Remember when you used to curl up on the sofa as a child with your favorite book? Its world and its history absorbed you completely. An author who addresses an audience made up of young readers wants to teach lessons learned on his skin, offer sources of joy and inspiration, and perhaps evoke those feelings in his own interiority. This article describes the steps involved in writing a book that targets a child audience. From generating ideas to actually publishing the manuscript, here's how to go about it.
Steps
Part 1 of 5: Research and Brainstorming
Step 1. Read lots of children's books
When you start thinking about ideas for your book, it is quite helpful to read other people's work. Go to the library or bookstore (preferably a specialized one) and dedicate a few hours to research. Think about the books that appeal to you the most, and why.
- Do you want your book to have illustrations or just text?
- Do you want to write a fiction or non-fiction book? Informative texts require a lot of research or knowledge on the subject in question, and can be fine if you are well versed in something, such as dinosaurs, meteorites or various machinery.
- For a good book of fiction, read the classics. Don't limit yourself to recent work, dig through time and analyze stories that have stood the test of time. Try to understand for yourself why they were consecrated for eternity. For example, consider books like Alice in Wonderland, In the Land of Wild Monsters, Polar Express, and so on.
- Consider fairy tales. The entertainment industry has recently renewed its interest in fairy tales, and modernized them. Since most of these stories are in the public domain, you can easily get inspired by the characters and plots, reworking them in your own way, perhaps in a modern way.
Step 2. Consider the age group you intend to target
The expression "children's literature" is quite vast and contains many sub-genres, from illustrated books that have only one word per page to those rich in textual content, such as novels and non-fiction texts written for middle or high school kids (young adults). The plot, the content and the themes must adapt to the target age, so that they are appealing to the readers you have in mind (remember that parents are the first to have a say in determining whether their children will be able to read or not. your book).
- Picture books are ideal for younger children. Usually, they are very colorful, so printing them is more expensive - keep that in mind. On the other hand, they're also shorter, but your writing needs to be compelling enough to appeal to such an audience; moreover, the rhythms of history must be tightened.
- Books rich in content, non-fiction or current events are meant for older readers. Going from elementary school to teen content, you have a lot of choice, but you also need to remember that writing and research will take more time.
- Don't overlook the potential of a poetry or short story book. If you opt for one of these genres, you will surely get a good response.
Step 3. Decide if the book will consist mostly of words or pictures (you can also alternate between the two)
If it's aimed at young readers, include lots of drawings related to the words. If you are an artist, draw the illustrations yourself - many children's book authors do this. If not, hire a professional to take care of it. For older children, diagrams, drawings, and the occasional colored images are generally sufficient; in some cases, you can even avoid inserting illustrations.
- Before looking for an illustrator, draw sketches to indicate which images you prefer on each page. This will be of great help to you in the next step of preparing for publication. You can immediately give the sketches to the illustrators you have considered, so they will get an idea of your preferences.
- Each illustrator has their own style, so it is important to do careful research before choosing one. Review the work of various professionals online, view their portfolios. Is hiring an illustrator out of your budget? You can always ask a friend or family member with an artistic soul to create the drawings for the story.
- To add images to the book, you can also consider photography. Can you do it with the camera? You can use real-life settings, stuffed animals, and so on. Also, consider photo editing programs to add hard-to-find items.
Part 2 of 5: Prepare the Contents of the Book
Step 1. Establish the main components of the story
Write the ideas in a notebook. Here are the main concepts to keep in mind:
- Whether they are aimed at children or adults, almost all qualitatively better stories have some basic aspects in common: a protagonist, supporting characters, an interesting setting, a storyline that includes a central conflict, the struggle to overcome it, a climax and a dissolution.
- If it is a non-fiction or topical work, it must inform the reader of elements such as history, people, events, real facts or specific instructions.
- Illustrated books. They require a lot of images, usually in color. This means that printing will be expensive. The text is small, but it must be both qualitatively good and original. Creating an excellent story despite the limited words is a real art.
