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To publish your children’s book, you need first to write a great book, then…
This is generally how you publish your kid’s book, but you can change it up depending on your unique situation.
For instance, you don’t need a literary agent if you’re self-publishing.
This handy article talks about self-publishing as well as traditional publishing. Although traditional publishing is getting less and less popular, many still see it as the only legitimate option.
I disagree, but you can hold your own opinion.
In this article, you will learn:
There are 3 ways to publish a children’s book:
Do your research on all 3 before you decide which way to become a published author.
Get Your FREE Children's Book ChecklistDon't know where to start your children's book? We've got a checklist that will take you through the entire process, from the initial idea to the finished, polished product. Check it out!
Traditional publishing means that a publishing house will publish your book online and in brick and mortar retailers.
They pay for your editor, book cover artist, back cover synopsis, ISBN number, printing costs, and more. But they also take a chunk out of your royalties.
The big 5 traditional publishing houses are:
However, most traditional publishers require literary agents to submit manuscripts. Many never accept unsolicited manuscripts from unagented authors. If you want to traditionally publish, you will need to add a step to your publishing process: finding an agent.
Side Note: We recently reviewed another great course on publishing children's books, read our review here.
Traditional publishers offer their authors the bare minimum amount of marketing. They reserve their marketing budgets for their bestsellers. You may get mentioned in a long list or sent to book reviewers with many other new authors.
For traditional publishing, I also recommend the resource Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market. It’s affordable and full of information on traditional publishing houses, literary agents, and how to write a query letter.
If you’re traditionally publishing your children’s book, you still have to do your own marketing. This may include:
Indie publishing is similar to traditional publishing, but without a lot of the stingy traditions and pointless roadblocks slowing down the publishing process.
Independent publishers usually don’t require literary agents. They accept unsolicited queries directly from authors.
These publishing houses may prefer to work with brand new authors or specific demographics of authors, offsetting the traditional publishing world’s status quo trends that many find unhelpful.
Check out these 30 Publishers that Accept Unagented Submissions.
Self-publishing is when you publish your own book. Whether it’s your first time writing or you're a perpetual self-publisher, this route is a legitimate business decision that many have made.
In many cases, self-publishing is more lucrative than traditional publishing.
Many people think that to be a real children’s book author, you have to go through the traditional publishing route. This is an outdated, offensive prejudice. It’s one of those insensitive comments your aunt will joke about.
The biggest ebook marketplace for self-publishing is Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). They make it simpler to self-publish. Although they do take a portion of your profits, they take the hard work out of self-publishing.
Although traditional publishers save you money concerning editors, proofreaders, and book cover artists, they also take a massive chunk of your royalties.
Self-publishing lets you keep all the profits (after printing costs).
Don’t be fooled. Traditional publishers will only do a tiny bit of marketing for you. You would still need to market yourself at signings, on social media, and by getting high-profile book reviews.
If you’re scared of self-publishing because you have to do your own marketing, then don’t be. You’d have to do your own marketing with a traditional publisher.
Look into the Best Self Publishing Companies (retailers and aggregators).
You can also Start Your Own Publishing Company. It’s easier than you think.
With Amazon and other ebook marketplaces booming, self-publishing is easier than ever. I’ve written some great resources on getting the most out of Amazon’s self-publishing marketplace:
You should self-publish if you can afford an editor and a cover artist and are willing to do a lot of market research. You should professionally publish (traditionally publish) if that is your preference and you’d prefer partners on your publishing journey.
You can make more money in self-publishing. It takes more time, more luck, but less money to traditionally publish.
How much money can you make from a children's book? The top 1% of authors make over $200,000 a year from bestselling children’s books. You can expect to make $5,000-$10,000 on your first book.
Most authors who make more than $20,000 a year have published more than one story. It takes several books to establish a following and significant sales.
Yes, you can publish your own children’s story. I’m here to answer your questions about traditional publishing, self-publishing, marketing, literary agents, and how to become a published children’s book writer.
Check out this article on the Best Book Writing Software, with a bonus discount code!
How much does it cost to publish a children's book? If you’re traditionally publishing, it costs very little to publish a children’s book, but the publishing house takes a chunk of your royalties since they put the money in. If you’re self-publishing, you need to pay for the proofreader ($100), editor ($600), illustrators ($1800), and more. It can cost an estimated $3000 — often more.
