Author, Speaker, James C. Tanner

James C. Tanner

Writer, Speaker, and Business Coach

How To Write And Publish
A Children's Book
April 29, 2010

-- James C. Tanner

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All of a sudden, your nights are pierced
by the long ago echo of childhood
campfire stories. With your eyes still
closed a light goes on in your mind, "I
should write and publish a children's
book."

First off, if the concept of writing a
children's book comes to you in a dream,
the first ound advice you listen to should
come in the form of two words, "WAKE
UP!"

How to effectively write and publish a children's book requires much more than just a simple story that sent you running from the campfire in
tears many years ago. Like any business deal, writing a children's book requires a plan. Truthfully, many manuscripts in this genre never see the
light of day, and why? If the truth were told, most children's books are written by first time authors, who wake up in the middle of the night with a
sudden pang of interest in writing a children's book. Some will take years to complete their first manuscript, and by the time it's finished, they will
spend just as much time circulating it to publishers.

If a person is serious about wanting to learn how to write a children's book, then a plan must first be put in place.

1. Who do you want your audience to be?

Are you wanting to reach the pre-school age bracket of children? If so, then perhaps a picture book would be the better way to present your story.
Perhaps you want to reach the elementary age child, and if so, are you focusing on girls or boys, or can your story appeal to both equally?

Once you identify who you want your audience to be, take some time in your local library and review the types of books your target audience is
reading. Pay attention to things like colors, the complexity of images, and the level of vocabulary. Spend some time noticing how many pages are in
the book, and how many words are there on a single page.

2. Take solid time to kick around your idea or story line.

Don't make the mistake that many people make by rushing off to type away at the beginning of a story not knowing how it will end. A great
children's book should be readible. A great children's book should contain a story which can be told. Formulate your story idea in your head to the
point where you can tell yourself the story from beginning to end several times. When your story line is complete in your head, take a few minutes
to jot it down.

With a story line in mind, return to the library and take a look at the books which already exist. Publishers want original stories, they don't want a
re-hash of last years great publishing success.

First, confirm that your storyline is original. If it isn't original, what would have to change to make it unique?

With an original story written down, it's time to think about the next step in the
process, and this is where the real work begins in the writing industry.

3. Finding the right publisher.

Most first time writers assume the tough work comes in writing the story--not so!
Approximately 40 percent of the work comes in writing the manuscript, the rest of
the work comes when you start to find a publisher, and once found, getting the
book into the hands of buyers.

Most publishers will yawn at an unknown author. Gain some notoriety by writing a
few short articles around a children's story theme. Submit those articles to
magazines who publish articles related to children. Don't under-estimate the
importance of this step. Magazine articles are often accepted more readily from
publishers and everytime one is accepted, your portfolio increases in value in the
eyes of a book publisher. Book publishers aren't worried over the great story in
your book, they want to know the answer to one question, "Can this book sell?" If
you approach a publisher from the position of having been already accepted in the
publishing community, then there is a stronger likelihood a publisher will sit up and
pay closer attention to your work.

It also has to be stated very clearly--publishers reject far more than they accept. Get use to it!

How you approach a publisher is very important. Take time to research how best to submit your manuscript to a publisher.
-- Which publishers will you approach and what do you know about them already?
-- Do they require you to submit a full manuscript, or just a couple of chapters?
-- Will a cover letter suffice with your manuscript, or do you require a more formal presentation of your work?

Publishers are swamped with manuscripts all the time. Most reliable publishers are not hoping to publish everything that crosses their desk.
Publishers sift through the chafe looking for that one bestseller, or better yet, the one which could spawn a movie or TV deal. In the process,
budgets have to be considered as publishers will commit dollars to any project they get behind.

It's also important for a novice writer to understand that publishers work with quotas. Most publishing houses will only accept a set number of
projects each year in varying categories, and once those quotas are full, any new submissions are rejected, or placed on hold for consideration in
their next year's line up.

If your project is rejected, don't take it to mean you should give up. If your manuscript is a good one, a rejection should simply mean you've
knocked on the wrong door and it's time to move on to the next publisher.

Another question which arises pertains to the use of a literary agent. Literary agents are favored by the big publishing houses as a publisher
builds rapor with agents and tends to give them time more easily than an unknown writer. Literary agents are in the job of getting your manuscript
sold to a publisher, but for a fee. Once again, there must be a market for a manuscript, and a literary agent can help you with this task, but nothing
comes for free. A literary agent does for a manuscript, what a realtor does for a homeowner, they sell your property.

Once your manuscript begins to circulate for consideration, the greatest thing you can do is wait. Take time to focus on other things, research
other publishers in the event your work is rejected, and in all likelihood it will be by most. Manuscript submission is a form of cold-call marketing,
you will hear a few "no's" before you here one "yes". The process can take a year, or longer depending on how well you research your publishers.

While you wait to hear back from publishers, consider researching the possibility of self-publishing. Today, the world of self-publishing has
become much more author-friendly. Don't rule it out.