too long?

Hi Lori, 11-year-old characters are MG (middle grade), while this length is more appropriate for YA (Young Adult), ages 13 – 18.

Ideally, a book for this age would be more like 40k to 50k.

I really appreciate this article.

Amazing article! So informative, helpful and easy to understand for first time writers. Thank you for taking time to write, this article and for providing comprehensive information without charge. I will definitely look to use your editing services and course when ready. Thanks again. 🙂

Great guidance and more than enough information to start a successful children’s book! Love you for this!

I have an idea for a children’s book series. Do you indicate that a series is the intent when you submit your work to potential publishers?

Thank you for all the great information!

Yes, I’d recommend that you include that information up front and if possible tell them you have the next two books written (if these are short picture books).

I am based in the UK – I am assuming I can still sign up for the course as the content will be transferable to those writing outside the USA? Thanks

Hi Kirstin, Yes, the content will work worldwide. There are only one or two videos that have US specific elements, but you can easily find the agents/agencies that are appropriate in the UK.

This is a fantastic post! Thank you so much!

Great article. Very informative and answers a lot of my questions. One element I’m still confused on is exactly who types the manuscript into the book? I have an illustrator who has done a lovely job of illustrating my idea. I’ve also hired a book designer who will create the fixed layout book for me to upload to distributors. I thought I was ready to send the book to them at this time but now I’m confused again. Should I ask the illustrator to insert the manuscript or does the book designer do this? I’ve written and published novels without illustrations in the past but a children’s picture book is an entirely new experience. Let’s get technical, please. (re the website – its a work in progress)

It depends on the agreement you have with illustrator or book designer. Most of the time illustrators will do it; it’s more rare for book designers to do it.

I was wondering, in general, what tense works best for a children’s picture book, Past or Present?

When in doubt, always use past tense.

You need a very good justification for using present tense.

This is such a helpful and realistic step-by-step article. I really learned a lot when reading it, so I know your course would be amazing. Looks like the next step after reading this is to take the course! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Yes, I hope you enjoy it! I made sure the course doesn’t just repeat this article — it provides a lot of info and techniques that I didn’t mention at all here.

This is absolutely an amazing article . It gave me a lot to think about . I love the step by step explanation, especially since I have never written a book before.

¡Bravo! Thank you for writing this organized, to the point, article. I learned a lot about working with my creative side and how to make a dream a reality. ¡Gracias!

Wow! Very insightful article and information provided. Thank you

The article is very, very helpful! I”m writing my first children’s book so i really needed this to help me get started.

For the 3-7 category (750 words), how many words should go on a page?

That’s a conversation you have with your illustrator. There’s no hard and fast rule. Sometimes no words at all. Sometimes a paragraph. Sometimes one word or a phrase.

It all depends on the vision your illustrator has for the pacing and images of the book.

This is absolutely a wonderful article . Thanks for sharing.

This is brilliant! The way you support your points by specific examples is eye-opening! Thank you so much! Love from Sarajevo!

I want to write a true story about my daughters dog and how the dog helped her with depression. However the dog’s name is Polly but we call her Popo. So is my title of “Popo saves the day” or “Better call Popo” going to be a huge red flag because Popo can mean police officer. Some site say it is derogatory but others say not. Its a catchy name.

I took notes for every paragraph I read. This article was very helpful to me and I can’t wait to finally begin my journey.

Great article. Very informative. I am an artist and I just completed my first children’s book. I am editing and doing the illustration work now, in watercolor. I don’t have the funds to go the expensive route, so I will probably self publish. Are there better methods or sources for self publishing.

Put it in a PDF and upload to Amazon. It’s free.

And let me know if I can help with editing before that point.

Excellent article. I appreciate it so much. I’m so glad I found it.

After reading valuable advice from this article, I wrote my first book https://amzn.to/2zovXxJ , the book is in a scientific version for children, but considering the beginning of my adventure, I am happy. It’s great that you share your knowledge.Thank you

Hi and thank you for this information! I hope this isn’t a repeat question but can you tell me if it’s best to have my book edited and then sent to a literary agent or can you go straight to a literary agent? I’m noticing all the publishers I’m looking at won’t accept unrepresented work, so it seems I have to use an agent. Would that be right?

The reason why authors get editing is because it’s extremely challenging to get a literary agent. You’re competing against hundreds of other writers for a single slot, and you want to make sure that your book is the best it can be.

Most big publishers only accept books from agents; small publishers accept work directly. Both are extremely competitive.

This is a very good and timely article. It will go a long way in helping me do my semester project work in the University.

My friends and I are all kids, and we’re in a club together writing books. I shared one of the images in your article with them (the main plot guide) and it’s been very beneficial to all of our novels. Thank you so much for writing this!

Excellent article! I was wondering if there is any sort of common understanding of the publishing industry regarding the particularities of the book for each age group. I’m finding it rather difficult to define an age group the book aim to reach. How precise should I be, and how should the language adapt? Should I try to use words and expressions already knew by the children, or can I catch their attention by using a few new words?

Most of the time authors use language the children know, but some authors want to stretch their vocabulary by pushing it. Either is acceptable, though it’s probably harder to pull off the high diction level vocabulary.

It’s not just about language, though. It’s about length, about the intensity of conflict, about the type of problem, and the complexity of the plot. So it’s more like art than science to figure out your age range.

Hi, great article, I just have a question I’m writing children’s book for my school project and it must be completely done by august, printing, writing, everything and I’m on the writing stage. Since its a school project, do I need to publish it and have an editor and everything, from what I know, I can just make my book by myself completely and print it out because its nothing fancy and I don’t plan on having it sold on markets and things. How long do you think this whole process will take? and how long does it take to get a book printed, I don’t need a lot of copies, just around 1-5 maybe. This article was a great read but I don’t which of these tips apply in my case because Im writing a simple children’s book for a school project.

Hi Miya, for a project like this that you don’t intend to sell widely, you probably don’t need to hire an editor. You can make your book yourself, and if you put it into a PDF and upload it to Amazon, then you can buy a few print copies from them.

Great help and advice I’m a grandma writing my first book, or trying to, so i found this information very helpful. Wish me luck, thinking going to need it!! … thanks again for all the info

I am also a grandma attempting to write my first book. Thank you for this information. It is helping me greatly. Please be in prayer for me as I follow God’s lead in His wisdom and guidance as I write this book. Thanks!!

Super helpful information – thanks for your generosity!

Loved this article. Well written and inspiring

Thank you so much! This was very helpful and informative.

Very helpful article. Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I wrote my first book on kids

This is great advice for beginners like me. It’s the first link I clicked on when I googled ‘how to write and illustrate a children’s picture book 2020’ so you must be doing something right! Thank you so much 🙂

Hey, thanks a ton for sharing this amazing guide on the ways to write the books for the children. One of my friends has just started writing children’s books and I believe this post will be of great help to him.

This has proven extremely useful. The content is well-written and easy to follow. Thank you !

This article was awesome, very informative, I loved it. I’m ready to get started writing my book right now. Thank you so much.

Thanks, this is very well-written! Writing for children involves a lot of considerations: consider what children like; what they would feel; how they would read your book; and more.

Thanks for the great article, it really helped me focus on my idea

Excellent advice, and great that you are sharing it!

really a good article for beginners. Looking forward to finishing my first book and then will start the struggle to find a publisher. Thanks

Hi there, I’m wondering what the best format is to submit a childrens book to an editor is? How should it be laid out? In word? In powerpoint? Would love to get your input! Thanks 🙂

Word would be best. Keep it simple.

i love this. I’m a kid and i want to be a writer. i have written my first book and i need an editor so it can be published. I love this article so so so so so much

Hi, great article. Can you please provide advice/ tips on bilingual books?

Thanks for the article. It was really helpful. Is it possible to self publish first and then publish again with other publishers? I wanted to write a book based on a personal story and give as a gift, but I thought the story also has potential. I would like to do own illustration and design, and it sounded like self publishing will give more flexibility.

No, once you self publish you can’t publish with a publisher, unless you sell a gazillion copies and they come knocking.

Thank you for this comprehensive discussions. I learned a lot from it.

Great article.

One of my friends was recently seeking a new genre for writing and considered writing books for children, I am sure this article will surely help him in writing the best book fore children will surely share it with him.

Great article, very interesting and useful.

Just starting to write a children’s book. This was great article! Since this is my first time writing a children’s book I am trying to establish a timeline checklist. Please let me know if you have any advice or suggestions.

I just finished writing a children’s book and am now going through the process of assisted self-publishing, and wow I really wish that I read all of this beforehand. This information was so spot on and extremely helpful. I will be using this as a starting point/guide for my next children’s book. Thank you! #Mr.MoneyAdventures

Informative and insightful. Thanks.

Very helpful and valuable tips. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

Grateful for the tips! Absolutely helpful for this African writer!

Thanks to the developer of this amazing guide. I’ve got just what I need to get started in my writing.

Very good material and most enlightening. Thank you for this journey to writing a great and exciting children’s book.

Thank you! really helpful!

Excellent post! Everyone can write a book, but not everyone can produce an amazing one. Whether fiction or non-fiction, it always takes knowledge, experience, passion, and attitude to create praiseworthy literature.

To the point. Relevant information and lots of it! I found it very helpful, thanks.

I have been writing children’s stories I call them bed time stories but I am in a country where they don’t take children’s stories as much important and I have never published any though I have written a number of them, I have no editor, no publisher so am just sitting with my stories though they may be good for children to read them and I would love to be part in children’s happiness all over the world, what should I do

Great info! Thank you so much!

Hi my daughter wrote a book 2 years ago, she is 12 years old now, she want to publish but she doesn’t know how to do? Please tell me what we do next?

I would recommend hiring an illustrator and then with the PDF they give you with the text included, uploading that to Amazon and self publishing. Self publishing is the best option for children who write children’s books.

Thanks so much for the information . I shall work do my best.

Plenty of info thanks a lot.

Great article with practical solutions that might otherwise be unclear even after an assessment. I was able to adjust my story and bring new ideas to it. Thank you

Thank you for putting your dedicated time into writing this article. I have written many books in the past but struggle to finish them because the starting is so long, but now I know to shorten things up a bit. Thanks!!!

The best interesting website I’ve visited in decade. Liked all the interactive content and ideas. Hopefully can make it for my son and daughter with all the share and knowledge you gave John. My best wishes to you and your family. Kind regards from Bali.

Such an insightful article. Thankyou 🙂

Great article, it’s very helpful. Thank you so much.

Amazing article! So helpful. Thankyou!

I found this information really helpful

when was this published?

Hello, I’m seeking an editor in Atlanta for my book. Do you have any recommendations? Your article gives a lot of insight.

I enjoyed reading the article above (Children books ), which explains everything in detail; the writing is fascinating and convincing. Thank you, and good luck with the upcoming items. Thanks, and Keep it up!

I found this site very informative and I have to say there seems to be a lot of work to getting your children’s book accepted and published. I find the tips on this site very helpful to the bigger picture of have a children’s book published and being successful. Before finding this site I thought long and hard about illustration as my book is based on a true story about a pet and his loving owner. I believe the the steps pointed out sound very good and if followed throughly I think anyone’s children’s could be very successful.

Hello, Let me start of by saying I’ve never written a book in my life, My inspiration for this children’s book is my granddaughter her name is Melanie Milagros, she is a true miracle, she was born at 15.9 oz and wasn’t expected to survive. But like a miracle she is now 5 yrs. old and going to school. My fiction book is about her and how she helped animals like rabbits, birds etc. with fairy, magic glitter, from helping a baby bird fly with its family, a bunny rabbit find friends, stuff like that. So the Story about Little Mighty Milagros and a sidekick a Lady Bug. Hmm? Still haven’t finalized that part. Again, I’ve never done anything like this. I don’t know how to find someone to make a cartoon of Melanie for the book.

Good article

FANTASTIC article! Thank you so much for this. I’m a filmmaker writing my first children’s book but I know nil about children’s publishing, so your article is amazing for me. Your generosity is MUCH appreciated.

great article & very useful

I loved all the tips you have shared, you are right when you said How to Write a Children’s Book in 12 Steps . This article was informative that I can’t wait for your next blog.

This is an awesome informative site! thank you so much!

Great article !!

My husband and I really appreciated this article. It has been such an overwhelming experience trying to navigate certain topics and we found ourselves all over the place with what to do first and last. This article has put us on the right track of what we want to accomplish with our children’s books. Wish us luck. Maybe we will update our success or lack thereof, in about 1-2 years.

I appreciate your spelling out the major steps necessary and the payment chart for illustrators. Very concise and direct. Thank you!

Your post is very interesting. Books pick their writers; the demonstration of creation isn’t a totally rational and conscious one. Thank you for sharing your blog.

Hi, Now that I know you are an editor, I would like your assistance. Please contact me by email. Thank you

Thank you for taking the time to write this article for so many aspiring writers! I thought your 12 steps were great and to the point. Hopefully I will be able to put them to use!

It’s great to learn that you should use energy when naming a children’s book. My wife is wanting to write a children’s book and she was wondering how she could effectively name the book once she’s finished. I’ll be sure to tell her to add energy to the title.

I came across your blog and thanks for being spot on. I am a publisher and also a children’s book author/illustrator. I decided to go against the norm and keep my books as picture books even though they were meant to be Chapter Books. They are all around 3k words but I opted for keeping them as PB because I was highlighting the differences between all the characters and I thought visuals were essential. Many agents and publishers didn’t like this. You are 100% correct when it comes to word count and structure. I didn’t start out wanting to be a children’s book author nor illustrator, I was just trying to fill a void in children’s lit. Children need to see themselves in the characters they read about! Anyhow, good advice! And, may the muse be with all your readers!

I recently retired from my teaching positions and I have a lot of experiences I can use in my stories. I want my stories to help students with disabilities accept their uniqueness as a strength and not something to be ashamed of. I have always been interested in writing children’s books and after reading this blog, it has given me more insight on steps to take to master this writing process. Thanks goes to you J. Fox!

Great advice, thank you! I’m writing and illustrating my first children’s book and have minimal knowledge on any of it. I assumed it was the editor that did the word placement and font, (not the illustrator?) and now I feel very nervous and overwhelmed lol. So, let me back up a little and begin by asking… What’s the best way to scan my illustrations? Or is it better to hire a professional photographer?

I’m not sure. Most illustrators work on computers, and so already have a PDF file.

I think a scan would be better than a photograph.

Ok, Thanks for replying!

I’m really glad that I came across this article. I recently decided that I want to write a children’s book about children who may have a parent, sibling or family member with a chronic pain condition. I was inspired by my own chronic pain condition, connective tissue disorder and possibly arthritis as well. I found this article very helpful, thank you.

Have acquired a lot of knowledge and advice from the article. I have a long way to go and still mulling it all over.

Thank you for sharing all this. I am seriously considering the course.

Hi Bridget, Glad you liked the blog post! I’ve gotten a ton of great feedback about the course and am sure it would help you tremendously.

Very helpful…straightforward and informative

Helpful and informative.

Thank you it was very helpful to start writing a book.

Thank you for this really interesting and informative guide. I have made a start on an idea and will definitely follow your 12 steps and then take the next steps for editor and hopefully publisher!

Thank you for such an excellent article! I’ve always dreamed of writing a children’s book, but never thought I could actually do it. I’ve set a goal for myself to write my first book this year; so far, all I have is a very general idea. However, I know what my main character looks like. I don’t want to waste words describing her appearance in the story since the book will be illustrated. When hiring an illustrator, would I have any say-so in the illustrations? Specifically, would an illustrator honor my wishes in how my main character looks?

It depends on the illustrator, but most illustrators want some basic info from you about what the character might look like. Illustrators that you hire tend to want explicit direction from you, while illustrators that the publisher hires tend to want independence and autonomy.

Interesting, but I would have liked more info on writing middle grade.

Thanks! I will be looking to rewrite classics for preteen kids. Like O Henry or Poe stories.

This was exactly what I was looking for! Thank you…this has been something I have wanted to do….time to get to it and DO IT!

hello I would Like info on how to write a children book

See above. Also, click the link at the bottom to get on my email list.

Incredibly informative – my thanks for sharing so many of the steps to success. Its a detailed road for potential success. My thanks.

Wow! What are you supposed to say when you get for free an excellent article (like this) that you know you wouldn’t mind paying for? Two words: Thank you! My only regret is not reading this article before I purchased some ‘how-to-write-a-children’s-book’ books on Amazon. All the same, I got some great ideas on how to market a children’s book. Still, I just realized that I have got work to do on my three books, which I plan to self-publish all at once this summer. I have decided to hit the pause button and take your course first. I will contact you to edit my books after I’m done with your course. Again, thank you!!

This was so to-the-point and practical advice. I am a visual arts teacher and I will use this guide in my classroom for my budding artists and writers. I also have a community arts space, and I will use this there as well.

Every aspiring author will venture out writing children’s books first since they believe that this is the easiest to write among other genres. Writing children’s books enables you to enter a different world, one that is filled with joy, excitement, and splendor. Children’s books are the pathway into other cultures, ideas, and imagination for young readers. These books enable them to be at the feet of other people and travel places unimaginable.

Hmm. One thing that is incorrect is picture book length. The vast majority of publishers now want nothing longer than 500 words (unless it’s nonfiction) – and preferably even shorter than that. Many won’t even look at anything longer anymore.

Great Advice! structure is SO important!

Thank you for the EXCELLENT overview, extensive information and helpful hints. Here is my question: I’m interested in writing a series of “educational” books that focus on African American leaders and heroes for children to read as inspiration. I’ve done my homework in terms of discovering black children read 39% less than white children and that is due in part to not connecting with the content/subject matter. I have a PhD in Education and would like to create a series of motivational/inspirational books – if he/she can do it, I can to! Any suggestions? Feedback is welcome! Thanks~

Sounds great! Go for it.

Thank you so much for your helpful “push!” I have been struggling in getting started and remaining committed to my dream of writing for children 0-5 in age. I’m an assistant Early Headstart Teacher, and reaching the minds of our little ones early with reading, is a journey that I truly wish to be a part of! Is there any way I can print out this article? I like to examine things more closely and I use a lot of highlighters!! Thank you again for giving me a starting point, but more importantly, a new vision!

Start and end your children’s picture book story quickly — and make every word, phrase and sentence “walk the plank”. That’s excellent advice on its own. Thank you. Is it acceptable to submit the same manuscript to several mainstream publishers simultaneously and should you declare this? Is “spreading the net” likely to hinder your chances?

It is acceptable to do simultaneous submissions.

But most mainstream publishers only accept manuscripts from agents.

Also, beware that you don’t submit simultaneously to multiple agents at the same agency — only one agent per agency at a time.

This is so awesome and helpful. Thanks The John Fox!

This was a great article, lots of things I would not have thought of. Thank you

Hi, I am not sure if my story is right for kids? And I don’t know what age group it is?

Thank you so much for the information. Now I have ideas on how to go about writing children’s books. I am new in this and I believe the information will go along way in building my competencies in creating readers for Children.

I respect everything that you have written in this blog. Please continue to provide wisdom to more people like me.

Thank you so much everything you talked about is very helpful. I have someone that can help me with getting my book out there, but one question is what if you write a children’s book and you can make it into a few books to continue the story, even if the main character is not in the rest of the story. Do you just keep going with the story or Do you just start the next book as if it were a new book not of the continuation

Some series can be thematic or located in a certain place, and yet feature different characters. So I would recommend you still call it a series.

I would love to do your course to get insight into my children’s book. I want it to be perfect.

Thank you so much for this invaluable information! I’m considering my first children’s book and I am an artist so I’ll do that part but I’m just starting out and I’m excited now to begin.

Amazing Amazing article! I literally jot down points and learned so much from this article. I wish to buy the children’s book course too. He is so talented and talks right on the point.

any ideas on how to write a childs forever home

An amazing post with great tips as always. Anyone will find your post useful. Keep up the good work.

Hello, I would like to know where your company is located. I am interested in taking one of your courses.

Hi Cynthia, I’m located in California. But you can take courses from wherever you are in the world — I’ve had students from nearly a hundred countries.

