You may or may not know that June is the month that we focus on children's book genre. I have heard several state to me that they would like to write a children's book. If you are one of them I hope some of these tips help you. 1. DON'T draw your own images Unless you are a professional artist, hire an illustrator to create the images for your book.
If you are self publishing it gives your book a more finished look and is more appealing to your audience.
If you are going the traditional route publishers will prefer to hire their own illustrator for the book.
2. Decide on your age range. Determine who your audience (age range) will be and this will help to determine the length on your book and the word count. Ages up to 3: Toddler books Ages 2–5: Early picture books Ages 5-8: Picture books Ages 5–8: First chapter books and graphic novels Ages 8–11: Middle-grade novels and graphic novels Ages 12-18: Young adult (YA) novels and graphic novels 3. Learn the proper structure Most children's picture books are structured in a very specific way. We will talk about the different structure next week. However, this structure has 32 pages of which 24-28 pages contain text, often just one or two sentences per page. 4. Study recently published picture books The books you remember from your when you were growing up and probably different from what's being published now. It's important to familiarize yourself with the current market. However, be true to yourself and your writing. Write a book that will be engaging and informative for a child. 5. Give your book a beginning, middle and end Your picture book should have a classic plot where a character overcomes a problem, and/or you may organize the book for example, following the character through one day from waking to bedtime. 6. Think about page turns Page turns contribute to the rhythm of your story. Well placed page turns acts as cliff hangers encouraging the reader to continue reading. They can create anticipation, drama, humor, surprise and suspense and help to control the pacing of the story. Words and illustrations have a role in developing an effective page turn. 7. Make a storyboard Storyboarding can be a helpful tool to map out your story and see how it fits into a 32 page picture book format. A storyboard is a visual representation of the children's story that you're writing. It helps you as the writer determine how many illustrations you need. And when you partner with an illustrator, it helps them understand the story and what you're looking for. I hope these tips will help you if you decide to write a children's book.
Happy Writing!
From IABX Renaee Smith CEO/Founder IABX ***Source Internet and Writer's Digest