Like any other creative job, writing your own children’s picture book can be overwhelming. Don’t hold yourself back by believing that you need to wait for something specific to happen before you begin. The only thing left to do is take off the bandage of procrastination and start!
I had to break everything down myself so I wouldn’t feel stuck and like I didn’t know where to start. This article is here to help those who really want to start writing a children’s picture book but need some specific help to do so.
How to Write a Children’s Picture Book in 12 Simple Steps & Template
1.Remember Age Categories
Board books for children ages 0 to 2 should not contain long words or phrases. Middle school books should be free of profanity, and young adult novels should contain few, if any, illustrations. Limit the number of words in books intended for younger readers. Picture books, including the front and back material, should never contain more than 800 words.
Avoid sharing too much about your story’s lesson. Children hate being taught lessons because they can smell them coming. Instead, weave lessons into the plot and characters in a subtle way.
See also: How To Write A Montage In A Script In 5 Easy Steps
2. Avoid A Bland Title & Start
An engaging title should catch the interest of potential buyers, make it clear what your story is about, and be easily searched on Google and Amazon. Use a subtitle whenever possible to optimize your marketing efforts. Subtitles boost the number of keywords linked with your book
Avoid making lifeless characters. Your main character should actively participate in the plot, taking risks and making choices that advance the story. Furthermore, energetic people get along well with small children.
Your children’s book’s introduction should be exciting and interesting. Make sure to attract your young reader’s attention right away, as they may lose interest if your story goes too slowly.
Spend enough money to hire an artist. Many potential children’s book authors struggle with this step. Although it is not needed to spend a fortune, employing high-quality images is essential because they play such an important role in children’s books. Illustrations are required for works up to middle grade, but are no longer needed for Young Adult books. Vibrant images are essential on nearly every page, especially in novels for younger readers. Picture books should place equal focus on the text and the pictures.
3. Select the Format
Is it better to sell a paperback or an ebook? Your children’s book should be released in both paperback and e-book versions. The most popular size for children’s books is still paperback.
Whether you plan to sell your children’s book in traditional bookstores or on Amazon, you should consider investing in a premium paperback version.
Children’s novels are not easily available as e-books. Nonetheless, the number of children utilizing eBooks is gradually growing.
While most parents still want their children to read paper books, a growing number prefer digital or don’t care at all.
Ebooks are also great for advertising and asking reviews. Offering an e-book for review is much cheaper and faster.
A little research might show how well books are selling in your preferred format. This sampling of five competitive paperback novels from Amazon should give you an idea of how popular that medium is for puppy-themed children’s books. Even the page count of these books is listed, helping you to budget your purchases!
Notably, a University of Michigan study showed that storytime using ebooks is less effective. In contrast to traditional book storytime, parents at ebook storytime talked technology rather than the content of the books.
Thus, printed children’s books will not be outdated very soon.
See also: How to Write a Killer Maid of Honor Speech From Start to Finish: Free Template, Examples, & Tips
4. Who is Your Target Category
Knowing your target demographic, or the age range of your intended readership, is important when creating a children’s book.
When you publish your book on Amazon, you will be invited to select an age range. Thus, it is vital to include the proper age range. If not, you may receive several negative reviews from parents and other caregivers who think your book is too young for their children.
You will want to change the word count, writing style, number of drawings, and other characteristics of your book according on the age of the children who will be reading it.
Majority of children’s books fall into one of five categories:
- Board books
- Picture books
- Chapter books
- Middle grade chapter books
- Young Adult books
Children’s Book Categories
| Category | Age | Word Count | Pages | Illustrations |
| Board Book | 0-3 | 0 | 12-32 | Every Page |
| Picture Book | 2-5 | 200-400 | 32 | Every Page |
| Chapter Book | 6-10 | 3,000-10,000 | 32+ | Almost every page |
| Middle Grade Book | 8-12 | 30,000-45,000 | 80+ | 12+ illustrations |
| Young Adult Book | 13-18 | 60,000-85,000 | 150+ | Few if any illustrations |
To avoid overwhelming young readers, use simple words and lines. Children’s literature emphasizes vibrant graphics and appealing characters more than adult books. Children prefer neatly wrapped stories and unambiguous answers, whereas adults can live with uncertainty.
5. Select a Title
Choosing a catchy title for your children’s picture book is important. Although you could do this after it’s finished, coming up with a title ahead of time will help you focus as you write. If you make changes to the story after it’s written, you can always change the title.
A clever title will bring out the individuality of your story, but you also want people to be able to find your book on their own. If you don’t give your children’s book the right title, this might get hard.
- To give a children’s book a title, you need:
- To get the reader’s (or parent’s) attention.
- Make it clear what the story is about.
- A title that is easy to find and hard to mistake for something else.
- Keywords that match the inquiries of your target group.
The book The Color Monster: A Story About Emotions is an excellent example.
- It catches your attention since youngsters usually don’t link monsters with specific feelings.
- It explains to parents and children that this story is about numerous critters in different moods.