Thank you so much John for sharing your knowledge and insight! This is great information and extremely helpful. I do have a question. I’m working with an illustrator on Fiverr. Is it still necessary to ask if they keep the rights or do I? I would assume yes, but not sure if you recommend that based on the structure and operations of Fiverr. Thank you again!

Yes, that’s a good question to ask them. Most of the people on Fiverr would agree to giving you the rights, I believe, while the higher end illustrators hired by a publishing company generally keep the rights.

this article is gold!

This post was truly worthwhile to read. I wanted to say thank you for the key points you have pointed out as they are enlightening.

Great BOOKFOX informative and useful. Thanks.

Both the quality and quantity of the words you speak to your child matter when it comes to early literacy and language abilities. Books are a fantastic way to start chatting, telling tales, and interacting with your child. Thank you so much.

This was the exact information I was looking for as I begin my career as a writer. I appreciate all the time you have put into this amazing article regarding how to write a children’s book.

Hi! I’m curious about your course. How long are each of the videos? Or how long is all of the content put together?

Hi Andrea, most of the videos in my children’s book course are about 6 – 7 minutes. And there are 30 videos. I’ve worked hard to compress all the information you need into compact form — I don’t want to waste people’s time.

Wow! This is a great article. Do you have an article on how to write dialogue? I’m just starting my first book and I have written (and deleted) small stories for fun, but there was more action than words so the conversations were kind of boring. The main character in my book is 12 years old, so I was wondering if I should add words like, ‘literally’ or ‘like’ a lot, because the main part of my story is dialogue (my character is telling a story to her siblings.) Also, I’m a younger writer and closer to the age of my character, and I say those kinds of words frequently, but it honestly might be overkill to write them that many times in a book *if there was a laughing face emoji available I would put it here*. Your response would be greatly appreciated, Holland J

Thank you very much for sharing your wisdom and experience, John! This is excellent information that will be really useful. Anyone can sit down and scribble a children’s book, and with a little help and direction, yours could be good enough to capture the attention of thousands of kids.

Thank you so much. Based here in Ireland and I have a book idea the last 2 years and I really need to get it ready and started as I think it could be huge

Great article! I do have a question. You are speaking to picture books – where the pictures carry the story of the book and not the words. But what about if the writing carries the story and the pictures help to illustrate it? The majority of what you state would stay true but the word count would not be the same?

It’s really nice and educational for a beginner writer.

Books can encourage children to explore what they truly want to do in life. Your book could be a tool for self-discovery.

I loved reading through this. I’m working on my first children’s book series and this article brought up so many good points for my to consider when writing and publishing. Thank you for sharing!

This was exactly what I needed to come across today, very helpful and gives much food for thought. Very appreciative of your outline of the process thank you kindly

Hi. What a wonderful article and very informative too. Thank you. Lots to think about. Cheers

The high level steps, the bullet points, and the tips ar3 incredibly helpful. Thank you.

Excellent article. Very informative. Now at least I have a direction.

I’m a novice story teller with a story about adoption geared for ages 3-7. I have the basic story, photos to inspire an illustrator, but I really just want to tell the story for all of my family and friends who have experienced the JOY OF ADOPTION! I would feel so blessed if it would inspire other to adopt! We’ll see…

Extremely well-written and insightful advice. Thank you for sharing.

Great article! Thanks for the advice. Just reading this page has helped inspire me to keep moving forward with my ideas. The love I see in my daughters eyes when I read to her is my motivation to write a kids book to share that love.

Thanks for helping me “walk the plank”

I appreciate your informative article. After my son passing onto heaven he has repeatedly told me in my dreams to write a children’s book. Give little souls a chance to laugh and look more to simple tasks in a day to better one another because we are not promised tomorrow. May God bless you, Hillary D

Thanks for the honest words and great guide! Much appreciated.

Hi, I am thinking about becoming a children’s book writer, I have no experience.

Lots of great info THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Thanks for all of help on today 5/15/2022 a lot of information was discovered for me in this article I will be following your steps.

A very informative and well-elaborated article. Thank you so much. Has provided me with key points to consider as we write children’s books in local languages with some Ugandan primary teachers.

This is the best article that I have ever found on the internet. Very clear and helpful. Thank you!

Excellent article- so thrilled I came across it

I am glad to have come across this article. Very informativ and encouraging. Thank you!

Very good advice!

I plan to release a children’s book later this year, and I’m considering self-publishing with the help of hardcover book printing services. I appreciate the advice about how it would be best to make the character struggle and fail first before solving the problem to gain the interest of the readers. I’ll be sure to remember this while I look for hardcover book printing services to work with.

Read and then reread. Thanks!

The article is a good gist of all what children’s writer must know. Thanks a lot for this article.

Thank you, thank you! Invaluable advise for novice children’s book authors. I devoured every word in my attempt to write my first children’s book.

This has been a very helpful nicely structured review. It focused on practical points, gave useful examples.

Hello I am interested in writing a children’s book i just reviewed your notes on how and what to do my question is, if i wanted to hire you to help me with my book, do I have to take your course first? And also what is the over head view of funds i would need to publish a children’s book? Thank you very much.

Great article!!! It provided much helpful insight on heels of my self-publishing a “bucket list” children’s book recently. What John provided here is much-need food for thought for a 2nd effort.

Very good article. Well thought out, with relevant, professional information and resources. Thank you!

Not only is this a very well put together article, it even explains and demonstrates some of the elements with which a new writer might not yet be familiar. I will be reading this several times, and then some more Thanks!

A very brilliant and interesting article

I want to say a huge thank you for sharing this post. It has really been so valuable and helpful. Thanks again for sharing.

This is so helpful. Genuine guidance and because of this I am 100% interested in your services when it’s time. Too often these posts are one long advertisement but you hit the right balance between great free info and offering your services as a resource!

Very glad to hear that! Yes, I’ll be ready when you need editing.

Thanks for the article. Very informative

Hi, I’m a pensioner from NSW Australia. I have 22 cartoon Australian animals in my children’s book. All with descriptions and their personalities and where they live in the village around a pond in the Australian Outback. My illustrations have still to be coloured which I thought to do in water coloured paint. Being a pensioner, I cannot afford much and if so, would have to just print my book onto paper and keep it in the family for my grandchildren.

Great article, thank you

its a great article and nice advice

It was all very helpful. Now I can re-evaluate my children’s book. Thank you

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom. This is the best article on helping new writers. I am so excited to get started now.

Thank you for taking the time to share your wisdom. It is so helpful and answers many of the questions I had.

Great info – Thanks. I stumbled on it at the perfect time to write a story for my grandaughter for Christmas.

This was extremely informative and beyond helpful. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Thanks so much for sharing this valuable knowledge!

Thank you so much for this article. We have to write a book for an assignment in my class and read it to the younger kids in my school. I needed a lot of help to get started. My group has an idea and this really helps with adding on to it and making it better.

Your article was very enlightening, I wrote a children’s story many years ago, you have given me the inspiration to publish.

This article was SO helpful and easy to follow. It all makes perfect sense now!

Very informative, great read!

I’ve published four children’s books (with Putnam and S&S) and this is one of the better tutorials on the subject I’ve read, similar to what we learn directly from editors at SCBWI conferences. This article served as an excellent reminder of all the important points I needed to hear as I start on a new book. Kudos!

Very glad to have this helpful and informative article straight to the point thanks

Hi very useful information, I’m doing my first book, that was sitting for years.

Your brilliant, and extremely helpful. I love your charismatic truth on everything.I feel so much more knowledgeable,than before I came here.

Hi! I’m writing a children’s book! I most likely won’t publish it, but I wanted to thank you for this article. It’s really helpful and informative! Wish me luck!

Really really helpful. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. Lots of things to think about now.

I found your information quite insightful. I am already writing several children’s golf books and your piece has reinforced what I am already doing. This is a great reference tool. JM

Wow!! After being overwhelmed by TOO much googling, this guide has finally set a course! Thank you for such an easy run down on how to kick off!! Let the email attack begin!!

You’re welcome! Happy writing. And if you need more help, take my course on children’s books or hire me as an editor!

i loved it👌❤❤❤

I LIKE THIS ARTICLE

Hello, my name is Lori Fajardo. I have wrote a children’s story I would like to make into a childrens book. Age group 3-7 but I do not know the next step. I have many ideas for more stories. If you could help me with the next step that would be so wonderful. Thank you so much, appreciate it.

Thanks it was helpful

Your write up has helped a lot.Rather it’s going to be a reference to go back to.

thank you, this was very helpful!

Interesting, highly educative and informative.

Very helpful. Thank you

VERY HELPFUL.THANK YOU SO MUCH

This has been an amazing article. I have learned so much! Thank you for putting this out there!

I’m at the very beginning of the process and this was so informative and easy to understand! thank you

I hope I’m in the right place. I have a unique cat, she’s a tabbico Polydactyl Tripod, raised along with little children. She’s had many fun adventures coping the way they play. as well as adjusting to her unique circumstances as a special needs cat. I’ve been told numerous times I should write about the things she has done and her life. example.. knocking down hotwheels in the bathtub and playing with them. I have no idea where to start. I’ve had her since she was a baby. I mentioned she’s a Tripod, her one back leg has a bad knee and deformed foot. We’ve had quite the adventure so far.

sounds like it would be a good book

Very informative. Thank you.

I have started to write my first children’s book recently. I would like some assistance on how to proceed. I have a story, plot, characters all figured out (as best that I can, some professional guidance would be appreciated at this stage.

Such an informative article . Thank you

this really helped, thumbs up.

Wow, what a great and informative starting point. I wanted to write a children’s book or series of books But didn’t really know where to start. Thank you for your honest and informative information.

how do you write children's books

You want kids to read your children’s book again and again, right?

I’ve helped hundreds of writers create their first book. This course offers:

how do you write children's books

Need help publishing your children’s book?

Bookfox Press makes it easy. We provide illustrators, formatting, editing, and publishing, so your book reaches your audience.

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Home » Blog » How to Write a Children’s Book in 9 Steps [+Free Template]

How to Write a Children’s Book in 9 Steps [+Free Template]

how do you write children's books

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Writing a children’s book can be pretty easy and simple these days. It does take one with a credible idea to write a book that will intrigue children who have a very short attention span.

So, the onus is always on the writer to write a spell-binding book, a fascinating one that will keep the children sharp and interested to make sure they want to keep reading the book through to the end.

This is why authors need to know how to write a children’s book. Children’s books have a unique set of features and authors need to keep these in mind when attempting to write one.

These steps will help you through the process:

If you have been struggling with how to write a children’s book that will succeed, then worry not because here you will be getting detailed information on how to write a children’s book with no more extended stress or struggle.

Children’s Book Template

Writing a children’s book isn’t as easy as some tend to think. It requires lots of planning and a special skill set.

Using a template can help you keep everything straight and make sure you include all of the necessary elements:

children's book template

Fill in the template with your desired details as you go through these steps.

How to Write a Children’s Book in 9 Steps

Here are the steps to write a children’s book:

1: Know the Format

When you think about how to write a children’s book, some characteristics are unique. Some children’s books are like a permanent fixture, a staple to all childhoods.

Dr. Seuss and Robert Munsch have written many of these. It may be a good idea to keep some of these on hand as you write yours.

Some things to keep in mind about children’s books:

Use Squibler to work on a ready-made book-writing template. The document comes with built-in formatting and organization of chapters for you to seamlessly work on it. 

how do you write children's books

2. Know Your Category

The first thing that you need to determine is the age group you want to write for and then choose a relevant category to target that age group specifically.

children's book categories

When children are young, their interests and levels of attention change rapidly. A 2-year-old and a 4-year-old will be reading very different books.

Do the necessary research and make sure you write something appropriate for your chosen age group. Consider these factors to determine if your book is age-appropriate:

Children’s Book Categories

The children’s book market is vast and versatile. There are many different types and categories of children’s books that authors can choose from.

Picture Books

children's picture book example

This is a kind of book that should be written mostly for children from 0-7 years. These are books that have lots of illustrations to complement the storyline.

These books are also meant to teach kids how to read so they should have more pictures and fewer words. It should also have lots of rhyming and easy flow so that young children can follow easily.

Young Readers

children's early reader book examples

These are books mostly for children ages 6-10. These will be transitional books . These are books that fall in between picture books and middle grades.

These books should be able to help children grow away from the picture book, so they should contain simple words. They should start to get longer – perhaps around 2000 words or so, and contain some illustrations but not too much.

Middle Grade

children's middle grade books examples

These are books written for the ages of 8-12. This level of book should help a child become an independent reader . It should be more of a fiction book . Length should start reaching around 10,000 words, and pictures should be very minimal.

Young Adult

young adult book for children example

These are books that can be read by children above 12. The children are nearing young adults now so the book should be slightly more advanced. Illustrations can be eliminated while the word counts increase tremendously – to 20,000 words or more.

3. Use Characters for Easy Understanding

Children are not like adults in that they cannot easily comprehend abstract things. If you know how to write a novel , it doesn’t necessarily mean you will be able to write a book for children.

It is by nature that they will become fascinated by the characters you build. So, if you want to go far as a children’s book author, then you need to write a book that focuses heavily on the characters.

You can use a memorable character of their age to help them relate to what your book is about. Use easily relatable characters and insert them into easily relatable situations and storylines.

4. Write an Engaging Story

Write a story that your chosen age group can relate to. Let the theme of your book make a significant impact on the children.

They will appreciate storylines that drive actions, allow them to make decisions about what’s happening, and challenge their thinking in an age-appropriate way.

Keep these points in mind when developing the theme of your book:

There should be a focus on appropriate vocabulary. Be careful not to use words your intended readers will not understand or relate to. Each category of children will respond to different styles, so write in a way that your chosen age group will like.

The picture book ages will like books with simple and easy-to-understand words with pictures to help them. They are in a learning stage right now and should be introduced to new words slowly.

Always remember three things when thinking about the right vocabulary for each category: your target audience, the use of rhyme, and age.

5. Use Illustrations

This is one area that brings distinction in children’s books.

So, when you are thinking about how to write a children’s book, consider if you need an illustration or illustrations throughout the book depending on the children’s category.

The picture book age, for example, should be heavily saturated with bright images. Their books should be glossary and colorful. It helps attract them and keep them focused.

Use Squibler to add illustrations to your book on your own. Explain the context of the illustration to the AI illustrator and it will automatically generate a visual for you based on the provided details.

You can do as many revisions to the illustrations as you want with Squibler however this might not be possible in case of hiring an external designer. This way you not only save time and money, but the work process becomes much more interesting. Here’s an example of how Squibler works:

how do you write children's books

6. How to Write a Children’s Book Title

Once you are done drafting the manuscript, it is time to give the book a befitting title .

A children’s book needs you to give it a unique and creative title. Children are almost fickle-minded and different things attract them. Getting a winning and attractive title will be your best bet.

So let your title be outstanding in a jovial or playful way without being overwhelming.

how to write a children's book title

To create a great title always think of something with an entertainment factor. It should be eye-catching and relevant. This is to say make the title work in consonance with the book, a book shouldn’t show toys as a title but have gadgets as content.

Let your title be informative too, reveal some information about your book in the title. Consider these tips when crafting the perfect title for your children’s book:

Brainstorm alone: Think about it yourself and come up with a title that you like.

Use title generators: If you still can’t think of a great title after brainstorming then help yourself with a title generator . This will help narrow your thinking and at the very least, jump-start your creativity and imagination.

Test your title: This is a way of finding how acceptable your title will be with your targeted readers. Seek out opinions and feedback from others.

7. Edit and Proofread

This is one of the most significant steps when you consider how to write a children’s book.

Editing is unavoidable when preparing your children’s book for publishing . Your children’s book and the message therein might be excellent, but if grammatical mistakes are running rampant, your sales will be affected.

If you can send the book out for editing and correction by a professional editor. Don’t do all the work alone: writing, proofreading, and making corrections. Let another pair of eyes go over it before publishing.

Your editor will find mistakes that you missed and offer a different perspective. They will give professional advice and suggestions. You should try to follow most of their instructions as it will likely help in the sales of your book.

You can also use editing tools like Grammarly and the Hemingway app .

8. Follow these Guidelines on How to Write Children’s Book

There are some additional factors you need to consider when learning how to write a children’s book:

9. Avoid these when Writing a Childen’s Book

Writing a children’s book has unique guidelines that should be followed. This does include some things that should not be done:

You’ve Learned How to Write a Children’s Book

Now you know how to write children’s books, you are all set to start writing your first-ever book .

Writing a children’s book is like building a formidable military force. You will need a lot of patience and understanding to pull through. Let the foundation of your book be excellent, to get this right ask yourself why you are writing the book.

Think about what you want your book to teach the children. Answer these questions sincerely so that you will write a book that is real and honest.

Follow all the guidelines given here and you will be able to write a great children’s book in whichever category or age range you choose. Children naturally love books that have a little creativity and individuality, so go ahead and write your book that way.

how do you write children's books

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How to Write a Book Title [In 8 Steps]

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How to Write a Children’s Book: 14 Tips and Steps for Authors

Krystal Craiker headshot

Krystal N. Craiker

how to write a children's book

Just because children’s books are shorter than adult fiction, doesn’t mean they’re easier to write!

There are many things to consider when writing children’s books, from your target age group to readability, plot, characters, illustrations, and more.

In this article, we will focus on how to write a children’s book. We’ve got eleven steps to write a great children’s book, plus three top tips and a template to get you started.

I Want to Write a Children’s Book—Where Do I Start?

What makes a good children’s book, 11 steps on how to write a children’s book, 3 tips to help you write children’s books, template to help you plan your children’s book, conclusion on how to write a children’s book.

The key to creating a story that sells is coming up with an original idea. People will not buy a book that sounds like five other stories they’ve already read. If your idea is similar to something that’s been done before, think about how you can put your own unique spin on it.

This is true even for kids’ books. Your story and illustrations should stand out and provide a fresh experience for readers.

Many great ideas are born out of providing solutions to problems. What problem or problems are near and dear to you or people you know (especially children)? Could you write a book about that problem and how it was solved?

It’s important to choose a topic that interests you. You’ll be working on your children’s book for however long it takes to polish it. If you choose something you are interested in, you’ll be more likely to see it through to the end.

So, go ahead and brainstorm. The more ideas you come up with, the greater the chance you will find one you love. And that means the kids you are writing for will really love it too!

Great children’s books appeal to both young readers and adult readers. But how do you write a children’s book that does this?

First, a great children’s book will teach children something, even if it’s a fiction book. It may teach a moral lesson, like being kind to others. Or it may teach social-emotional skills like doing scary things or dealing with bullies.

But it should balance informing and explaining with entertaining. Kids (and their adults!) want to enjoy the book they’re reading.

Entertaining children’s books use humor, rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia, or any other number of literary devices. They also have engaging illustrations that match the tone of the book.

purpose of a children's book

Decide Who Your Target Reader Is

The first step in writing your children’s book is to choose your reader. Children’s books encompass a wide variety, from board books all the way to young adult books. If you know what type of book you’d like to write, then it’s important to make sure you’re aware of the ages of the children you’re writing for.

Each type of children’s book is geared toward kids of a certain age. Here’s a quick summary of the types of children’s books and the ages they’re appropriate for. We’ve also listed the word count expected for each of these children’s book genres.

Notice there is a bit of wiggle room. For example, if you’ve chosen a five-year-old protagonist for your story, you could write an early picture book, a chapter book, or anything in between.

Writing for a specific age group involves more than just the right word count, however. You must consider the reading level.

Age Ranges and Word Counts for Children’s Books

The content should also be appropriate for the age group. A children’s book about shapes and colors won’t make a great middle grade book. A story about starting middle school won’t appeal to toddlers.

The lines between middle grade books, young adult novels, and new adult fiction can get blurry. A 13-year-old may enjoy middle grade content contained within longer, harder books.

Many adult readers love young adult books, and many young adults prefer to read adult or new adult fiction. New adult is similar to young adult in format, tone, and pacing, but features characters over age 18 and often has explicit content.

Be specific in your marketing or when querying an agent about the age of your ideal reader. If you’re writing a young adult novel for older teens, you still need to consider reading level scores and appropriateness (kissing and fade-to-black can be okay, but explicit sex is not). However, you’ll use more traditional novel-writing advice to craft YA novels.

children's book wriitng steps

Once you’ve decided on your age group, it’s time to write. Here are eleven steps you can follow to help you learn how to write a children’s book.

