How to Self-Publish a Children’s Book

The children’s book market is growing, with increasing demand for stories about historical figures, kindness and diversity. However, success with traditional publishing is difficult for most authors.

Self-publishing is on the rise because it offers flexibility in the publishing process and allows for a direct connection to audiences. Further, it allows you to tell stories exactly as you envision with an unmatched level of creative freedom.

This is not to say self-publishing isn’t hard work. When learning how to self-publish a children’s book, you’ll need to consider every aspect, from writing, editing and illustrating to legalities, marketing and distribution.

Craft Your Children’s Story

Whether your children’s book will be picture-heavy or a series of chapter books for middle-grade kids, you’ll oversee every phase, from the storyboard to proofreading.

Self-publishing children’s stories requires an understanding of your target audience. To create resonating content, think about how your kids’ book story idea aligns with age range, psychological and developmental stages, and caregivers’ ideals.

Research appropriate word count, trending topics and other factors alongside your original idea. Parents and teachers are especially drawn to universal themes with unique, diverse characters and messages that broaden interests and promote inclusivity.

Prioritize brevity and clarity to ensure young minds can easily understand the message.

Understand Children’s Book Illustration & Design

As a self-publisher, you’ll coordinate your book’s aesthetic as well as the words, and decide how to get that work into readers’ hands.

The Illustrator-Author Dynamic

Most authors aren’t also illustrators, so you’ll need to find someone whose style matches your tone. A children’s book illustrator does more than create good art–they support an existing story, so spend time finding one who will understand your vision.

Use freelance platforms and networks, such as Upwork, to connect with potential candidates. Explore portfolios and have conversations to get a sense of how they work. If you’re creating a children’s picture book, for example, you’ll need alignment between your narrative and an illustrator’s process.

Share your storyboard ideas, and clearly state your expectations for the final product. Allow for some trial-and-error as you collaborate on a project you both care greatly about.

Exploring Illustration Styles and Formats

Beyond the art itself, consider the textures, techniques and final feel of both traditional and digital styles and formats. Each element influences storytelling, and gets noticed before the words themselves. Readers see the book cover first and make assumptions about the story, art and even book layout, so select your styles with intention.

Designing for Young Readers

Fonts, typeface, spacing, trim size (book sizes), and other book format choices impact young readers’ ability to engage with your story. Your cover design should indicate what readers can expect inside, right down to color schemes and contrast, which enhance the story’s mood.

Printing Considerations for Illustrated Books

Print-on-demand and bulk printing each have pros and cons. Print-on-demand allows you to only print what you’ve already sold, while bulk printing ahead of sales could be cheaper overall. Print-on-demand requires less storage, but bulk printing usually means high-quality pages.

Set Legal Foundations as a Children’s Author

Without a publishing house behind you, you must take steps toward protecting your work. Two primary ways to do this are with an ISBN and copyright protection.

ISBN and Copyright

Your International Standard Book Number (ISBN) identifies the book and publisher. Purchasing one from the agency Bowker lets you sell your book online and in physical stores.

Your copyright exists as soon as you create the book, but to protect it you should register it with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Select a Self-Publishing Platform for Your Children’s Book

You have several self-publishing platforms to choose from as an indie author. Rather than sending submissions to a large publishing company, consider a few leading options.

Kindle Direct Publishing (Amazon KDP): Publish for free and earn up to 70% royalties. KDP (formerly CreateSpace) is huge, focusing on all types of content, and may not offer the specifics you need for children’s books. Self-publishing on Amazon KDP is a way to get involved with a major company yet still maintain creative freedom.
Ingramspark: Set up a free account and earn up to 70% royalties. Ingramspark primarily does print-on-demand, which will cost a bit more than ebooks.
Kickstarter: Although Kickstarter isn’t a publishing platform, it’s designed to help people raise money for projects. Use Kickstarter to self-publish by raising money for specific book goals and offering donors perks like signed book copies.

Pricing Strategies and Royalties

Self-publishers don’t necessarily get every cent of their book sales. Any platform used will take a percentage, and upfront costs can eat into future profits.

Your first step is to define the financial aspect of your self-publishing goals. Are you hoping to make as much money as possible, or make what you can while establishing an audience? If you plan to sell physical copies, know how much you’ll pay for printing and shipping to ensure you’ll still make a profit.

Research what similar children’s books cost in the markets of your choice, such as bookstores, ebooks and through specific self-publishing platforms. It’s generally best to price your book similarly to these examples.

Additionally, consider how children’s books differ from other purchases in terms of durability and appeal to kids and their caregivers (who will do the actual buying). Research bulk pricing for school libraries.

Market & Distribute Your Children’s Book

Book marketing strategies go beyond the book itself with options like interactive readings, creative writing workshops and related merchandise. The relationships you develop with local bookstores and libraries build your audience in a highly personal way.

Global distribution obviously reaches a larger audience and is accessible through self-publishing platforms. Using social media or being involved with a podcast makes it easier to market yourself globally as a self-published author.

Finally, engage with the children’s writing community for support, cross-promotion and collaboration opportunities.

Embarking on Your Self-Publishing Journey

The journey from your first book idea to becoming a self-published author is an exciting one. Not only do you get to participate in crafting, editing, design, illustration, printing and marketing–you retain an incredible level of creative freedom and control that you wouldn’t have with a traditional publishing company.

If you’re a first-time children’s book author, know that there’s a supportive community waiting to embrace you. Other creative people understand the varied investments you’ve made in your book and want to see you do well. Make the most of that network, and make your dreams of being a children’s author come true!

Written By

Katie Mitchell

Katie lives in Michigan with her husband, kids and pets. She enjoys cooking, travel and live music.