- When you look for “monster book for kids,” it ranks among the top results.
- “Monster” is a popular search keyword for boys’ books.
See also: How To Write a Statement of Interest with Examples: Rules, Tips & Template
6. Choose Your Writing Style
You must select a writing style that fits your personal preferences, the story you are telling, the age group you are writing for, and the word count needed.
You may be an engaging blogger, an excellent writer, or a successful adult fiction or nonfiction author; yet, when writing for children, you must have a different view and use an appropriate writing style.
The question is merely one of style; there is no right or wrong method; you must stick to your chosen style throughout the book.
Here are some writing styles you should consider:
- Rhyme: If you choose to use rhyme in your work, ensure that the rhythms and syllable counts of the lines are the same, avoid skipping or forcing rhymes, and keep consistency (the Llama Llama and Little Blue Truck books are two excellent examples).
- Past or Present Tense: Books written in the present tense draw children in and actively immerse them in the narrative; instead of being cut off from what has previously happened, they are living it while it is happening. Maisy books provide an excellent example of the present tense.
- First or Third Person: If your theme allows for it, you can choose to tell the story from the first-person narrator’s point of view. In general, children prefer the third-person narrator’s voice.
There is no right or wrong approach; it’s merely a question of style. Once you have chosen your style, you will need to stick to it throughout the book.
7. Include Important Elements
When writing a children’s picture book, you must include certain vital elements such as a fitting theme, durable figures, and realistic language.
Your creative story concept’s strength resides in its delivery, which includes a beginning, middle, and finish, as well as events, feelings, and actions. Ensure that your major point is easily understood.
See also: How to Write Good Character Reference for Court: Rules, Tips & Template
The following are the top five elements of a great children’s book:
1. Characters that people remember: The best characters have a strong sense of self, take risks, and pursue their goals in the face of adversity. Children adore them and aspire to be just like them. Children desire a connection of some kind with the main character, and they can relate to children who are slightly older than themselves. The most memorable characters make children think of themselves.
2. Hook or suspenseful action: A hook or suspenseful action at the beginning of a children’s book works well to pique the interest of young readers. In order to keep the reader’s interest, your story must have continuous action. For example, cliffhangers are typically used at the end of each chapter in chapter books to entice the reader to turn the pages.
3.Realistic dialogue: Children enjoy reading books with voices that mimic speech, but the discussions you overhear around you will not sound like the well-constructed, coherent phrases you were taught to write in school. Make sure the language you use is age-appropriate for children to understand and relate to.
4.Good Storyline: A solid plot will always confront your characters with hurdles and challenges, keeping the action going forward. Keep in mind that young children like happy ends and clear explanations. If your plot has a sad finish, you risk insulting or disappointing the reader.
5.The feature of instant recall: You want your young readers to remember the characters in your book long after they’ve done reading it. If children beg to read your novel again, you can consider it successful.
Remember that not every story has the same structure, even though the order and rhythm of events are vital; there is no single formula because using one would devalue stories.
Hook-Place-Problem-Incident-Escalation-Resolution-Recall
8. Use Solid Characters
In order for children to remember your story and main point, you must build characters who are believable, intriguing, and memorable.
The best characters in children’s books…
- are around the child’s age, or maybe a few years older
- Have lively personalities.
- Make audacious choices to progress the plot
- Use a conversation style, speaking like the readers do.
- Have reasonable goals and wants.
Before writing your book, it’s necessary to examine the surface-level characteristics of each character. Kids frequently ask their parents for a certain type of character, such as a train, pig, or anything else that piques their interest at the moment.
9. Make the Story Engaging
Your children’s book should have a fascinating story.
Your audience may struggle to comprehend complex issues, but that doesn’t mean that slightly more realistic conclusions are worthless. Younger children need a happy ending, and you don’t want your tragic story’s ending to make them cry.
Next, ensure that your principal character’s choices move the story; if they don’t make any decisions, they shouldn’t be the main character.
Any good story needs suspense, no matter your age category.
See also: How to Write a Ballad in 17 Steps: Rules, Tips & Questions
10. Proofread & Edit
Once you’ve finished the first draft of your children’s books, you should revise and proofread them.
You should revise your text yourself before getting a professional editor. However, before publishing, your work should be checked by an expert.
Editing is a good and necessary investment, especially for articles longer than 600 words. Seek help with spelling and punctuation from a line editor or a professional proofreader. You might want to hire a developmental editor to provide a broad perspective for chapter books and beyond.
A skilled editor is critical to the success of your book because bad spelling, grammar, and book structure will reflect adversely on you as a children’s book author, resulting in lower sales and negative reviews.
Even though your work and message are superb, viewers will notice too many mistakes. They might share their opinions in a review like this, which would result in a worse rating for you.
So, if your book is more than 600-800 words long, you should send it off to a professional editor for proofing.
11. Illustrate Your Book
There are three options for illustrating your children’s picture book:
- Do it yourself
- Hire someone
- Combination of both
Your budget, time, talent level, and willingness to invest your trust in another individual to tell your story will all influence which choice is best for you.
