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I Want to Self-Publish a Children’s Book: Now What?
- TSE Team
- Sep 24
- 4 min read
A guide to helping you through your first journey in self-published children’s literature
You can make a real income by self-publishing children’s books on platforms like Amazon KDP or Ingram Spark, but it’s not the 'get-rich-quick' scheme that many social media stars would have you believe. It takes a lot of work to make money self-publishing, especially in today’s booming market.
We’ve compiled some crucial steps here in helping you get published fast!
1) Find an idea.
Great ideas for children’s books are all around you! You’ll find that writing great children’s content is easier the more you let your mind go. Kids just don’t see the world the same way we do. It may be just a toaster for you, but for an imaginative kid, it could be Mr. Toaster out to save the day. Let your mind wander and find something that makes your own heart squeal with childish delight. Silly? Outlandish? Bizarre? All the better in the end. Children love unique content and they can tell when you’re trying to play it safe.
Need help coming up with an idea for your children's story?
"The truth is that most good ideas aren’t generated, rather, they are found. And the very best ideas are found within you…
In Big Ideas for Children’s Books! we provide you with the ultimate step-by-step framework to guide you towards finding and developing ideas that aren’t just arbitrary or generalised, but have a genuine impact on your audience and contain themes and concepts that you can be passionate about. Children need good stories to represent the loving, open and diverse world that is opening up to them; to show them that the world can be inherently good and it is up to them to create it.
So, what story will you share to open to them up to the awesome and ever-expanding Universe of possibility out there?"2) Sketch it out - you don't need to be Picasso!
Some publishers like to sketch out their ideas. Having an artistic representation of your concept is a great way to visualise the finished product you’ll be creating - even if you don't fancy yourself as the next Axel Scheffler. Try out your designs on pen and paper first and then move them over to a digital interface. To self-publish you’ll eventually need digitised images for your manuscript. No need for perfection here either, remember sometimes what inspires children the most are the unique and novel concepts.
Don’t be afraid to showcase your own art style.
3) Hire a ghostwriter.
High quality children’s book content is absolutely worth the investment. Working with a tried and true writer will nearly guarantee that your concept is successful. Writing a children’s book is a special art and a tough niche to get just right. Frequently a professional will use strategies such as rhyming or a sing-songy cadence to engage kids. They’ll also be able to make sure your manuscript is tailored to the age range you want. By working with a ghostwriter, you can be sure that you’ll still have your name on your final published piece, but also guarantee that your work will help you get great reviews on Amazon KDP.
Self-publishing children’s books is no easy feat and you deserve support on your journey. (If you opt to write it yourself, make sure the get it copyedited! Typos are the quickest way for a parent to lose faith in an author!)
4) Finding your artist!
Artwork is one of the first things a parent and child will notice about your book when they see it online or on the shelf of a bookstore. Good quality writing is important but bright colours and a catchy title are needed to catch the eye of potential readers.
Struggling to pick an art style? Check out other books in your niche and see which ones appeal to you most. Share those covers with your artist as a starting point for your project.
Struggling to pick an artist? Check out our Illustrators Guide here for a list of artists we've had the pleasure to work with and along side on our projects 😁
5) Format it for publishing.
Formatting a book for platforms like Amazon KDP can be a tedious process, but once you learn how to do it, you’ll quickly find yourself able to recreate the magic whenever you need. There are plenty of free or low paid tools online to help you publish. Be sure to plan for what size of book you want to create as you go to avoid any unnecessary last-minute adjustments when you get ready to upload.
There are also plenty of services that specialise in helping authors format their books for selling platform if you find yourself befuddled by all the ins and outs of the process.
6) Publish and promote.
Once you upload, take a pause to celebrate that you’ve finally done it! You’re a published children’s book author. After this part is done, don’t stop there. The books that perform best on Amazon KDP are those that engage their audience. Try reaching out to those you know on social media or create a detailed author profile page. If your idea works, consider creating a series so that you can make money self-publishing a wider array of books and develop your own fanbase.
And there you have it! 6 easy steps to get you started on your journey. Self-publishing children’s books on Amazon KDP is the way to go if you want to stretch your creative muscles and make money doing it!
Great for anyone planning to self publish children's books/books for kids via platforms like KDP.
