Kids Book Publishing
Writing Children’s Books: How to Write Bestselling Books for Kids of Any Age
Author: Ursula Lang
Get excited about writing children’s books! Write bestselling books for kids of all ages! Writing for kids can be rewarding: discover how to write bestselling kids’ books by knowing what your target readers want.
Writing Children’s Books for a Target Audience
First, choose your target readers: babies, toddlers, preschoolers, beginners or preteens. A story that’s a potential bestseller with one age group may fall flat with another.
It’s important to decide on the age level before you start writing: this will determine the kind of book you write, the length and complexity of your story, and the number, ages and treatment of your characters.
Studies in childhood development show that as kids grow from babyhood to the preteen years, they look for different kinds of books.
Writing Children’s Books for the Earliest Years: Toddler and Baby Books
Babies and toddlers love to listen to simple tales revolving round the familiar world of home, family and friends. Also popular are adventures of mischievous children, talking animals or toys that come alive.
Babies love to hear about the doings of other babies (especially naughty ones) and baby animals. Learn from bestselling baby books like Welcome, Little Baby by Aliki and Spot the Puppy by Eric Hill.
Toddlers enjoy stories with lots of repetition, catchy words and rhymes. Take a cue from favorite children’s books like Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Jamberry by Bruce Degen. Toddlers also love to hear about the escapades of other kids and talking animals, as in the Alfie stories by Shirley Hughes and the Little Crittur series by Mercer Mayer.
Writing Children’s Books for Preschoolers
Although some preschoolers may have started to read by themselves, most will still have adults reading to them. How your story sounds is therefore very important; read it aloud — does it flow smoothly? Does the story hold your attention?
Books about family and school life are popular with preschoolers, especially if they’re funny stories with children or animals as the principal characters. Get a taste of kid humor from bestselling children’s books like Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff.
Writing Children’s Books for Grade School Kids: Beginner Readers and Chapter Books
Beginner books — also called easy-to-reads — are for kids just starting to read by themselves. The writer’s aim is to make the reading experience a pleasurable one for the child, who can then claim to have read the book “all by myself”. This happy result comes about when the vocabulary and sentences are kept simple and concrete. Most beginner books run to only about 1,000 to 1,500 words, or between 40 and 64 pages.
Chapter books are for more advanced readers, and may range from 1,500 words to 10,000 words, or between 40 and 80 pages. They are usually divided into chapters of 3 to 4 pages each.
Grade school kids enjoy funny stories, and fast-paced adventure and fantasy stories revolving round family, school and friends. To understand what appeals to kids, look at popular children’s books like Kids of the Polk Street School series by Patricia Reilly Giff, the Babysitters Club series by Ann M Martin, and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and sequels by Judy Blume.
Writing for Preteens
Preteens want their stories to zip along at a fast pace, with plenty of action, adventure and humor. They prefer protagonists who are their own age or slightly older: active, intelligent, resourceful characters capable of solving problems by themselves.
Preteens look for stories that address relationship and growing-up issues in a way they can identify with: books such as The Divorce Express and Can You Sue Your Parents for Malpractice?, both by Paula Danziger and Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume.
For more tips and ideas on writing children’s books, visit http://www.creativejuicesbooks.com/creative-writing-ideas-kids.html to help you write the best books for kids.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/writing-articles/writing-childrens-books-how-to-write-bestselling-books-for-kids-of-any-age-757739.html
About the Author
Ursula Lang runs a publishing business and a website: http://www.creativejuicesbooks.com where you’ll find lots of free creative writing tips and story writing ideas to help you write your best book.
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I have been trying to get an agent for more than 4 years. If you find an agent that is not savaged on http://www.sfwa.org/beware/general.html, amsaw.org or http://www.writersnet.net/forum JUMP ON IT.
I did get published in ebooks-library.com without an agent but have yet to make much money there. Good luck.
