*furiously takes notes*
Have an idea for picture book that's ready for publishing? Here's the complete breakdown for how to publish a picture book when you're ready!
This one quote can make it easy to write a first draft, plus a free printable art print inspired by Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.
Need to know how to publish a book on Amazon? Discover all the steps for publishing your book on Amazon in this quick start guide!
Want to lower printing costs or make your books look thick on bookshelves? Discover how to increase or decrease the number of pages in your paperbacks and hardcovers.
Do you want to learn how to write a children's picture book? Read this ultimate guide to help you know how to start before you even have an idea in mind!
Want to become self-published author and make money selling your books? Use this 5 step guide to learn how to publish a book on Amazon.
If you do this one thing, you will see a dramatic increase in your visibility on Instagram.
When you've decided on the traditional publishing route, the next step in the process is to query agents or book publishers directly. Here's a list of vetted children's book publishers that you can send your picture book without an agent.
Before having my third (and FINAL!) child and finding that I no longer have time to brush my hair let alone do anything else, I used to run a 6 week evening course on how to write and illustrate children's books. Being a fan of reuse, recycle and re-hashing old material I thought I might blog the course so that anyone out there who might be interested in taking up this noble profession (which according to my husband amounts to little more than 'colouring in') can glean what they may from my musings. The first three weeks are how to write a picture book, the following three are how to illustrate one. Obviously this is, at best, a brief introduction to the discipline but I hope it might serve as a starting point for a few who may have the talent and inclination but be a little lost on where to begin. I was at that point 14 years ago when I started self-teaching myself by reading just about every article I could lay my hands on and quizzing any professional who didn't take out a restraining order. There will be homework! If you chose to do it, great, if you want to send it to me for my perusal please do and if I get the time to get back to you then we'll both be doing well. Picture Book Writing Course Part 1 What Makes A Good Picture Book It's Tough! True story; Dr Seuss was at a dinner party when he met a Brain surgeon, the brain surgeon said ‘oh, are you that guy who writes those little books for children? I’ve always thought that when I had a free afternoon one Saturday I’d love to write one. Dr Seuss replied, ‘ ‘Ahh yes, and I’ve always thought when I had a free afternoon one Saturday I’d love to do a little brain surgery’ I'm not suggesting that what I do is brain surgery (it's actually more like rocket science;) but there is a misapprehension that it’s easy to write for children and get published. I thought so! Until the harsh realities and rejection letters beat my optimistic spirit violently down. The truth is that writing picture books is a particular artform with it’s own rules and requirements - it’s a craft that takes a long time to master - (and clearly I am in no way near to mastering it yet). It is also an EXTREMELY competitive field. I spoke with a small publisher a few years back who told me they get 100 unsolicited (i.e. not through an agent) manuscripts a week - of which 2 a year might get published. It took me 2 years of hard slog to get illustration work and 8 years of writing picture book manuscripts before one was published - and this is quicker than many. So why do so many people think they can do it? 1) Every parent/grandparent/teacher/aunt with a grain of imagination has made up stories to adoring children and thinks they would be good enough to be published. Unfortunately kids love the attention of anyone making up stories for them whether the stories are any good or not. We all have the ability to make up a story, but this doesn't make us all writers. I can make beans on toast - doesn’t make me a chef! 2) People think their book will change the world! People often get into writing children’s books with projects they are truly passionate about - pets, family anecdotes or memories, or a moral they wish to impart and then take it terribly personally when they hit their first wall and refuse to compromise or take advice. 3) People think it’s easy because unlike a novel, it’s short! But just because there aren’t many words doesn’t mean there isn’t much story. Children's author Mem Fox once compared writing picture books to ‘writing War and Peace in Haiku’. A slight exaggeration, maybe, but one of the most difficult books I've ever written is Zoo Girl - and it's told in only 20 words! But trying to get the story right first, with emotional ups and downs, cliff-hangers, a strong beginning, middle and end, character depth etc. and then condense that down and tell as much as I could in the pictures rather than the words was an immense challenge. It's easier to ramble. As this blog entry is proving. 