Read Lovely Books
So, you’ve finished writing your children’s book, and you’re ready to send it out
Once you’re done celebrating, it’s time to figure out what your next steps are
In this article, we’ll give you a step by step guide for how to publish a
Just like with all other kinds of fiction, there are three possible paths for publishing a children’
If a publishing house loves your book, they’ll sign a contract with you
In addition, they’ll pay you an advance against royalties before your book even gets published, which
Independent or “indie” publishing is an increasingly popular publishing path
Independent publishers are smaller presses that accept unsolicited manuscripts
Indie publishers vary widely in terms of how much they pay you and how much control they
When you self-publish a book, you oversee the entire publication process on your own
You’re responsible for deciding who edits the manuscript, who makes the illustrations, how the book gets
You’ll need to act as a businessperson and a marketing expert in addition to being a
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for which publishing path you should take
If you want to choose your own illustrator or even use your own illustrations in your children’
Selling your children’s book to traditional publishers will cost you nothing, while self-publishing successfully will require
It’s important not to send your book out into the world before it’s ready
Does your book have a clear beginning, middle, and end? Are the characters interesting and engaging? Are
If you know other children’s book writers, you can offer to read each other’s manuscripts
Additionally, you can find great communities of critique partners on online forums and social media
On the other hand, if the consensus is that your manuscript is ready, it might be time
Here are the seven steps to follow to get traditionally published
A single typo or grammatical error might not be a dealbreaker, but if your book is littered
You should complete both developmental editing and copyediting before you seek publication
Developmental editing focuses on big-picture issues like character, plot, and theme, while copyediting focuses on your line-level
Start by figuring out which age category your book belongs in and ensuring you’re within your
Are you writing fantasy, adventure, or mystery? Does your book include any tropes that are popular in
You can go to your local bookstore and look for the place on the shelf where your
Figuring out which books are popular in your category can help you decide how to pitch your
That means you’ll need a literary agent to submit your manuscript for you
There are many resources online that can help you search for literary agents
Compile a list of at least 20 literary agents who seem like a good fit for your book
Querying can be a long process, so it’s good to give yourself a lot of options
To begin with, you’ll need a query letter, which is a cover letter that briefly pitches
If you’re writing a picture book, most agents will ask for the entire manuscript
If you’re writing a middle grade or young adult novel, most agents will only ask for
Now it’s time to start sending out your submission package!
That way, you aren’t left waiting for months at a time for a single person to
While you’re querying, you can also submit your manuscript directly to publishers
You can start by looking at independent children’s book publishers that publish books in your genre
Some traditional publishers also have imprints, which are trade names for specific groups of books, that accept
Once you have an offer, congratulations! You’ve made it past the hardest step toward publishing a
There are a lot more steps you’ll need to take before your book reaches readers, such
If you’ve decided self-publishing is a better path for you, your journey will look very different
Instead of creating a submission package, you’ll be focusing on preparing your self-published book for readers
If you don’t set a budget in advance to help you prioritize where your money goes,
A professional illustrator will charge thousands, or even tens of thousands, for a full children's picture book
It’s important to determine how much you’ll be able to invest in each step, so
Once you know your budget, it’s time to polish your manuscript to perfection!
You can consider hiring a developmental editor and a copyeditor if you have room for those services
ProWritingAid can help you improve sentence flow, replace clichés, and polish your writing to match industry
Many children’s books require illustrations, especially picture books and books for early readers
You might want pictures that are fun and bright, or you might want pictures that are muted
You can find illustrators through websites like Children’s Illustrators and Hire an Illustrator, or even social
If you like the samples, you can hire them to illustrate the entire book
Book design includes page layout, font choice, book trim size, the front and back cover design, and
All these steps are crucial if you’re writing a picture book, since picture books rely more
Alternatively, there are resources online that can help you design and format your book on your own
An ISBN is a thirteen-digit universal ID for your book, which you’ll often see at the
You’ll need to buy a separate ISBN for each edition of your book, such as paperback,
You can also consider investing in P-CIP data, a PCN number, and other book identifiers
Some of the most popular platforms include Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble Press, and Lulu
Alternatively, you can use an offset book printer, which often gives you higher quality results, especially with
The downside is that they usually require you to pay for and store at least 500 books upfront
You can plan a launch event, such as a book signing at your local bookstore or a
And that’s it—make your first sale, and you’re officially a professional author!
The cost of publication depends on which publishing path you choose
If you self-publish a book, you’ll need to invest a lot of money upfront before you
If you choose traditional or indie publishing, on the other hand, you can absolutely publish your children’
Similarly, publishing houses should pay you—you will never have to pay them
If you sell 1,000 copies and make $1 on each, you can expect to make $1,000 in royalties
If you work with a publishing house, they’ll usually pay you an advance against royalties
Advances can range from $0 to six-figure sums, depending on how well they think your book will sell
Fewer than 1% of all aspiring authors manage to get a traditional publishing deal
The good news is that the authors who succeed are those who persevere
You’ll gain new skills and experience with every children’s book you write
Many famous children’s book authors never sold their first book, but achieved commercial success with their
As we mentioned earlier, you can absolutely publish children’s books for free if you choose the
Spending money is never required in order to traditionally publish a book, but it can be a
For example, hiring a professional editor to look over your story can help you take it to
Hiring an editor on your own can give you a higher chance of being accepted into traditional