Children’s picture books aren’t just delightful stories with vibrant images. They’re a magical door to a whole new dimension. Children get to meet their favorite characters and experience adventures every day in magical worlds through these stories. They’re way beyond text and paper. These books have the power to touch young minds. 

Books for children may seem super easy to pull off. But don’t let the colorful illustrations and bright hues fool you into thinking that. There’s no denying they’re fun to work on but demand equal effort. 

Such books are meticulously made to build a child’s creative mindset and make learning enjoyable. This automatically doubles the pressure on authors. They need to be mindful of what goes into their stories. 

Do you want to conquer this feat? Then, here’s a detailed step-by-step children’s book writing guide that will help get your children’s book on the shelf!

What is a Children's Picture Book?

Children’s picture books are significantly different from normal books. They are specially published for a younger audience, ages 2 to 8. They contain three major elements:
  • The Storyline
  • The Mascot 
  • The Illustration 
According to the best children’s book publishers, “less is more”. The storyline is compact and creatively ends with a moral, and illustrations help connect the kids to the story. And the mascots add a touch of relevancy for the kids.  These books help children develop an understanding of context and improve their language recognition. Many parents invest in picture books to improve their child’s comprehension through visual stimuli.

How to Write a Children’s Picture Book?

Just like the standard books, children’s picture books also require research, a plot, and a solid character arc. So, if you feel like your current idea has all three elements, here are some steps to get you going. 

  • Identify The Target Category: Know your audience before drafting your story. Make sure the plot and other details are age-appropriate and digestible for kids between the ages of 2 and 8. 
  • Choose a Title: After you’ve built the story, try to come up with a suitable title. Make sure whatever title you choose is attention-grabbing and associated with the characters of the story. 
  • Choose a Writing Style: Pick one that’s easy to understand while being interesting. 
  • Include Important Elements: Remember to add all the essential elements, such as the character arc, the hook of the story, dialogue delivery, compact storyline, and the instant recall factor. 
  • Use Relatable Characters: Try to set the main character’s age close to the target audience. This will make the character more relevant.  
  • Make the Story Engaging: Add an element of surprise to hook the children into the story. 

Proofread & Edit: Edit the manuscript carefully and focus on making the storyline clear and compact. Remove any details that may confuse the plot.

Everything You Need to Know About Publishing a Children’s Picture Book

Writing a comprehensive children’s book can be rather daunting. Pat yourself on your back if you’ve done it! Now that the story is written, edited, and compiled, it’s ready to be received by children worldwide. However, there’s one thing in between you and your audience: publishing. 

There are two basic types of publishing routes. One is self-publishing, while the other is traditional publishing. According to the current publishing experts at Ghostwriting Proficiency, self-publishing is the optimal choice.

How to Get Your Children's Book Published?

At this point, everything looks crisp and amazing. The characters are lively and relatable; the story is engaging. The arc and flow are perfect. Here, you need to tackle publishing.  After understanding how to get your children’s book published, follow along with this step-by-step guide to effectively publish your children’s picture book. 
  1. Set a Publishing Budget
  2. Refine Your Manuscript
  3. Hire An Illustrator
  4. Buy Book Identifiers
  5. Choose a Self-Publishing Platform
  6. Set a Marketing Plan
Here’s a detailed version of all the steps: 

  • Set a Publishing Budget

Start by setting your budget. This will help you navigate your expenses. Always remember to decide your budget according to the following categories. 
  • Editing 
  • Illustrations 
  • Design and Formatting 
  • Identifiers 
  • Book Marketing
Any mistake in this phase can cost you a fortune, so be careful.

  • Refine Your Manuscript

Get your hands dirty and start polishing your manuscript. In self-publishing, you’re the last soldier standing, so edit the manuscript properly.  At this point, you can also opt to hire a developmental editor and a copyeditor if your budget allows it. No matter what you choose, checking the manuscript for grammar errors is important. You can get help from Ghostwriting Proficiency’s professional book editing services.

  • Hire An Illustrator

Proper illustrations are vital for executing a perfectly made children’s picture book. Here is a basic checklist to follow:
  • Finalize your preferred art style
  • Choose fun and bright colors
  • Pick an artist that matches your book requirements
  • Commission some samples before assigning the full book
  • Talk money 
  • Give them a proper brief

  • Buy Book Identifiers

If you desire to distribute your book offline and in stores, you will have to buy book identifiers like ISBNs. An ISBN is used as a book ID. It is a thirteen-digit code and is put above the barcode. The author needs to buy individual ISBN codes for all types of versions, whether they are printed copies or e-books. Other options are also available, such as P-CIP data, a PCN number, etc.

  • Choose a Self-Publishing Platform

Choosing the publishing platform completely depends on you. Some popular choices include:
  • Amazon KDP
  • IngramSpark
  • Barnes & Noble Press
  • Lulu
Weigh the pros and cons of each to make an informed choice. 

  • Set a Marketing Plan

Now that all of it’s sorted, the book is written and illustrated. It’s time to put your book on the map and let the world know it’s here.  You can go the basic approach by planning a launch event or book signing at any nearby bookstore. The other option is using professional book marketing services for swift and effective marketing campaigns.  Ghostwriting Proficiency is a reliable firm that is perfect for publishing your children’s picture book. We offer diverse services to help individuals become authors.  Give us a call to get a quote!

Frequently Asked Questions

The number of pages can’t be determined without knowing the plot. Most children’s books have a 32-page count. This number can be more or less depending on the book’s requirements and the author. Usually, 32-page books are published for primary school children. It’s best to discuss these details with our experts before you begin.

Writing a children’s book is not easy, even for an experienced writer. But the process gets easier if the following tips are followed: 

  • Start on your draft immediately
  • Set realistic goals 
  • Avoid adding unnecessary things to the plot 
  • Have a writing routine
  • Revise and refine your storyline
  • Find a good illustrator

The main publisher’s focus is the book’s reading level. They review the book by inspecting the vocabulary and sentence structure. After that, illustrations are properly examined to check if they’re not too graphic for the target audience. Any violent text and images are not allowed to be added to the story.

Illustration can be a bit tricky as it’s vital in children’s books. But here are some tips to make things simpler:

  • Understand the story
  • Sketch according to the description
  • Come up with thumbnail sketches
  • Get feedback and edit it to perfection

Even though children’s picture books differ from standard books, their structure somewhat resembles them. You can start by creating a main cast with a strong plot. Make the story short and easy to understand. After that, consider coming up with the basic color palette for the illustrations. Lastly, create a book brief for the illustrator.