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Self-publishing Children’s Books: Five Writing Tips for Successful Authors

October 02, 2008 by Wheatmark, Admin

It seems simple to write a children’s book. They typically don’t have a lot of words, the characters can be fairly shallow, and, frankly, they are usually really short.

However, a children’s book that will stand the test of time, be enjoyable for all readers, and be valuable in the market can be a bit trickier.

Five Tips to Writing a Successful Young Children’s Book:

1. Have a plot driven by problem-solving and moral dilemmas. Children are always being asked to solve something or to think about right and wrong. Books that follow this same thread are easy for them to identify with. Is it wrong to steal? Yes. If there are two people and only one apple, what do you do? Share! If you don’t let someone play with you, how do they feel? Sad. Using stories to teach and entertain is excellent, but only if it is something they can grasp.

2. Have repeating phrases. Children, particularly those on the cusp of reading, like to “read” along. Predictable and—better yet—rhyming phrases that occur throughout the book allow them to participate (or yell) along with the adult reader.

3. Create bright illustrations that are easily identifiable. Make sure the illustrations aren’t so sketchy that young eyes from a distance can’t identify the picture. Even sitting next to you on the couch can be a difficult angle if the pictures are too small or to “scratchy.”

4. Keep it short. How many times have you been asked to “read it again!” by a young, engaged reader? Too long of a book and they can often lose the thread. But more importantly, an endearing book is one that they can hear over and over again because the adult will be willing to invest the time for just “once more.”

5. Incorporate movement and sound. Young children like to be involved with the story. Often they’ll interact by telling their reader a “sequel” to the story about what happens to the character later on. However, a surefire way to hit a homerun with little ones is for them to get to make hand gestures or noises that accompany the story. Think about how animated children get when it’s time to sing “The Wheels on the Bus.” Between the hand gestures and vocalizations, that song is always a huge hit. Use those same techniques for you story, and you’ll have created a classic story kids will ask to read again and again.

Keep these five tips in mind as you write and illustrate your children’s book. Are you interested in publishing a book with Wheatmark? If you’d like us to consider your publishing project, please tell us about your book project here.

Tags: writing, children's books
Filed Under: Writing & Editing

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