Recently I was asked to talk to a class of students who were writing a children's picturebook for an English assignment. This got me thinking - it may seem simple but getting a picturebook that is a) deemed worth the cost of publishing and b) popular with children, is harder than it seems.
You cannot write any simple story - it has to engage the child reader/listener and be exciting enough to tug at their emotions and imaginations.The design and layout of the illustrations does an awful lot to bring the words to life. I recently judged a picturebook competition and it was fairly easy to tell which books a child would love. Some adults were really writing for themselves, which is another genre altogether..
If you wish to avoid the hassle of finding a publisher and want to publish your own picturebook, there are many POD publishers out there - you will then need to cover your own costs and sell your own books, or simply give them away as presents to friends and relatives. Try local printers, and places that sell photobooks,
and online printers such as lulu.
So here's a slideshow that covers some of the tips needed when writing a picturebook. Happy writing! Happy illustrating too if you can do your own - otherwise please pay that artist friend you are thinking of asking to help you! Creative people are often asked for freebies - surely their work is worth paying for!
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