I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but unfortunately the odds are heavily stacked against you. You have chosen the most difficult thing in the publishing business – getting a children’s book published.
Let me describe for you the current nature of the children’s book market. I just finished ghostwriting six children’s books for a very major sports figure – already sold to a very major NY publisher. The first is due out in Spring. I am currently working on my 7th one for him with others to follow. This information was given to me by a Senior Editor at the publisher I write for (one of the top 2 publishers in the country) …
This is how the children’s market breaks down.
40% of children’s books published today are by celebs like Madonna, Jamie Lee Curtis etc. Celebs can get anything they want published. Their names sell.
40% are written by existing, established children’s authors like Eric Carle.
15-20% are reprints of children’s classics like Curious George.
That leaves at best 5% for new authors.
And that percentage is being cut into by adult authors like Carl Hiaasen and Mary Higgins Clark entering the childrens’ market recently.
To that, add the fact that most of the large publishing companies are backlogged with children’s books they have under contract but havent gotten out yet. It takes about a year for a children’s book to make it out. It usually takes an artist about a month a page to illustrate. So most publishers have their production schedules for children’s books filled out for the next few years.
As a result, most A list publishers aren’t even reading childrens’ books right now, which means agents arent either. Agents only read what they can sell.
There is very little room to break into the children’s market. Only books that are extremely exceptional and have huge appeal stand a chance. Forget any holiday related books – the selling season is too short to make money.
Take a walk through any major childrens’ book department and you will confirm what I am telling you. Getting a childrens’ book done is almost impossible – and getting an advance for it is virtually out of the question anymore. Unless you fall into one of those categories above. I am fortunate to have the backing of a very major sports star to get me in the door with kids books. I write adult novels, but believe me I have tried with kids books before and failed for exactly the reasons I list here.
Ghostwriting has gotten me in through the back door, and now I will be able to sell some of the children’s books that have my name on them. For now, someone else’s name is on the cover. Someone whose name sells books – big time. Don’t ask me how you can get a ghostwriting deal for a major sports star … I really backed into this. It was a gift from Heaven really and it is a blast working with this person too!!! My mantle is now covered with sports memorabilia worth a fortune!! I love presents. It has also led to 3 other ghostwriting jobs.
That is the nature of the beast. You might get a copy of Writers Market and search for some small publishers who are reading childrens’ books, but searching through the agents section, you will see that almost NO agents are reading childrens’ books. Try for some small publishers that read without going through an agent. Expect a lot of rejection. Develop a really thick skin and learn to advocate for yourself.
There is one shot you have. As you are searching through that book department, look for something that isn’t there. Research. Some kind of a topic nobody has written about. It would be something that teaches a lesson to kids in a fictional way, but that hasn’t been done before. Believe me – there are topics. I found one recently. I did a teleconference with the publisher I work with and he was thrilled. He wants te book yesterday. No such book exists. If you can find a topic nobody has covered before and write an exceptional book. you have a shot. Jamie Lee Curtis has been very successful with that.
Always remember that before you send anything to anyone, check them out. Preditors and Editors, Absolute Write Water Cooler’s Bewares and Background Checks, Writers Weekly.com and Writers Wall are all great sources and totally free – although if they help you, it is nice to contribute a donation. Someone has to pay for running the sites. If you do not see information on the publisher or agent in question, write to Dave K at Preditors and Editors, Victoria Strauss or James Macdonald at Absolute Write or Angela Hoy at Writers Weekly. They are happy to pass along any info they have to help you.
As for self publishing it with someplace like Lulu – it will get you nowhere. Self published books dont make it to bookstores. It is a financial black hole to self publish. I recently read about a woman who refinanced her house and spent over 70 thousand dollars publishing and promoting her children’s book. She has recouped less than 10% of her money and is in danger of losing her home.
Childrens’ books are impulse buys. What is out on the tables for kids to see is what sells. Kids don’t shop at websites for things like books. They have to hold them in their hand and nag Mom to buy it. The only way to achieve that is through a good traditional publisher. Self publishing will do nothing for you but take money.