You have to know your target audience to publish your children’s book.
If your picture book best suits 2-5-year-olds, but you market it towards infants, you’ve got a problem. If you market your YA novel as middle grade fiction, you’ve got a problem.
Kids like to read about main characters who are their age or a few years older.
Research what different target audiences expect. Find out:
When looking for an editor or an agent, demonstrate that you understand your book’s target audience. This reflects your understanding of the biz — something editors and literary agents want in an author.
What are the age ranges of children’s books? Generally speaking, children’s books are divided into 5 categories (age ranges):
Note: Over half of the readers of YA books are adults over the age of 18. Although YA is meant for 12- to 18-year-olds, they often have a broad appeal to adults.
Refining your manuscript is a critical step to prepare your children’s book for publishing. Improve your book until you can’t think of any other way to improve it.
Read this article about How to Write a Children’s Book, including essential story elements, formatting, and illustrations.
When you refine your manuscript, this makes an editor’s job more effective. If an editor is editing your best possible product, it will be even better than your best. (Say that 5 times fast!)
Spelling and grammatical errors will lead to unhappy readers and negative reviews. Or it may lead to underwhelmed editors who need to focus on simple mistakes instead of style and word choice.
Refining your manuscript also means improving your story. You might realize that it takes 6 pages to get interesting, then move the “hook” to the first 2 pages.
You can’t get past it. You have to proofread and edit your book, even if you think it’s perfect. Every professional author has to do this.
If you’re traditionally publishing, the publishing house will probably provide all those services for free in exchange for a chunk of your later profits. If you’re self-publishing, you will have to pay for proofreading and editing services.
Once you finish your final draft, proofread it. Have your significant other proofread it. Have a close friend, or family member proofread it.
Only after someone in your personal circle has read your book should you pay a professional proofreader and editor.
Before you send your manuscript to a professional, run it through the best proofreading software.
Since most editors and proofreaders charge by word count, editing picture books and short chapter books can be pleasantly affordable.
A professional editor can:
Even if your target audience is children, you should still get feedback from readers — just like with a novel for adults. You might ask children in their family or neighborhood to read your manuscript.
Kids can be useful beta readers because they’re so honest.
Their parents also offer great feedback. Remember, they are who actually buys your book. Parents’ reactions tell you if your children’s book is appropriate for the market and attractive to other parents.
There are also online children’s book communities, from which you can get feedback from parents, young readers (with parents’ permission, of course), and other authors.
Check out the following online children’s writing communities:
You don’t want to work on or pay for illustrations if you’re querying literary agents. Most of the time, if you get an agent, they will find an editor who will find a preferred illustrator.
Submitting illustrations or guidelines for images along with your manuscript may work to your disadvantage. Literary agents and editors may not want to tell you that you wasted your time on them before hiring a professional they prefer to work with.
Of course, this is another matter if you are a professional illustrator, and that’s part of your marketability.
If you’re pursuing traditional publishing, you probably need to find a literary agent. Traditional publishers seldom accept unsolicited manuscripts from unagented authors.
You’ll want to seek a literary agent specializing in children’s literature if you’re looking to publish a children’s book. Do not waste your time and theirs by querying an agent who doesn’t represent children’s books.
Most independent publishers don’t require an agent to submit a manuscript. However, a few might. And having an agent can improve your submissions and inform which indie publishers you should submit your manuscript to.
If you’re self-publishing, you don’t need an agent.
What does a literary agent do? A literary agent negotiates the best publishing deal possible for the author. They may also manage film and merchandising rights. Literary agents don’t make money until you do. Don’t pay an upfront fee for an agent.
To find an agent, you must query an agent. With few exceptions, you need to submit your manuscript and query letter (like a cover letter) to agents accepting unsolicited submissions in your genre and age category.
A query letter “queries” whether a literary agent is interested in representing your work. It should be a one-page “elevator pitch” that explains how your book is unique and why you are marketable as an author.
Only submit your children’s book to literary agents who handle children’s book authors.
How do you submit a children's book to a publisher? You submit your manuscript to a publisher by querying a literary agent who negotiates the best deal for you or submitting your manuscript to publishers who accept unsolicited submissions from unagented authors.