1) Decide What You Want Young Readers to Learn

When writing children’s books, it’s a good idea to begin with the end in mind. Before you flesh out details like your characters and plot events, think about what you want readers to take away from your story.

Start with the main purpose of your story. Are you trying to inform? Inspire? Entertain? What feeling do you want your readers to come away with?

Then decide the primary lesson of your story. Don’t cram too many lessons into a children’s book. Pick the one takeaway you want kids to get, and keep it concise.

For a non-fiction book, your lesson might be something like, “Lions are big cats that live in Africa” or “Your lungs help you breathe.”

A fiction book might teach, “You are perfect the way you are,” or “Talk to a grownup when you’re scared.”

The takeaway will guide the characters you create and the story structure of your children’s book.

2) Pick Your Protagonist

Like any book, your children’s book needs a main character. There are a few things to keep in mind when selecting a protagonist for your story.

First, the protagonist should be relatable to your target age group. If you choose a human or human-esque character, they should be close to the age of your ideal reader.

Similarly, the protagonist needs to fit into the type of book you’re writing. Protagonists in picture books don’t need to be developed as much as ones in chapter books. A picture book will have one plot line, while chapter books will often have a couple of minor subplots.

If your protagonist’s age is vague, make them relatable in another way. Have them experience a common emotion: every kid knows what it feels like to be angry and sad. Or they could have relatable interests. In the book Rosa Loves Cars by Jessica Spanyol, we see Rosa playing with cars, which many kids love.

Consider diversity, as well. You can make a character that children of various ethnicities, races, genders, and family backgrounds can relate to.

When you write children’s books, you may need to expand your concept of what a character is. They can be animals or mythical creatures.

This is especially true for non-fiction books. The Baby University board books by Chris Ferrie and others do a great job of treating a concept like a protagonist. In Statistical Physics for Babies , the protagonist is a ball. We see the ball in different places, then we see more balls in different colors.

Children love balls, so using a ball to explain a concept like statistical physics and entropy is very effective.

Most importantly, have fun creating a protagonist. Embrace your inner child.

3) Decide on a Conflict

Once you have a protagonist, and you know the message or lesson of your story, you need a conflict.

The conflict is what your protagonist must experience to learn the story’s lesson. It’s the source of the plot for your story.

The plot is how your character deals with the primary conflict, so before you set up the events in the story, you need to have a solid grasp of the problem. Once you understand the story’s central conflict, writing the book becomes much easier.

children's book writing tip

4) Create Other Characters

Having other characters isn’t a necessity in books for very early readers, but for most picture books and chapter books, other characters flesh out the story.

An antagonist is a character that keeps your protagonist from achieving their goal. You may or may not have a true antagonist like you would in a young adult or adult novel. But you can include friends, sidekicks, parents, or interesting characters your protagonist meets along the way.

When you create characters, they should serve a purpose to the story. They might illustrate an idea, create conflict, or advance the plot. They can also highlight your protagonist’s character development.

For example, in Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees, most of the other characters are antagonists of Gerald the Giraffe. They tease him for dancing badly. But a cricket is the one who delivers the story’s lesson: anyone can dance, but you may need a different song.

However, in The Big Adventures of a Little Tree: Tree Finds Friendship by Nadja Springer and Tilia Rand-Bell, there are no antagonists. All the side characters are children who teach Tree what it means to have friends.

5) Determine Your Point-of-View

It’s important that your point-of-view fits the story.

For early readers, third-person limited or omniscient is often the best choice, especially if your protagonist isn’t human. This helps support babies’ and toddlers’ understanding of correct pronoun usage. Before age 2, most kids only use “I” and “it,” so first-person POV can be confusing.

If your story focuses heavily on emotions, first-person or third-person limited will help older children relate to the story.

Unlike most adult or young adult novels, some children’s books can use second-person POV. A great example is You Are My “I Love You” by Maryann K. Cusimano. The narrator is the parent and uses “you” frequently to refer to the bear main character and, by proxy, the child reader.

Think about what POV is best for your children’s book. You can also rewrite in a new POV if you decide it doesn’t work during editing.

6) Start In Medias Res

A children’s book still has the key story elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. But when you’re limited on word count and young readers don’t have much attention span, it’s important to get straight to the point.

This means that starting in medias res , or “in the middle of things,” is a great tool for children’s book writers.

Spend little time on setting the scene or backstory before you introduce the protagonist and their problem. For most picture books, this should happen on the first page. Aim for the first three pages in middle grade chapter books.

in media res definition

7) Consider Reading Skills

While all ages may love your story, writing children’s books requires a solid understanding of reading skills and readability scores .

Writing for a particular age range means you’re writing for the majority of readers in that group, not exceptional students who are developmentally above or below. The best way to ensure kids understand your book is to use a readability score.

Most readability scores are based on the U.S. public education system. The scores usually correspond to a grade level.

ProWritingAid can help ensure your writing is age appropriate. We primarily use the Flesch Reading Ease formula, which determines readability based on factors like sentence length and syllables per word. The higher the number, the easier it is to read.

Aim for a 90 to 100 on the Flesch Reading Ease for early readers, and aim for 80 to 90 for older children.

Other factors affect readability, too. Higher-level vocabulary, jargon, and complicated syntax also make your writing more difficult. ProWritingAid can offer you detailed suggestions to improve the readability of your work.

ProWritingAid's readability report

8) Use Literary Devices

Using literary devices like rhyme or alliteration isn’t just fun: it actually helps early readers learn!

Rhymes, alliteration, and assonance (repeated vowel sounds) help kids with phonemic awareness. This is the linguistic skill of understanding basic sounds in a language.

They also contribute to teaching rhythm in a language. The way we speak and write impacts tone and meaning. Rhythmic prose in a children’s book helps kids learn this feature of language.

You can also use other literary devices. Onomatopoeia (words that sound like their meanings) keeps young readers engaged.

Repetition also helps with reading comprehension. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, and all its sequels, use repetitive onomatopoeia to help early readers understand the story.

You can also use imagery, especially in middle grade picture books and chapter books. This helps children learn description and draws them into the story.

children's book writing tip 2

9) End on a Positive Note

This one might be obvious, but when you’re writing a children’s book, the ending should be happy or uplifting.

Some stories naturally lend themselves to a happy ending. But if you’re writing about a sensitive topic, you might wonder how to write a children’s book that is happy.

Let’s say you’re writing about how to handle the death of a grandparent. This is a sad topic, but you don’t want to end with saying goodbye at the funeral.

Instead, you can show your protagonist remembering happy memories of their grandparent. The book can talk about ways to honor the grandparent’s memory, or how the character will always have their loved one in their heart.

10) Decide Your Publishing Route

Deciding whether to do independent publishing or traditional publishing for your children’s book will determine your next steps in the writing process.

If you decide to publish traditionally, you’ll need to query agents with your story. Publishing houses usually pick your illustrator for you. It will probably be someone in-house, so you won’t need to hire a professional illustrator. Of course, you can pitch your own illustrations, but the publisher may go a different route.

But if you’re publishing independently, every decision from book size to illustrator is up to you. We recommend talking with several professional illustrators to find out their experience. Also, look at their portfolios to see if they can match your vision.

While you have the possibility of making a lot more money with self-publishing, it’s a lot more work. You must do all marketing and sales yourself. Some children’s book reviewers will also not review self-published books.

You stand a greater chance of getting into libraries and bookstores if you’re traditionally published, and you can often get an advance on your royalties. But you will get lower rates on your sales and may lose some creative control of your story.

There’s no right or wrong option, but research both in greater detail to find out what the best choice is for you.

11) Edit Mercilessly

Editing a children’s book doesn’t just mean proofreading and improving your readability score. It means your story should undergo several rounds of revisions to be the best it can be.

Get feedback from other writers or professional editors. Pay attention to the flow of your story. Are the events in the story in a logical order? Is there extraneous detail you could omit?

Ask yourself if it will hold a young reader’s attention. Pay close attention to word counts and how many words are on each page.

children's book writing tip 3

1) Read Lots of Children’s Books

Good writers are good readers. The best way to learn how to write a children’s book is to read lots of them!

Reading stories meant for children will help you understand the best way to simplify concepts in ways that make sense to young readers. Don’t just read stories that are similar to your idea or fit your target audience. You’ll learn about different styles of writing if you broaden your horizons.

Read a variety of children’s books. Don’t just focus on classic children’s literature—pay special attention to reading a diverse range of authors.

Don’t worry that you’re stealing ideas. All art comes from inspiration, and writing a children’s book is no different. You’ll still be able to put a fresh spin on your unique idea.

2) Make Friends with a Librarian

You can just visit the children’s section of a library or bookstore to get a better understanding of kids’ books in general, and this is a great place to start.

But you will also want to see what books are like your idea. Maybe you want to see books that deal with similar topics or themes. You might want to look at a certain type of narrative structure.

Librarians can help you better than just about anyone. Tell the librarian about your story and ask for recommendations. This will save you time from doing market research by yourself. Librarians read hundreds of children’s books a year, and they know which books are popular with kids.

Many libraries have dedicated children’s librarians, and they have a wealth of knowledge about child development, age appropriate literature, and readability.

Librarians can also help you with research if you’re writing about a non-fiction topic, historical fiction, or anything else you may need to know.

3) Ask Kids What They Think

The best people to ask about your children’s book are kids. When you’ve finished a draft, find some kids to read your book to. If you aren’t a parent of your target age group, reach out to friends and family. You can also talk to teachers, librarians, or parents in your community.

Pictures help kids pay attention, so even if you aren’t an illustrator, you can use clip art or stock photos to make temporary illustrations.

Children are brutally honest, so be prepared for your harshest critics. If you are writing for an age that doesn’t talk much yet, see if your story holds their attention.

There’s no one right way to write a children’s book, and there’s a big difference between writing a board book and writing a chapter book.

This template is a starting point for your planning. It’s guided brainstorming, and you’ll develop your story as you write and edit.

A great way to plan your overall story is using this formula:

Somebody wanted but so then.

We can sum most stories up using this formula, so why not use it to plan a story?

Let’s break it down. Somebody is your protagonist. They want something. This is your character’s goal.

But something stands in their way. This is the main conflict of your children’s book.

So your protagonist must do something to deal with the conflict. Then something will happen based on their actions. This is the resolution of your story.

Now, let’s look at a more detailed template to flesh out this story. You may have more or fewer events in your story than this template has.

  • Introduction: Who is your protagonist and what do they want?
  • Conflict: Why can’t they get what they want?
  • Climax: How does your protagonist get what they want?
  • Resolution: What have your characters learned?

You can spend however much time you need on each step. If you write a basic board book using this template, you will have a minimum of seven pages.

In summary, if you want to know how to write a children’s book, you need to read lots of books, know your target audience, have a relatable main character, and have an uplifting lesson or message.

Writing a children’s book should be fun. Embrace the silly side of the writing process. Give yourself permission to make mistakes.

You were once a child who loved stories, so it’s time to reconnect with your younger self.

(This is an update to an earlier article by Michelle Cornish.)

how do you write children's books

Be confident about grammar

Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

Krystal N. Craiker is the Writing Pirate, an indie romance author and blog manager at ProWritingAid. She sails the seven internet seas, breaking tropes and bending genres. She has a background in anthropology and education, which brings fresh perspectives to her romance novels. When she’s not daydreaming about her next book or article, you can find her cooking gourmet gluten-free cuisine, laughing at memes, and playing board games. Krystal lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, child, and basset hound.

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How To Write A Children’s Book: All You Need To Know

Interested in writing children’s books?

Maybe you already have a particular smiling face in mind — or a classroom full of them.

Perhaps you already have an idea for a storybook , but you’re not sure how to turn it into a finished book for the right age group.

And once you get it written and illustrated, do you know how to get a children’s book published?

Fortunately, once you do learn how to write a children’s book, getting it published is a matter of following a few easy steps, much like publishing books for older readers .

And today’s children’s book authors have plenty of helpful tools and resources at their disposal.

Are you ready to get started writing books for children? Read on to learn all you need to know to get started.

Types of Children’s Books

Is it easy to write a children’s book , why you should write a children’s book , take your best kid’s book idea and refine it, writing for children (as your audience), 1. jump right into the action , 2. identify the big problem , 3. use a series of obstacles, 4. use repetition , 5. have the character think of giving up , 6. give the main character a breakthrough, 7. show the main character solving the problem, 8. don’t forget about the supporting cast, 9. respect their intelligence, children’s book writing style, elements of a children’s book, children’s book characters, children’s book covers, how to choose a winning title for your children’s book:, things to avoid when writing a book for children , editing a children’s book, #1 — how do you start off a book, #2 — should i give my children’s book a subtitle , #3 — how many pages should a children’s book be .

Most children’s books fall into one of the following categories:

  • Board books (Ages 0-3): Fewer than 100 words
  • Picture books (Ages 2-7): 500 words or fewer (about 32 pages)
  • Trade books (Ages 4-8): 400-800 words
  • Early Reader books (Ages 6-10): 2,000 – 5,000 words
  • Children’s Chapter books (Ages 6-10): 3,000 – 10,000 words
  • Middle grade chapter books (Ages 8-12): 15,000 – 50,000 words
  • Young Adult (YA) books (Ages 12+): 50,000 – 100,000 words

While children’s books are typically short and written in simpler language, they’re not easier to write than stories for older readers — any more than short stories are easier to write than novels. 

Writing for children requires an understanding of how a child’s mind works and what it finds both meaningful and captivating.

how to write a children's book

Kids want to be entertained and to feel seen and understood by the author. 

With that in mind, steer clear of the following:

  • Condescending language — talking down to the reader
  • Unnecessary details — slow down the narrative
  • Preachiness — turning a story into a sermon
  • Shallow stereotypes — assuming all kids are selfish, bratty, etc.
  • Mixed up POV — head-hopping confuses your readers
  • Miraculous solves & saves  — the main character should solve the problem
  • Stories with zero tension — nothing is at stake for the main character

If you’re even a little inclined to write a children’s book, let the following list of reasons nudge you a bit closer to getting started: 

  • Kids read more books than most grown-ups do; 
  • Hollywood (i.e., the film industry) loves children’s books;
  • Children’s book authors can make a living with them;
  • Speaking fees for children’s book authors range from $1,000 to $2,500 per day;
  • It’s a (cheaper) form of therapy; 
  • Fan mail for children’s book authors can’t be beat; 
  • It’s harder than it looks — but also more fun.

Take a moment to imagine a child so captivated by your story they want to read it — or have it read to them — again and again. If your heart swells at the thought, and you have an idea rattling around in your head for just such a story, you owe it to yourself to try. 

Start with a Google search using the term “children’s book” plus a short phrase describing your book idea. Scan your results for books and investigate each one that interests you. 

Don’t worry if you see several books already written about your idea. Take it as proof children want to read stories like yours. 

The more familiar you are with similar books out there, the easier it will be to find a way to make yours different in a meaningful way. 

All you need is one twist that makes your story stand out from the competition. Once you have that twist, outline your story from start to finish. 

As you’re doing this, keep your illustrator in mind and add details that will make for more engaging illustrations. Picture your story as you tell it. 

Writing for children is not the same as writing for an older audience .

It’s not just a matter of simplifying the language or adding pictures. Keep the following in mind:

Children — particularly the youngest — want a happy ending . They want to see themselves in the main character, who should be their age or a little older.

Children want to see themselves as the hero of the story.

The language should not get in the way of the story, but neither should it be too simple. The more exposure kids have to books, the more their vocabulary should grow.

This doesn’t mean, though, that your sentences should be long and complex. Your audience is likely to be restless and easily distracted, so keep their attention with simple but interesting sentences .

More important than language, though, is the use of age-appropriate themes . If your book’s theme is more appropriate for toddlers or teenagers, it probably won’t hold the attention of an audience of eight-year-olds.

And don’t forget that when you write a children’s book, you’re writing to appeal to two different audiences :

  • The kids who read the book or have it read to them
  • The grown-ups who buy the book and (may) read it to their kids

More than 70% of those grown-ups are women, and many of them are teachers.

If one of them picks up your book and isn’t delighted by the story and its illustrations, chances are their children will never get to read it or have it read to them.

Do your research into the types of children’s books you’d like to write.

Look up the best-sellers in each category, read them aloud, and see what sets them apart from the books that languish on the shelves.

Go to the library and see which of the kids’ books are falling apart from having been read so many times.

Frayed corners, dog-eared pages, and Scotch tape are the hallmarks of a book well-loved.

9 Tips for Writing a Story Kids Can’t Put Down 

Here’s a shocking fact: Over the past 15 years, the average human attention span has decreased from 15 seconds to less than 8. That’s right: people, generally speaking, have lower attention spans than goldfish.

Since the typical reader’s focus quotient is short, dive right in with a strong hook to grab your reader’s attention.

But remember to keep the action age appropriate. There’s no need to start a book for 7-year-olds with a gunfight or assault. Remember that children are very sensitive and scare easily. They’re also filled with questions, so be kind to the parents. 

The sooner you identify what’s at stake for the main character, the sooner your reader will find a reason to keep reading.

Human brains — even the young ones — love stories in which people beat the odds. Establish stakes that grip the reader by introducing the problem early. Too much description at the beginning can be boring, and young readers usually don’t have the staying power to wade through much landscape setting.

You’re penning a children’s book, not auditioning to be the next Emily Bronte.

Stories like Star Wars and Harry Potter pull readers in because the stakes are constantly rising. 

Children’s books usually jog along briskly, and while there may be some character development, the main draw is an exciting plot. Try not to rely on a single main event (although it’s good to have a climax); also, litter the prose with smaller hurdles that your characters must clear along the way.  

Ultimately, give your main character real obstacles to overcome and make each feat more challenging than the one before it.

While themes and motifs can enhance a story, blatant repetition is frowned upon in adult literature, with critics preferring more linguistic finesse.

But a little repetition can go a long way in children’s books. Young kids are still learning to recognize patterns; writing in a way that allows them to develop these skills is helpful.

Hold your reader’s attention by repeating phrases, images, or other visual or textual elements as breadcrumbs leading the reader along the plot’s path.

Hope works like a drug on the human brain. We love it — crave it, even!

As such, when you give your characters seemingly unscalable mountains to climb, readers are more likely to stick to the tale. We like it even more when the problems seem insurmountable, and you give your reader a reason to hope your main character keeps going.

This is effectively accomplished by having the people in your stories think of giving up but deciding to forge on. 

Oprah calls it an “A-HA!” moment. In the children’s literature sphere, it’s known as a “breakthrough.”

To add interest and enhance character development, show how the story’s young hero finally sees what they need to do about the problem to get the best result.

Breakthroughs usually happen right before the climax action. Ideally, you want to give enough clues along the way but hold back until the peak of the rising action. Also, if possible, try to plot the clues so your readers have a shot at figuring it out also. 

All books — whether for adults or kids — should include problems that characters must solve. Ingenious fixes are the most popular, so get creative!

Not only does this keep the plot moving, but it also models problem-solving skills, which is helpful to a growing mind.

The solution should come from the protagonist — not from a miracle or a grown-up taking over and fixing everything. After all, your main character is the hero of this story.

Don’t forget about your protagonist’s crew! Adding a “supporting cast” is fundamental, and in the best children’s books, these characters rank among the most beloved. 

Where would young Master Potter be without Hermoine and Ron — or Luke Skywalker without R2D2, Princess Leia, and Han Solo? 

Sure, kids may not be able to do advanced calculus — (simmer down “ actually,-my-kid…” parents; this is not an invitation to backdoor brag) — but they are quite observant and don’t like being talked down to.

Additionally, write with the targeted age group in mind. For example, what works best for 3rd graders is different than what 6th graders will find engrossing. 

Moreover, they can smell a forced “lesson” from miles away. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t infuse your story with wisdom and moral messages — just try not to be clunky about it.

how to write a children's book

In your research, you’ll encounter different writing styles , and the style you choose might imitate that of a favorite children’s book in your household or in the classroom.

In general, your book’s style will involve the following choices:

1. To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme: This is a tricky one. Better to avoid rhyme than to force it.

