Information for 1st Time Authors
YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR A CHILDREN’S BOOK: WHERE DO YOU BEGIN?
TWO POSSIBLE PATHS. As an author, you have a choice of two paths to pursue in order to get your story published. You can choose the ‘Traditional Publishing’ route, or the ‘Self-Publishing’ route. I will explain the difference between these options and give you some pros and cons for each.
Option One:
TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING. Traditional Publishing companies can be large, medium or small. You probably have heard of the major companies: Penguin/Random House, Harper Collins or Simon and Schuster. These are the big ones. They usually only work with experienced authors and illustrators. To be quite honest, I recommend setting your goal toward a mid-size or small publishing company if you are yet-to-be published. These are off-shoots of these big companies that focus on more specific audiences and are a bit more accessible. Also, there are much smaller publishing companies that are sometimes referred to as ‘Boutique Publishing’ with extremely narrow or niche focuses. They feature such interests as religious, historical, regional, educational or hobby. Does your story focus on one of these topics?
WARNING: There are publishing companies that are known as “Vanity Presses”. These companies do not call themselves that - their detractors call them that. They prey upon new authors requiring them to sign away their rights and their ability to make a profit off of book sales. I write more about these predatory companies later.
IDENTIFY A PUBLISHER RIGHT FOR YOU. A quick way to identify a publisher you would like to work with is by checking out the copyright page in your favorite picture books. This is the information page that lists the publication details about a book. Compiling a wish-list of publishers is a great way to set your sights on a goal. You will need professional help to contact these companies and I don’t recommend reaching out to them on your own. Keep reading for your next step…
SEARCHING FOR A LITERARY AGENT. To pursue the Traditional Publishing route, your primary goal should be seeking out a relationship with a literary agent to submit your work to publishing companies as your representative. Publishing Companies rarely offer contracts to individuals without representation. A literary agent will help you form a book proposal and choose the most likely publishing house to pursue. They use their special connections to get your manuscript in front of the eyes of an ideal editor.
There is no cost upfront for an agent, they get paid when you do - through a percentage of your earnings. Usually around 12% - 15%. To find an agent, you can search the internet by typing in keywords similar to ‘Children’s Book Literary Agencies’. Each agency has their own submission requirements and it is important to follow them closely. Be very careful to read any contract before agreeing to a partnership. You may be signing away more rights to your work than you are comfortable with and definitely DO NOT pay an agent upfront for their services. Make sure you feel like you fit in well with the skills of the other professionals they represent. You might even reach out to another author through email and ask them to comment on their experience of working with the potential agency. The choice of an agent is an important one and should not be made in haste.
PROS OF TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING:
Experience. If your story is acquired, you will have a team of people with experience, working to make your book be the best it can be.
Access. You will have access to the best printing options and greater distribution opportunities which will help you sell your book.
No Costs. You will not have to foot the bill for the project, it will be paid for in full.
Reviews and Awards. A publishing company will have access, connections and ability to submit your book for professional reviews and awards. This can be expensive and usually the cost is covered.
Fulfillment. You won’t have to be the one to package and mail out your books.
Royalties. You will have the opportunity to continue to earn income on the sales of your book as it sells more copies.
Credibility. The ability to claim your book was traditionally published (and not self-published) carries a certain amount of meaning in the children’s book industry for some authors. They want to be known as a ‘published author’ and that means a lot.
CONS OF TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING:
A LONG Waiting Time. The process of finding an agent can take a long time. As soon as you find an agent the process of refining and submitting your manuscript and for a company to acquire your story can take months or years.
You Share Your Creative Rights. The rights to everything you create are subject to being shared and are no longer your own.
No Control. Once your story is accepted by a publishing company, control of your book is out of your hands.
No Choice. You will not be able to select your own illustrator. While you may be able to submit a few notes about what you would like the illustrations to look like, the process is left to the art director and the editor to make decisions. There is no communication between author and illustrator. (Additionally, it is not common or recommended to submit book proposals jointly with author and illustrator. There are some circumstances in which there are exceptions, but usually a publishing company has a list of illustrators they choose to work with already. Attaching a previously chosen illustrator to your book proposal makes it less likely to be chosen.)