I have starred a lot of great Q and A regarding writing on my profile. You can access it and print out the pages. Start a notebook you can refer to. There s a lot of good information here and I add more as I see good ones. I am doing it to help others. Feel free to use it. Add me as a fan and get the regular updates. Keep writing. Remember you have to need to grow a hide as thick as a herd of elephants. There will be rejection letters. That is inevitable. But you are only 12. Gone With the Wind was rejected 50 times. Never forget that.
Just keep writing. Be exceptional!!
Good luck. Pax-C
find books with similar ideas. Look on the back and find out who the publishers are. Look up the publishers on line and check out the submission section of their web page.
There are two types of publishing: Tradition and Self-Publishing. You will first need to decide which of these methods you want to pursue. Each has advantages and disadvantages that need to be researched. For instance, traditional publishing can be a very long road, littered with MANY rejections. Self-publishing will guarantee you a printed copy of your book, however you will not see it in a brick-and-mortar bookstore.
http://www.lulu.com is, in my opinion, the best self-publisher around. You can set up your book on their website, for free, and they will print copies as they are purchased. They do not edit your book, so you will need to take care of that on your own. This will also NOT get your book in a traditional bookstore, although you can purchase a very affordable package that would allow sale of your book through online bookstores like Amazon.
“Writer’s Market”, along with “The Guide to Literary Agents” are my two suggestions for diving into the traditional publishing market. I suggest looking for an agent first because they are the best step through the publishing door. You will create a submission package that matches the agents preferences (some, for instance, just want a query letter and summary in your first contact with them while others want more). Once you find an agent that is willing to represent you, they will market your book to publishers. Remember, in traditional publishing you should not be paying for anything! They get paid when you get paid!
This sounds more like the route that you want to go. The reason I suggest an agent for you is because you are interested in international publishing, and they will be able to negotiate those rights as well.
Happy writing!
Publishing companies take no regard to age, besides the legalities surrounding it. If you want to have a work published, you will need parental consent.
Honestly though, don’t rush into it. It takes years to produce something a publishing company will actually want to publish. Don’t be shut down by rejection letters. Take criticism openly and use it to better your work. Even if you don’t get published at a young age, you can still refer to your youthful ideas in attempts to be published later in life.
Because of your young age, publishers will have lesser expectations of your work. You cannot use age as a handicap, as your work must compare to that of authors with college degrees and faithful readers.
Be careful, and best of luck!
Check out the book “The Writers Market”–it tells you publishers in each genre and all areas of the country.
Authors are made – not born at the first sign of christening and as long as you can write and pull off a manuscript at an early age of what, 6, you can be a published author.
Self-publishing is one venue for authors who wanted to test how their book will fare in the market.
To get into a contract, yes, you must have someone legal to assist you with it. Self-publishing will entail you to make a deposit before going through production and any financial transaction done should be legitimate.
How can you NOT publish? I have known of authors who started as early as 6 to 10- years old.
With parent’s consent, supervision and resources, these children are already raking exposure in the publishing industry as young as they are now. Goodluck! 🙂
Don’t self-publish! –Repeat– Don’t self-publish!
You will regret it every day of your life; your book will never see the light of day within the hallowed walls of the public library or anywhere else!
Find a literary agent to represent you.
You acquire an agent by composing query letters about your book and then submitting them to likely agents.
Here is a reputable website with thousands of literary agents and their profiles/contact info: http://www.aaronline.org/mc/page.do
Only write to agents who are a match for your book, i.e., they specialize in the book’s genre and are currently accepting new clients.
Rejection letters carry no weight, so don’t give up until you’ve received over 300 plus rejections. Remember: the patient writer is the successfully published one.
Why is this in cats? Maybe the book is about cats?
