Introduction
I've seen countless people ask, "I want to self-publish! Where to start?".
Perhaps you have a story or just an idea for one. Maybe you want to share it with the world, create a priceless family keepsake, or sell millions of copies and become a millionaire – or anything in between.
No matter your motivation, this article aims to provide you with a couple of ideas on where to start (spoiler: DON'T start with searching for an illustrator).
These are pieces of advice I offer to first-time authors, whether we're collaborating on illustrations or I'm mentoring them through this journey!
Know Your Market
Entering a whole new world without knowing anything about it would be weird. You don't have to be an expert in children's literature and study its origins in the 16th century, but understanding the market will allow you to navigate it more smoothly. Luckily, children's books are usually short, so it won't take ages to read some of them!
Start your research at your kid's bookshelf!
If you don't have any kids at home, don't worry; any local library or bookstore will work.
Browse through the titles and see if some catch your attention. Analyze why you're drawn to certain books:
Are illustrations the attraction?
Is it an unusual format?
A whimsical cover?
Interesting topics?
Every book has a copyright page where you can see who wrote it, who illustrated it, and who published it. Take pictures of these pages and continue your research at home:
Look for publishers' websites.
Google authors and illustrators; take a look at their websites—they usually list their work.
Go to Amazon and see if the best-selling children's books include some titles that caught your eye in the library or bookstore.
Are you still fascinated and excited? Do you think your story can fit on these shelves? Because this is what you're going to compete with!
At this point, search for fellow self-published authors; Google is filled with success stories. Read them, get excited, and prepare to start your own journey!
Your Task: Find your new 10 favorite modern picture books (Gruffalo and Alice in Wonderland don't count, modern).
Know Your Genre
Picture books have become a creative outlet for authors and illustrators. There are no rules, no strong guidelines; the sky is the limit of your creativity. However, you can separate them into different categories:
Age groups, typically for younger (2-4) readers and older ones (4-8).
Poetry or prose.
Fiction or non-fiction.
Fantasy or realistic.
Remember the books you picked in the library in the first step, getting to know the market? Which categories are they in? What categories fit your story?
Your Task: Describe your story in terms of genres and categories.
Know Your Competition
Now that you have an idea of where your book stands, gather as much information about the competition as you can:
Where and how are they published?
Traditionally or independently?
How many words?
Poetry or prose?
What kind of illustrations do they have?
Who is the main character?
How much story is told by text, and how much is left for illustrations?
What colors do they use in their covers?
Do you notice any repeating trends?
Do you think something is missing? Is there any gap your book can fill?
For example, if your story is about space dinosaurs and all the books on the market feature T-rexes, maybe your main character can be a Diplodocus!
Most books have male dinosaurs; yours can be a girl.
Most books don't tackle cultural differences of the dinosaurs; your character can have a unique ethnic background and be purple for some reason.
Most books are tailored for older kids, and your dinosaurs can be bigger, rounder, wear diapers, have bigger eyes, and be more attractive to younger readers.
I hope you get the point, and I don't need to think of more examples featuring space dinosaurs!
Your Task: Find 10 titles that are your competition and examine them: their size, number of illustrations, where they are selling, what their authors are doing on the internet (stalker mode on).
Know Your Goals
Before investing anything into this project, it's nice to know WHY exactly you're doing it.
What is your ultimate big goal? Do you want to become a full-time author? Have some passive income? Share an important message? Bring a family legend to the world?
There are so many different reasons people want to publish their book! Write down your WHY. Decide what the outcome you want.
I know it sounds cheesy, and you read it in every productivity book in the world, but if you don't know where you're going, you may never reach your destination.
So be real. What is your BIG, ideal, perfect goal? (Example: become internationally famous and sell 400,000 books annually) What is an acceptable, satisfying result? (Example: have a book signing at the local library and sell 4,000 books annually)
Achieving the second smaller goal can be a first step in your journey to the bigger goal.
Your Task: Define your BIG, smaller, and tiny little mini-goals.
Know Your Story
Get as many readers as you can. Gather feedback and see how people perceive your story. Try to get unbiased opinions: don't torture your family with every draft you come up with; they won't tell you the whole truth!
If you (and your family!) believe your story has potential, it's time to get an editor! A professional editor can turn a mediocre story into a masterpiece. Or at least a marketable product!
If you just want to publish for a small circle of friends and family, I believe you can skip this step and just have your manuscript proofread. But if you plan to return your investments and make some sales - find a good editor.
Your Task: Get your story edited.
Know Your Options
Now you need to investigate your options! What is your budget? Where do you want to sell your book? Do you want to try the traditional road before self-publishing? Because if you don't, maybe you will regret never trying.
Do you want to try Print on Demand and save some money or go all in and print 1500 books overseas? Or maybe you don't approve of printing in China and want to support local businesses by printing your books in your country?
My "long-story-short" advice for all first-time authors - print your first book with Amazon KDP. Take it as a learning-by-doing course in publishing. This is the fastest and cheapest way to get your book out there. If you learn to sell KDP paperbacks, you can later sell your perfectly printed hardcovers using all the knowledge you've gained.
Your Task: Explore your publishing options.
Know Your Art
Okay, NOW you can start searching for an illustrator! Again, you don't have to become an expert in the modern illustration market. But you need to educate yourself about what's out there and what's selling.
Remember, illustrations are a crucial part of any picture book!
When talking about illustrations, they are often described by technique:
Pencil drawings.
Watercolor.
Acrylic.
Collage.
Digital.
Mixed media.
Etc.
Also, they can be described with different descriptive adjectives:
Minimalist.
Highly detailed.
Blurry.
Realistic.
Stylized.
Highly rendered.
Textured.
Sketchy.
Colorful.
…you name it.
This is all very subjective, so you can invent your own terms to describe the style you’re attracted to.
Or, by the feeling they are transmitting:
Dreamy.
Whimsical.
Brutal.
Monumental.
Bright.
Vivid.
Expressive.
Again, subjective.
And often to refer to a particular style, you can use the name of famous illustrators:
Just don't expect another artist to copy Dan Santat for you!! Use it very carefully and only for your research.
You can also browse SCBWI's website to see the variety of styles and techniques. They have 27069 different illustrators in their gallery, it should give you a good start.
Your Task: Describe illustrations of your competition using what you've learned. And think about what you want for your story. So go and find an illustrator!
Know Your Strategy
Illustrating a picture book is not a fast process and can take 2-10 months easily. So while your illustrator is busy bringing your story to life, you can focus on building your marketing strategy. You have already spied on your competition, so no harm in spying a little more!
See what other people are doing and decide for yourself what is suitable for you.
Do you know who your ideal client is?
Does your book have a very specific audience or a broader one? (For example: your book is for kids who are into space and paleontology or for kids who love animals?)
Do you know what your readers search in their Amazon tab while shopping for new books? (For example: space dinosaurs stories for toddlers).
Do you know what blogs and websites your readers use? Is there a way to get your book to these sites?
These questions can start you going with a suitable marketing strategy for you.
Then think about these:
Do you need a website?
Do you have pictures and the author's bio ready?
Do you want to do school visits?
Do you have time to participate in vendor markets?
Do you want to outsource something, or do you need to learn new skills by yourself? (For example: learning Amazon ads can take some time, will you find this time?)
As you see, there might be a lot of work required. Check with your goals and see what is necessary on your journey!
And most importantly - be consistent and patient. Publishing a good children's book is not a quick and easy project. But it can be very rewarding and profitable in the end!