Long Production Time. From start to finish your book could take around 2 years or more to produce. Publishers plan their book launches years in advance, so it could be quite a while before you hold your book in your hands.
You Must Do the Marketing. As a new author, you will likely be responsible for most marketing, book launch, promotion, author events, and gathering Amazon reviews. Unless you are a previously published author with a successful track record, publishing companies do not usually dedicate a great amount of their budget to marketing, but expect you to do the footwork of selling your book. No one does the work for you.
Low Pay for New Authors. First time authors usually get an advanced payment of between $3,000 - $5,000 upon signing a contract. After the book is produced there is usually a royalty earning of 5% of profits from sales. The royalty payments do not begin until the initial costs of producing your book are reached. Of course, these numbers are not set in stone and the more experience you build - the higher your pay will be!
Option Two:
SELF-PUBLISHING. The traditional publishing route used to be the only option available to authors and illustrators to get a physical book made. But the good news is that during the past few years technology has enabled new authors to make leaps and bounds toward making their own custom products and this definitely includes book creation.
The first step to creating a successful and professional looking self-published children’s picture book is to assemble a Creative Team of professionals. You can search and gather together these people (allowing yourself to be the project manager and having all the control) or you can choose to find them all in one place at a book design company. I will include my personal contacts at the end.
BE CAUTIOUS IN YOUR SEARCH! When searching for design companies or individuals claiming to publish your book you should exercise a healthy amount of hesitation. There are such companies known as ‘vanity presses’ that take advantage of an author’s dream to be published by requiring an author to pay money for their book to be made while giving up all of their creative rights. Make sure that any contract you sign insures that YOU, as the creator, keep the rights to your story - your most valuable asset. Also, be sure to take a look at their existing books and see if they meet commercial standards. Many of these companies have terrible-looking and unimpressive portfolios.
CREATIVE TEAM - ‘BOOK DESIGN PROFESSIONALS’:
EDITOR. Before you do anything else, it is very important to work with a professional children’s book editor on your manuscript. You may think your manuscript is ready, but I can guarantee it needs refinement from an editor. This person will be able to help you develop your story for an ideal audience, determine its appropriate length, make sure it flows well, and of course, correct any mistakes.
ILLUSTRATOR. As an illustrator myself, it’s predictable that I would say this is the most important choice you will make to work on your book. We all know that a book really is judged by its cover (and all its inside pages too)!
MY PROCESS. I begin by learning as much as I can about a potential author and their story. Then I create an individualized price quote. Many times, the authors I work with, choose to get their main character designed before signing a whole entire book contract with me. In my contracts, I always explain everything an author needs to know, including all pricing, projected schedule, revisions, rights, and more. My authors have instant access to me when they need me, and some of my best friendships have been formed through creating a book together!
GRAPHIC DESIGNER. This person should be knowledgeable about how to place text correctly and format the pages for printing. They should be proficient in Adobe InDesign and have experience in the specifics of picture book layout. Design is key to a standard of quality that a legitimate book will need to succeed. (Sometimes an illustrator will be able to do the design services. If they do, expect to pay more for their services above and beyond illustration. I do not offer book design services, because I prefer to concentrate on what I do best: illustration.)
PRINTING COMPANY. There is a difference between Offset Printing and Print on Demand (POD). Both have pros and cons to consider. I recommend watching the following video to see the difference. (I do not particularly endorse the company who made the video. I have not worked with them.. I just really find this explanation helpful.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMVn76fV_2Q&t=2s
PR AND MARKETING. Once your book is made, you need a plan about who to sell it to and how. (This plan should actually be in place from the beginning - so don’t wait until the end to start on it!) Having a professional who knows about selling books online, distribution, trade shows, author events, book launches, utilizing social media, and creating marketing materials is crucial in the journey of making a children’s book.
