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What do Ya Know? (About Publishing Children’s Books)

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God surprised me with an idea for a children's book. (Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com)

On Fridays, for a few weeks, I’m asking for tips and advice about some different things. I expect some of you will have similar questions, and others of you will have the answers. We’re a match made in Heaven!

So, what do ya know?

Today I’m wondering about publishing books. Children’s books specifically; although I would love to hear from anyone who has published anything. I know there are many of you!

About Publishing Children’s Books

I recently had a sudden idea for a children’s book. A book series, actually. But lets start at the beginning, right?

I shared my idea with two of my daughters. One is already sketching illustrations. The other, who is immersed in the target audience (she’s a preschool teacher), is excitedly contributing inspiration for content.

But we don’t know the first thing about publishing children’s books. Here are some specific questions we have:

  1. Do we need to copyright our characters before we pitch our idea to different people?
  2. What do we need to submit to a publisher? A full mock-up of a book? An idea and a rough character sketch? Something in between?
  3. How do we find publishers who work in the target space we want to fill? We are leaning pretty niche. The first resources would be for preschoolers and the adults who aim to teach them about Godly things from an early age (parents, teachers, babysitters, Sunday School volunteers, etc.). Eventually, we’d love to see the stories grow with the children, getting more complex as they age.
  4. Does anyone have insight into the creation of companion resources? (Think puppets, posters, stickers, etc.)

Are these the right questions to be asking?

God gave me this idea out of the blue. And it feels as though He’s pushing the accelerator on it, for some reason. But I have a lot to learn, and I’m sure others could benefit from this topic as well.

So, what do ya know? If you’re someone with expertise to share about publishing books (children’s books or other books, accompanying materials, or anything of the sort), please light up the comments. This is your chance to shine. I’m waiting at the edge of my seat and I’m sure I’m not the only one!

33 replies on “What do Ya Know? (About Publishing Children’s Books)”

Thank you. I have thought about self-publication. I know some people are successful with it. Have you done this? Where would one turn for direction on how to self-publish?

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I’ve used Lulu.com. It was helpful and has a guide you can download before trying anything. I used it for a basic theology e-book. I’m not sure if they would handle printing, but they handle copyright, the marketing, and getting in listed on e-book sites/stores. Hope that helps some.

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Good morning, Mama! I love your passion and dream—God inspired! I self-published a non-fiction book, Faith and Finley Tour Missouri. I created my own, LLC, “Finley River Publishing”. I hired a former student as my illustrator. My goal was to write a series, Faith and Finley, all about my pup and I and our 4 years in my RV (think “The Magic School Bus”) traveling across the states sharing cool facts! My first book focused only on Missouri. I was on a “roll” in going to schools again; particularly 3rd grade (it aligns with MO grade level expectations). I chose to use a company called “Blurb”. There are MANY self-publishing platforms—some use Amazon (Kindle Direct),Draft2Digital, BookBaby, Ingram,…with Blurb, I downloaded their specific software, Bookwright. It was a bit tricky to learn to use. Not hard, but placing images is very specific (size, etc…). I failed to “purchase” my own ISBN number (something I forgot) so my publisher says “Blurb” instead of my LLC. Oops. Why I personally chose this company was so they could distribute to the Global Market (Ingram included). To get into schools or even have them purchase, I needed to be included in the Ingram catalog. Also, they distributed it on Amazon. I received a discount by ordering books in bulk (at least 100). My book had been published for about 10 months when I got my cancer diagnosis. My 2nd book, “Faith and Finley—Find Your Park” —had begun. My illustrator, Gage, has become quite busy since then and juggling two jobs so I’ve “stalled” on that one. Once deemed inoperable with Stage IV cancer, I just received news this last Monday, the Chief Oncologist Surgeon at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD, took my “case”. He can do surgery the end of October IF my blood will improve. They even ordered another MRI which was done yesterday! It’s a huge surgery and they can’t get the cancer in my bones, but my life will be extended. PRAISE GOD! SO, I hope to continue to put Flannel with Faith into an inspirational book I’m calling simply, Flannel and Faith. I’m not for sure if I’ll self-publish with Blurb or just put it directly on Amazon. In the meantime, my little Missouri book can still be marketed as new 3rd graders are beginning this year! I will be praying for this vision and dream. It’s God-given, my friend. Self-publishing is fun—I loved learning new things! I met so many amazing self-published authors on IG; however, due to my life with cancer, I got off of all social media, except here, due to the amount of time I was spending marketing. I will be praying for you, your daughter, and this dream! Go for it, Mama! It sounds so beautiful! I met Christian authors who started children’s books. Because I’m a history and outdoor lover, I chose to go this route; yet, once in schools, I can share God’s love and that was my overall goal—to teach our kids about some neat things and history in our area. No matter what, Mama, God will use your dream and grow it to his glory THROUGH YOU! I’m so happy for you! I know exactly how you feel. I’m going to pray, now, about this and all you’ll be doing to take steps! Much love and prayers, sweet friend! 💕🙏✍️

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Oh, so much great stuff here! I am so thankful you took the time to write it all out. I will read and re-read your advice and pray it all through. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have been praying for you. I saw that info about the surgeon taking your case in your last post and have been praying all the tests confirm that you are a candidate with a green light! You are such a blessing, my friend! Thank you again. I have so much to learn.

