How do I Write a Children’s Book and get it Published?

This is the golden question that everyone wants to know the answer to. But, there’s no great secret to getting a children’s book published, the process is much the same as writing any other book.

1. Read widely – only by reading lots of other people’s work will you find out what the current trends are in children’s writing and what publishers are accepting.

2. Find an idea – now you know what publishers are looking for you can start to formulate an idea for your children’s book.

3. Find a publisher that may be interested in it – once you have your idea you need to use market research to locate a publisher that might be interested in buying it. There are publishers who specialise in children’s writing and others that publish children’s writing alongside other kinds of writing so it’s vital that you check publisher information carefully.

4. Once you’ve chosen a suitable publisher, study what they already produce for children – you’ll need to spend time reading their children’s books to see what kind of style and content they accept.

5. Write your children’s book – now you know what kind of work the publisher likes you can set about writing your book.

6. Send it off – once you book is complete all that remains is to submit your query letter and/or manuscript to your chosen publisher, cross your fingers and wait for a response.

See what tutor and published children’s author Stephanie Baudet has to say in her video writing picture books for children. And if you fancy having a go at writing a children’s book request our Writing For Children course prospectus.