Publishing A Children's Book

Interested in writing for children? That's great, but be aware of the hurdles ahead of you when you are getting your book published in a children's genre. Many unpublished authors are convinced of the ease of writing and selling books for kids. While it is true that children's stories can be easier than writing for adults, they are not necessarily easier to get published.

Now before you think about getting your book published, you have to write that book! It has to be a book that kids will enjoy, as they get involved with characters and the intricacies of the story. This applies mainly to novels for children, but even simple picture books should be designed and written in such a way that children find them appealing.

A good method of finding out if your book will appeal to children is to talk the youngsters you know. Ask your kids, their friends and the kids of friends about what they like to read, and why they choose a particular book.

If you have kids yourself, you must have read books to them when they were small - do you remember those books? What made your kids (and you) enjoy them so much that they were read again and again. Identify these features and try to incorporate them into your own writing.

Once you have got writing your book for children done, you will want to rush to a publisher. Hold your horses at this point, because certain things have to be done first. Your book should be edited and should have gone through several iterations of proofreading to ensure that there are no mistakes. Although proofreading should be done properly for any material in print, this is particularly necessary in the case of children's books, where you are talking to young impressionable minds that are soaking up every word you write. If you need to, get a professional to edit your book, when you are getting your book published.

A writer's critique group is also a good idea. You can find these easily - online, for instance - and you will find interaction with such a group very useful. Some critique groups charge a membership fee, but others may be joined for free. At the meetings of the group, you will be sharing your book with others, and getting useful advice and suggestions.

Regardless of how you go about getting your book published, and what kind of help you take from friends, a writer's group or an editor, you must keep an open mind to suggestions. Listen to others - those who are close to you want you to do well, and their criticism is likely to be constructive.