Interested in children’s book writing? The youngest readers start with chunky board books, full of bright colors, fun illustrations or pictures and contain few, if any, words. As a young reader’s vocabulary expands along with their understanding of the world around them, the books an author crafts for them become longer, the stories more intricate and the pictures and illustrations become less frequent.
Adjusting your chilidren’s book writing and book style to these changes means that children’s book writing can be more challenging than you might think. But if you are interested in learning how to write children’s book content to turn your great concept into a beautiful book that kids will love to read, following a few intentional steps can help you fulfill your dream of becoming a children’s book writing author.
- 1. Children’s Book Writing — Do Your Research
- 2. Children’s Book Writing — Pick Your Target Reader
- 3. Children’s Book Writing — Deep Dive into Your Category
- 4. Children’s Book Writing — Decide on Your Book Concept
- 5. Children’s Book Writing — Use an Outline to Plan Your Book
- 6. Children’s Book Writing — Add in Interesting Details
- 7. Children’s Book Writing — Write Your First Draft
- 8. Children’s Book Writing — Self-edit Your Book
- 9. Children’s Book Writing — Ask for Editing Feedback or Help
- 10. Children’s Book Writing — Pick Your Illustrator
- 11. Children’s Book Writing — Finalize Your Book
1. Children’s Book Writing — Do Your Research
The first stage in the children’s book writing process is to learn what makes a good children’s book. Understanding how children’s books differ from books written for adults is key to knowing how to write one yourself.
- Many children’s books contain an appropriate age lesson.
- Stories are easy to follow for the target reader’s age group.
- Children’s stories are relatable to a wide range of readers.
- Professional illustrations and photography are critical to engagement with readers.
- Adults may enjoy children’s book stories, themes and lessons just as much as children.
2. Children’s Book Writing — Pick Your Target Reader
Deciding who you want to be the ideal reader for your book is the next step. Unlike adult books, children’s books are categorized by the general reader’s age, the length of the book in words and the book type. While there is plenty of overlap in each category, keeping these general guidelines in mind will help you choose who you will write children’s book content for, allowing you to pick content, word choices and themes appropriate to that age group.
- 0-4 years, 0-100 words (picture books, board books and concept books with illustrations)
- 3-8 years, 0-700 words (picture books, board books and short stories with illustrations)
- 5-7 years, 200 – 5,000 words (early chapter books with illustrations)
- 6-7 years, 5,000 – 20,000 words (chapter books with some illustrations)
- 8-10 years, 20,000 – 35,000 words (chapter books, novels with fewer illustrations)
- Tweens, 40,000 – 55,000 words (novels)
- Young adult, 50,000 -70,000 words (novels)
You can choose the type of book you want to write and learn about the ideal reader for that book, or you can choose the age group or developmental stage of the reader you want to write for and then choose the best type of book to create.
So if you feel strongly about writing a picture book, you can choose from a target reader in the younger group, ages 0-4 years, or you can aim for a book that 4-year-olds and older would enjoy. But children’s book writing for a preteen or tweenager sounds appealing, you can think about penning a chapter book or a shorter novel, both perfectly appealing to two segments of these age groups.
3. Children’s Book Writing — Deep Dive into Your Category
Once you have chosen the type of book you want to write and who you want to read it, it’s time to learn everything you can about the different genres, what readers are loving right now and how the books read in your chosen genre. Understanding what type of content makes up each genre is the best way to begin.
Becoming familiar with each genre in the category of book you would like to write will help you understand your target reader’s expectations. Reading as many books as you can in your genre will teach you about the language and word choice that is commonly written for your readers, how books begin and end and what a successful story structure looks like.
4. Children’s Book Writing — Decide on Your Book Concept
Picking what you want to write about now that you know the genre type is much easier to do. Deciding on what type of story or content you want to write includes coming up with the focus or theme of your book, the characters and plot (and any subplots) as well as the setting and how you want to convey that to your readers. Considering how the artwork will contribute to your book is important at this stage because it helps you to visualize how you will convey information to your readers, regardless of their reading ability.
Coming up with a book idea can be challenging, so consider looking at familiar ideas and turning them on their head for a fresh, new book.
- Transform a book you have already written for an older reader into a book for kids by changing up the characters, simplifying the plot or focusing on age-appropriate themes.
- Reimagine a well-known fairy tale, myth or legend.
- Think about putting two unlikely characters together to create humorous situations.
- Try creating a “fish out of water” situation with an engaging character that kids will enjoy.
5. Children’s Book Writing — Use an Outline to Plan Your Book
Once your concept is solidified, use an outline to help you plot out the pacing and structure of your book. Use this strategy to move your idea into a concrete form because it will help you visualize the story arc and plan for subplots. Outlines can help you track characters and critical details in a longer children’s book, too.
For shorter books, consider making a mockup out of folded paper to help you plan your story. Use the folded pages to sketch out where graphic elements will go as well as where the text will be so you can decide when the right time is to turn the page on the story.
6. Children’s Book Writing — Add in Interesting Details
Children’s books are so engaging because they are full of well-chosen words and phrases that allow readers to use their senses to enjoy the story, quirky characters who amaze and delight readers and interesting children’s book writing that utilizes surprising choices like an unexpected 1st person voice or smooth poetic style that grabs the reader’s attention. Create the details in your story that will set your book apart from the other books in your genre, increasing the odds that your book will turn into a beloved classic.
7. Children’s Book Writing — Write Your First Draft
For chapter books and novels, using a word processing program or book software to help you write your first draft is key to turning out a well-written draft. Follow your outline and include the interesting details to craft a complete draft.
8. Children’s Book Writing — Self-edit Your Book
Take the time to go over your first draft in a few ways. First, look over small sections to review the content and make sure that your story makes sense, is cohesive and says what you intended to say. Then, go back over each sentence carefully for grammar, sentence construction and spelling errors. Editing takes time and is best completed in short bursts, so don’t attempt to edit a lengthy manuscript in one sitting.
9. Children’s Book Writing — Ask for Editing Feedback or Help
After your first draft has been cleaned up, ask for support to make sure your book looks perfect when it comes time to print it. One option is to ask a trusted friend or family member to read it and make suggestions, notes and corrections. Or, hire an expert editor to make your book print-worthy. Professionals are trained to see the errors in manuscripts that most people will miss, so consider making an investment that will turn your book from good to amazing with the help of an expert.
10. Children’s Book Writing — Pick Your Illustrator
The visual component of your book is critical for children’s book writing. Unless you are a professional yourself, hiring an expert graphic designer or illustrator is a big step in bringing your vision to life. Picture books and board books rely on clear, interesting artwork to keep the attention of readers, non-readers and emerging readers. But even older children love beautiful artwork in their books, allowing them to picture the story in a way that helps them tie together the words on the page with a real-life version of the story on the page.
11. Children’s Book Writing — Finalize Your Book
When your transcript is in excellent shape, there are four main areas to focus on to finalize it for the printer.
Formatting: Your book’s contents should all look cohesive in style and structure. Check to make sure that details like margin sizes, chapter page spacing and page numbers are consistent throughout your book so it will look professionally designed. Or consider hiring a book designer to take care of those critical details.
Cover Design: Work with an expert cover designer to help you maximize the “first look” of your book on the shelf and via thumbnails if you are selling your book through online retail platforms.
Binding: Choose the right binding for your book. Plastic coil binding is a good option for picture books because it is easy for little fingers to manipulate while perfect binding is ideal for chapter books because the spine looks great on a bookshelf.
Printer: Work with an on-demand, trusted printer like Dazzle Printing so you can order books when you need them without having to buy too many copies upfront before they are sold.