Is it better to self-publish a children's book? For many authors, it is better to self-publish their children’s books for both the level of work required and the income potential.
In 2021, eBook self-publishing is a larger market than ever before — primarily on Amazon. As long as you’re willing to pay for an editor and an illustrator, self-publishing is often more lucrative in the long run.
Whereas large publishing houses don’t usually consider unagented authors, small independent publishers are more likely to accept and respond to unsolicited submissions.
Can I protect my work when submitting a manuscript? Yes, you can protect your work when submitting the manuscript of your children’s book. Even though your text is copyrighted as soon as you write it, you can further protect your work by registering it with the US Copyright Office.
This helpful article was written by a lawyer: How to Copyright a Book in the US.
You can find niche imprints of larger publishers who may accept unsolicited submissions. This can offer you the benefits of traditional publishing without querying a literary agent.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has an imprint called Clarion Books. It accepts submissions from unagented authors.
Penguin has a niche imprint called Dial Books for Young Readers. Authors may submit to this imprint directly.
Similar to agents, no publisher should ask you to pay money to publish your book. They make money when you do.
Vanity presses are looking to prey on inexperienced authors with lots of aspirations. Don’t fall victim to vanity presses who ask you to pay before you publish.
Below is a list of children’s publishers accepting unsolicited submissions (at the time of writing) and links to their submission guidelines:
Here are some must-do steps to take when self-publishing your children’s book:
CreateSpace, an Amazon company for authors, is dead. You may see this mentioned in other articles on self-publishing, but it’s no longer an active company. (More on that below these 3 tips.)
When self-publishing, you need to purchase an ISBN number and barcode.
(When traditionally publishing, they will obtain the ISBN and barcode for you.)
An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a 13-digit code used to identify your unique book. In many countries, it is free — but not in the US or UK.
To get an ISBN + barcode in the United States, visit myidentifiers.com, run by Bowker, the only company allowed to give out ISBN numbers in the US.
Outside the US, visit isbn-international.org to find your country’s agency.
If you self-publish your children’s book and do illustrations by hand, you need to scan your illustrations at a high resolution.
You will need access to a large format printer. Call around to different places and see who can print high-resolution images off of a thumb drive.
You should copyright your children’s book to protect your intellectual property.
Under U.S. copyright law, you own your work as soon as you write it down (or type it). However, you may want to further protect your copyright by registering it with the US Copyright Office.
Check out this article written by a lawyer: How to Copyright a Book in the US.
You may see outdated articles mentioning CreateSpace, alongside Amazon, templates, and printing services for self-publishers. However, CreateSpace is dead. Don’t waste your time with research on CreateSpace.
CreateSpace was a print-on-demand (POD) service, mainly for self-publishers.
Amazon acquired CreateSpace in 2005 and merged it with Amazon’s KDP service in 2018.
Whether you’re self-publishing or traditionally publishing, you need to do your own marketing. But don’t worry — I’m coming in clutch with the handy writing tips.
Here are 4 ways to market a children’s book:
When choosing a title (and subtitle), you need to select your keywords carefully. If you pick certain keywords, parents are more likely to find your children’s book.
For example, “dragon,” “superhero,” and “ninja” are popular keywords for boys’ books. “Princess,” “unicorn,” and “kitten” are popular keywords for girls’ books.
This is a valuable marketing tool. You should compile a list of words associated with your book and check how often parents use those associated words to buy children’s books.
Keywords can also help potential buyers know if a book is age-appropriate, interests their child, or has a specific story type.
Book reviewers can get the word out about your book to untapped potential readers. You need to get reviews for your children’s book from high-quality reviewers.
Check out this Ultimate List of the Best Book Review Blogs.
Note: Traditional publishers often send your book to a list of reviewers. This is super helpful. But you should still send your book off to other reviewers.
Make sure you’re not sending a children’s book to be reviewed by someone who doesn’t accept children’s books. Some reviewers only accept specific categories of children’s books.
Who can review my children’s book? Here are 8 children’s book reviewers you can submit your work to:
Remember to always follow submission guidelines (linked above). Never submit a book for review without permission.
