How to Get Your Children’s Book Published
Step #1: Believe
As a children’s author, I’m used to answering an almost infinite number of questions that come up at school visits around the country. A kindergartner could ask, How do you make all those books? or just want to share, I have a new dog! A second grader may wonder, How old are you? or Where do you get your ideas? And a middle schooler might want to know, Do you get writer’s block? or What’s your best writing tip? or Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met? It’s a joy to share my writing process while answering your students’ many, many (so many!) different questions.
Yet, in almost every school in every town and at every grade level, teachers and librarians have approached me with the same shy confession, I’ve written my own children’s book. And ask the same question, over and over again, How can I get my children’s book published?
Now honestly, if you meet me in person, I’ll typically say something like, it just requires perseverance. I admit that’s not a real answer, but I’m caught between telling the truth and the time constraints of the ten-minute break I typically have between presentations. It would take more time to cover the steps of publishing a children’s book than most teachers have free in an entire school day (or maybe a week)! Like teaching, the business of publishing is more complex than many people outside of it understand. When I started writing over a decade ago, I certainly had no idea how it all worked. But I feel that I owe the thousands of teachers, librarians and other school staff I’ve met a real answer.
So, I’m going to use this space graciously provided by the Bookology staff for a series of articles for educators explaining the basics of publishing your own children’s book. There will be things you may already know, and things I bet you don’t. There will possible triumphs and probable pitfalls. And be forewarned that I’m certainly not the only source of information about how to get started in children’s publishing. So, throughout this series I will be sharing books and websites from other perspectives to help you on your publishing journey.
No matter which information you find useful or what path you wind up taking, here’s the most important thing you need to know — YOU CAN DO THIS!
It is entirely possible for you to get a children’s book published. Hundreds of educators have become professional children’s writers: Rick Riordan, Linda Sue Park, Eoin Colfer, Kate Messner, Samira Ahmed, and Andrew Clements to name a very few. The forever famous Beverly Cleary was a children’s librarian.
I also know you can do it because I did it — without knowing anyone in the industry, without being the world’s most talented writer, or even a person who can use a comma correctly. My own (though very brief) time in front of a class of second graders made all the difference in terms of getting my first children’s book accepted and a career started.
But it’s not just my opinion, here are six basic reasons why publishers often buy manuscripts written by teachers or others who have experience working with children:
- Teachers know which books work. They know what stories kids like. They also have experience with parents, teachers, librarians, and others who influence book buying.
- Teachers have typically had at least one class (sometimes dozens!) in children’s literature across genres — they know what good children’s literature is, and why it’s important in the classroom and the home.
- Teachers understand the cultural, racial, or gender diversity of children and the diversity of their individual reading tastes and learning styles.
- Teachers are familiar with current vocabulary and the specific slang of kids at specific ages and places. They know how real kids sound.
- Teachers know kids’ current interests and they know the places kids spend a lot of time — school, home, clubs, music, sports, games, books, cyberspace, etc.
- Teachers know the problems, triumphs, failures, and real-life challenges facing today’s kids. They have a unique window on kid-kid, kid-family, and kid-educator relationships. They possess a wealth of emotional situations and memories on which to build a story.
In a typical day at a school, almost without thinking about it, you have potential book-inspiring experiences that others who want to write for children will never, ever have. You are exposed to children, living with your audience, all day, most days. Your teaching can inform your writing, your writing will also inform your teaching. Each set of skills will make you better at the other.
Yet, though educators start giant steps ahead of other non-teaching writers, there is still tons of basic information specific to the publishing industry that it’s better to know early. In future articles this space will cover topics like: types of children’s books, reader ages and manuscript length, publishers and their personnel, the process of book-making, the basics of story, how to submit, and resources for more help. It might seem like a lot, but it’s all doable.
However, the challenge I’ve struggled with most (as most writers do) is not only the hardest, it’s also one you must teach yourself. You must learn to be confident in your work — confident enough to make time for it, confident enough to allow it to change and grow, and confident that you will be capable of learning at any age (I was 48) the skills to move forward in your writing and publishing journey. So, here’s a few classic books that I’ve found helpful for inspiring me to write, while also encouraging the belief that publishing is not just a dream, it is possible if you put in the work.
Art and Fear:
Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
by David Bayles and Ted Orland
This is a book that “explores the way art gets made, the reasons it often doesn’t get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way.” This one is essential reading for my anxiety-ridden brain.
Bird by Bird:
Some Instructions on Writing and Life
by Anne Lamott
This long time New York Times bestseller is “An essential volume for generations of writers young and old.” Lamott is funny, tender, and brilliant as always. Even older students may love this one.
The Artist’s Way
by Julia Cameron
For those of you who like a workshop, this bestselling workbook will change your writing as you “embark on a creative journey and find a deeper connection to process and purpose.” Dozens of insights, hundreds of exercises, a way of life as well as a book for anyone who wants to live more creatively.
Try to pick at least one of those books up at your local library or bookseller. Next time we’ll cover the physical types and basic genres of children’s books, including age targets, and word count. Note: What you know of children’s books as a teacher is different from how publishers see them as a product. Until the next issue of Bookology, put your butt in a chair and WRITE!
P.S. You can stand up or lie down too, I just like a comfy chair … more soon.