CONS OF SELF-PUBLISHING:
All Costs On You. You are responsible for all the costs involved. If you are serious about your book competing with those on the shelf of the best sellers at Barnes and Noble, this can be quite an investment of time and money. Some authors have a big enough audience platform to drum up monetary support through crowd-funding such as a Kick-Starter campaign. This works well if you have a niche topic focus with strong support from loyal followers. The costs can begin at $10,000 with all services considered and will likely go up from there.
Commitment. Becoming a book author who is also a book seller is a huge time commitment and should be taken seriously. Even a beautifully made book will not sell itself. Having a plan from the beginning and being totally dedicated to sticking to the plan is necessary to succeeding. Of course, you are expected to do much of this work if you go the traditional route as well.
PROS OF SELF-PUBLISHING:
All the Control. You get to work with your illustrator to design the characters, the colors, environment, and details of your book! Most importantly, you get to cast the vision for how your words will be represented in visual form. If you enjoy creative collaboration, this is the route for you!
The Creative Rights and Profits Are Yours. You get to keep all the rights and all the profits from the sales of your book. Instead of paying out a portion of your earnings to an agent, you get to enjoy all the success of your hard work.
Profit Sharing. You might be able to negotiate to share part of your profit-earnings with the professionals you hire instead of paying full-price upfront. Working with freelance professionals means, many times, they are open to creative negotiation. This doesn’t work for every author, but if you have a large audience already - it’s a valid offer to make. Even if you don’t have thousands of followers, it helps to have a solid marketing plan in place to demonstrate how you are going to sell your book. This encourages your Creative Team to invest in you and go above and beyond to help sell along with you, if you offer them a portion of the profits. I don’t recommend making an offer you haven’t put thought into. Make sure it benefits you both!
Efficient Production. The production process is (relatively) fast! It is completely possible to have a finished book in your hands within one year of beginning! Illustration can take anywhere between 3 - 6 months, depending on the needs of your book. All you have to wait for after that is design and printing, which can happen in a few months.
Step Around the ‘Gate Keepers’! While Traditional Publishing has its perks, there is no guarantee that you will be able to find an agent to represent you, and even then, finding a publishing house willing to acquire your story. I always hate saying this, because it can be discouraging, but there are thousands of hopeful authors out there. The opportunities are only extended to a limited amount of wishful authors. It can be maddening to have to appeal to the ‘Gate Keepers’ in a very competitive industry to make your dreams come true! That’s why I think taking over the reigns of your own dreams through self-publishing is an amazing option for anyone serious about becoming a published author!
WHAT’S YOUR NEXT STEP? After taking into consideration your options, you have a lot to think about. If you have any questions for me, please reach out and ask them. If you decide that you would like to move ahead with me as your illustrator, send me your story! (Even if it's partially finished, send what you have.) I promise to keep it completely confidential. And if you need assurance through signing an NDA, we can do that too. If I feel that my illustration skills and schedule would be a good fit for your story, I’ll let you know and we can start the process of the ‘book creation journey’ together.
Sometimes, I read a story and I realize I am not the best fit to illustrate it. If that is the case, I would be happy to recommend a fellow illustrator for you to reach out to or tell you where to find one.
Article Written by:
Beth Snider, Illustrator
Beth has illustrated 18+ children’s books including the multi-award winning, ‘Fly High: Understanding Grief with God’s Help’. This book won the 2023 Golden Scroll Children’s Nonfiction Book of the Year. It took 2nd place in the 2023 Christian Market Book Awards Nonfiction category. Also, it is a finalist for Christianity Today’s Book Awards, won a silver in the Illumination Book Awards, and is a finalist for the SELAH awards. It also won a gold medal in the ‘Living Now Book Awards” and was recently translated into Korean and Swiss as it makes its way around the world to new readers!
Looking for a Creative Team?
TLC Book Design Company: https://tlcbookdesign.com/ Contact: Tamara Dever