Also, submit books for review 2-3 months before your release date. It takes most of these reviewers that long to get to your book.
Social media isn’t just suitable for connecting with other authors, illustrators, and book reviewers. You can use Facebook, YouTube, Quora, etc., to connect directly with potential readers.
To build an audience on social platforms, you need to start long before you publish your book. It takes time to get a following — whatever social media platform you use.
6 ways to build an audience on social media:
These are particular examples. You can tailor your social media presence to your preferences, target audience, and personal skill set.
You could also work with social media influencers who get paid to promote your book. Promotion may not directly recoup your investment. But an influencer can get your name out there for long-term sales and get you in touch with other authors and readers with similar interests.
Today, parents of young kids are millennials. They’re looking to the internet and social media for children’s book recommendations, parenting tips, and ways to relieve stress.
Take advantage of this and make your presence known to build an audience of potential readers on social media sites.
It might sound hard, but planning school visits to market your book can be simple and very rewarding. Not only do many schools welcome author visits, but they also set aside an annual budget for them.
Get in touch with a school administrator or a librarian. Some visits are for free, but some may pay.
Even if you don’t get any money for visiting a school, you can read your book to get feedback from children, you can get your book’s name out there, and you could even offer signed copies with a take-home slip.
This handy article has prepared you to publish your children’s book. Bookmark this page so you can reference it in the future!
Personally, I self-publish my books. I knew I could afford to pay for an editor and cover design artist, and I knew I’d have to do my own marketing either way. I wanted to be able to keep all my royalties, so I went the self-publishing route.
However, if you prefer traditional publishing or indie publishers, no shame! You do what’s right for you.
Please, comment below on what you learned from this blog post or what else you want to know. I keep up to date with my comments.
Cheers,
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So, you’ve finished writing your children’s book, and you’re ready to send it out into the world.
First of all, congratulations! Writing a whole book is no easy feat. Don’t forget to stop and celebrate how far you’ve come.
Once you’re done celebrating, it’s time to figure out what your next steps are. How exactly do you publish your book?
In this article, we’ll give you a step by step guide for how to publish a children’s book and help you figure out which publishing path is right for you.
Just like with all other kinds of fiction, there are three possible paths for publishing a children’s book: traditional publishing, indie publishing, and self-publishing.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these options.
The traditional publishing path involves signing with a literary agent, and then submitting your book to one of the major publishing houses.
If a publishing house loves your book, they’ll sign a contract with you. They’ll oversee all the major steps of the publishing process, such as hiring a children’s book illustrator, formatting your manuscript, and distributing your book to major bookstores.
In addition, they’ll pay you an advance against royalties before your book even gets published, which typically ranges from a few thousand dollars to a six-figure deal.
Independent or “indie” publishing is an increasingly popular publishing path.
Independent publishers are smaller presses that accept unsolicited manuscripts. In other words, they don’t require you to sign with a literary agent before you submit your book to them.
Indie publishers vary widely in terms of how much they pay you and how much control they give you. Some indie publishers might let you choose your own illustrators, whilst others will take care of that process.
When you self-publish a book, you oversee the entire publication process on your own. You’re responsible for deciding who edits the manuscript, who makes the illustrations, how the book gets marketed, and all the other steps involved in publication.
Self-published authors wear many hats. You’ll need to act as a businessperson and a marketing expert in addition to being a writer in order to achieve success.
The good news is that you can skip all the gatekeepers. If your book doesn’t fit what agents and traditional publishers are currently looking for, you can still self-publish a great children’s story on your own.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for which publishing path you should take. Do some research on all three publication options and decide which one suits you best.
One factor to consider is creative control. If you want to choose your own illustrator or even use your own illustrations in your children’s book, self-publishing is much more likely to give you those options.
Another factor is your budget. Selling your children’s book to traditional publishers will cost you nothing, while self-publishing successfully will require an investment of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
It’s important not to send your book out into the world before it’s ready. If you do, you run the risk of getting poor reviews and disappointed readers.
So, how do you figure out when your book is truly ready?
You can start with a simple self-assessment. Does your book have a clear beginning, middle, and end? Are the characters interesting and engaging? Are there any issues with the manuscript that you still want to fix?
Remember that you don’t have to make this judgment call on your own.