This is the most difficult area of publishing to break into. I just finished ghostwriting two children’s books for a very major publisher (one of the giants) and a celebrity who shall go unnamed.
This is how the children’s book market breaks down right now.
1) About 40% of the market is controlled by celebrities like Madonna, Jamie Lee Curtis etc. Celebrity kids books sell.
2) Another 40% is controlled by tried and true kids authors like Eric Carle etc. They sell too.
3) Another 15 – 20% is controlled by reprints of classic kids books like Curious George etc. They sell also.
That leaves at best 5% for new authors. And lately adult authors like Carl Hiaasen and one of those Higgins Clark women have entered the kids market – reducing your 5% and practically slamming the door on new authors.
In addition, major publishers like the one I write for have huge backlogs of books they have contracted with but haven’t gotten out yet. Kids books take a LONG time to come out.
Therefore, many major publishers including the one I write for have stopped even reading kids books. As a result, agents don’t want to read it either. Not if they can’t sell it.
Unless it is a very exceptional book, it doesn’t have much of a chance in the current market. Spend an hour in Barnes and Noble’s kids dept. and note what books are there. It will confirm this information. You will see almost exactly the breakdown I have described here. I got that info from an exec at the publisher I write for.
The best you can hope for is to go to the library and get a copy of LIterary Marketplace from the research section and start studying it. Search for smaller publishers who are still looking for kids books. Make notes – you cannot check the book out. Then go online and google the heck out of the names and make sure you don’t find any bad info about them. Visit Preditors and Editors and Absolute Write Water Cooler Bewares and Background Checks for info on the baddies out there. There are many.
Make sure you do not send any material to anybody until you are sure they are legit. Otherwise it is lost to you. Then follow submission guidelines and go for it. It is a terribly hard market to break into. A couple books with a small company may help open the doors a little bit for you later on.
Authors have to do research. You have to go to a bookstore and learn your market. Find out what sells and what doesn’t. One more hint … forget about holiday type books all together. They have too short a selling time and publishers are flooded with them. They get declined first.
Hope that helps. Even though it is not great news. Pax – C
where do I get a kids book published?
How i can get a kids book published, and if possible internationally?
is a ilustrated book for kids
how do i get a kids book publish?
I want to know how I go about publishing a kid’s book??
I started making a kids book…but I am unsure how I go about publishing it out there…and the procudures of actually putting a book together like te ones you see on the store shelf…Can someone help me with that??
publishing kids book – anyone has experience?
I’ve been working on my Yesthisismyday kids line for 2 yrs and it has showed some solid result. Now I would like to find a partner with experience in the industry to take it to the next level.
here is the link:
http://www.yesthisismyday.com/test1/stories.htm
Please let me know what you think, I’m opened for all kinds of advice.Thanks
Beo
Publishing kids book – anyone has experience? What is the best agent for my type?
Publishing kids book – anyone has experience?
I’ve been working on my Yesthisismyday kids line for 2 yrs and it has showed some solid result. Now I would like to find a partner with experience in the industry to take it to the next level.
here is the link:
http://www.yesthisismyday.com/test1/stor…
Please let me know what you think, I’m opened for all kinds of advice.Thanks
Beo
How would I go about publishing a kids activity book?
Okay so I have a few ideas, I wont say what they are because I am afraid of them being stolen however, I was wondering once I have everything created on and off computer, how and what would I do to go about getting it published to get it sold? etc? Any ideas please let me know. This is serious so only serious answers please.
Are there any publishing companies that allow kids like:12yrs old publish a book?
Help!
I really wanna abecome an author in an early age!
If you know any companies,please post them!
how to publishing kids books?
im 19 and my sister inlaw is 16 we want to publish childrens books its there any way i can? do i have to spend lots of money to do that? any websites that would really help me get my books published?
know any good self-publishing companies or publishing companies that would publish a 14yrs old kids book?
i wrote a book and so far 3 publishing companies denied telling me to wait till im not a minor so they could publish it