Before You Self-Publish Your Children’s Book

As the founder and director of the National Writing for Children Center, coordinator of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club, and the host of Book Bites for Kids, a talk show about children’s books, I come in contact with a great many children’s authors each and every month. Many of the authors I meet are self-published and this isn’t always by choice. Most of the time, these authors gave up the idea of having their work accepted by a traditional children’s publisher after receiving a slew of rejections. But – and this is the part that I find really interesting – most of these authors have never taken a course specifically for children’s writing. That means, they usually don’t know what makes a fiction or nonfiction manuscript marketable to traditional publishers.

Usually, I can tell right away why a self-published book has not found a home with a traditional publisher. And, most often, it isn’t because the story is just awful. It’s usually because the author has not taken the time to learn the “business” of children’s publishing. I usually notice that most of the manuscripts that are self-published could probably have been accepted by a traditional publisher if the author really knew what he/she was doing as far as writing FOR kids, not just writing ABOUT kids goes. The sad part is, many self-published children’s authors spend a lot of money having their story professionally illustrated and printed (published), which makes me wonder why they didn’t spend at least a little MORE money on a few how-to books about children’s writing, or, better yet, sign up for a children’s writing course.

Before you self-publish YOUR children’s book, take the time to learn what traditional children’s book publishers look for in marketable manuscripts. Then, even if you still decide to self-publish your book, no one will read it and think, Gee. This person obviously didn’t know much about children’s publishing. No wonder he/she self-published it.

Check out these sites to find great courses and other resources about writing for children:

The Institute of Children’s Literature

Children’s Book Insider Clubhouse

The Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)

Click on the e-book cover below:

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