Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi

Are you thinking of writing a children’s book? Or, maybe you’ve written one already.

The majority of my clients hire me for picture books, though chapter and simple middle-grade clients are picking up now. As authors having a book to be published, it’s important to know a bit about what should go in the back of a children’s book. It’s also good for others getting their feet wet in the children’s book arena to know about these things.

Keep in mind that this may vary, depending on the purpose of your book and the topic. And if you have a picture book, it depends on whether you want any information at the back or prefer more pages for story and illustrations.

Note: If you’re traditionally publishing, the publishing house will make decisions or help you make decisions about your back matter.

Below are 7 pages you might consider for your book’s back matter, if space allows and the story warrants it.

1. About the Author

This is a page that most authors want in their book. It’s the page where the author can let the reader know a bit about themselves. And, it might be the page you use, if you’re a professional, to show your credentials for writing the book.

This is an important element if, say, you’re in the healthcare profession. You’ll want the reader to know that you are qualified to give the information in the book.

This page can be used in any children’s genre you’re writing in, including a picture book.

2. Afterword / Author Notes

On this page, you’ll be able to explain why you wrote the book, how you came up with the idea, and/or what inspired you to write it.

If you have a picture book and have the room on the Author page, add the Afterword there. Every page counts in picture books.

This is another page that’s appropriate for any genre, if page count allows.

3. Additional Information

Depending on the topic of your book, you may want to include fact-based information.

For example, I’ve worked with a number of mental health professionals, and they usually want to give readers professional, helpful tips related to the story’s topic.

Or, it could be that you’ve written a wonderful fiction story about a dinosaur and want to include facts about dinosaurs.

Another example is a three-book fiction picture book series I wrote, The Adventures of Planetman. The books are about protecting our environment. The back of each of these books contains fact-based information that shows children how they can be superheroes for our planet.

Whatever the reason or purpose for additional information, you need to be sure you have the room for it. Standard picture books usually don’t.

Additional information pages are an excellent idea for chapter books and middle grade books.

An example of this is my chapter book fantasy set in ancient China, “Walking Through Walls.” I provided the reader with information on the Ming Dynasty and on Chinese dragons, as a dragon is mentioned in the story.

This type of information allows the reader to become more involved with the story. It also gives the parent and teacher more room for conversation with the young reader. And, if you need to add more pages to your book, it’s the perfect filler.

4. Reading Comprehension

Most standard children’s picture books don’t include a reading comprehension page(s). They just don’t have the space.

But if you’re writing a chapter or middle-grade book and would like to boost its chances of being picked up for school classrooms and libraries, then definitely include this in your book’s back matter.

Reading comprehension pages help children understand what they have just read. These pages ask questions that prompt the child to think about the story and how it relates to them.

5. Activities

To further engage young readers and teachers, you can offer activities related to the story.

In “Walking Through Walls,” one activity was for the reader to draw a picture of a dragon.

Most picture books don’t include an activities page. Again, often there isn’t enough room.

6. Glossary

Depending on the topic of your chapter book or middle-grade book, you may want to, or even need to, include a glossary in the back matter.

The glossary lists words the child may not be familiar with and provides definitions.

Glossaries are most often used in nonfiction children’s books rather than fiction ones. Although I can see its purpose if you’re writing a fantasy world and creating words specific to that world. A glossary would come in handy.

7. Promotional Page

This page is a must for every book, although the picture book may not have room for it. But if at all possible, include this page if you have other genre-related books.

You can include excerpts of forthcoming titles and/or titles already available for sale. You can also include a call to action (CTA) to sign up for your newsletter or visit your website.

As an author, you also need to be a book marketer. You need to take every advantage you can to promote your books. And, what better place to sell your other books than to a person reading one of them?

There are also pages such as an Index, an Appendix, a Resource List, and a Bibliography, but again, it depends on the type of book you’re writing and the topic. These pages would not pertain to a picture book.

A Word About Picture Books

The industry standard picture book is 32 pages. There are also 24-, 40-, and 48-page versions. There are even picture books that are 64 pages. I’ve seen these in children’s fiction and nonfiction self-help books.

The 32-page format is the standard because it’s the most cost-effective for printing. And, it creates a neatly bound book. It just works out to be the best physical fit all around.

I mention this because, while you think you have 32 pages, you really don’t.

The first page (Page 1) and the last page (Page 32) are used to glue the front and back book covers onto the book.

This brings you down to 30 usable pages.

Well, not quite.

Figure on at least another 4 pages for front matter and back matter. This brings you to 26 pages of text and illustrations – 13 spreads.

A spread is the left and right pages when you have the book open.

If you forego the back matter and keep all your front matter on two pages, you may have 28 pages for story and illustrations.

But another factor to consider if you’re self-publishing is that the publishing service may have its own formatting requirements.

I worked with a series client who was told by the publishing service that she couldn’t use Pages 1, 2, 31, or 32. That left her with only 28 pages for front matter, the body of the book (the actual pages for story and illustrations), and the back matter.

This became a big problem as I wrote the story, thinking we had 26 pages, plus two pages of back matter.

Keep in mind that if you’re a professional, such as in healthcare, and want to include additional information on the story topic, you’ll need more pages. I would strongly recommend a 48-page picture book if this is the case. You wouldn’t want to short-change the story or illustrations for lack of space.

I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, book doctor, editor, and self-publisher. I help turn your idea, outline, or manuscript into a book you’ll be proud to call your own—and provide hands-on guidance through every step of the self-publishing process.

OTHER HELP I OFFER:

HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN’S FICTION BOOK
A 200+ page book that will help you write your own children’s book.

FICTION WRITING FOR CHILDREN eCOURSE
4, 8, or 12 Weeks / 9 Sections / Instructor Guided Self-Study Program

WRITERS ON THE MOVE SELF-PUBLISHING SERVICE
Self-publishing help for children’s authors (picture books and chapter books)

You can contact me at kcioffiventrice@gmail.com