Step 2. Consider adding a moral for fiction work
Many children's books include a positive message. A more complex life lesson on issues such as the death of a loved one, or the analysis of global issues, such as respect for the environment, can be simple and rather well known, such as "Learn to share with others". or other cultures. You don't need to include a direct message, so don't force it. The lesson would otherwise be heavy, which will not please the children.
Step 3. Be creative
If you write fiction books, you can jump on the ball to talk about bizarre, weird, nerdy, dreamy, or fantastic topics. What inspired you as a child? Recover that imagination, explore those ideas. This doesn't mean that you absolutely have to think of something extravagant. Describe sincere feelings and actions that make sense to the characters. Readers know how to immediately catch a little-heard writing in the act, and that's where they decide to close the book. Do you write essays or current affairs books? Take the opportunity to share knowledge and research with future generations of chefs, engineers and artists! In particular, be accurate as well as being creative: it is necessary to maintain a good balance between lightness and accurate explanation of information that is verified, understandable or doable for children.
Consider pitching the idea to a child, such as a nephew or a friend's child. Children usually give a very honest opinion and thus can help you determine if your story will be interesting for their age group
Part 3 of 5: First Draft of the Story
Step 1. Write the first draft
Don't worry about the result: this is certainly not the final version, the one that others will read. Once you have created the map of the story or facts that you will explain, start putting it concretely in black and white. You can refine it later. Many authors are unable to finish a book because they are carried away by useless delusions of perfectionism: the red pen will be able to make its intervention after having actually written something.
Step 2. Carefully consider the age of the readers as you write
The vocabulary, structure and length of sentences should be adapted to the age group you are referring to. Not sure? Talk to different children belonging to your target, and share some words you intend to use: you will get an idea of their intellectual faculties. While you can definitely inspire readers to learn, there's no need to force them to open their dictionary every two seconds.
- Write concise sentences: Do they clearly communicate the ideas you want to share? It is a fundamental principle for writing well, whatever the age group of reference. It is especially important for children who are learning to gradually grasp increasingly complex concepts.
- Do not underestimate the intellect of the readers. Children are very intelligent, and if you make the mistake of writing in an overly simplified way, they will quickly get fed up with the book. The themes must adapt to their age and the sentences be easy to understand, but the project you have in mind must deeply intrigue them.
- Stay up to date. Just because a topic doesn't interest you or seems too technical doesn't mean it should be skipped. Children want to read modern books from a linguistic and conceptual point of view. If that means delving into topics such as technology or slang to make the story or content genuine, enthusiastically embrace this learning opportunity!
Step 3. Establish a realistic breakup or conclusion for a fiction book
A happy ending isn't always necessary: since life doesn't always go that way, it wouldn't be fair to a young reader at all, it wouldn't offer him a realistic view. The ending should be qualitatively equal to the rest of the book, without seeming abrupt or disconnected. Sometimes it is better to take a break, go back to the book later: in the meantime, in your subconscious, an appropriate conclusion will form itself. For some, however, the ending is known before they even start writing.
Speaking of non-fiction and current affairs, he always tries to come to a conclusion: the work must still be finished in one way or another. You can make an observation on the future evolution of the topic, summarize the main points covered in the book or insert a personal reflection on what the reader will want to do, read or learn at the end of the reading. Whatever the approach, don't go too far: with a job like this, kids usually don't want to read a conclusion that goes over half a page
Part 4 of 5: Correct and Improve
Step 1. Correct the manuscript
This step must be repeated more than once: the final result must be accurate from every point of view. Maybe you realize that entire chapters of the story don't make sense, or a new character needs to be added. Do you work with an illustrator? You will find that adding images can change the tone of the book. In short, review everything several times before offering it to people.