If you’re determined to rhyme, it wouldn’t hurt to find some qualified beta testers to compare two different versions of your story: one with rhyme and one without.

2. Past or Present Tense: Kids generally prefer stories that happen in the present tense, since it makes them feel more involved in it.

Past tense is more appropriate, though, if your story is set in the past or if one of your characters is remembering something from the past.

3. First, Second, or Third Person: From whose point of view (POV) is your story being told — the main character or an all-knowing narrator?

Pay attention to the POV in the books your kids or students read. Which do they usually prefer? First-person might be more engaging for some because they can substitute themselves for the main character.

Second-person directly addresses the reader but is not often used for stories.

Third-person might be more engaging for some readers, especially if the story involves multiple main characters.

Stories for children should have the following elements:

1. Relatable characters — Kids want characters they can relate to and whose situations interest them.

how to write a children's book

They want to identify with the heroes and cheer them on to action.

2. A hook — The story has to begin in a way that grabs the attention of the reader or listener and holds onto it.

Something about the main character or about the situation should get people feeling something and caring about what could happen.

3. A suspenseful storyline — The entire story should build on the hook, keeping a firm grip on your attention until you see the final piece of the puzzle.

A story outline template can help with this by mapping out the different points in the story.

4. Believable dialogue — To help kids identify with the characters, the dialogue should sound as natural and believable as possible — using familiar expressions and avoiding stiff, pedantic phrases or preachy monologues.

5. A happy resolution — The story should end in a satisfying way for both the reader and the listener.

As mentioned earlier, most kids want a happy ending, even if it’s not “realistic.”

If it’s at least possible, make good things happen.

Children’s book editor, Jenny Bowman , gives us the following guideline for developing characters young readers will love:

“Children want to read stories about other children who are a little older than themselves, who are participating in life experiences that mirror their own.”

Relatability isn’t enough, though. Kids are also drawn to the extraordinary – either in the characters or in their situations. The following are good examples of this:

  • Harry Potter , at age eleven, appealed to readers as young as nine, though his appeal certainly wasn’t limited to that age.
  • The Pevensie children in the Chronicles of Narnia appeal to readers as young as eight but also to adults of all ages.
  • And Rick Riordan ’s teenage heroes and heroines appeal to preteen, teenage, and adult readers alike.

Harry Potter cover how to write a children's book

Think of the challenges your own children may be facing right now, and the stories they’ve enjoyed most over the years.

If they love the character you created for a made-up story, how can you further develop that character ?

And what can you do to him or her that will have your target reader thinking, “That could be me!”?

Your chosen illustrator is your best asset when designing your book’s cover. You want an illustration that’s relevant to the story, but it doesn’t have to summarize it.

As with other books, It’s more important to make people feel something when they see your cover.

The grown-up who looks at your book online or at a bookstore should feel something, and so should the child to whom the book is read.

For children’s picture books especially, the experience of reading them is only partly what the child hears. The story is in the pictures, too.

If the illustrations are subpar, your book will collect dust.

Or, in ebook form, it’ll sink to the 7-digit nether regions of Amazon.

The illustration and the fonts you use on the cover should belong together, so it pays to invest in a font that suits the image or to ask your illustrator to include the title and other text in the cover illustration.

how to write a children's book

Children’s Book Titles

A good title for a children’s book has the following elements:

  • Clear, age-appropriate language
  • Information

A children’s book title should say what the story is about, using language its young audience can understand. It should make them want to know more.

how to write a children's book

The title and cover illustration should work in concert to attract both your target markets (children and the grown-ups who buy them) and get them curious enough to click on it or take it off the shelf.

1. Brainstorm some ideas.

Use details from your story, or take a common phrase and change it somehow to say something about the story — just enough to make people curious.

Get into your main character’s — or your ideal reader’s — head.

If you’re writing this with specific kids in mind, you can bounce ideas off them to see which titles they find more interesting.

Write down whatever comes to mind. Make a list with as many options as you can think of.

Then narrow down your choices to a few favorites.

2. Look them up.

Do an internet search on each title to make sure no other book, website, blog, or anything other copyrighted material is using it.

Other than Google (or another general search engine), it’s a good idea to look up your title ideas on Amazon to see if you find other books already wearing one or more of the titles you’re considering for your book.

The U.S. Copyright Office doesn’t allow authors to copyright their titles since it doesn’t consider those to be exclusive intellectual property.

For this reason, it’s not unusual to find titles repeated in multiple books. And it’s not illegal to give your book a title already used by other authors.

That said if you find that a title you like is already on the cover of a well-known published children’s book — especially if it’s also well-loved — you’ll probably want to choose a different title.

3. Put them to the test.

Once you have your choices narrowed down, it’s time to put the few remaining favorites to the test. And you can do this in a number of ways:

  • Trust your gut: Try them on for a few days at a time by making an image of your book’s cover with the title of your computer wallpaper. Or make a poster of all the available options (as mock-up covers) and post it where you’ll see it.
  • Ask your friends and family: Especially if you’re living with members of your book’s target markets, go ahead and ask if they have any preferences or if there are any you should definitely not.
  • Create and share a social media poll: If you can control the demographic that sees your poll, try to steer it more toward grown-ups most likely to buy children’s books. Since 70% of those are women, and the majority of those are between the ages of 30 and 44, try to get as many likely buyers as possible to vote on your title poll.
  • Use PickFu: Authors like S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport swear by Pick.Fu because they find their own responders who choose their favorite option and explain why. So, you get a generous supply of crowdfunded insight on your title choices, complete with explanations and demographic info for each responder.

It’s also a good idea to create a book dummy — one for each of your final two or three title options.

  • Take some paper — half as many sheets as your book’s page count — for each book dummy.
  • Take a piece of cardboard the same size of your paper for each book dummy’s cover.
  • Fold the cover and the sheets of paper in half.
  • Take a printout of your book’s text, and cut it into as many parts as your story has pages. Paste a section of text to each page.
  • Add images to each page to coordinate with the text.
  • Add cover images — each with a different title option — to the outside of your cardboard “book cover.”
  • Get feedback from those in both target markets (kids and grown-ups) on your options.

how to write a children's book

(Image courtesy of Debbie Ridpath Ohi of Inky Girl .)

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We’ve discussed tips on how to write an engaging story for young people. Now, let’s look at what to avoid.

  • Problematic Graphics: Implicit bias is a quirk of the human brain. We subconsciously form opinions about people based on their characteristics and may not even realize we hold these prejudices. For example, assuming men are aggressive and women are submissive is a common implicit bias. These stereotypes are built into the media we consume. The good news is that once we recognize our subconscious judgments, we get better at shedding them. So make sure your book isn’t full of unintentional biases (i.e., certain ethnicities uniformly depicted as misbehaving, blonde girls always represented as dumb, et cetera).
  • Bad Graphics: Common wisdom holds that it’s always better to write the narrative before hiring an illustrator. We concur. We also advise not to skimp on the graphics. Children use images to help them navigate the story. Plus, visual representations stimulate the brain. Bad pictures have the power to ruin a book.
  • Big Words: Are you a vocabulary hound? Us, too! However, when penning books for kids, hold back. You won’t win any fans by using 50-cent words. In fact, you’ll probably repel them. You don’t want to frustrate your readers, so be mindful of word choice. 
  • Long Sentences: No need to bring your Faulkner-esque, long-sentence style to children’s writing. Adults have a hard enough time reading over an 8th-grade reading level. For younger people, it’s even more challenging. Again, you don’t want to alienate your readers, and a lengthy sentence structure is like Kryptonite to inchoate brains. 
  • Overwriting: Little kids aren’t interested in reading thousands of pages — at least not the tykes who are just learning to read. So, there’s no need to go all Karl Ove Knausgård. And remember that illustrations will speak volumes. You don’t need to describe every detail, especially in picture books.

If your book has more than 600 to 800 words, you owe it to yourself and to your reader to get fresh eyes on it — at least for thorough proofreading.

You should read the book aloud yourself — at least once — to check for errors and to make sure it sounds good.

Give it a trial run with a young audience and see what kind of reaction you get.

While you’re reading it out loud (especially if you’re reading to an audience), mistakes will jump out more.

Your book isn’t published yet, so don’t worry if you have to go back into your book’s file to correct those errors.

Better to catch and fix them now, so you can avoid bad reviews pointing out the need for an editor or proofreader.

child reading book how to write a children's book

As for those fresh eyes, if you don’t have a budget for a professional editor, you can post a request on social media for beta readers, who will read through your story and report any mistakes.

If you ask, they may also make suggestions on how to improve your story.

Good beta readers can make your story clearer, more compelling, and more memorable.

To reward them, you can acknowledge them in your book and offer to return the favor when they need beta readers.

FAQs for Writing a Children’s Book 

So many questions come up about writing children’s books. We’ve picked a few of the most persistent ones. 

Once you have your idea for a children’s book and you’ve outlined it, giving it just the right beginning can still be a challenge. Try any of the following to grab your reader’s attention from the very first sentence: 

  • Start with a startling first line — make your first line something that starters your reader and gets them immediately curious about what’s going on;  
  • Start with a unique character detail — use an unusual character trait or a detail about the character’s life that intrigues the reader; 
  • Start with a life-changing moment — dive right into a life-altering moment for the main character and allow them to react to it in a way your reader will understand; 
  • Start with something ominous — start with an “Oh, no!” moment or by creating an ominous feeling in your reader with details that immediately put them on edge; 
  • Start with a unique detail about the setting — start with interesting detail about your story’s setting, making it a supporting character or an antagonist; 
  • Start with the stakes and ramp them up — start by immediately showing your reader what’s at stake for the main character, and then add to it. 

We can think of a few reasons why giving your children’s book a subtitle is a brilliant idea: 

  • Subtitles can help you connect with your ideal reader; 
  • Subtitles give you an opportunity to use more keywords or key phrases, making your book easier to find;
  • Subtitles give you more creative freedom with your title. 

Publisher Rocket is an excellent tool for identifying the best keywords and key phrases to use, making it an excellent tool for maximizing your subtitle’s marketing potential. 

Aside from that, pay attention to titles and subtitles that stand out for you when researching books similar to yours. What details make you smile when you see them?

When in doubt, ask a child in your target age group which subtitles they prefer. 

Word count is actually a better number to keep in mind since your word count per page can vary widely. 

Most children’s book authors are writing books for ages 3 to 7. If that’s you, 750 words are the sweet spot. Whatever you do, even if you think every word is gold, keep it under 1,000 words, and — if necessary — cut away until your word count is under that. 

When writing chapter books for older children — ages 5 to 10 — word count ‌falls between 3,000 and 10,000 words for the entire book. 

Middle-grade books (ages 7 to 12) can have 10,000 to 30,000 words. 

As with other details, it pays to do your research. Look at books similar to yours that are doing well. Look at their word count and the number of words they put on each page (on average) or each chapter. 

I hope you now have all the information you need to turn your story idea into a beautifully written and illustrated published children’s book .

I bet you can already imagine it on your bookshelf.

Now that you know how to write children’s books, check out other posts on Authority Pub for the next steps in marketing, setting up ads, getting reviews, etc.

Interested in writing children’s books? Maybe you already have a particular smiling face in mind -- or a classroom full of them. #howtowrite #writer #writing

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How to Write a Children's Book: A 15-Step Author's Guide

Children's books | how to write a children's book, last updated on: july 20, 2022, what makes great children’s book, 1. find a children’s book idea, how to find competitive book titles, 3. know who your protagonist is, the most common children's book mistakes, the five elements of plot, 5. start the story quickly, 6. end with a punch, what is the rule of three.

  • 8. Write to the right length

9. Create a children's book layout template

10. keep illustrations in mind, 11. find beta readers and self-edit, how to make a book title catchy.

  • Use rhyme and alliteration

Focus on a key character

Use an action title, what are the types of book editing, how to hire an illustrator, 15. self-publish your children’s book.

Writing a children’s book is easy. Anyone can put pen to paper and write. But writing a great children’s book is a different story. As the author of more than 100 published books, the founder of my own publishing company, and a children’s book editor with more than 20 years’ experience, I’ve seen it all, good and bad! And there are two things that holds true for every great book: they show kids the world in a way they never thought about it before, even if it’s a part of the world they encounter every day. And they leave them wanting more. More books, more adventure, more fun, more feeling! So how can you write a children’s book that kids will remember? With the following steps!

For some writers, coming up with a children’s book idea is the easy part. If that’s you, great! But other authors struggle, especially after the first book. Always keep in mind when coming up with children’s book idea who the core audience for your book is. What are their life experiences? What can they relate to, and what would be too mature (or too juvenile) for them.

If you find yourself struggling to come up with a book idea, don’t fret. There are lots of ways to get your creative juices flowing: keep a dream diary, journal your own childhood experiences, or just have a conversation with a child in the age range you are writing for. Know how your story ends, but not how it starts? Then work backward! The options for finding your story are countless! For more tips on children's book ideas and story generators , check out my article, The Best Children’s Book Ideas for Writing a Great Picture Book . 

Professional children's book editor Brooke Vitale lists the top children's book ideas.

2. Find competitive books

A competitive book is one that falls in a similar genre to your own, and that buyers looking for a book on your subject might choose to purchase instead of your own. Before you get too deep into any one story, it’s a good idea to research competitive books and see what else is out there. Why? Because you need to know how your children’s book stands out!

The truth is, there are only so many truly unique ideas out there. Most books fall under a certain theme or category: pirate books, dystopian novels, farm books. You name it, there are bound to be books about it. And that is absolutely fine. Finding many books written about the same theme as yours isn’t a negative thing. In fact, it’s proof that readers want books on that topic. But you don’t want it to get LOST in that category. Which is where competitive research comes in. By seeing how other authors handle the same subject matter, you can not only find the unique twist in your book, but you can also find the unique twist to use when marketing your book.

The easiest way to find competitive book titles is with an Internet search. Whether on Google, Bing, or Amazon, try searching the theme of your book paired with the words “book” or “children’s book” and see what comes up. If you want to get more specific, try using the words “picture book,” “chapter book,” or “middle-grade book.” 

The options that come up will likely be the most famous or most popular books that fall into that theme. Take a look, for example, at the results for “children’s book snow.” 

An example of how to search and research competitive book titles using google search

This same process can be repeated using categories curated by retailers and looking at the best sellers in different categories on Amazon or other online retail platforms. 

Once you have a list of competitive titles, take the time to read through the book summaries, or even the full book if you can. Try to figure out how your book stands apart. What makes it unique?

Is your book told from a unique point of view? In the case of a book about snow, is the setting distinctive or unique? Is the child overcoming a problem not usually found in these books? Is there a twist ending that the reader won’t see coming? Find that element that makes your book stand apart from others so that you can explain to potential readers what makes it different! 

The protagonist is the main character in a book. This is who your story is about, and before putting pen to paper, it’s essential that you get to know who this person is. Not their name, but who they are at their core.

When you think about your own favorite books, what stands out? Is it the story or the characters? I’d put money on the fact that it’s the characters. Memorable characters are what draws a reader in, and what makes a reader come back time and again. But to be memorable, your characters must be distinct. They must be unique. Even in a picture book, characters should have a personality. So, who is your protagonist? Begin by asking yourself these questions:

  • What does the protagonist want?
  • How old is your protagonist? Do they have any siblings? What is their family structure?
  • Does your protagonist have pets?
  • Who is your protagonist’s best friend? Their worst enemy?
  • What is the protagonist’s best quality? Their worst quality?

Not every one of these answers will make their way into your story. But being able to answer them will go a long way toward creating a well-rounded, REAL character that readers will remember. For a more comprehensive list of questions, check out my Character Questionnaire article .

Pro Tip: Want to go a step further? Ask yourself the same questions about your antagonist if you have one, or any secondary characters. 

4. Find the book’s main problem

Almost every story written has a problem to be solved. Whether that’s getting a child to sleep, finding a missing sock, or something far more elaborate, the problem is what the story is about. But it’s not enough to just state the problem and then solve it. For a story to have any real depth, the solution cannot come too easily. As a children's book editor, I continue to see authors making the same mistakes.

  • Solving the problem too fast. Most of us don’t get things right on the first try, and neither should our characters. The struggle to solve a problem is what makes reading a book fun—the waiting and hoping that something will work, only to find that it doesn’t. When a character identifies their problem and solves it right away, the reader is left feeling unsatisfied. There is no real tension to the story. 
  • Not presenting obstacles to the problem. Problem solving is never straightforward. No matter what we do, there are ups and downs. A story should convey those ups and downs. Overcoming a large obstacle may require first overcoming smaller ones. Two characters who are trying to physically reunite might find themselves foiled by a missed phone call, a misunderstood message, a delayed train . . . each of these builds the tension in the story, leaving a reader hungry for the satisfaction of seeing the characters ultimately reunite. In a picture book, these obstacles may be as simple as trying several times before finding the right solution to a problem. 
  • There is no turning point. This is the other big one that I see. Often in a first draft, authors will simply move their protagonists toward the final solution to a problem without explaining how they came up with the idea for the solution, or what instigated the action that led to that resolution. But to simply jump to the resolution is not satisfying. As readers, we want to know what changed in a protagonist’s mind. What was that spark that suddenly sent them flying toward the resolution? We want to see that moment of epiphany. Take the time to nurture that moment and let it shine!

Plot consists of five elements: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion. When planning a story, remember that all five elements are needed.

A graphical interpretation of the 5 elements of plot: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion

  • The introduction is where the problem is introduced.
  • The rising action is the protagonist’s attempts to solve the problem. This is where the bulk of the story’s action takes place. Often at this stage the reader gets discouraged and almost gives up.
  • The climax is where the problem comes to a head, either where the protagonist finally confronts it or where the solution presents itself.
  • The falling action comes once the problem has been faced or solved. This is what happens as a result of solving the problem. A character feels better. A lost sock is paired up. Friendships are mended.
  • The conclusion is your wrap-up that ties your book up with a nice bow and tells us how it ends . . . or offers a lead in to the next book in the series. 

Children have short attention spans. If you don’t capture their attention immediately, they will just walk away. That’s why the first line of a book is so important. 

Take a look at some of the most famous first lines in literature:

“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” —Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Why is this line compelling? Because as a reader you immediately want to know how something can be both the best and the worst at the same time. The only way to find out? Keep reading.

“If you are interested in stories with happy endings you would be better off reading some other book.” — Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events

From the first line, we are told this story won’t end well. But we don’t know why or how the story won’t have a happy ending. That tease is enough to make us continue reading.

 “All children, except one, grow up.” —J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan.

With this line, we are immediately drawn in, wondering who that child is, and how is it possible that he did not grow up? We have to know!

Children’s books are short, especially picture books. Space is limited, so stick to what’s essential. Identify the book’s problem early and get to solving it! Take a look at these pages from my picture book, Periwinkle Smith in Stuck Duck , published by Charge Mommy Books . The first few pages set the scene for Duck having a good day. We see what he wants (a flower), then BAM! The problem shows up almost immediately! Duck is stuck and needs to find a way to get free!

An example of starting a story quickly from the leveled reader Stuck Duck, written by Brooke Vitale, illustrated by John & Wendy.

As a children’s book editor, I cannot tell you how often I slash the first three paragraphs (or three pages!) of a book. Why? Because the information in them doesn’t truly matter. It’s background information the reader doesn’t actually need, and its slowing down the story. Remember, background information can come later, once a reader is hooked. It’s the job of the first few pages of a book to hook the reader. To get their attention so they are willing to get to the background information. Which means getting to the good stuff fast!

Have a read through your book. How many words does it take before something of consequence happens?

Once the main problem in a story has been solved, the tension is gone from the story. The reader is no longer eager to find out what happened, so they have little reason to keep reading.

It can be tempting to tell the reader what happened months or years later, but the only thing that accomplishes is making a story drag on for an unnecessarily long amount of time. Instead, once the tension in your children’s book has been resolved and all the consequences of resolving the problem have played out, end the story quickly, and end it on a high note.

