I self-published a children’s picture book in 2008 when self-publishing wasn’t as popular as it is today. And as a newbie to self-publishing, I made a couple of mistakes. The first of which was that I didn’t hire an illustrator-–I did the illustrations and book cover myself.
I can hear the gasps.
It’s okay, though. I corrected this super-major error about four years later.
But, I didn’t self-publish to become rich or famous. The book was created from a lullaby I wrote for my family. My children thought it would be a great idea to turn it into a bedtime story, DAY’S END LULLABY.
Back then, I used Booksurge, which turned into CreateSpace, and I was very satisfied with the service and finished produce. Amazon closed Createspace in 2022.
I also self-published a nonfiction book on writing for children: Fiction Writing for Children (since revised and republished as HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN’S FICTION BOOK).
Although I knew a lot more than I did when I first started out, I still made a few mistakes in the first version of the nonfiction book:
1. I hired someone from Fiverr.com to format and upload my book to Kindle and Createspace. And I hit the ‘publish’ button without previewing the book first. The margins are off.
2. I wasn’t crazy about the title I created, but I used it anyway.
3. I wasn’t crazy about the book cover, but I used it anyway. I also used someone on Fiverr for that.
4. I didn’t give it to Beta readers or an editor before publishing.
As I mentioned, though, I did do a major revision on the book, had it reformatted, and I republished it.
But, as with my first book, my purpose for the nonfiction book wasn’t to make money. It was to provide answers to questions I keep getting about writing for children.
So, let’s go back to the title question: Is self-publishing a young children’s book the way to go?
To answer that question, let’s figure out why self-publishing a children’s book may not be right for you, even though it seems everyone is self-publishing today.
And there’s nothing wrong with that if your expectations are in check.
Here are 4 reality-check reasons you may want to stop and think before self-publishing:
1. The stigma.
While it’s better than before, some stigma is still attached to self-published books.
The reason for this is that there are NO gatekeepers for self-publishing. If you have an idea, write it down, get a book cover, get it formatted, and publish it, you have a book.
– Don’t know how to write? Doesn’t matter.
– Didn’t bother with editing or proofing? Doesn’t matter.
– Didn’t bother with a professional cover? Doesn’t matter.
– Didn’t bother to hire a good illustrator.
Self-publishing does open the arena to everyone and makes the playing field more even, but it also allows for a lot of less-than-professional and less-than-quality books. This is why there’s still a stigma attached to self-published books.
2. You’ve got to do it right.
As mentioned in #1, anyone can self-publish a book. But, YOU don’t want to be anyone; you want to do it right, and that takes work, especially if you’re publishing a book for young children.
– Do you know that the story must be told from one point of view?
– Do you know that there should be only one protagonist?
– Do you know the proper format and punctuation for dialogue?
– Do you know about present tense and past tense?
– Do you know about showing vs. telling?
– More and more and more.
To cement this ‘do it right’ attitude, in an article on Jane Friedman’s site, Brent Hartinger noted that “the Gold Rush is definitely over. There is now an absolute deluge of content, and the market has become extremely competitive. Your idea needs to be really, really marketable, or your book needs to be really, really good, and preferably both.” (1)
If you don’t want to learn how to write for children, then you shouldn’t write and self-publish a children’s book. Instead, you should hire a children’s ghostwriter to do it for you.
3. It can be costly.
Illustrations: If you’re self-publishing a children’s picture book (or even a chapter book), you’ll need to hire an illustrator. A good illustrator is expensive.
One of my clients hired an illustrator for around $13,000 USD for one book. This was for the interior illustrations, design, text layout, and front and back covers. And this client did a six-book series.
Another client hired a subsidiary self-publishing company of a major publishing house. He paid $10,000 for illustrations, design, formatting, and publishing. AND at least half the illustrations were terrible! He had the service do them over and over.
Granted most people can’t afford fees like these, but if you want someone who will make your book look professional (and not an amateur job), you’re looking at spending around $80 to $300 per illustration. And, keep in mind that you’ll need a minimum of 12 interior illustrations. The front cover is usually more expensive unless you use one of the interior illustrations for the cover. And then there’s the back cover design.
Publishing service: Once you have your finished manuscript and illustrations, you’ll need a service to format, design, and upload it to distributors like Amazon, IngramSpark, Smashwords, etc. This is an additional cost.
Be super-careful with these companies because some of them will try to sell you everything and anything: editing, rewriting, illustrations, design, layout, formatting, distribution, and marketing.
Keep in mind they make their money from you and only you.
4. You’re one author in an ocean teeming with authors.
The market is swamped. If you’re looking to reach a large audience, become famous, or make a boatload of money, don’t hold your breath.
Most self-published children’s authors don’t recoup their publishing investment.
While there are exceptions to the rule, they are few and far between.
5. You’re not willing to actively market your book (Bonus Tip).
Okay, even if you know how to write and have the money to hire a pretty good illustrator, you probably won’t sell any books if you don’t actively market them.
Before you get near the publishing decision, create a marketing plan and include an author website in those plans.
With thousands and thousands of books vying for a reader’s attention, you’ll need all the help you can get.
A note here: Most self-publishing services offer marketing as part of a package deal or separately. Don’t waste your money. These companies don’t bother with effective, ongoing marketing.
I’ve seen the results of marketing from these services numerous times. Again, don’t waste your money.
Stop by next week. I’ll discuss why self-publishing may be the way to go.
Reference:
(1) https://www.janefriedman.com/childrens-book-self-publishing/
I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, rewriter, editor, and coach. I can help turn your story into a book you’ll be proud to be the author of, one that’s publishable and marketable.
OTHER HELP I OFFER:
HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN’S FICTION BOOK
A DIY book to help you write your own children’s book.
PICTURE BOOK AND CHAPTER BOOK COACHING
Four to ten-week coaching programs.
WRITERS ON THE MOVE SELF-PUBLISHING HELP.
Self-publishing help for children’s authors.
You can contact me at: kcioffiventrice@gmail.com. Or give me a call at 347—834—6700. (Please leave a message- I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.)
Self-Publishing: 3 Tips to Help You Avoid the ‘I Want It Now Syndrome’
The Path to Writing Success – Focus, Determination, and Perseverance
1 thought on “Is Self-Publishing a Children’s Book the Way to Go? 4 Realities”