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I’m so glad the response showed. You are so sweet! There are many ways and many better than mine for certain! I was such a new learner! I’d love to see what you learn as I don’t mind change and love learning new ways; although I’m a bit familiar now with BookWright. I still may just use Kindle Direct for inspirational one. I’m undecided! Thank you for praying for me. God is so good! It’s amazing how he works and how things can change because of his hands! They even have the MRI from yesterday. I’m continuing to take good care (I think I can handle bones hurting much better once the abdomen is all cleaned up 🙏🏻). I’m realistic~but my reality is based on the truth of Christ! You are such a blessing to me too, Mama. You encourage me so much. I’ll learn again with you, my friend. It’s been two years I published. We can encourage and keep praying for one another! Sending you sister love, hugs, and prayers! 💕🙏🏻🥰

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Oh, Mama, something else…I use Canva as my marketing platform (and my logo, for example). It’s a TREASURE TROVE and all the creative ideas are there! You just choose. I pay a subscription because I used it to create stickers, postcards, thank you cards, and even t-shirts. 💛

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Thank you! A couple of my kids use canva- I could get them to give me a tutorial, haha! And did I miss something? This says “something else”. Was there another thing? I know you are an expert in this subject matter, so I don’t want to kiss any wisdom that comes from your heart on this one!

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Oh my goodness, I had sent a huge response about my self-publishing journey. I don’t know where it went? You are too sweet. I’m still a novice! I was self-learned for sure. I will re-frame my thoughts from my original reply and get back with you! I wonder where it went. I probably did something wrong tee hee 💕❤️🥰

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Oh my goodness – after learning you had sent something, I went hunting. I found it in my spam folder! I’m so sorry – I have no idea why it went there. I found other people’s valid comments to things too… I wonder what makes WordPress think a comment is spam?
I’ll move it and approve it and respond!

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My gifted sister was too afraid of people “stealing” her music, which resulted in her only publishing one song of many that are now only in her brain. Go for leaving your mark on the lives of children and let your posterity worry about the copyrights. 😉
❤️&🙏, c.a.

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I’ve not published a children’s book but have a strong interest. I have a book in process. My encouragement is to consider attending a writers conference.

I have attended a few writers conferences, for me they have been worth the time and investment. They are a great place to gain knowledge and wisdom from the speakers, network with other writers, and learn about publishing. Often times offering private appointments with authors and/or publishers to get feedback or advice.

Some conferences cover the many forms of publishing available today. I heard a speaker compare the pros and cons of: self-publishing, traditional publishing, vanity publishing, and custom publishing. The latter, a type of hybrid, shares features of traditional and self-publishing and there has shared creative control between author and publisher.

There is not a right or wrong method but there are different aspects to each and it’s good to know the differences and choose what is best for you and your desired outcome. In my understanding, the greatest differences lie in out-of-pocket costs if any, revenue gained, and who’s responsible for marketing promoting the work.

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My advice is to look up SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writer’s and Illustrators.) Join a local group. I’ve been a member of one in SOCAL for decades. They have all the resources and details you’ll need including guides of what to submit and who is accepting submissions, what they are looking for, etc. I began writing while my children were young and my muses. I won a Writer’s Digest Children’s Fiction Competition, was published in Ladybug Magazine, a reader by Houghlin Mifflin and a few other places, but have never gotten a book published. Back when my kids were young, the advice was to mail yourself a copy of your material and write on the back of the envelope what is inside. It’s dated and proof of when you came up with your manuscript or artwork. I’m sure there are slicker methods now, but it doesn’t hurt to do that also.

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Thank you! I’ll have to look into this. I am so oblivious to this world… the learning curve is HUGE! I know that if God is ordaining it, He will continue to lead, but I do feel the burden of responsibility to learn all I can. And I’m starting from ground zero (or lower, if that’s possible! 😂)

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I’m so thankful for this group of bloggers and their willingness to share what they know. There is a lot of information out there (about all kinds of things!) and it feels at times like I’m going to drown in it all. The more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know! hahaha… but seriously. 😉

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Hey, Mama! I just wanted to chime in here! I published my children’s book through Amazon KDP. I don’t really make anything off of it, but I was just happy to get the book out there. I knew absolutely nothing when I started researching and decided to go the easiest route for me, which was Amazon, since they can publish it for Kindle too. Child #2 also has a children’s book there, which is really sweet about different kinds of mothers. She did her own illustrations and they’re beautiful. My only illustration (since my book is for a little bit older child!) was the picture I drew of Snowball on the front (with God’s help! You should have seen the one I tried to draw on my own before prayers!!! Geesh!)

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Wow – your own illustration!? I’m impressed. I’m so grateful my kids have talents that augment mine ;). Thank you for chiming in. I need to look into Amazon KDP. And you understand me – I know absolutely nothing… yet!

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