Illustrating a children’s book may take as long, if not longer, than writing the words.
How to Illustrate a Children’s Picture Book
I’ve broken down the illustration process into 7 steps:
- Choose your orientation
- Plan your image sizing
- Create a storyboard/book dummy
- Combine text & illustration
- Choose an illustrator
- Pay for illustrations
- Obtain your illustrations
1. Choose Your Orientation
Picture books can be offered in three different orientations:
- Vertical
- Horizontal
- Square
Chapter books for older children do not follow this structure, they are usually in the classic 5½” x 8” format.
The orientation of your book should be chosen early on because it will influence nearly every subsequent image choice.
- Vertical images are great for character-based books
- Horizontal images are best for a journey-like story
- Square images are excellent for instructional books
See also: How to Write a Manifesto Using These Step-By-Step Guide: Rules, Tips & Questions
2. Plan Your Image Sizing
Make sure you carefully plan your picture sizing, whether you make the illustrations yourself or hire an illustrator. This ensures that everything runs well from the moment you share or upload your artwork.
The most common sizes for images in children’s picture books are listed below:
- 5.5” x 8.5”
- 6” x 9”
- 6.14 x 9.21”
- 7” x 10”
- 8” x 10”
- 8.5” x 8.5”
- 8.5” x 11”
If you plan on having your images cover the entire page, make sure to add 0.125” to the top and bottom, as well as one side.
3. Create a Storyboard/Book Dummy
A storyboard or book dummy can help you decide what to include in each drawing and how the text will complement the pictures.
This should help you decide which images to use, as well as help you find and hire an artist. This is an extremely useful step if you plan to draw your own pictures.
The method of making a storyboard does not need to be perfect. Be creative and enjoy yourself. Finally, you will most likely create multiple versions, each of which will be an improvement over the previous one.
How to create a storyboard or book dummy:
- After folding a sufficient number of blank pages, staple the stack in the center.
- Print your manuscript on a different sheet of paper.
- Cut and paste each text block into the book dummy (folded paper).
- Turn the pages one by one, read the copied text, and then pick an image that complements it.
- Begin your artwork on the page where the text was pasted, or, if more handy, on the opposite page. This allows you to see everything before sending your work to an illustrator.
See also: How to Write a Killer Best Man Speech: Free Template, Examples, & Tips
4. Combine Text & Illustration
It is totally up to you how you merge your text and graphics.
Still, it’s an important part of writing a children’s book. Whatever choice you choose, stick with it.
There are two ways of combining text and illustrations:
- Text as part of the image
- Text and image separate
Text as Part of the Image
Including the text within the image streamlines the book layout and promises uniformity across all devices.
If you decide to include text in the picture, your illustrator will be responsible for it. Editing the text is more difficult with this method because any changes must be made within the image.
Text and Image Separate
The alternative would be to separate the text and image. The text shows on a separate page, beneath or above the artwork.
This is a two-page spread from The Amulet of Amser, one of my chapter book series. The left page contains an image, and the right page includes words.
This design is simple to put together on your own. Your artist does not need to be involved.
5. Choose an Illustrator
Check for illustrators that you can work with.
6. Pay for Illustrations
You will need to pay for the illustrations. An illustrator is more crucial than an editor for picture books since the reader will be pulled to the images first and foremost.
Look through websites for adverts for similar projects to obtain an idea of what is acceptable for a certain project’s price. Actual costs vary widely amongst service providers and change dramatically over time.
7. Obtain the Illustrations
You must receive the illustrations after picking the illustrator that best suits your idea and completing their job.
You need all of the raw files for the photographs, as well as high-resolution (300 dpi) images that are properly proportioned. This allows you to easily change your illustrations as needed. If you wish to work directly with an illustrator, you must provide a signed art release form. Any artwork received from outsourcing websites should be quickly regarded as your intellectual property.
See also: How to Write Up a Bill of Sale: What It Is, Examples, & 6 Steps to Follow
FAQs for How to Write Children’s Picture Book & Template
It is entirely up to you whether or not to copyright your children’s book. Be aware that as soon as you write something down, you automatically become the proprietor of it under US copyright laws. Nonetheless, by filing your copyright with the US Copyright Office, you can protect it.
Using Amazon’s Kindle Kids’ Book Creator to convert your children’s book into an e-book is one of the simplest choices available.
Yes, a subtitle is an excellent idea for your children’s book, especially for advertising reasons.
Conclusion
We hope this elaborate article has explained all you need to know about how to write children’s picture book. We are rooting for you!
References
- Kindlepreneur – how to write a children’s picture book
- Penguin – how to write a children’s picture book
We also Recommend
- How to Write a Poem About Yourself in these 7 Step-by-Step Guide
- How to Write a Compelling LinkedIn Recommendation in 2024
- How To Write A Book Outline in 7 Easy Steps
- How To Write A Song Title in an Essay: 7 Rules to Remember
- How to Write in First Person Point of View (POV): Dos and Don’ts, Tips and Examples