Personally, I love to end on a one-liner that makes a reader laugh (or cry, if it’s a sad story.) Something that quickly grabs that last bit of emotion and then sends the reader on their way. Take a look at this example from Periwinkle Smith in Stuck Duck , published by Charge Mommy Books and illustrated by John & Wendy. These are the last two pages of the book. On the first we see that Duck is now free. This immediately leads into him getting what he wanted from the beginning of the story (the flower) and walking away, satisfied. Quick and easy. The problem has been solved and there is no need to linger on the after-effects.

An example of ending a story quickly from the picture book Periwinkle Smith in Stuck Duck, written by Brooke Vitale, and illustrated by John & Wendy.

7. Use repetition

Our brains are naturally trained to find patterns. In math. In art. And in writing. So take advantage of that natural tendency to make your book more satisfying.

Especially in books for young readers, repetition is key. Often this will be the repetition of a phrase or action. By repeating the same thing over and over, a child gets familiar with it. They gain the ability to guess what will happen next or what the next line of text will be, which gives them a sense of ownership and accomplishment over reading the story.

Take a look at the example below from from the leveled reader I Am Not a Rooster from the Charge into Reading early reader book series , published by Charge Mommy Books . Note that the line “I am not” is repeated on each page. 

An example of repetition from the leveled reader, I Am Not a Rooster written by Brooke Vitale, published by Charge Mommy Books.

Another great example of this is the My Weird School books by Dan Gutman. Gutman takes advantage of repetition by using the same set of jokes in every book.

Here’s a line from Coach Hyatt is a Riot : "You’ll never believe in a million hundred years who walked into the door at hat moment. Nobody, because if you walked into a door it would hurt. But you’ll never believe who walked into the doorway."

This joke is repeated multiple times in each book of the series, offering reinforcement for new readers and allowing those being read to the ability to predict the next line of text. 

This kind of repetition often leads to more reader engagement children will eagerly listen for the next time they can shout out the lines of the book.

Repetition can be harder in books for older readers, but not impossible. Instead of repeating words, try repeating patterns, and take advantage of the Rule of Three.

The rule of three is a writing technique based on the idea that people process information better when it is presented as a pattern. In particular, it is a structural tool that allows a writer to set up the rising action of a plot and move toward the climax by presenting three attempts at “solving” a book’s problem. This is typically achieved by having a protagonist try something two times before ultimately being successful on the third try. The best example of this is the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. With each thing Goldilocks tries, it is not until the third attempt that she finds something that is “just right.” Trying two wrong things first builds added suspense that moves the story forward. The rule of three is particularly important in picture books, as it helps young readers to recognize patterns and identify when the story is concluding. 

Looking for more information on how to use repetition? Check out my article, What is Repetition: Examples of Literary Repetition Devices .

8: Write to the right length

Children’s books follow strict guidelines when it comes to length. A standard board book is meant for children between the ages of 0-3 and should not exceed 300 words. A picture book is meant for children between the ages of 3-8 and should be between 500 and 700 words, and should NEVER exceed 1,000. A beginning chapter book is meant for children between the ages of 6-8 and should be between 4,000 and 6,000 words. A chapter book is meant for children between the ages of 6-8 and should be between 4,000 and 6,000 words. Lower middle grade books are meant for children between the ages of 8-10 and should be between 10,000 and 25,000 words. Upper middle grade books are meant for children between the ages of 10-12 and should be between 25,000 and 50,000 words. 

A picture showing standard children's book lengths of picture books, early readers, chapter books, and middle grade.

When editing a children’s picture book, I find it helpful to create a book layout template. This enables me to visualize where each line of text goes, as well as how the art will fit each page. Often creating such a document will help tighten up a story by finding redundancies, places where the story is moving too slow, and places where page turns aren’t happening organically. Below is an example of a 32 page children's book template with no ends that can be used on a paperback or print on demand book.

A children's book template, also known as a book map is an early plan for text and illustration placement.

Even if you intend to seek a traditional publisher, this step is a good idea. There is no need to submit your template to an agent, but it will help you focus your story. And remember, just because agents and editors don’t want you to submit art, that doesn’t mean they don’t want to be able to visualize it as they read. The richer your language, and the more easily they can see the story unfolding, the better your odds of being picked up. A book layout template is a great way to ensure that your language is rich enough to paint a story without any art, so that the art acts as an enhancement, not a crutch.

For more information on how to create a children's book template: with a complete breakdown of children's book layouts for self-ended books, books with endpapers, and print on demand books, check out my article, A Template for Children’s Book Layout and Pagination.

Illustrations are essential to children’s books, but not all children’s books contain the same number of illustrations. A picture book will include full-color art on every page, while an early chapter book may include color art every few pages. A chapter book may have black-and-white art scattered throughout, while a middle-grade book may only have a single black-and-white piece of art per chapter, or no art at all.

As you write, keep in mind your target audience and what the art will look like. For a picture book, art tells the story as much as the text, so there is no need to describe how something looks. The reader will be able to see it with their own eyes. Instead, focus on keeping the story moving so that each piece of art is visually compelling. Think about how text will fit a page. And consider setting to ensure that no two pages look too similar. Locking a story into a single room can make it hard to achieve visual variety, while moving scenes outdoors or from room to room opens up more options. Take a look, for example, at the scenes below from my another level 1 reading book from my Charge into Reading early reader book series, How to Train a Dog , published by Charge Mommy Books . The illustrator first drew the scenes inside. Locked into one room, everything looked too similar. By moving outside and having a 360-degree view of the space, the art became far more compelling.

An example of how illustrations impact settings from the early reader book How to Train a Dog by Brooke Vitale, published by Charge Mommy Books.

For older books, art is still important, but more so is the readers’ ability to picture a scene. Are you painting a good visual and giving enough for a reader to see what you see? Are there any scenes where art is essential to understanding the story, as in a puzzle the reader must see, or a map they need to examine? Are you showing the scene, or just telling a reader what’s there? For more information on how to show, check out my article, Show, Don’t Tell .

There is no set number of revisions when it comes to writing a children’s book. A book may feel good after one round of revisions or it may take twenty rounds. Once you’re done with the first draft, take a step back. Give yourself a few days. Then it’s time to dive into the self-editing process. 

Self-editing is when an author corrects their own mistakes in a manuscript, revises the structure, and perfects word-choice. Whether you are preparing a book to go to a literary agent or book publisher, a professional editor, or can’t afford an editor and need to do everything yourself, self-editing is a crucial step of the book-writing and book-publishing process, and it requires you to be brutally honest with yourself. Are there characters in your book that aren’t needed? Scenes that are a holdover from a previous draft and no longer fit the story? Does the story flow logically? Are you using six words when you can use two?

In addition to self-editing, I always recommend getting beta readers. Beta readers are people who will read your book for free and offer a top-line analysis. Do they like the story? Does it read well or is it confusing. Are there characters they don’t like? Beta readers can be fellow writers, or they can be children in the target age range of your book, parents, or teachers.

Beta reading usually happens after a round or two of self-editing, and often requires another round of self-editing to incorporate the beta readers’ notes.

For more tips on self-editing, check out my article How to Self-Edit: Editing Tips to Improve Your Writing .

12. Come up with a book title

Every book needs a title, but coming up with the perfect one can be tough. A book title should be catchy. It should grab a reader’s attention and make them wonder what the book is about. And it should be unique. Yes, there are a hundred books out there with the same title. That’s true. But it’s also true that by using a book title that has already been used, you minimize your chances of being found in an online search. A unique, catchy book title will come up far faster in search results than one that is the same as everyone else’s book title. Remember, your title is one of your key marketing tools. So choose wisely, and don’t be afraid to keep reworking the book title until it feels right.

Pro Tip: In some instances a less-than-unique title may actually work to your benefit. A book title that matches a term people often search online may help potential readers find a book they never even knew they were looking for.

Imply that you know something the reader doesn’t. Take a look at the book titles below:

  • How to Catch a Turkey
  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
  • Finding Audrey

All three hint at what’s inside—information we don’t know. How do you catch a turkey? Why does the caged bird sing? Where is Audrey? All three pose a question that we as readers want an answer too.

Use rhyme and alliteration 

Kids love rhyme and alliteration. Catch their attention by using those tools in your title:

  • Llama Llama Red Pajama
  • Room on the Broom
  • Four Famished Foxes and Fosdyke

These titles are fun to say. And that implies the books inside will be fun to read!

This doesn’t work as well if the character is an everyday person or animal. But if you have a unique character that will intrigue readers (especially a made-up creature) use that to get a readers’ attention.

  • The Gruffalo

Use bold verbs to show off the action of the book.

  • Fishing in the air
  • Whoosh went the wind.

13. Hire a children’s book editor

Once you feel like you have taken your children’s book as far as you possibly can, it’s time to bring in a professional. A children’s book editor will not only be able to help you finesse your story, but will know the market and will be able to help you shape your book to fit the current children’s book market. This step isn’t entirely necessary if you plan to seek a traditional publisher, but it is still encouraged. After all, you only have one chance to impress an agent or children’s book publisher. Why wouldn’t you want to have your book in the best shape possible? For more information on children's book agents and children's book publishers, check out my articles, Top Children's Book Agents Accepting Submissions & Agent Query Guide and Top Children's Book Publishers Accepting Submissions , respectively. 

When it comes to book editing, there are many different editorial services: editorial assessment, developmental editing (also called line editing), copy editing, and proofreading. Each type of book edit serves a different purpose in an author journey, and each editorial service comes at a different time in the children's book publishing process. Before hiring a children's book editor, get familiar with these book editing services to ensure you are hiring a book editor for the right kind of book edit at the right time. For more information on hiring a book editor, check out my article, How to Hire a Book Editor .

Editorial terms can be confusing, and not everyone uses the same names. As a professional children's book editor with 20 years' experience working with top publishing houses, including Disney and Penguin, the definitions below are the ones I have been taught to use. To learn a bit more about how I personally approach editing, including how I evaluate illustrations, or to request a quote for editing a picture book, check out my article, What a Developmental Editor Does .

An editorial assessment is a high-level overview of a manuscript, and as such, it is the first step in editing a book. At its heart, an editorial assessment is an author’s opportunity to find problems with a book. For more information, check out my article, What is an Editorial Assessment with Real Word Examples . 

An developmental edit , or line edit, is the moment when a children’s book editor starts finessing the text of a book, making it age appropriate, and in the case of a picture book, determining what text fits on each page. For more information, check out my article What Is Developmental Editing and What to Expect From One . 

Copy Editing is a second set of eyes that finds the things a book editor missed and makes sure there are no problems with the manuscript. This occurs after a manuscript is finalized. For more information, check out my article What's The Difference Between Copy Editing and Proofreading?  

Proofreading occurs once a book has been designed and is almost ready to go to the printer. A proofreader compares a copy-edited manuscript to the designed pages to make sure no mistakes were introduced. For more information, check out my article What Is Proofreading: the Most Misunderstood Editing Service  

When seeking an editor, always get references, and always ask for a sample edit to ensure the editor’s vision and yours align. Not every editor will be a right fit, and not every author will be right for an editor. It’s best to feel that out before spending any money.

14. Book design and children’s book illustration

Book design and children’s book illustration are an essential part of writing a children’s book. But, and I cannot stress this highly enough, THEY ARE NOT NEEDED IF YOU ARE SEEKING A TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING PATH.

Agents and traditional book publishers do NOT want to see illustrations. They want to read the text of a book and see if they like it WITHOUT illustrations. If this is your path, check out my article, How to Submit a Book Manuscript to Publishers and Literary Agents . Not sure what you want to do? Check out The Pros & Cons of Traditional Publishing vs Self-Publishing .

If you plan to self-publish a children’s book, you will want to hire both a book designer and a children’s book illustrator. Begin with a book designer. The book designer will lay your story into a design template that can then be given to an illustrator. The book template will ensure the illustrator is drawing to the correct book size and keeping in mind where art will fit.

Children’s book illustration is very personal. And if you are spending the money on illustrations, you want to find a style you love and that feels like a good fit for your book. That’s why I never recommend specific illustrators. But I do recommend negotiating certain terms. Always, always, always ensure that any illustrator (or any professional at all) that you work with gives you a contract. An illustrator contract should include the following:

  • Fee and payment schedule: when and how will you pay the illustrator
  • Rights: how can you use the art, and under what circumstances do you need to pay the illustrator additional money?
  • Illustrator copies: how many copies of the final book will the illustrator receive for free, and under what terms can they purchase more copies?
  • File delivery: how will files be delivered and in what format?

For a step by step process on hiring an illustrator, check out my article, How to Find, Negotiate with, and Hire an Illustrator . If you want to know more about the stages of illustration and all of the different types of art that can be included in children's books, check out my article, How to Illustrate a Children's Book: A Step by Step Guide . 

Writing a children’s book, and even hiring an illustrator is only the beginning. To actually self-publish a children’s book requires a lot of little steps you might not even think about: copyright registration, buying an ISBN, getting P-CIP data, deciding on a trim size, developing a marketing plan, children's book printing . . . But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. For a complete step-by-step guide that will make sure you don’t miss a beat, check out my article, How to Self-Publish a Children’s Book: The Essential Guide .

Need a children's book editor?

Traditionally published books edited, self-published books edited, 5-star reviews, published books written.

Brooke is amazing! I strongly recommend her. She understands rhyme and meter and can help make your story more complete. Through her help and her great questions I was able to really take my story from a simple and shallow story with a good ending to a really good story that children will enjoy and relate to. I thought I had a good story when I sent it to Brooke fire a final edit. She helped me...

— Author, Via facebook

— May 25, 2021

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How to Write a Children’s Book: The Dos and Don’ts and Everything in Between

  • on Sep 08, 2022
  • in Writing Tips
  • Last update: September 26th, 2022

If you’ve ever wondered how to write a children’s book, then you might have thought it would be an easy task—after all, we were all children ourselves once, right? But the trouble with adults is we often forget what it’s like to be a child.

J. M. Barrie, author of the famous children’s novel Peter and Wendy , demonstrates the difference between children and adults: children believe, and adults learn to doubt. In order to write a book for children, a writer must try to remember what it’s like to believe. That’s the first step. Afterward, we’re here to help!

In this article, we offer insight into the different types of children’s books, tips on how to approach writing for children, a detailed step-by-step guide on how to turn your idea into a published work, and a list of mistakes to avoid during that process.  

So you want to know how to write and publish a children’s book? Let’s get to it!

how to write children's books

Types of Children’s Books

Children’s literature covers everything from ages 0 to 18. The children’s book industry typically divides this wide age range into smaller ones, and offers six main types of children’s books, each one catering to a specific age group. In order to give you an overview of the market and what’s out there, let’s start with a breakdown of the different categories.

1. Board Books 

Board books are small books for small hands, which makes them the perfect gift for infants. They are designed to be suitable for babies by having rounded corners, thick cardboard pages to resist wear and tear, and are usually of a 6 x 6 inch format. 

  • Reader Age Group : 0 to 3 years
  • Topics : Board books tend to be educational , with very simple plots (if any) and basic vocabulary . They can be used to introduce children to colors, numbers, animals, shapes, etc.
  • Length : Standard board books are usually a maximum of 20 pages or about 300 words. 
  • Design : Illustrations outweigh the text in board books. They rely on bright and colorful pictures to attract the attention of the youngest readers in the children’s book market. 
  • Counting on the Earth , illustrated by Ekaterina Trukhan
  • Forever My Baby , written by Kate Lockwood; illustrated by Jacqueline East

2. Picture Books 

Think of picture books as the next step up from board books; they still rely heavily on illustrations, but they have more text and their inside pages are not restricted to paperboard but can be made of paper instead.  Moreover, they usually have a storyline rather than just abstract topics or random facts.

  • Reader Age Group : 3 to 6 years
  • Topics : The plot in picture books is still very basic, so topics can vary as long as they are easy to grasp. There is also usually the main character for readers to follow (often a child or an animal). 
  • Length : The number of pages can range from 8 to 48 pages, but the standard length is 32 pages , with a maximum word count of 900 words .
  • Design : Illustrations are still vital for picture books, and it’s standard to have one for each page. The format is slightly larger than board books: typically 8 x 10 or 8 x 8 inches. Picture books also come in different orientations: vertical (like typical books), horizontal, or square (like board books). 
  • Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons , by James Dean; illustrated by Eric Litwin
  • Stella: The Shark Who Loves Treasure , by Sarah Cullen and Carmen Ellis; illustrated by Zuzana Svobodova 

3. Early Readers

Also known as Easy Readers, these books are for children who can read basic text, but who can’t read well enough to jump into longer books. Publishers tend to categorize their easy readers into series and levels of difficulty, making it easier for parents to know where to start.

  • Reader Age Group : 6 to 8 years.
  • Topics : Early readers cover topics that are relevant to budding readers. They tend to be about friends, family members, and/or pets, and employ simple sentence structure to convey the story.
  • Length : Depending on the level, the word count ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 words.
  • Design : Still heavily illustrated, but with far more text than picture books. Their format tends to be that of a standard adult paperback: 6 x 9 inches. 
  • A Pig, a Fox, and Stinky Socks by Jonathan Fenske
  • The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto by Natalie Standiford; illustrated by Donald Cook

4. Chapter Books 

Chapter books are geared towards children who are classified as independent readers. With chapter books, young readers are exposed to slightly more complicated plots and more advanced vocabulary.

Most importantly, however, they experience the traditional way in which adult books are divided. Readers are also introduced to cliffhangers when the end of one chapter makes them curious about the next. 

  • Reader Age Group : 8 to 10 years
  • Topics : Since plots are more complicated in chapter books, there is room to explore an even wider variety of topics as long as they are appropriate for children. In other words, the content should be engaging and relatable, while also remaining suitable for a young age group. 
  • Length : The word count for chapter books ranges from 4,000 to 12,000 words , with 4,000 being considered shorter than average, and anything above 10,000 being longer. 
  • Design : Chapter books have some illustrations spread throughout the book (rather than being on every page) and tend to be black and white sketches rather than color illustrations. The format tends to be a standard 6 x 9, but the chapters are short (some can be as short as 2 or 3 pages long) and paragraphs also range from 2 to 4 lines each. 
  • Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows by Asia Citro; illustrated by Marion Lindsay
  • Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl; illustrated by Quentin Blake 

5. Middle-Grade Novels 

Also known as pre-teen novels, middle-grade  novels are a young reader’s final stepping stone to young adult novels. Unlike chapter books, middle-grade books start to look more like adult novels: chapters are longer and more complicated, paragraphs contain more descriptive text, and there is room for subplots and more complex themes. 

  • Reader Age Group : 9 to 12 years (pre-teen years)
  • Topics : As mentioned earlier, starting from chapter books, topics can range widely. Just take a look at the titles of chapter books and middle-grade novels and you’ll see how utterly silly or strictly serious they can be! However, with middle-grade novels, themes can be a bit darker and/or more complex than those of chapter books. Genres can range from historical fiction and fantasy, to simple biographies and other nonfiction works.  
  • Length : The word count for middle-grade novels can range from 20,000 to 40,000 words.
  • Design : Middle-grade novels contain little to no illustrations. Paragraphs and chapters are longer than those of chapter books. They tend to have a standard format of 6 x 9 inches but are of course much thicker than chapter books due to the jump in the word count.
  • Wonder by R. J. Palacio 
  • The My sterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Steward; illustrated by Carson Ellis

6. Young Adults Novels

We have now reached the last and most advanced type of children’s book out there: the young adult novel (or YA for short). YA novels cater to an older age group of children, and although they cover similar themes as do middle-grade novels, these themes are fleshed out in much more depth. The content is also more geared towards teens and the everyday problems they face. 

  • Reader Age Group : 12 to 18 years
  • Topics : Just like middle-grade novels, YA novels cover a wide range of topics and genres; however, they typically do so from the perspective of teenagers. Therefore, they tend to discuss topics such as sexuality, bullying, dating, and coming of age.  
  • Length : YA novels can range between 40,000 to 120,000 words , depending on the genre and the level of complexity of the plot. 
  • Design : YA novels don’t contain any illustrations (unless these are pertinent to the story, such as with graphic novels). They can be as long as “adult” novels and if successful, they tend to be published as both paperback and hardback editions. They tend to follow a standard format of 6 x 9 inches. 
  • Looking for Alaska by John Green 
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 

reading children's books

A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Children’s Book

Have you settled on the type of children’s book that you want to write? It’s now time to delve into a detailed guide on how to go about writing and publishing your new masterpiece.