If you know other children’s book writers, you can offer to read each other’s manuscripts and swap feedback. Additionally, you can find great communities of critique partners on online forums and social media.
You can even reach out to children you know within your book’s target age range—with their parents’ permission, of course—to tell them about your story and ask if they’d be willing to read it and share their thoughts with you.
If many of the people who have read your book are still pointing out major issues you haven’t addressed, you should give yourself time to fix those issues before you start thinking about publication. You’ll be doing yourself—and your readers—a favor.
On the other hand, if the consensus is that your manuscript is ready, it might be time to take the leap!
If you want to get your children’s book published by a publishing house, you have to know how the publishing industry works.
Here are the seven steps to follow to get traditionally published.
It’s important to make sure your manuscript is as polished as possible before you submit it to industry professionals.
A single typo or grammatical error might not be a dealbreaker, but if your book is littered with repeated errors, you might get rejected even with a great story.
You should complete both developmental editing and copyediting before you seek publication. Developmental editing focuses on big-picture issues like character, plot, and theme, while copyediting focuses on your line-level prose.
There are many different types of children’s books. Understanding where your book fits in the current children’s literature market is crucial for getting published.
Start by figuring out which age category your book belongs in and ensuring you’re within your target word count range:
In addition to knowing your age category, you also need to know your genre and subgenre. Are you writing fantasy, adventure, or mystery? Does your book include any tropes that are popular in the children’s book market?
You can go to your local bookstore and look for the place on the shelf where your book would sit. Figuring out which books are popular in your category can help you decide how to pitch your book.
Most traditional publishing houses don’t accept unsolicited manuscripts. That means you’ll need a literary agent to submit your manuscript for you.
Every literary agent has their own specialties. A literary agent who represents fantasy chapter books might not be looking for mystery young adult novels, and vice versa.
There are many resources online that can help you search for literary agents. Here are a few to get you started:
Compile a list of at least 20 literary agents who seem like a good fit for your book. Querying can be a long process, so it’s good to give yourself a lot of options.
Once you have a list of agents to submit to, it’s time to create your submission package.
To begin with, you’ll need a query letter, which is a cover letter that briefly pitches your book. Check out our article on how to write a compelling query.
You should also prepare a sample of your work, formatted to match each agent’s submission guidelines. If you’re writing a picture book, most agents will ask for the entire manuscript. If you’re writing a middle grade or young adult novel, most agents will only ask for the first few pages or first few chapters.
Now it’s time to start sending out your submission package!
Most agents don’t ask for exclusive submissions, meaning you can and should submit your manuscript to multiple agents at the same time. That way, you aren’t left waiting for months at a time for a single person to get back to you.
Try querying in batches of three to five agents. This method gives you the flexibility to revise your submission package if you get feedback.
While you’re querying, you can also submit your manuscript directly to publishers.
You can start by looking at independent children’s book publishers that publish books in your genre.
Before you submit to an indie publisher, you should check their website to make sure they’re a reputable company, that they accept unsolicited submissions, and that they’re a good fit for your book.
Some traditional publishers also have imprints, which are trade names for specific groups of books, that accept unsolicited manuscripts. For example, Penguin Random House has an imprint called Dial Books for Young Readers which accepts unsolicited manuscripts.
Once you have an offer, congratulations! You’ve made it past the hardest step toward publishing a book. Make sure that you understand the contract you are signing. If in doubt, consult a legal expert or organization such as the Society of Authors.
There are a lot more steps you’ll need to take before your book reaches readers, such as editing and marketing, but your agent or publisher will guide you through that process. At this point, you’re off to the races!
If you’ve decided self-publishing is a better path for you, your journey will look very different. Instead of creating a submission package, you’ll be focusing on preparing your self-published book for readers right from the get-go.
Here are the seven steps to follow to self-publish your children’s book:
Self-publishing can be expensive. If you don’t set a budget in advance to help you prioritize where your money goes, you might find yourself racking up expenses you can’t afford.
Here are some common categories of expenses to consider:
Each of the above steps can cost hundreds of dollars, if not more. A professional illustrator will charge thousands, or even tens of thousands, for a full children's picture book.
It’s important to determine how much you’ll be able to invest in each step, so you can publish the best possible version of your book.
