Writing a Children’s Book: 11 Things You Need to Know
Posted: Monday, March 08, 2010
by Terence Tam
Bookpal
So you would like to write a children's book. Before you begin, you should know what a competitive field you are about to enter. It is a misconception among writers that it's easy to write a children's book, and be successful. The truth is there are thousands of writers with the same goal. They come from all backgrounds and levels of writing skill. Don't let this deter you from writing a book, but you should treat it just as you would treat any professional goal: responsibly, and prepared.
Here are the things that will help you when writing a children's book:
1. Research the Market
Before you start, you should research the children's book market. Look at what types of books are on the shelves, and what you are interested in writing. See what is selling and talk to book professionals about what is successful in the market.
2. Read Good Children's Literature
It is an excellent idea to read as much literature as you can. Without taking time to learn what children are reading today, you will be writing a book that will simply collect dust.
3. Talk to Booksellers and Librarians
Both booksellers and librarians can tell you what books see the most traffic, and they can also tell you what children's books have had public readings recently and how well attended they were. Booksellers can give you straightforward information on what children's titles are selling the best. Visit libraries and ask librarians about the type of books that children love to read. Borrow and read these books so that you can have an idea of how to write your own book.
4. Types of Children's Book
It may surprise you how much variety there is in children's literature. It would be a mistake to assume that the success of the Harry Potter books, for instance, means that the children's bookshelves are full of similar material. In exploring the children's literature section of the book store, you will see there is no right' way to write for children. You have the opportunity to find your self-expression and write a children's book that is uniquely yours.
Many stories carry a moral or message, like protecting the environment or being kind to others. It's important to be true to the message without letting it dominate the story. Remember, stories are about people, not social issues. For more seasoned readers, you can write a children's book after a time-tested style, like mystery or sword-and-sorcery. The Hardy Boys mysteries are a good example.
5. Spend Time With Your Audience
Your best resource is the children themselves especially with the age group you wish to write for. If you want to write a children's book, you should see firsthand what interests them. Talk to them about what books they choose to read, and what their favorites are. Read to children if you have an opportunity, and observe what gets the most animated reactions from them.
6. Join a Group of Children's Book Authors
That is an effective measure of where the public's interest lies. Tell them you are interested in writing a children's book, and you will find abundant source of ideas, tips and information in your research.
7. Research Internet
Go online and find out which children's book are the most popular. Know what books captured the attention of parents and children alike.
8. Spice it with Humor
Make sure you include a lot of humor in your book, because children just love to laugh. Put yourself in the shoes of a child and let your imagination run wild. The silliest of ideas have proven to be a hit with children.
9. Use Simple English
Remember to think about who you are writing for. Do not forget you are not writing for college graduates, you are writing for kids. Make your book age appropriate. Unlike adults, children have different levels of comprehension and these levels vary greatly. You would write differently for a five-year-old than you would for a fourth grader. You may want to cater to a specific reading level. Choose your audience before you begin, and be true to that audience. If your writing for young, keep things simple, very simple.
10. Eye-Catching Cover Design
The cover design must be attractive, along with the fonts incorporated on the book. Larger, bolder fonts are known to be more attractive to children. If your book does not stand out among the thousands on the shelves, you will never manage to make a sale. Go to your local book store and browse the area where your book would be displayed. Take note of the books that stand out to you, and try to figure out why they are more eye-catching than the others.
11. Proper Planning
Writing a book requires proper planning. Do not start a book that you will never finish writing. Make sure you have an outline to follow, that you can refer to when you get stuck, so that you will be able to reach your goal. Once you have your outline, you might want to start looking into legalities and copyrights - both to make sure that your idea is yours alone, and to see how much your copyright will cost you.
2010 Bookpal Australia Pty Ltd - All Rights Reserved Worldwide
http://www.bookpal.com.au/ is helping self publishers all around the world to successfully self publish and market their books with cost effective solutions to create bestsellers. The website offers a free book for budding self publishers, and many other free resources.
Terence Tam is the founder of BookPal, he previously spent 6 years as an academic and was a contributing author for several academic books. Frustrated with the level of service he was getting with traditional publishers, he set up his own self publishing company to help other authors publish and market books with cost effective yet efficient solutions.
This Article has been viewed 3,278 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
More commentsThanks Terence, great advice about researching the marketHi John,Thank you as well for finding the time reading my article. I will continue to share stuffs such as this one that can be a source of information for readers like you!Cheers,Terence
This article was written clearly in simple language. It would be a good place to start for someone completely new to writing and publishing children's books.Thank you Tricia! I appreciate you find this article interesting!Terence
This is great. Thank you for sharing the information.Hello Jenn,It is my pleasure sharing information that might be helpful and informative for everyone. Thank you for the time reading this article. I hope this inspires you to write your own book one day and get published!Cheers,Terence
This was a vry informative article. I love the self publishing information at the end.I am glad you like this article Anne! Yes, self publishing is truly an effective option for new authors nowadays and lots of them are opting to this. You might like to consider it once you finish writing your book too!Bests,Terence
good tips with many that would apply to wriiting any bookYou are right Shane! The information contained in this article can be applied to writing a book of any genre. I hope this article was able to help you with your book as well!Terence
Well written and full of useful advice for the prospective writer of childrens books.Glad to know you find this article useful Cliff! Thank you for the time reading this. You might like to read other articles I posted here in Searchwarp too!Bests,Terence
This is a good article for anyone who is interested in writing in this genre. They should know that, unless you have a talent for this type of writing, you may not get very far. Writing books and stories for children is one of the most difficult kind of writing one can attempt.Some people have a knack for it- most don't.I found out quick that I do not, and how difficult it is to write. Thank goodness there are some good childrens book authors- I wouldn't have had all those great books to read when I was a kid; they instilled a love of reading in me that has lasted all my life.- Thanks for your great article- Always-EllaHi Ella,I'm glad to know you find this article interesting and informative!And may I say, i agree with you that not everyone has the knack on writing children's book. I am very thankful that I know a lot of successful children's book authors who shared with me their insights and useful tips on writing a children's book thus I was able to write this article for everyone!Cheers,Terence
Hi Terence.Thank you for writing this well-written, informative article. I enjoyed this interesting piece and thanks for sharing.All the best,~NenitaHello Nenita,You are most welcome Nenita! I hope this article inspires you in writing your book anytime soon!Cheers,Terence
This is a good article, Terrence. Thank you for sharing this with us.Hi Joel,Thank you for finding this article interesting! I'll continue to write more that is of value to my readers such as you!Bests,Terence
The cover design is in the control of the publisher, so there's not much point worrying about that - especially when you haven't written the book yet! And you don't pay for copyright. Copyright exists automatically in your own creation. Oh, and there is no copyright in ideas.
More comments
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.