Step 1: Choose Your Target Readers

As a children’s author, you are addressing young readers whose interests vary greatly depending on what age group they’re in. A six-year-old and a sixteen-year-old would definitely not pick up the same book. In fact, everything about your book will depend on who your target reader is: the content, structure, format, design—even the type of paper you will be using!

Step 2: Find Your Idea

With your reader in mind, think about whether your idea is marketable. The Ideas for writing a children’s book are limitless, but of course the more unique it is, the higher your chances of standing out. However, even if your idea has been explored many times before in other books, a fresh way of communicating it on the page will certainly make all the difference. 

Step 3: Do Your Research—and Read!

Now that you know your target readers and have a golden idea locked down, it’s time to do some detective work. What other books in your category and genre are out there? How do they market themselves to children? How would your book stand out from the crowd? 

By asking such questions, you’re conducting your own market research, thereby giving your book a higher chance of succeeding. When you’ve explored what’s out there, start reading! The more books you read in your category, the more confident you’ll be in the way you structure yours and deliver the right content.

Step 4: Create Your Main Character

When writing a story for children, one of the most important things to consider is who your main character is. You want to create a character that’s relatable but that’s also different enough from your readers to get them excited. Here are some questions to consider that will help bring your character to life:

  • What is a unique physical feature they have?
  • What are their strengths and weaknesses?
  • What are five things they hate?
  • What’s their favorite hobby? 
  • Why have you chosen them to lead your story?

Step 5: Choose Your Conflict 

Every plot, no matter how simple, requires there to be some sort of conflict. It’s what drives the story forward and what moves your characters. Choosing a conflict for your children’s book depends on the kind of book you’re writing and who you’re writing it for. 

For instance, the conflict in a picture book marketed for five-year-olds could be a cat getting stuck in a tree, whereas a conflict in a young adult novel could be a girl who constantly gets bullied at school. 

Step 6: Dive Right into the Story

With most children’s books, especially those for the younger age groups, you don’t have a lot of space to work with. Texts tend to be concise, and chapters are brief. That’s why in a good children’s book, there is a sense of momentum: the story flows and readers are carried right into the main events. 

This means you don’t have much time to provide a whole bunch of background information or too much descriptive text. You want to keep your readers interested, and you want to make sure that you’ll hold their attention from start to finish. So if you’re writing a picture book about a boy who loses (and hopefully then finds!) his dog, make sure he loses it from the very beginning. 

how to write Children's books

Step 7: Don’t Drag Out the Ending

The ending of a story usually happens after the resolution of the story’s conflict. Endings, especially in children’s books, normally shouldn’t be more than a couple of pages long. Why? Because your reader has already experienced all the excitement your book has to offer.

Imagine a story about a girl, May, and her cat. Here’s its basic plot structure:

Introduction : May loves her cat, Mr. Whiskerton, but he is very naughty.

Conflict : May loses Mr. Whiskerton, only to quickly find him stuck in a tree. 

Climax : Mr. Whiskerton is clinging to a tree branch that’s about to crack!

Falling Action : May calls the fire brigade and they arrive to rescue Mr. Whiskerton.

Resolution : May takes Mr. Whiskerton home. He has learnt his lesson.

What a rollercoaster of events! But notice that after the fire brigade arrives and saves Mr. Whiskerton, there’s nothing more to hold your young reader’s attention. All that’s left to do is tie up the story neatly; for example, by dedicating a page to show May cuddling with her cat, happy and safe at last. 

Step 8: Write a Draft, and then Rewrite it 

Sometimes the scariest part about writing a book is that blank page that’s staring at you. But time and again, authors have described the perfect antidote for the problem: just start. It won’t be perfect the first time, but at least you’ll have something to work with. 

So use steps 1 to 5 to build your confidence in the work you’re about to write and just put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard!). Once you have a complete first draft, then you can start your self-editing . Trim the unnecessary details; change any vocabulary that might be either too advanced or too patronizing; adjust the tone of voice to suit your subject and target reader. Keep editing and editing until you’re satisfied.

Step 9: Choose Your Title

The title is your book’s ultimate marketing tool and the way your book will make a first impression not just on readers but on publishers as well. Imagine you’re pitching your work to an agent or publisher: “I’m writing a book about dragons who attend dance school,” you might say. Immediately, the response will be: “What’s it called?”

Titles are vital for children’s books because, along with the cover, they are your book’s first impression. Not only do they dictate what the cover will look like, but also if they’re catchy or weird or even downright silly, they’ll be a hit with kids! 

For example, you can use alliteration ( The Wind in the Willows ; Horrible Histories ), rhyme ( The Cat in the Hat ; It’s Time to Wake, Jake ! ), exaggeration ( Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day )—or any other creative techniques you can think of. 

So, if titles are that important, how come choosing them is Step 8? Well, the truth is, often you won’t have the perfect title until you’ve actually written the story. You might have an initial title and then realize it just doesn’t work now that you’ve actually arrived at the end of your book. So get the writing done first, and the right title will follow.

Step 10: Gather Your Beta Readers 

An important step before publishing your manuscript is sending it out to beta readers. And since yours is a children’s book, you want to be specific about the type of readers you seek out. Of course, feedback from other children’s authors is great; however, the truly valuable input will come from parents and their children. After all, they are your book’s market, so who better to let you know what works and what doesn’t? 

If you have children of your own, you’re in luck! Simply give them the manuscript and ask what they think (just like J. R. R. Tolkien did with his two sons when writing The Lord of the Rings trilogy). Or if you’re writing for a very young age group, test out your work by reading it aloud to them. For more detailed guidance on how to make the most out of your beta readers, check out this article on our blog.

Step 11: Hire a Professional Editor 

So you’ve written and self-edited your book then implemented the feedback from your beta readers. Take a moment to congratulate yourself—you’re nearly there! Hiring a professional editor is the natural next step, especially if you’re new to writing children’s books. 

But you’re not just looking for any editor; you need a professional children’s editor who specializes in books for your target age group and genre. Finally, if you’re not sure where to look for an editor, the Editorial Freelancers Association is a great place to get started. 

Step 12: Get to Publishing

We have finally arrived at the last destination of the long but rewarding process of writing a children’s book: getting it published! You have two main routes to choose from: 

  • Self-publishing: If you’ve decided to self-publish your book, you might need to hire an illustrator, depending on the category your work falls under.  If you’re not an illustrator yourself and you’re writing a picture book or an early reader, you will definitely need to hire an artist. 

But don’t panic—unless your book heavily depends on illustrations, you won’t have to do so until your text is complete. Here’s a great article on how to go about hunting for the perfect illustrator for your book. 

  • Traditional publishing: If you’re going down the traditional publishing route, you probably won’t get to choose the illustrator you work with. Instead, most publishers will want to pair you with an illustrator of their choice. Later in this article, we provide you with a list of top children’s publishers. 

You can read more about self-publishing vs traditional publishing on our blog.

Child reading books

Dos and Don’ts When Writing Children’s Books: A Checklist

If you’ve made it this far, that means you now have all the necessary information to write a great children’s book—hooray! In this section, we’ve put together a checklist of five golden tips for children’s book authors, as well as a list of five mistakes to avoid. When writing your book, keep the first one handy and see how many items you can tick off before moving on to the list of Don’ts.

The Dos Checklist:

  • Your book has the right tone of voice that demonstrates authorial confidence without “babying” the reader or patronizing them. 
  • Your book includes vocabulary that is suitable for your target readers. Remember, if it’s too easy, they’ll feel talked down to, and if it’s too difficult they won’t have the confidence or will to read on.
  • Your book is of an appropriate length compared to other books in the same category.
  • Your book has character(s) with flaws as well as strengths. This is a sign of great characterization. In doing so, you make your characters feel real (even if they’re wizards or half-elves). When your characters feel real, your readers will believe in them. 
  • Your book is entertaining for young readers but can entertain their parents, too . This is not a must, but it’s definitely a plus. 

The Don’ts List:

  • Don’t include too much text in picture books: your readers are at a more visual age, and the text mainly serves to complement the illustrations. 
  • Don’t model your book on other children’s books from your childhood. Although some books are classics that stand the test of time, it’s always better to get inspiration from current bestsellers.
  • Don’t choose a cover simply because you like its aesthetic; a cover makes a book’s first impression, and they are extremely important, especially for young children. Choose a cover that helps tell your story. 
  • Don’t make your book sound preachy. If there’s anything kids have enough of, it’s instructions on how to behave. Even if your book aims to teach children something, make sure the message is subtle and not too direct.
  • And finally, don’t go into children’s writing thinking it’s the easy way out because of shorter lengths and word counts. Writing books for children is an art and it takes talent and perseverance to get it right. After all, children can be the most honest of critics! 

best children's book publishers

Where to Publish Your Children’s Book

There are many ways you can get your book published: self-publishing , hybrid publishing , or traditional publishing. If you decided, however, that you prefer to self-publish your book and gain full control over the creative process, then here is an article that will help you do just that: Best Free Digital Publishing Platforms for Aspiring Authors . 

You can also learn how to use Kotobee Author to create some outstanding interactive books for children . As for those who are interested in getting published through a publishing house, here is a list of some of the wonderful children’s book publishing houses and presses we love: 

Random House Children’s Books

random house children's books logo

  • Children Categories: Babies and toddlers, beginning readers, intermediate readers, and young adults.
  • Examples of Bestsellers: Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective and Goodnight Racism  
  • Submissions: Manuscripts can only be submitted through literary agents.

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

little brown books for young readers logo

  • Children Categories: Picture books, middle grade, young adult, and graphic novels.
  • Examples of Bestsellers: Think Big, Little One and The Wild Robot

HarperCollins Children’s Books

HarperCollins Children’s Books logo

  • Children Categories: Board books, picture books, early readers, middle-grade readers, and teen/young adults.
  • Examples of Bestsellers: Stacey’s Extraordinary Words and Who Are Your People?
  • Submissions: All manuscripts must be submitted through a literary agent, except when submitting to the children’s native-focused imprint Heartdrum .

Macmillan Children’s Book Publishing Group

Macmillan Children's Book Publishing Group logo

  • Children’s Categories: Baby and toddler, young readers, children’s classics, children’s poetry, and young adult.
  • Examples of Bestsellers: The Gruffalo and Children of Blood and Bone
  • Submissions: All manuscripts must be submitted through literary agents.

Flying Eye Books

Flying Eye Books logo

  • Children’s Categories: Picture books and children’s books for up to 14 years (including fiction and nonfiction).
  • Examples of Bestsellers: Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space and I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast
  • Submissions: Author submissions accepted for picture books and illustrated non-fiction books

Thames and Hudson

Thames and Hudson children's books logo

  • Children’s Categories: Activity books, picture books. pop-up books, non-fiction children’s books.
  • Examples of Bestsellers: Out to Sea and If I Had a Dinosaur  
  • Submissions: Authors can send their proposals .

Laurence King Publishing

Laurence King Publishing

  • Children’s Categories: Picture books, activity books, and non-fiction books for young adults.
  • Examples of Bestsellers: Little Guides to Great Lives: Anne Frank and A Book of Monkeys (and Other Primates)
  • Submissions: Author can submit their work directly through email.  

Firefly Press

firefly publishing logo

  • Children’s Categories: Younger readers, middle grade, and young adults.
  • Examples of Bestsellers: Crater Lake and Lori and Max
  • Submissions: Author and illustrator submissions accepted (but only occasionally for works of fiction).

If you decided, however, that you prefer to self-publish your book and gain full control over the creative process, then here is an article that will help you do just that: Best Free Digital Publishing Platforms for Aspiring Authors . 

Or you can find a middle ground and go with a hybrid publisher instead, who will assist you in the creative process while still giving you authority over your work.

And if you want to go the digital route and publish your ebook as an electronic book then you can use Kotobee Author to create some outstanding interactive ebooks for children .

Final Thoughts

It’s clear that writing a children’s book is A LOT of work. But oh sweet the joy of touching the lives of young readers! And now that you know the steps to follow, what’s to stop you from writing the next bestseller? 

Just remember to always keep your target age group in mind, and to leave the adult doubts at the door. After all, children’s writing is where the magic of childhood comes alive. 

Creating Outstanding Interactive Children’s Books: Best Practices, Tools, and Examples

Augmented Reality in Books and Publications

How to Create an Interactive Textbook for Your Students

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Your emphasis on understanding your audience, crafting relatable characters, and maintaining a sense of wonder and simplicity is foundational advice. It’s evident that you’re not just sharing tips but also imparting a philosophy of storytelling that is rooted in a deep understanding of the world of young readers.

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POSTED ON Sep 15, 2021

Marcy Pusey

Written by Marcy Pusey

If you’re wondering how to write a children’s book that readers will love, you’re not alone. One of the questions I get most from children’s writers is: “How do I know if my book is good ?” 

You can be given all of the logistical steps, from A to Z, on how to publish a children’s book, but it doesn’t mean your final product is high quality. 

Maybe you follow the steps: write a story that’s 700 words or less, get it to fit on 28 pages, have a child-hero, decent illustrations, and you finally hit publish.

Then crickets .  Crickets, in this case, can represent two major problems:

  • You didn’t have a strong launch or market your book well.
  • It’s just not that great of a book. 

So how can you be sure that your book is the kind that readers will love?  

In this article, we’ll take a look at the steps to get started writing a high-quality children’s book that readers will love, no matter if you self-publish or traditionally publish .

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Here are the steps on how to write a children’s book successfully:

Step 1: read children’s books, step 2: be around children (your ideal reader).

  • Step 3: Brainstorm a unique story to write

Step 4: Write with children in mind

Step 5: develop your writing craft.

  • Step 6: Develop your children's book characters  
  • Step 7 : Hire a children’s book editor
  • Step 8: Invest in good children’s artwork  
  • Step 9: Get an attractive children’s book cover & title
  • Step 10: Infuse a “ read it again!” quality into your book

What makes a children’s book good?

If you're learning how to write a children's book, you need to start by defining the qualities of a good children's book.

According to the Caldecott Medal , the much esteemed award for the most “distinguished American picture book for children,” a quality picture book is:

“…one that essentially provides the child with a visual experience. A picture book has a collective unity of story-line, theme, or concept, developed through the series of pictures of which the book is comprised… The book displays respect for children’s understandings, abilities, and appreciations.” 

I would add that “quality” children’s books also have the following elements: 

  • They provide an emotional or thought-provoking experience for the reader
  • They include multiple layers of meaning 
  • They don’t patronize children or “dumb-down” the content
  • They provide new insights , allow for a variety of responses, and challenge the reader’s thinking and feelings 
  • They appeal to children and the “child” within their adults
  • They have a great “Read it Again!” quality
  • They display a perfect symbiosis of storytelling with the art and text

How do I start to write a children's book?

Now that we have an idea of what makes a children’s book “good,” it’s time to learn how to write a children’s book that incorporates the essential elements we identified above. 

By starting with these basics, you'll start creating a solid foundation that builds up to a quality book for kids that will be enjoyed for years to come.

Are you ready to get started? 

Learning how to write a children’s book begins with reading many children’s books, through the eyes of an aspiring author.

Related: How to become an author

One of my favorite quotes on the craft of writing for children is from Stephen King. I know, right? Actually, Stephen King has also written a book for children! 

If You Don'T Have Time To Read You Don'T Have The Time To Write Quote By Stephen King

He says, “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write.”

You have to read every children’s book you can get your hands on in order to know what’s selling, identify the qualities of great storytelling, and engaging with content you want to master. 

You can develop the art of storytelling for children for free just by spending time at your local library reading.

Here's why you should read children’s books if you want to be a children’s book author:

  • Familiarize yourself with what’s selling
  • Understand how great stories handle storytelling, pacing, use of illustration in storytelling, character development, and all the rest
  • Learn hands-on by personally engaging the content you hope to master. 

Kids are the best. If you don’t think so, you probably shouldn’t be writing for them. 

I love sitting in a room with my son and his friends while they play Apples to Apples. I secretly text their hilarious conversation to their moms and I quietly laugh-cry and try not to pee my pants. 

Kids say the best things, which is great for your research as an aspiring children’s book author. They’re often brutally honest, in good ways and challenging ways. And when they’re obviously not being honest, we have to stifle our laughter to discipline them. 

Understand What Kids Want From A Children'S Book Quote

Hang out with a group of kids long enough and you’ll not only have a long list of new book ideas, but a really great sense of what tickles their humor, what gets them excited, and even how they respond to everyday obstacles. 

This will inform and strengthen any book you write.

Step 3: Come up with a good idea to write about

What makes a children’s book idea good ? Children’s books can be silly, deep, inspiring, hilarious, zany, serious, and straight up weird. They can make you laugh, cry, gasp, squeal, giggle and guffaw. 

But just being silly, zany, deep, or inspiring is not enough to make a book great, let alone good. 

Drive your story with an unforgettable, relatable character or an emotionally-charged plot that keeps kids on the edge of their seat, and you’ll have an above-par book that kids love to read over and over. 

Where do these good ideas come from? 

Be an observer and you’ll find ideas everywhere! Record them so you don’t forget them. I have a list of hundreds of book ideas. Most of them are rubbish. At least four of them have become best-selling books that kids and their adults read regularly. You never know what gems will pop up when idea-spiration hits. 

Here are some places to find ideas for a children’s book:

  • Fractured fairy tales : Take a commonly known myth or legend and retell it in a new and creative way. Think “ The True Story of the Three Little Pigs ” (as told by the wolf), Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs , or my very own book, Tercules . I took the legend of Hercules, combined him with a wild turkey chick, and voila. 
  • Unlikely characters and settings: Speaking of Tercules, another great place to get ideas is by throwing together two very unlikely characters and dropping them in an unlikely setting. Shark versus Train is a great example of this. 
  • Putting characters in child-like settings and circumstances: Some book ideas are life skills we want to teach our kids in creative ways. The Princess and the Potty worked magic with my daughter. Or Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten? , illustrated by my acquaintance, Daniel. Taking a unique character and putting them in the position of a child will help kids catch all sorts of great life skills. Or on a more serious note, my own Speranza’s Sweater: A Child’s Journey Through Foster Care and Adoption , gives children permission to experience the many conflicting feelings of adoption through the lens of Speranza. Jed Jurchenko also does this with his recent release, The Stormy Secret , helping kids navigate the safe places to share secrets imposed on them. 

Everything about your book: your story idea, book layout, page count, number of illustrations, and depth of the plot depend on who you are writing for.

Who Am I Writing A Children'S Book For

If you’re learning how to write a children’s book, then your target audience is…well, children, right?

While this is true, if you target your book at every child, you’re actually writing for no child. 

Kids won’t see themselves represented in a book that’s for everyone . A book that focuses on a particular group of kids will not only strike a chord with that group, but you’ll find other kids love it as well. 

Having a focus actually expands your book’s influence! This is true for any literature you write. Additionally, a picture book is most often read aloud by an adult, so they as the adult-reader and purchaser are part of your target audience as well. 

So how do you determine your target audience? Go back to the reason you’re writing for children. Is it to communicate a particular value? Is it to make your grandchildren proud of you? Is it to teach kids their colors or letters? Is it to make money as an author? Know your deep, heart-reason for why you want to write for kids. 

When you understand why you’re writing, think about who you are most likely to impact with your passion.

For example, much of my writing (for adults or for children) is about removing shame, restoring dignity, helping people to feel seen and valued. My target audience, then, are children who are internally questioning if they’re as “good” or “worthy” as the other kids around them. They feel insecure and inadequate. They feel different and small. They feel “too much” or “not enough.” They’re the precious under-dog. They are me when I was a kid.

Use these questions to help you write for your target audience: 

  • Who are you writing for? Write your book for them, and don’t try to write for everyone. 
  • Who is this book for? Spend time with those kids. Spend time with those adults. Get to know them. 
  • Who are they on a deeper level? What are their hopes? Their fears? Their longings? Their questions? Their dreams? 

Write your book for your target readers. While other kids will read it and love it too, don’t miss this opportunity to know why you’re writing and to whom your writing. This is what writers of quality books do.