Learn to make sacrifices. Of course, it's hard to eliminate parts that took hours and hours of perfecting away, only to find that they don't fit the job or don't have space. Writing also means this. Knowing what to leave out is an integral part of the job. To be objective, take a break and get back to work with a fresh head
Step 2. Check your spelling and grammar
Once the draft is finished, reread your manuscript specifically to check grammar and spelling. In addition to looking for errors, also check for redundant words and sentences that are too long.
- Spell checking is a very useful tool, but not 100% effective. Review the draft a couple of times to make sure you have found all the basic errors. Take a few days off between reading, so you always have a fresh mind.
- Remember, long and complicated sentences could be confusing for a young reader. One of the challenges in writing for children is to communicate complicated stories in a clear and concise way.
Step 3. Show the draft to other people
Start with friends and family. It's not always easy to get a sincere reaction from your loved ones - they don't want to hurt your feelings. So consider joining a creative writing group or starting one yourself; only then will you be able to have honest opinions about your work.
- Remember to show the work to the target audience: children. Read it to different children and pay attention. Try to figure out if they get it, what parts they get bored, and so on.
- Consider whether the book would also be of interest to parents, teachers, and librarians. These are the buyers, so the story should intrigue them too.
- After receiving feedback from multiple sources, proofread the book again.
Part 5 of 5: Publish the Book
Step 1. Publish it yourself
It is a viable and respectable solution in today's publishing world. Do an online search to find specialized companies in the sector. Propose an eBook, or print a number of hard copies. You can invest all the money you want for self-publishing and you will be able to avoid the long process foreseen by traditional publishing houses.
- Some publishing houses specializing in self-publishing offer services of a higher quality than others. Before choosing one, examine the type of paper used, and try to get samples of other published books.
- When you self-publish a book, there may still be an opportunity to point it out to a traditional publishing house in the future. In fact, you will have a finished sample to send with your proposal attached. If it's interesting, it can give you a distinct competitive edge over other claims.
Step 2. Find a literary agent
If you want to publish the book with a traditional publishing house, it is preferable to contact an agent, who will guide you all the way. Research those who specialize in children's books. Just open Google to find several, even if you write in another language and intend to give it a try in a foreign market.
- Send a letter of inquiry and a summary of the book to several agents. If they are interested, they will ask you to see the manuscript. It may take weeks or months before you get a response.
- If the book is not chosen by an agent, you can send a request letter and abstract directly to several publishers that accept unsolicited manuscripts. Before sending your documents, be well informed to avoid making a hole in the water.
- If the book is chosen by an agent, they may ask you to make corrections in order to make it more interesting in the eyes of potential publishers. Once ready, the broker will send it to the publishers who seem to be right for you. Again, the process can take months, and no one guarantees you that it will be published.
Step 3. Offer it to a local audience only
Writing a children's book is a huge achievement in itself. If you don't want to, there's no point trying to publish it on a large scale. Sometimes it is more satisfying to simply share it with those around you. You could print it and bind it in a copy shop in your city. Give it to your friends or family children. Many copy shops offer services that allow you to make very professional looking color prints.
Advice
- Play with your tongue. Kids aren't afraid to express their creativity and sense of humor, so using funny words and phrases will help get them involved in the story.
- In the book, he talks about interesting topics for children. If you have a child, ask them what their favorite stories are, and maybe get some ideas. This quest will be fun for you too.
- Think carefully before using the anthropomorphism technique. Publishing houses get so many stories about turnips, trout and talking mineral collections, so using this strategy won't make you shine unless you rework it in an original way.
- Children's books are often the result of collaborations. If you hire an illustrator, obviously you will have to acknowledge him in the final thanks.
- Poetry, especially rhyming poetry, guarantees excellent results when entrusted to the right hands. The problem is that it usually ends up in the wrong hands. If you can't tell the story any other way, try this literary genre. You can also use the free verse. Do you prefer rhymes? Use rhymes (find a valid one in bookstores or on the internet).
