How would you go about writing a childrens book?
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missjena (
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April 14th, 2009
You already know what you are going to say. How do you get it published and distributed? What are the steps and where do you begin?
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Do you want to get your book published traditionally, or are you willing to self-publish?
Your best bet for traditional publishing is to create at least a rough copy of the book but preferably a more polished one, and to start shopping it around various book publishers. You will likely be turned down many times unless they feel your book is really awesome.
However, with today’s technology, you can easily self publish your book and even get it listed on Amazon with an ISBN number. This option eliminates the time and chance of shopping your book around to publishers, however it also eliminates all the other benefits that the publisher provides (advertising and marketing, access to their resources, a cash advance). If you are motivated and dedicated though, self publishing can be a great way to distribute the books you produce.
If you know what you are going to say but you haven’t written it yet, you are getting ahead of yourself. Write it first. And before that you may have to immerse yourself in children’s literature and understand it and see what makes it work. It isn’t as easy as it looks. I know people who have been working at it for years.
A picture book takes a different kind of writing from a book that relies on text, even if illustrated. You should know which you are doing. Unless you are an artist, a publisher does not expect you to supply the drawings, but you should know how your text will work with the art.
Go to the library and look at the books currently being published. And ask the children’s librarian which are the perennial favorites. There is also a lot of advice to be found in writers’ magazines and market guides.
If you place your book with a legitimate publisher, the publisher will take care of distribution.
Start first with a moral, then let a metaphor unfold the story. That’s how I did it ;)
Ex: Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it.———-> King Midas.
If you chose to self-publish, Lulu.com is a great site that lets you do this. I’ve used them several times for more corporate things, but I know people who use them for personal projects. They offer many different options for binding and sizes. All you have to do is upload the files. You can set up your own online store to send people to and they’ll even help you market your book if you’d like.
Stories do not have to have morals or teach lessons. A good story can just be a good story.
Watch the MOVIE Miss Potter
You will see a PERFECT example of what you need to take to a publisher (or email)
There are MANY books on this subject at Amazon, too…like Writing Children’s Books for Dummies
Have fun…I love doing this myself ;)
If you know what your going to say, then say it. Write it down and revise it as much as you can. Then shop it around to your target audience, see what kids think about it, they are brutally honest. If its good and you have the time, send it to a bunch of publishers. This part I have no idea how it works. I like the idea of just having a few copies of your book maid then see where it goes from their. Good luck…
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