Writing for children is a form of art. It’s not something we should be flippant or careless about. 

We want to be good stewards of the influence we have with children through literature. They are our future! It’s our responsibility to be the best we can be as we encourage them to be people who work toward a better world. This means we need to learn how to write well.  

Quality picture book authors spend time learning. They attend conferences, workshops, participate in critique groups, read a ton, and take writing classes. They are sponges for strategies, tools, and personal feedback. They want to grow and improve. 

Here are specific examples of developing your craft to write a children’s book:

  • If you choose to write a book in rhyme, take the time to master meter, rhythm, and actual rhyming words or spare children of poorly written poetry and write in prose. 
  • If you’re working with a suspenseful plot, commit to a book outline to make it well-structured, logical, with important values, and a timeless quality. Dedicate yourself to the best use of language and storytelling. 
  • If you’re driving the story with an unforgettable character, be devoted to consistency, believability, voice, and the transformation of their character. 

All quality children’s book writers work to improve their craft. You should, too! Opportunities to grow as a children’s writer exist on Udemy, Self Publishing School, Master Class, local colleges / universities, and organizations like the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. 

If you’re interested in taking some online courses to learn how to write a children’s book or learn about kid-lit topics, check out these resources: 

  • Self-Publishing School
  • Taralazar.com  
  • Children’s Book Academy with Mira Reisburg 
  • or any of these 100 options provided by KidLit441

Related: Self-Publishing Courses

Step 6: Develop your children's book characters 

Speaking of characters who hold a story together, quality writers often employ a memorable main character. 

When you’re learning how to write a children’s book, it’s important to focus on developing unforgettable characters. 

Related: Character Bio Template

Think Fancy Nancy or Olivia or Ferdinand or the Gruffalo or Peter Rabbit. If you’ve been around kid-lit long enough, these names immediately bring a personality, a distinction, and a story to mind. 

How To Write A Childrens Book

Develop unforgettable characters…

Well-developed characters bring the quality of a book to the next level. The central character should be unforgettable, like the hungry, hungry caterpillar. 

Tips for developing children’s book characters:

  • Your readers should care about your central character by the end of the book, like we care for Piggy and Gerald by the end of any Elephant and Piggy book by Mo Willems. 
  • Characters should become your reader’s special friends, like Winnie the Pooh, Wilbur, or Ramona probably were for you. 
  • Characters should have distinct personalities that set them apart from other characters. They should be believable as they encounter obstacles in your story. They are flawed (aren’t we all?) and yet overcome a great many challenges (just like we do!). Think of each distinct character in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory , the Chronicles of Narnia , or Charlotte’s Web . 
  • Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten by Audrey Vernick, Marathon Mouse by Amy Dixon, the Berenstain Bears books, and the “How Do Dinosaurs” series by Jane Yolen all utilize the personification of animals as central characters. The use of animals can help children generalize behavior and values without getting hung up on whether or not the main character shares their ethnicity or abilities. 
  • Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina Lazo Gilmore and my own Weirdo and Willy are good examples of books that use a child as a central character. 
  • Thomas the Tank Engine by Reverend W. Awdry, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers , and The Bad Seed by Jory John and Pete Oswald all exemplify the use of objects with relatable qualities.
  • A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. and Erin E. Stead and The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda D. Williams are wonderful examples of a book using older people to represent a child-like trait or ability. This approach is shied away from in the traditional industry, so you won’t find many of them. But when they’re done well, they’re incredible.

All of these books and characters immediately elicit a memory and a smile. Books that readers love have good, strong, memorable lead characters.

Children'S Book Characters

Step 7: Hire a children’s book editor

Your children’s book only has 1-1000 ( max ) words, so why do you need an editor? 

Believe it or not, a children’s book professional will give you feedback on the marketability of your book, the content of your book, and address any grammatical issues.

No matter how well you think you can manage perfection with so few words and pages, or understand a child’s brain, your set of eyes alone will never be sufficient for a perfect manuscript. I’m a seasoned writer and editor and I still don’t trust myself to catch every grammatical issue or plot hole. 

You definitely don’t want just any editor. Avoid editors who have no connection to the children’s industry. While they’re probably really great editors for adult books, the nuances of editing children's books are significant. 

As a children’s editor, there are specific elements I pay attention to, that differ from editing books for adults. 

Here are some examples of what professional children’s book editors look for when editing:

  • Finds ways to condense the story to make each of the 1000 or fewer words as powerful and necessary as possible. Any word or scene that doesn’t move the immediate story forward is out of there. 
  • Dig for the use of story elements , such as hooks, tension and setting. These should be used in a much shorter space with fewer words and must  be perfect .
  • Considers the artwork in the children’s book. A t least half of the storytelling belongs to the artwork. Is the author stepping on the artwork’s toes by being too descriptive? Too lengthy? Too… controlling?
  • Incorporates industry standards.   Is the central character (the child-figure) the hero of the story? Is the language active? Are the words showing versus telling ? 

Invite a professional with strong experience in the children’s writing industry and credibility to back up their work to partner with you and your goal of making this book its best possible self. 

Consider the editor’s feedback and make any necessary changes. Stay true to your voice and your story while honoring the tradition of literature and writing quality books.

Step 8: Don’t skimp on the artwork 

I’m going to be really honest here. And while honesty isn’t a challenge for me, being brave to say what’s true when it might hurt someone’s feelings, is. But I’m going to say it anyway.

Just because you can draw or paint does not mean you should do the artwork for your book. It’s very likely not good enough . 

Don’t ask your friends who are too nice to tell you the truth. Ask a librarian or a children’s book store or the internet… show them your artwork and ask if it’s professional, publishing-quality illustration. If it’s not, and your goal is to sell the book, then…

Hire an illustrator. You can spend this time growing in your own illustration abilities for a future book. Being an artist is not the same as being an illustrator. 

Whew, I said it. Here’s the reality… learning how to write a children’s book means understanding that the book requires a perfect symbiosis of text and illustration in the storytelling . 

An effective children’s book illustrator knows: 

  • To be not only a good artist, but also a good marketer and book designer
  • What images attract children
  • Where the gutter of the book is and how to avoid it
  • The importance of white space for the text
  • How to tell a story with images, both to compliment your words and to develop the story even further
  • How to be your book’s life partner 

Just as you wouldn’t (hopefully) marry someone without careful thought and purpose, you shouldn’t marry your book off to any ‘ol artist, even if it’s you. Your book deserves the very best and this is what makes it a quality book. 

People will pick up a book because they love the artwork. They will also not pick up a book if they don’t. 

Parting words: About 1% of the authors I’ve seen illustrate their own books have done an incredible job. An author-illustrator I coached, Pam Fries, is one of them. Her book, Something’s Eating the Garden , is gorgeous. Most of her 80+ five-star average reviews talk about the quality of her hand-painted illustrations. I probably tried to talk her out of it. Or felt skeptical when she told me she was going to do it anyway (I hadn’t seen her artwork). And I’m so glad she did. If this is you , then by all means, illustrate your own book. I only ask that you make that decision with professional feedback.

Step 9: Get a catchy title and children’s book cover

Make An Amazing Children'S Book Cover

Sometimes coming up with the title of your book is harder than writing the book. And that’s partly because the importance of a good title for your book’s success. 

After your potential buyer stops because the cover is so amazing it caught their eye, they’re going to read the title. If the title is lame, they’re going to keep walking. You have about three seconds to keep them engaged. (If they read the title and like it, they’re going to flip to the back to read the book description . Make sure it’s good!) 

Tips for crafting a children’s book title: 

  • Make your title catchy and short. Definitely don’t give away the whole story with your title. Playful but slightly elusive. Clear but with a curiosity. 
  • Make it memorable . 
  • Make it specific to your book. It shouldn’t be so general that any number of other books could carry it without distinction. 
  • Make it a title that only works with your book. 
  • Read lots of children’s book titles and note the ones that stand out to you as clever or memorable. Use those as a model for your own title creation. 

Once you have a quality title, it’s time for a quality cover. Refer to my previous comments about illustration. Do not do your own unless you’ve been trained in marketing, design, and children’s books.

Hire someone to create a beautiful cover. They’re going to be thinking about what catches the eye of children and the interest of their adult with the wallet. Many illustrators are able to create quality covers but don’t assume.

That old saying, “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover?” Well, people do anyway, so let them judge yours as high-quality, professional, and exactly what they’re looking to put on their bookshelf. 

Step 10: Infuse a “Read it again!” quality

Finally, what makes readers love your book? It has that “Read it again!” feature. You know the one. It’s bedtime, you’re tired, they’re tired, and still they beg you to read it again. And honestly, you love it so much, you read it again. 

Not only does it feel good to be their read-again book of choice, but when you write a book at this level, you’re actually supporting their brain development! 

Studies have shown that repetition promotes healthy cognitive skill development. Writing a book they want to read over and over not only infuses them with the values you’ve encoded into the story, but supports their language development, memory, critical thinking, ability to analyze information, and social skill development. What we do is powerful. So let’s do it well.

Writing for children isn’t just about entertainment. We influence lives today for a healthier, more peaceful, more compassionate tomorrow. Think of the books that influenced you growing up. How they might still influence you. The books that carried you through hard times. The stories you just couldn’t put down or let go. 

When you write for children, you are changing the world today and tomorrow. Thank you for not taking that responsibility lightly by doing your research on how to write a children’s book that kids (and their adults) will love. 

If you want to follow a proven self-publishing framework with one-on-one coaching by a bestselling author , consider a self-publishing course !

What questions do you still have about learning how to write a children’s book? 

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How to Write a Children's Book

Last Updated: February 6, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Alexander Peterman, MA . Alexander Peterman is a Private Tutor in Florida. He received his MA in Education from the University of Florida in 2017. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,110,166 times.

Remember what it was like to curl up with your favorite book as a child, completely absorbed in the world of the story? We write stories for children to teach them lessons we have learned, to provide them with sources of delight and inspiration - and perhaps to reawaken those feelings in ourselves, too. This article outlines the steps involved in writing a children’s book, from generating ideas to pitching your finished manuscript to publishers.

Children's Book Help

how do you write children's books

Researching and Brainstorming

Step 1 Read a variety of children’s books.

  • Do you want your book to have illustrations, or will it be text-only?
  • Do you want to write fiction or non-fiction? Non-fiction or informational books require research or knowledge of the subject matter and can be good if you're an expert about something like dinosaurs, meteors or machinery.
  • For good fiction inspiration, read the classics. Don't limit yourself to recent works––go back in time and read stories that have withstood the test of time and try to find for yourself what it is about them that is so everlasting. For example, check out such books as: Goodnight Moon , Where the Wild Things Are , The Polar Express , and other favorites.
  • Check out fairy tales. The entertainment industry is currently experiencing a greatly revived interest in fairy tales and turning them modern. Since the majority of fairy tales are in the public domain, you're free to snaffle up characters and plots and take them to completely new places with totally new attitudes!

Step 2 Consider which age group interests you as a writer.

  • Picture books are suitable for younger children. They tend to be in full color, which makes them more expensive to print, so bear that in mind. On the plus side, they tend to be shorter, but then your writing needs to be very good to grab interest and keep the story tight.
  • Chapter books and non-fiction/informational books are for older children. Starting with easy-readers through to teen novels, there is a great deal of scope here but there is also likely to be a lot more writing and researching involved.
  • Don't neglect the potential for a book of poems or short stories. If you write either, you'll find children love both too.

Step 3 Decide whether your book is mostly words, mostly pictures, or a bit of each.

  • Before seeking an illustrator, sketch your ideas for the pictures that will go along with each page. This will help you with the next stage of editing, and you’ll be able to give the sketches to the potential illustrator to give him or her an idea of what you want.
  • Illustrators have very different styles, so it’s important to conduct thorough research before making a choice. Do an online search for illustrators and look at professional portfolios. If hiring a professional isn’t in your budget, you might want to ask a friend or family member who is artistic to create artwork for your story.
  • Consider photography as another option for adding images to your book. If you enjoy taking photos, you can use real-life scenery, stills using stuffed toys and so forth. You can also use a digital photo program to add elements that you can't photography easily.

Preparing the Book Contents

Step 1 Decide on the main components of your story.

  • Whether they’re geared toward children or adults, most great stories share a few basic elements: The main character, supporting characters, an interesting setting and a plot that includes a central conflict, trouble brewing, a climax, and a resolution.
  • For non-fiction or informational works: The book needs to inform the reader about history, people, events, real things or how-to instructions.
  • Picture books: These require a lot of illustration, usually in full color, which can make printing more expensive. Text is limited but needs to be both good and original––there is quite an art to limiting words and still putting across and excellent story.

Step 2 Consider incorporating a message for fiction works.

  • Consider pitching the idea to a child, like a niece or nephew, cousin, or the child of a close friend. Children typically give very honest feedback, so they can help you evaluate if your story will be interesting to their age group.

Drafting Your Story

Step 1 Write your first draft.

  • Write concise sentences that clearly communicate the ideas you want to share. This is a basic tenet of good writing for all ages. And it's especially important for children who are learning to grasp meaning from ever-increasing complexity.
  • Don’t underestimate the intellect of your readers. Children are fiercely intelligent, and if you make the mistake of writing “down” to them, they’ll quickly get bored with your book. Even though the themes are age appropriate and the sentences are simply written, your writing concepts should captivate your readers.
  • Keep up-to-date. Just because something doesn't interest you or seems too technical doesn't mean you can avoid it. Children want to read what's current in terms of language and concepts, so if that means learning about innards of such things as programming or texting lingo so that your story or information comes across as genuine, embrace the learning opportunity with enthusiasm!

Step 3 Provide a resolution or realistic outcome at the end of a fiction book.

  • For non-fiction, always seek to provide a conclusion to end the work neatly. It might be an observation of where the topic is likely to head in the future, or a summary of what main points can be taken from the book, or perhaps a whimsical reflection about what the reader might like to do/read/learn next.

Revising to Improve

Step 1 Revise your manuscript.

  • Learn to let go. While it can be hard to discard work you've spent hours and hours perfecting, only to find it doesn't fit or really work, it's part of being a writer. Knowing what to leave out is an essential part of the art of writing. To gain objectivity, take time away from your work and come back refreshed.
  • Spell check is a useful tool, but it won't catch everything. Re-read your manuscript a few times to make sure you've caught all the basic errors. Give yourself a few days in between each read so that you can come at your manuscript with fresh eyes each time.
  • Remember, long or complicated sentence may confuse young readers. One of the challenges in writing for children is communicating complicated stories clearly and concisely.

Step 3 Show your manuscript to others.

  • Remember to show your book to your primary audience: children. Read your manuscript to kids and pay attention to whether they seem to “get it,” which parts make them bored, and so on.
  • Consider whether your book appeals to parents, teachers and librarians. They are the ones who will be purchasing your book, so it should be interesting to them, too.
  • Once you’ve got feedback from a variety of sources, edit your manuscript again.

Publishing Your Book

Step 1 Self-publish

  • Some self-publishing companies provide higher quality services than others. Before choosing a company, look into the type of paper they use, and try to obtain samples of other books they have published.
  • When you self-publish a book, you still have a shot at getting it published by a traditional publishing house down the road. In fact, you’ll have a sample of your finished book to send them with your pitch. If it looks beautiful, this can give you an edge over other submissions.

Step 2 Find a literary agent.

  • Send agents a query letter and a book synopsis. If agents are interested, they’ll reply with a request to see the manuscript. It may take weeks or months to receive a reply.
  • If your book is not picked up by an agent, you may send your query letter and synopsis directly to publishers that accept unsolicited manuscripts. Research companies that publish books like yours before contacting publishers.
  • If your book is picked up by an agent, he or she may ask you to make revisions to the manuscript to make it more appealing to potential publishers. When it’s ready, the agent will send pitches to publishers that seem like the right fit. Again, the process can take months, and there’s no guarantee your book will be published.

Step 3 Publish for local consumption only.

Expert Q&A

Alexander Peterman, MA

Reader Videos

  • Be playful with language. Children aren't afraid to express their creativity and humor, so using funny words and phrases will help keep them interested in the story. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Express what kids like in your book. If you have a kid, ask what stories they like, and if you want, relate to it. This will be very fun for you. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Children's books are often collaborative efforts. If you're hiring an illustrator, be prepared to share the credit. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

how do you write children's books

  • Few people earn a living from writing children's books. It's a tough industry in terms of making a living, and while it is possible, don't quit your day job just yet. It's a lovely hobby or pastime and if you do manage to break into wider readership and earn a decent amount, then you can think about it as a possible future career. Thanks Helpful 129 Not Helpful 22

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  • ↑ https://www.writermag.com/improve-your-writing/writing-for-young-readers/childrens-book-mistakes/
  • ↑ https://kindlepreneur.com/how-to-write-a-childrens-book/
  • ↑ https://blog.reedsy.com/how-to-write-a-childrens-book/
  • ↑ https://www.dummies.com/education/language-arts/writing-childrens-books-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/
  • ↑ https://www.today.com/parents/want-write-good-children-s-book-here-are-7-tips-t85831

About This Article

Alexander Peterman, MA

To write a children's book, choose a target age group so you can tailor the content to their reading level. Next, create your story's main character and supporting characters, then outline a plot that includes a central conflict, a climax, and a resolution. As you write your first draft, focus on getting the story down on paper rather than creating perfect content. Revise your manuscript after you've completed the initial draft, then start looking for a publisher! To learn more about your publishing options, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Beginners Guide To Writing A Children's Book

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Starting to read books from an early age has a massive impact on a child’s cognitive development. Through reading books, children learn to interact with their surroundings more imaginatively. We all have memories of our earliest reading experience, be it bedtime stories, moral stories, or even just listening to our mums read out from the colorful picture books. Such is the impact of books on early infant brains.

Reading to children has endless proven benefits, so if you’re attempting to write a children’s book purely for the sake of making children fall in love with reading, you’re contributing to a good cause. Since children’s books are often not as long as compared to adult fiction, people mistake the venture of writing good books for children as easy. That’s not the case.

If it’s your first time writing a children’s book, here’re some tips to help you along the journey:

  • Know Your Audience

While writing a children’s book, or any book for that matter, you first have to get a clear picture of who your targeted audience is. And remember to make it specific. In the case of children, there is a lot of cognitive development happening in a short frame of time, and hence the reading age groups of children are short and distributed.

For that, you can either refer to group charts or determine the readability level of your text using the Flesch Kincaid grade level . After you have decided which grade level you’re aiming for, you can pick out the desired set of vocabulary to use in the book. The vocabulary should be such that the child can upgrade their vocabulary level without getting too overwhelmed!

  • Make It Relatable

Knowing what not to write in a children’s book is fairly easy, you’re not going to write about complex topics such as globalization or human rights in a book that’s meant for a child. 

Even then, it’s difficult to ascertain what exactly is going to cater to the chosen age level. Try to find out more about what the particular age group relates to the most by doing surveys, questionnaires, etc.

  • Focus On Details

A child’s mind tends to retain the particular details of almost everything they come across. Hence to say, the more detailed your text is, the better! Repetition is one such detail that sticks to a child’s brain for a long time. Try making the repetitions sound funny and interesting. 

You can also add rhyming text format to grab the attention of young readers. Some other common details that you can include are the writing fonts, colors used, detailed illustrations, etc.

  • Develop The Storyline

The storyline is the most important, yet difficult part of a children’s book. Once you have determined what your chosen age group relates to the most, try to build a story around it. Your story should first introduce a situation. Then you should introduce characters that are engaging. Each character should be strong and present enough to leave an impression on the child.

Once a situation is introduced, it’s now time to explore the situation through the characters. Try to make the vents as climactic and dramatic as possible. Toward the end, you should resolve the situation and teach the children a moral. Also, try to keep the stories short. Children with short attention spans do not like to read books that go on and on.

After you’ve made the decisions that will drive the story, it’s now time to take action! Write your first draft. Go through it repeatedly and make corrections. Repeat the process until you’re satisfied with what you’ve created. As for satisfaction, the bar should be high since kids are not that easily satisfied.

Once you’re confident in your draft, you can conduct a small social experiment. If you have kids from the targeted age range around you, you can have them read the book to provide feedback. Finally, you’re all set to publish your first children’s book!

