Publishing a children’s book for a new author can be an intimidating task. However, if you are a first-time author and want to get your children’s book published, then this friendly post has got you covered. If you are a regular person with no connection with the art, this post can guide you the way. Here, you can get to know about the essential requirements you need to fulfill to get your children’s book published. Publishing a children’s book made easy. Check it out!

Step By Step Procedure To Get Your Book For Children Published

If you are a first-time author, then you need to perform the below-given procedure for publishing a children’s book:

1: Know Your Audience (Market)

In the first place, you need to be aware of the market and your targeted audience, who can become the potential buyers of your book. An editor considers only those books that can be sold with ease. Segmenting your book’s target audience will help you to show your understanding of the publishing business. It is an essential quality that editors look for in a collaborator. 

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2: Children Age Range And Word Count

Children fiction is categorized into five broad categories as: 

  • Picture Book: Reader is below-5 years, and the maximum word count is 1000. 
  • Early Readers: 5+ years old reader and maximum word count 2,000 – 5,000.
  • Chapter Books: 6-9 years old reader and maximum word count 5,000 – 10,000.
  • Middle Grade: 8-12 years old reader and word limit 30,000-50,000 words.
  • Young Adult: 12-18 years old reader and word limit 50,000-100,000 words.

If you want an easy pass from the editor, you need to take the word count of the book very seriously. Editors don’t have enough time to edit the books thoroughly. If you write 50,000 words for Chapter Book, then it will not be an easy road for you to get approval. 

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3: Do Some Market Research

Publishing a children’s book will also need you to do in-depth research of the market. Check what booksellers are promoting and selling. Checking Amazon’s list of bestsellers will not be sufficient, but you need to visit the stores to know what’s in trend. Stores have a larger heap of children’s books as compared to online retailers. Besides, parents also get more options to choose from, so snoop around the market to understand the trends and purchase behavior of the customers. What to look for? Check below: 

  • Most famous authors of children’s books.
  • Themes and topics that are trending the most. 
  • Publisher’s list who is publishing children’s books.
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4: Edit Your Manuscript Properly Before Final Submission

Edit your manuscript precisely to make it as impeccable as possible. We have already discussed that editors don’t have sufficient time to edit the books properly. However, when your book is already optimized at your end, you can get clearance without much ado. Your well-thought-out rewriting and edits can make it a great book. Readers read a book once, but a great book may take several attempts to make it a masterpiece. 

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5: Feedback Is Important

Before publishing a children’s book, you need to get it to read to your target audience, that is, children. Give the manuscript to a kid to read, and it will help you to get blunt and frank feedback on the book without any sugar coating. They can be your best beta readers. Besides, also consider getting input from the parents, because they are the one who gets these books for the kids, so it is important to know what they think about the book. 

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6: Word With Professional Editors

Now that you know that your book is suitable for the market, you can reach out to a professional editor who can fix the storytelling portion and ensure grammatical accuracy. Besides, you can understand if you are writing correctly for your specific audience. Experienced editors are well-aware of the unspoken rules of the trade and ensure that your book remains in adherence with the standards. Above all, you can get assisted throughout the process of submitting your manuscript from professionals. 

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Freelance editors who work with renowned publishers are aware of the qualities they look for. Their help can play a significant role in publishing a children’s book with the utmost ease. 

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7: Find An Agent For Children’s Book 

Once you are ready with your book, finding a children’s book agent can be the easiest way to get it published. These days, it has become an intimidating task to find publishers who accept unagented submissions. However, you can look for agents who can accept your query for submission. 

An agent can sell your book to the publishers and negotiate on behalf of you for the best deals. If your book has the potential to become the next big thing, then they can handle your TV, films, and merchandising rights. To approach an agent, you will need to send him a query letter to query whether he/she is interested in representing your book or not. It is wise to approach only those agents who look after publishing a children’s book only. It can save your time and efforts. 

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8: Submit The Manuscript To The Publisher Directly

It is not necessary that you will get the desired response even after convincing an agent to represent you. Besides, if you are not getting any agent, then how will you proceed further. Fret not! There is still a solution. You can submit your book directly to the publishers yourself. Make a list of the publishers who accept unagented work and approach them one after the other to get the desired response. It is not absolutely true that big presses won’t consider an unsolicited manuscript. 

When you approach them for publishing a children’s book, they will only respond when they are interested in publishing. 

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Final Words!!

This comprehensive post can guide your way through getting your children’s book published if you are a first-time author. Besides, you can also learn dos and don’ts when proceeding further on your way to book publishing. If you liked this post on publishing a children’s book, then visit our blog section to find more exciting posts.