4) People think it pays well - true if you have a big hit like The Gruffalo but this is exTREMEly unlikely and many books go out of print after their first print run so the writer gets no royalties and may be paid an advance of just £1000 - £3000. Why do most people fail? The fact is that most would-be children’s writers have no idea what they’re doing. They simply haven’t taken the time to learn about writing for children. Let's face it, you wouldn't try to fly a fighter jet without first taking flying lessons. So why do so many people think they can write a children's book without first learning how? (I admit this is a terrible analogy - no one, so far as I know, has ever died a horrible plummeting death from trying to write a picture book without the proper training, but you get my point.) So what’s the secret? Simple - In order to get your picture book published, you MUST find out what publishers are after and then give them EXACTLY what they want. And, the good news is, children's book publishers are desperate for good children's books, because, as I’ve said, most of what they receive is rubbish! Children’s books like anything else are a business (a really fun one, but a business none the less) and as such we need to be creating products which will be appealing to the target audience - not just the children (although they should ALWAYS be at the forefront of our thinking) but the publishers, editors, booksellers that all come before a child even sees it. Hopefully in this course you'll get a strong idea of what publishers want, and how to create it and present it to them. It's also worth saying at this point that if you can overcome the odds, do the research and break into the business - it's one of the most rewarding, enjoyable and fun jobs around! This first session is What Makes a Good Picture Book? - If you don’t know this, how are you going to create your own one? The only way to do this is to research - know your market, love your market, visit libraries and children's departments in book shops, start collecting picture books that catch your eye (charity shops are a great source). If you don’t love children’s books, if you think they're beneath you, if you're scared of being stared at as you spend hours in the children's section of the library, leave now, this profession is not for you. Different kinds of picture books: I regularly get emails from people who have written 'a children's book' and when I ask what kind of children's book and what age it's aimed at they're a bit stumped, or the material in no way goes along with the age they tell me it's aimed at so you need to learn the difference between... mass-market activity books, board and novelty books, Early Readers, picture books, YA novels etc. etc. You'll get to know these by visiting those libraries and bookshops again and seeing what's in each section, holding them, looking at the blurb on the back, etc. In this course it's high-end trade Picture Books we're interested in - these are generally - 32pages, 12-14 full colour spreads, with full-colour, quality illustrations, and original tales told in less than 600 words. But within picture books there are of course different genres, for example; Humourous (eg. Dave, The Monkey With the Bright Blue Bottom, Olivia, Naked Trevor) Action adventure (eg. Gruffalo, Where the wild things are, ) Snuggly bed-time story (eg. Guess How Much I Love you, I love you Daddy, Cub's First Winter) and lots more besides, and many books of course span the whole lot. But it's worth thinking about what kind of book you want to write and which market you'd be aiming at. Characters Your picture book will need a main character and generally these are; Children - the same age or a little older than the target audince (which for a picture book is usually between 3-6 but can be much wider) Animals - usually young animals or an older animal with a child-like outlook Creatures - monsters, fairies, robots etc. Adults - very rarely the main character (Percy the Park keeper is an exception but he looks quite chubby and child-like! There are other notable exceptions but i think best to avoid as your main character) ok to include parents, teachers, doctors etc. - Adults children have come across in their own lives. Inanimate Objects - Again, there are notable exceptions but generally I would avoid writing your picture book about Simon the Stapler or Billy Banana. It's old-fashioned, it's dull, it's of little interest to publishers. The important thing is your picture book needs at least one character the child reader can identify with - so whether it's a robot monkey or bespectacled duck make sure they make choices and deal with emotions like a 5 year old child would. So what makes a book work well? THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO EVERY RULE HERE by generally a great picture book must be; Original - publishers are looking for a new hook or concept Well written - we'll go into more detail about this next week but each word must be perfect. Beginning, middle and end - Straight in, exciting progression, pleasing ending Fit nicely into 12/13 spreads with action on each spread Attractive and entertaining to children and adults Children/main character solving their own problems, not adults stepping in to 'save the day' A Simple idea told clearly Engaging characters GREAT ending We will be looking at this list and going through it in more detail next week but for now; Homework! 1. Look at a selection of (fairly recent) picture books and as you read them and study the illustrations ask the following questions; What kind of book is it (funny, adventure etc.) What’s the basic plot? What is the atmosphere of the book and how is that conveyed? Why and how do the images and text work together? Is the book appropriate for its audience? Why? Is there a character the child can relate to? What is the child meant to gain from the book, if anything? Is there an underlying message or moral to the book? How does the narrative work - is there a definite beginning, middle and end? 2. Come up with 3 vague picture book ideas - include a main character and a rough plot line. Next week - How to Write a Picture Book
Inside: You can publish a children's book. You can do it this year! Let's get started with three different paths forward. Shortly after publishing Belinda Baloney Changes Her Mind I started getting messages that were worded much more eloquently but essentially boiled down to this: But, like, how? It's a great question! And a question
Before you submit your children's book to publishers learn how to format your children's manuscript first! Here is the easy guide to help you look like an expert.