Image Source Starting to read books from an early age has a massive impact on a child’s cognitive development. Through

how do you write children's books

Play and Learn: Excellent How-to Books for Kids

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Rachel Rosenberg

Rachel Rosenberg has been writing since she was a child—at 13, she was published alongside celebs and fellow teens in Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul 2. Rachel has a degree in Creative Writing from Montreal’s Concordia University; she’s been published in a few different anthologies and publications, including Best Lesbian Love Stories 2008, Little Fiction, Big Truth’s Re/Coded anthology and Broken Pencil magazine. She also appeared on the Montreal episode of the Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids podcast. Her day job is as a Children’s Librarian, where she digs singing and dancing with small humans.

View All posts by Rachel Rosenberg

These eight how-to books for kids will engage the makers and tinkerers in your life, teaching them while broadening their interests. I’ve also included a couple of simple picture books that encourage building and creating; if you know a younger maker, they might enjoy getting started through those.

An additional note: at Book Riot, we do our best to actively promote diversity in books and publishing. This list features very few authors and illustrators of color because I wasn’t able to find many that had written how-to books for the K to 3 set (if you know of any I missed, please share!). I did, however, find some excellent digital creators of color making fun and educational craft content for kids. Tabitha Brown’s YouTube series, Tab Time , has how-to craft and snack videos that are aimed at preschoolers, and Cheryl Gavrielides’s Instagram, creative_mama_che , has some fantastic and easy craft projects as well. Make sure to check them out too!

Kindergarten How-To Books

Boxitects cover by Kim Smith

Boxitects by Kim Smith

More story than information book, this will be great for kindergarteners who are just beginning to experiment with building. I really like how Smith refers to different types of makers by their fave craft — blanketeers, spaghetti-tects, tin-foilers, and egg-cartoneers. At the end of the book, she even provides a couple of boxitect-friendly instructions, including how to make a tunnel and castle.

The Most Magnificent Maker's A to Z cover Ashley Spires

The Most Magnificent Maker’s A to Z by Ashley Spires

Aimed at the younger set of this age range, Spires has written an A to Z book focused on words and terms that will help little kids in their future experimentation: brainstorm, experiment, gather supplies, learn, rethink, and more. The art is adorable and features the imaginative little girl from Spires’s The Most Magnificent Thing .

K-3 How-To Books for Kids

Junior Maker book cover

Junior Maker: Experiments to Try, Crafts to Create, and Lots to Learn! by DK

The text is big and unintimidating, and the crafts are tied to learning about specific topics like the solar system, the seasons, history, and animals. Very simple descriptions are accompanied by bright pages and vivid illustrations and photos. Among many other new skills, your little ones can learn how to create mosaics, put together marshmallow constellations, and measure rain.

Recycle and Play cover_Agnes Hsu

Recycle and Play: Awesome DIY Zero-Waste Projects to Make for Kids by Agnes Hsu

Aimed at the 3-6 age set, this book guides kids in being imaginative, reducing waste, and exploring new activities. Photographs are bright and colorful, and Hsu’s imaginative ideas are split by type of reusable materials (empty food containers, lids, milk cartons, etc). These are fantastic, simply made activities — I’m especially keen on the food box hippo game, paper tube shape stamping, and the sloth milk jug toss. And though they are for adults to make, primarily, kids can definitely help out with some of the tasks.

Rosie Revere's Big Project Book for Bold Engineers book cover

Rosie Revere’s Big Project Book for Bold Engineers by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts

This is an activity book using Rosie Revere, one of the characters from Beaty and Robert’s Questinoneers series. It’s a very accessible workbook that encourages little kids to be creative while building simple projects, and it’s aimed directly at them with lots of questions to answer between the pages of facts and engineering information. Currently, there are activity books for all five of the Questioneers, so you can also check out others like Iggy Peck’s Big Project Book for Amazing Architects , Ada Twist’s Big Project Book for Stellar Scientists , and the rest.

All the Science You Need to Know By Age 7 book cover

All the Science You Need to Know By Age 7 by Katie Daynes and Stefano Tognetti

This Usborne title is part of their All You Need to Know by Age 7 series. In this case, it’s an illustrated info book about being a scientist, the process of sorting things, and facts about living on a planet. Additionally, it provides data and activities across topics like animals, habitats, sounds, humans, weather, and more.

100 Easy STEAM Activities book cover

100 Easy STEAM Activities: Awesome Hands-On Projects for Aspiring Artists and Engineers by Andrea Scalzo Yi

Packed with creative projects that are easy enough for toddlers and older kids to enjoy, this will help kids learn early concepts in science, tech, engineering, art, and math. Activities like a rainbow water experiment and blowing giant bubbles will engage kids as they learn essential STEAM skills.

Making Books with Kids book cover

Making Books with Kids by Esther K. Smith

Written for adults but clear enough for kids to do it on their own with minimal help. And there’s no downside to doing a task like this together — talking about how to do things like this teaches children that adults are invested in their interests. In Smith’s book, tools and materials are explained clearly, allowing kids an accessible way to learn a new super-cool skill.

So there you have it, my recommendations for accessible how-to books for kids in kindergarten to Grade 3. These eight books will be fun for both kids and adults, and they’ll give you many rewarding, shared activities to tackle — fostering a stronger, more heartfelt connection.

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The Many Ways to Read a Book

Posted on February 23, 2024 by hallma

how do you write children's books

Touching : For infants and toddlers, books are not just stories but tactile experiences. Little fingers eagerly grasp at the pages, exploring textures, shapes, colors and even sounds. Board, foam, and cloth books are perfect for tiny hands to manipulate. They provide sensory exploration and develop fine motor skills.

Listening : Long before children can make sense of words on a page, they are captive listeners. Reading aloud to infants and young children exposes them to the intonation and rhythm of language which builds the foundation for comprehension and vocabulary development. Reading to children helps them associate the sounds they hear with the words on the page. Keep in mind that infants and toddlers are busy with short attention spans, so don’t feel the need to finish an entire book or even a page if a child’s attention drifts to something else. It’s okay to come back to the same book over and over again. It’s also okay to read to children while they are engaged in other activities like building if sitting for a story isn’t something they are interested in yet.

how do you write children's books

Story Retelling : As children grow and their language skills develop, they can retell familiar stories in their own words. Whether it’s a favorite bedtime story or picture book, the process of narrative retelling strengthens memory, sequencing abilities, and oral language proficiency.

how do you write children's books

Check out this resource on Dialogic Reading (an evidence-based shared-reading strategy):  https://ursdayton.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Dialogic-Reading-handout.pdf

As you consider the types of books to share with children, check out this previous blog post on diversifying your library: https://blogs.iu.edu/earlyliteracy/2021/09/09/diversifying-your-library/

All types of reading should be celebrated and children should view themselves as readers as early as possible. Let them know that reading words is just one way to read a book, but there are many others that they can do independently and with caregivers.  Children acquire foundational  reading and writing skills gradually. It encompasses not only decoding and comprehension, but also oral language development, phonological awareness, and print awareness. By viewing themselves as readers, child build their confidence and competence with early reading skills which can be motivating to read even more!

Lynne Hall, Research Associate, holds a Master of Science in Education and an Indiana instructional teaching license (Early Childhood Education and Services; Elementary/Primary Generalist; Elementary/Intermediate Generalist). She formerly taught preschool in a variety of settings for over 15 years. Her expertise includes early literacy instruction, equity in early childhood education, and inclusive classroom practices.

Email her at  [email protected] 

https://www.iidc.indiana.edu/ecc/index.html

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Why did Savannah write a faith-based book? Because she’s the person who ‘needs to read it’

The TODAY co-anchor took on a challenge that was both thrilling and scary when she decided to write her latest book, "Mostly What God Does."

Savannah Guthrie challenged herself to leave her comfort zone and “do something thrilling and scary” when she wrote her new book about faith, “Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere.”

The process was scary for the TODAY co- anchor , who is Christian, because she is, in her words, a “regular person” — not a theologian, not a religious scholar. And yet it was thrilling because her faith is an essential part of who she is.

“It’s what makes me tick. It’s what makes me joyful. It’s what helps me navigate the world and stresses and disappointments and fears,” she tells TODAY.com.

In the foreword for “Mostly What God Does,” a collection of essays and personal reflections released Feb. 20, she lays out her “road map” for the chapters that follow, based on what she describes as the six foundational aspects of a connection to God, including love, hope and purpose. She then notes that the book isn’t solely intended for those who have a firm belief in God.

“You may be faith-full, you may be faith-curious, you may be faith-less, still scarred by a toxic religiosity of your past,” she writes. Regardless of which category applies to you, Savannah invites you to “come as you are.”

“I’m not writing this book from some mountaintop where I’ve received some wisdom, and now I’m imparting it to the world,” she explains in the TODAY.com interview. “No, I’m still down here, struggling. Still down here, disappointing myself. I’m still down here, needing faith, needing grace, needing mercy, needing love. That’s why I wrote the book — because I’m the person that needs to read it. And so I thought, if I do, then maybe others do, too.”

Embarking on an important journey

Prior to working on what became “Mostly What God Does,” Savannah, 52, had co-authored two children’s books and was subsequently pitched follow-up projects.

“From time to time over the years since I wrote those kids’ books, I might get an offer to write something: another children’s book or laughably even a cookbook once,” she shares, with a nod to her relative lack of skill in the kitchen that inspired the TODAY All Day series “Starting from Scratch with Savannah Guthrie.”

“But I’ve always been so busy with the (TODAY) show and I’ve got little kids and I never really wanted to write anything,” the mom of two continues.

Then, about a year ago, she was presented with the opportunity to write a book about faith, and she says she felt intrigued, excited and challenged by the idea. She decided to give it a try, since she considers her faith to be her greatest passion.

The cover of Savannah's new book.

“I wasn’t sure there would be a book at the end of it, but I knew that it would be a really important path and journey to take,” she adds.

Her interest in faith can be traced back to her childhood, growing up as a Baptist in what she calls a “very churchy family.”

“We would go three times a week. It was very much part of my upbringing,” she recalls. “My sister has the best line in the book: She said, ‘God was the sixth member of our family,’ in our family of five.”

Though “Mostly What God Does” is not a tell-all memoir, as Savannah is quick to point out in the foreword, she does reference some of the struggles she has faced personally and professionally, including the loss of her father to a heart attack when she was a teenager ; a divorce in her mid-30s; and her winding career path before she landed her co-anchor seat at TODAY.

Over the years, she says, she’s gone through “seasons of devout study and enthusiasm” about her faith, and also “seasons of distance and disappointment,” when her relationship with God wasn’t as strong.

“All of what I have come to realize is that all of that is my faith story: belief and doubt, you know, joy, and also disappointment and sorrow. It’s all part of my faith journey,” she says. “It’s all enhanced what I believe and have come to understand about God.”

Spreading a message of love

The title of Savannah’s book gets to the heart of the message she wanted to get across with the project: “Mostly what God does is love you,” a phrase taken from a translation by scholar and pastor Eugene Peterson of a Bible verse. The theme of love is one that she knew early on in the writing process she wanted to focus on.

“That sentence always hit me, and I loved it,” she explains. “Because I think so many of us, particularly if you do come from any kind of faith background, you may be asking yourself, ‘What does God think of me? What is God doing right now? What does God think of that choice I made? Am I selfish? Am I flawed beyond reconciliation?’

“The answer is, ‘Mostly what God does is love you.’ What has he been doing this whole time? Just loving you. And I love the simplicity and bareness of it. It’s simple, but it’s not easy.”

Even if a reader is not of faith or is struggling with doubt, Savannah hopes that message of love still resonates.

“I hope the book is appealing and compelling to anyone in any walk of life, because it’s just a gentle call to be loved. And once you feel that love, well, you’ll find that you can’t help but share it. It’s just contagious. And I think that’s really the thrust of the book and really what I was trying to say,” she says.

That positive outlook ties in with one of Savannah’s other foundational aspects of a connection to God: hope. Savannah acknowledges that it can be challenging to hold on to hope in difficult times, when we are inundated with depressing news headlines.

Her faith and her hope provide her with perspective in such situations: “When I get discouraged, I try to go back to basics and remember that I’m not in charge. God is. And that I trust him and believe him and hope in him.”

However, she quickly adds that hope is a “word, it’s not certainty.” She asks in her book, what if there is no silver lining? What if there is no justice in store for the world? What if, she writes, “this whole idea of God is just a figment, a soothing story we tell ourselves?”

These are all reasonable questions to wonder. Still, Savannah chooses to live a life of optimism.

“None of us on Earth here can know if God is real or how it ends, right? We’re humans; we don’t get to know. No one knows what happens after death. No one comes back to tell. Fact. I would rather be hopeful and turn out to be wrong at the end than hopeless and turn out to be right,” she tells TODAY.com. “Hope is the posture that I choose every single day.

“And it’s not a blind hope. I think there are things all around that reassure and confirm that hope. But in the end, it is faith. That’s why they call it a leap of faith. It’s a leap of hope. And so I try to hang on to hope.”

I would rather be hopeful and turn out to be wrong at the end than hopeless and turn out to be right.

Savannah guthrie

Passing down her faith to her children

Much like her sister has said that God was the sixth member of their family growing up, Savannah is trying to make God a part of her family with husband Mike Feldman, who is Jewish, and their two children, daughter Vale, 9, and son Charley, 7 . That includes a nightly ritual of saying prayers with the kids.

“What I know is that it’s my job to give them the building blocks to teach them about the God that I know and help foster that connection,” Savannah says. “And then I also know that when they grow up, it will be their choice. And it’s just my job to give them as much information but also experience with God as I possibly can.”

Savannah mentions how excited Vale was when she was recently baptized at the church their family attends. At the time, she made a comment that touched her mom.

“She said, ‘Today, God, I joined your family.’ And that gives me a lot of joy,” Savannah shares.

Vale has read “quite a bit” of her mom’s book, and perhaps not surprisingly, she approves of it, particularly the parts that reference her. (It seems she didn’t mind Savannah bringing up the difficult aspects of motherhood in the book — for example, the bad behavior or “epic sibling throwdowns” at nighttime that Savannah and her husband often deal with.)

Charley has heard Vale read the book out loud, and he did question the inclusion of a less-than-flattering story that involved him.

“He doesn’t love that, like, there’s a part about how he threw the train at my eye when he was 2. You know, he’s like, ‘Did you have to tell that story?’” laughs Savannah, years after the accident that caused a tear in her retina that resulted in multiple surgeries.

Charley’s concerns notwithstanding, Savannah would love for her children to read the book and gain more of an appreciation for it when they are older.

“I wrote it for them, and it’s dedicated to them. It’s everything I would want to tell them,” she says. “If I died tomorrow — not to sound morose — it’s what I would want them to know about the God that loves them.”

how do you write children's books

Shane Lou is a senior editor for TODAY.com.

IMAGES

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    Inspired by my large circle of support—earth angels, I called them—I wrote a book about the belief in a guardian angel for every child, printed a few thousand copies of my book at a local shop (I was optimistic!), and began peddling them to gift shops and book stores around town.

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    How do you write children's books and get them published? You write a children's book by choosing a target audience, incorporating captivating elements, and beautifully illustrating it. Children's books may either be self-published or submitted to traditional publishers.

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    How to Write a Children's Book in 12 Steps (From an Editor) - Bookfox He got up and sat on the edge of the bedstead with his back to the window. "It's better not to sleep at all," he decided. There was a cold damp draught from the window, however; without getting up he drew the blanket over him and wrapped himself in it.

  5. How to Write a Children's Book

    Written by MasterClass Last updated: Aug 30, 2021 • 6 min read Writing a children's book can be very rewarding for new authors. Here's a guide to different types of children's books and what to consider before writing. Jump To Section 5 Different Types of Children's Books 7 Things to Consider Before Writing a Children's Book

  6. How to Write a Children's Book in 9 Steps [+Free Template]

    1: Know the Format. When you think about how to write a children's book, some characteristics are unique. Some children's books are like a permanent fixture, a staple to all childhoods. Dr. Seuss and Robert Munsch have written many of these. It may be a good idea to keep some of these on hand as you write yours.

  7. How to Write a Children's Book: Tips on Length, Illustrations, and More

    Hit up your local library and browse the children's titles, and skim through as many as you can. However, the children aren't the only audience you'll have to appeal to: you'll also have to learn the tastes of their parents, and figure out what they like to read to or with their kids.

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    Step 1. Read a LOT. In order to learn how to write a children's book, you have to know what a good children's book looks like. Don't just read, though—read critically. Identify the moving parts of the story and try to pinpoint the moments that make you laugh, make you cry, make you roll your eyes; analyze how the author does it.

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    1. Read a lot of children's books first Before you can learn how to write a children's book, you need to read a lot of them first. The more you read, the more you can improve your vocabulary and communication especially for your target audience of young readers.

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    With the following steps! 1. Find a children's book idea. For some writers, coming up with a children's book idea is the easy part. If that's you, great! But other authors struggle, especially after the first book. Always keep in mind when coming up with children's book idea who the core audience for your book is.

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    Step 1: Read children's books. Step 2: Be around children (your ideal reader) Step 3: Brainstorm a unique story to write. Step 4: Write with children in mind. Step 5: Develop your writing craft. Step 6: Develop your children's book characters. Step 7: Hire a children's book editor.

  16. How to Write a Children's Book (with Examples)

    1 Read a variety of children's books. As you begin thinking of ideas for your children's book, it's very helpful to read others' work. Go to your library or children's bookstore and spend a few hours browsing. Think about which books appeal to you most, and why. [1] Do you want your book to have illustrations, or will it be text-only?

  17. How to Write a Children's Book, with Examples

    How to Write a Children's Book, with Examples | Grammarly How to Write a Children's Book Jennifer Calonia Updated on July 6, 2022 Writing Tips Children's books have a significant impact on early childhood development and how children understand the world around them.

  18. How to Write the Plot for a Children's Book

    Before you write your children's book, you must familiarize yourself with the children's book market. The age group of the young readers you're writing for will not just determine the word count of your book writing but also the complexity of your story ideas and plotlines. Kids' books are [more than fairy tales] (https://www ...

  19. Writing Children's Books For Dummies Cheat Sheet

    After you have a solid draft of the children's book you're writing, begin the editing process. Here's a quick overview of the most important points to keep in mind: If a sentence doesn't contribute to plot, character development, or setting, delete it. Make sure your characters don't all sound the same when they speak.

  20. Beginners Guide To Writing A Children's Book

    While writing a children's book, or any book for that matter, you first have to get a clear picture of who your targeted audience is. And remember to make it specific.

  21. Play and Learn: Excellent How-to Books for Kids

    An additional note: at Book Riot, we do our best to actively promote diversity in books and publishing. This list features very few authors and illustrators of color because I wasn't able to find many that had written how-to books for the K to 3 set (if you know of any I missed, please share!).

  22. How to Write a Novel Before You Turn 13: 13 Steps for kids to Turn

    " How to Write a Novel Before You Turn 13 " is just what your child needs to get started on their writer dreams! Complete with 13 practical, easy-to-follow steps to help kids to turn their creative writing into a book, any kid who dreams of becoming an author can now have a BIG head start! Here's what your child can learn:

  23. 30 Best Fonts for Children's Books to use in 2024

    A great font can turn the words in a book into a song, pulling the little readers right into the heart of the story. Why choosing the right font matters for children's books. Fonts do more than just display words in children's books. They help tell a story. The right font can create the book's mood, making it easier for children to read ...

  24. The Many Ways to Read a Book

    Seeing and Saying: Picture books usually offer illustrations that intrigue young children. Before reading the text, children often enjoy taking a "picture walk" through the book, examining the illustrations and experiencing the story from the images alone. This pre-reading strategy enhances comprehension and fosters critical thinking skills.

  25. In History: Toni Morrison on why 'writing for black people is tough'

    "So, when I think of writing as I was very determined to do, is write in the language of African Americans. The language I heard. ... essays, children's books, even song lyrics. Through her ...

  26. Savannah Guthrie Discusses New Faith Book 'Mostly What God Does'

    "From time to time over the years since I wrote those kids' books, I might get an offer to write something: another children's book or laughably even a cookbook once," she shares, with a ...