Once you know your budget, it’s time to polish your manuscript to perfection!
If you’re publishing traditionally, your publishing house will edit your book for you, but if you’re self-publishing, you’re the last line of defense before your book reaches readers.
You can consider hiring a developmental editor and a copyeditor if you have room for those services in your budget.
Whether or not you hire professionals, you should also run your book through a good grammar checker. ProWritingAid can help you improve sentence flow, replace clichés, and polish your writing to match industry standards.
Many children’s books require illustrations, especially picture books and books for early readers.
Start by choosing the art style you want for your story. You might want pictures that are fun and bright, or you might want pictures that are muted and soothing.
Make a list of children’s book illustrators whose styles match your vision. You can find illustrators through websites like Children’s Illustrators and Hire an Illustrator, or even social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Start by commissioning sample illustrations, like a character sketch or a full page, to make sure their work matches your vision. If you like the samples, you can hire them to illustrate the entire book.
Book design includes page layout, font choice, book trim size, the front and back cover design, and more. All these steps are crucial if you’re writing a picture book, since picture books rely more heavily on visuals than books for older readers.
You can hire a book designer to make sure your book is ready for printing. Alternatively, there are resources online that can help you design and format your book on your own.
You’ll need unique book identifiers if you want to sell your book in bookstores, libraries, and most other retailers.
An ISBN is a thirteen-digit universal ID for your book, which you’ll often see at the top of a barcode. You’ll need to buy a separate ISBN for each edition of your book, such as paperback, eBook, and hardcover.
You can also consider investing in P-CIP data, a PCN number, and other book identifiers.
There are many popular platforms you can use to self-publish your book.
Some of the most popular platforms include Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble Press, and Lulu. Most print on demand, meaning they’ll print new copies when readers buy them.
Alternatively, you can use an offset book printer, which often gives you higher quality results, especially with picture books. The downside is that they usually require you to pay for and store at least 500 books upfront.
Now you have everything you need to publish your book. It’s time to make sure readers know it exists!
You can plan a launch event, such as a book signing at your local bookstore or a party in your neighborhood.
You can also team up with other children’s book authors to boost each other’s work and write each other blurbs and reviews.
And that’s it—make your first sale, and you’re officially a professional author!
Publishing a children’s book is a confusing journey, and a lot of writers have questions about what to expect. Here are our answers to some common questions.
The cost of publication depends on which publishing path you choose.
If you self-publish a book, you’ll need to invest a lot of money upfront before you see any royalties. That’s because you’ll probably want to hire a developmental editor, a copyeditor, a cover designer, and countless other professionals to work on your book—and all of that money has to come out of your own pocket.
If you choose traditional or indie publishing, on the other hand, you can absolutely publish your children’s book for free. That’s because money should always flow to the author.
Your agent will take a commission on what you make, but that won’t happen until you make money on the book. Similarly, publishing houses should pay you—you will never have to pay them.
How much you earn from your children’s book depends on how many copies you sell. A good target for a debut author is around 1,000 copies. If you sell 1,000 copies and make $1 on each, you can expect to make $1,000 in royalties.
If you work with a publishing house, they’ll usually pay you an advance against royalties. Advances can range from $0 to six-figure sums, depending on how well they think your book will sell.
It’s certainly not easy to get a book traditionally published. Fewer than 1% of all aspiring authors manage to get a traditional publishing deal.
That means that for every author who signs a successful book deal, there are 99 more who didn’t get as lucky.
The good news is that the authors who succeed are those who persevere. You’ll gain new skills and experience with every children’s book you write.
Many famous children’s book authors never sold their first book, but achieved commercial success with their second, third, or even tenth manuscript.
And don’t forget that self-publishing is always an option, and often a successful one.
As we mentioned earlier, you can absolutely publish children’s books for free if you choose the traditional publishing route. Money always flows to the author, never the other way around.
Spending money is never required in order to traditionally publish a book, but it can be a good idea if you have the money to spare.
For example, hiring a professional editor to look over your story can help you take it to the next level, especially if you know your book has issues that you don’t know how to fix on your own. Hiring an editor on your own can give you a higher chance of being accepted into traditional publishing.
Good luck, and happy writing!
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