One of the things that scared me most about self-publishing was that I had no idea what to do. I knew I couldn’t just upload it to Amazon and call it good. After researching, I found that a lot of unnecessary time, money, and energy sometimes goes into self-publishing. This list is for anyone who wants to self-publish right but simple. 1. Editing I cannot stress enough just how important a good editor is. Of all the things you absolutely cannot do yourself, of all the things that are worth spending money on, and editor is it. You can find editors for lower prices on sites like Upwork, Reedsy, or just by searching for a freelance editor. Freelancers are a great option because the money you pay them goes directly to them, and you aren’t paying the company they work for. 2. Book Cover I’ve said before that you can totally do your own book cover as lit my as you have software experience, a good idea, some time, and a lot of confidence. I’ve made all of my book covers with no regrets, especially since I’ve been asked by other authors who my cover designer is *score!* But if you aren’t confident enough to design your own cover, you can also find freelance designers on Upwork, Reedsy, or get a premade cover here. They have some pretty great covers if you look enough. And the prices are fairly low. I’m even considering making some covers to sell on the site for spare cash. 3. Formatting This is something not a lot of people think about in the beginning. I sure didn’t. But, you can’t just take your regular old word doc and upload it to Amazon. You have to make sure the page size is right, he margins work, so chapter headings, it’s very tedious. You can definitely do this yourself, but if you don’t have the time or energy, you can find a freelancer for this too. There are also several companies that do this for a larger fee. But, from what I’ve seen it’s not outrageous. 4. Distributor When people think of self-publishing, Amazon is often the first thought coming to mind. That, or vanity publishers. But, Amazon isn’t the only distributor. You can also use Ingram Spark or Smashwords to distribute your books. Ingram Spark has upfront fees, but none that aren’t worth it. 5. Promotion Plan One of my biggest failures in self, publishing was not having a plan for promotion. And not just that, I didn’t have a budget for it either. A promotion plan can be as simple as plans for tweets, Instagram uploads, and Facebook posts, or as complicated as a full publicist and book tour. It all depends on your budget and how much time you’re willing to put in. Either way, having some sort of plan is important. 6. Author Platform It took a long time before I knew what this even was, and my platform is still incredibly poor. But, I’m working on it. I suggest getting started right away making pages for your writing career on social media. Make friends not foes. Join blogs and forums. Become active. Talk to people about your books, and not just to family. I hope this has been simple enough to get you started on your self-publishing journey. My biggest suggestion for other blogs to read is The Creative Penn. Joanna knows more about publishing than half the publishing houses combined! Good luck! Xoxo, Ellie,
You’ve decided to self-publish - you’ll be able to keep creative control and royalties - but how much will it COST to self-publish a bestselling book?
How to write chapter outlines or chapter summaries for your memoir book proposal, including examples of how long they should be.
Traditional publishing is a goal for many aspiring authors and in this post I give you the best tips on how to write a book and get it published.
We push methods that work: self publishing + agents that specialize in your book's niche and will shop your proposal to publishers. Paper Raven Books: editing, design, self publishing.
This step-by-step guide on how to self-publish a book will take you from beginning to end on the self-publishing route and how to succeed.
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When reading the work of literary heroes like Jane Austen, or modern-day masters like Sally Rooney, it can be hard to imagine that they began with an empty page (or screen). It's strange to think that Victor Hugo turned a pen and parchment into the beautiful tale of The Hunback of Notre Dame. Or
This step-by-step guide on how to self-publish a book will take you from beginning to end on the self-publishing route and how to succeed.
Writing ebooks is a great way to make extra money. We did the research and found the top ebook topics and ebook ideas for 2021.
I explain how to prepare, research, submit, and track novel submissions to book publishers.
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We wrote this article Amazon KDP for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide to Self-Publishing to help walk authors through the process of setting up their book details page, adding their book content, book description, uploading manuscripts and book covers, and setting up their pricing and royalties. We hope that this overview of the publishing process through the Amazon KDP Dashboard will help de-stress self-publishing your book.
Hey Maverick! I thought I want to do something a little bit different! I want to share some kindle-tastic kindle publishing tips with you! Everday I receive emails and messages asking me how I build my website, publish books, run my Instagram, Pinterest etc Truthfully, I’m not that confident that everything I do actually…
If you want to know how to write a book with no experience, this post shows you exactly how to get started writing. Yes, even without a degree.
Have you make any mistakes in MKDP? Here I share 5 of my low content publishing mistakes via kindle direct publishing. Share some of yours with me!
Journalling has so many benefits and if you have some great memoir writing prompts you can really deep dive into your reflections. Here's my top 3 writing prompts for your journalling practise.
An editor reveals the 5 things publishers look for in book proposals so you can learn how to write a nonfiction book proposal that sells!
A literary agent shares a 7 step process she uses with clients to help them write a book that sells so they can make a living from their writing!
If you're writing a book for the first time and you're not sure what the steps to do it are, you can follow these simple tips to start writing your novel.
These methods of outlining will help you create a novel outline that makes writing your first draft a breeze, whether it's your 1st or 10th time writing a book.
These methods of outlining will help you create a novel outline that makes writing your first draft a breeze, whether it's your 1st or 10th time writing a book.
Before you write your idea for a kid's book, you need to understand these 3 things. This free children's book template outlines everything you need to get started.
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If you’re hoping to self publish a poetry book, in this post I share the 5 steps I took to self publish my first poetry collection. Use these as a guide to creating your very own poetry book.
Wondering if you're a real writer? You aren't a real writer unless you can pass this test. Give it a shot and see if you are a real writer!
How do you write a good first chapter to captivate agents and readers? Use this checklist to master your book's start.
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