The majority of my clients want picture books written or rewritten. It’s a unique genre that combines storytelling with visual art (illustrations). But most people don’t understand what creating a picture book involves. They simply have an idea for a story and want to share it with children. They’d be surprised to know just how much goes into creating a picture book, and it begins with the story. Here are some guidelines to consider when creating a picture book: THE STORY BASICS A standard picture book is 32 pages. Of those 32 pages, around 24 are for text and illustrations. The rest is for front and back matter. 1. Choose a Strong Concept and Story Idea: Start with a unique concept or idea that will resonate with your target audience (children). It may be a heartwarming tale, a humorous adventure, a fantasy, an educational journey, or something else. It may be a story passed down in your family, an idea you’ve had for years, or something that popped into your head. Again, make sure it will be something a young child will be interested in. 2. Know Your Audience: Define your target audience. Picture books can be aimed at different age groups, from toddlers to early readers. Understand the interests, reading level, and emotional needs of your intended readers. And for children in this age group, using repetition is a good idea. It helps them remember what they’ve read by adding rhythm and ritual. 3. Word Count: Picture books typically have a limited word count. Depending on the targeted age group, it usually ranges from 300 to well under 800 words. 4. Craft a Well-Structured Plot: Your story will need a clear beginning, middle, and end to your story. This is the story arc. Create a strong opening that grabs the reader's attention and introduces the main characters. Ensure that the plot is engaging and flows smoothly. The pacing should match the age group you're targeting. 5. Develop Your Characters: Create memorable characters that readers can connect with. Their personalities, motivations, and growth throughout the story should add depth and relatability. Ensure the character’s motivation and emotions are age-appropriate, straightforward, and easy to understand. Develop a full character arc for your protagonist. This means the protagonist will have a problem, struggle to overcome it, then succeed. As a result of the journey, the protagonist will have grown in some way. The character’s growth can be that he becomes more intelligent, more responsible, happier, wiser, friendlier, honest, kind, accepting, giving, and so on. It’s a good idea to let your protagonist have three obstacles to overcome before finally succeeding. 6. Language and Writing Style: Using age-appropriate language and vocabulary that suits your target audience is essential. Picture books usually have shorter sentences and more vivid language to maintain the attention of young readers and spark their imagination. Consider incorporating one or more of the following, rhythm, rhyme, and repetition to reinforce certain ideas. These elements will further enhance the story. 7. Page Turners: Every author wants their story read. This means using page-turning moments. This will encourage readers to do just that, turn the pages to find out what happens next. You can use words like: but, then, until with ellipses. You can use a question and have it answered on the next page. You can also use cause and effect. 8. Utilize Visual Storytelling: Remember that a picture book is a combination of words and images. You will need to write knowing that the illustrations will tell some of the story. For example, you needn’t mention the protagonist’s hair is brown. The illustrations will show it. 9. Design for Read-Aloud: Picture books are often read aloud to young children. Use rhythmic language, repetition, and onomatopoeia to make the reading experience enjoyable and interactive. Ensure it’s easy to read. 10. Revision and Feedback: Revise and refine your manuscript multiple times. Get feedback from peers, critique group members, beta readers, or professionals in the field. 11. Edit and Proofread: After you’re done with revisions, edit your manuscript – this is a crucial step. I like to use Grammarly and Pro Writing Aid when working on client projects and my own. Just keep in mind that they’re not foolproof. You should get a professional edit before submitting to publishers, agents, or self-publishing. You want your text to be polished, error-free, and effectively convey the story. You want it to be publishing-worthy. 11. Theme and Message: Infuse your story with a meaningful and age-appropriate theme or message that can resonate with young readers. The message should be a positive and strong one. It should impart knowledge, wisdom, of understand to the young child, even if that child may not realize it at the time. This is the takeaway value of the story, and it should be imparted subtly. If you’re not sure you need a message, I love how children’s author Eve Bunting puts it, “Sometimes you can tell a charming, amusing, surface story, but underneath there is nothing. You’ve got two pieces of bread in the sandwich, but you don’t have the ham. There is no nourishment there.” If you don’t have a theme in mind at the beginning of your story, it should be evident by the end. 12. Test Your Book: Before publishing, share your picture book with a small group of children in your target age group. Their reactions and feedback can provide valuable insights into what works and what might need improvement. AFTER THE STORY’S FINISHED This part is for those who are self-publishing and will hire an illustrator after the story is complete. Illustrations: Collaborate with an illustrator to create illustrations that complement the text and enhance the storytelling. They should convey emotions, actions, and important details that the text might not cover. The illustrations should be colorful, visually appealing, and contribute to a young child’s understanding of the story. If you’re having illustrations on every page of the story, the illustrator will need to allow for text placement whether he inputs the text or not. In this instance, the illustrator needs to be aware of text formatting, such as a line space between each paragraph, etc. There are times they don’t follow what’s in the manuscript exactly. If you’re having illustrations opposite the story text, then your illustrator won’t have to worry about text placement within the illustration. Review the illustrations carefully for accuracy. The illustrations will include the front cover. This is the first thing readers will see. Make it visually appealing and reflective of the story's essence. A strong cover can entice readers to pick up the book. After looking at the front cover, readers will usually flip it over to see the back cover. This is where you’ll have your book’s description, which needs to be motivating enough to prompt the reader to buy your book. The back cover should also include an illustration. NOTE: You won’t need illustrations if you’re traditionally publishing (with a REAL traditional publisher). Front Matter: Before you move on to formatting your book, you’ll need a title page and copyright page for the front matter. These pages go before the story. The copyright page will include your ISBN and the LCCN. The ISBN stands for The International Standard Book Number. It’s a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies your book. The LCCN is the Library of Congress Control Number. You’ll need to apply for a Pre-assigned Control Number that will assign the LCCN number. This number is used by librarians to locate a specific book in the national databases. Back Matter: You might also want an author page, a more information page, and a reading comprehension page for the back matter (after the story). You will need to create these pages and give them to your formatter/designer. Layout and Design: Now that you have all the pages and illustrations, you’ll need to format your book to meet industry standards. This includes page dimensions, image resolution, and file formats. Find a service that knows what they’re doing. Pay attention to the layout and design of the book, including text placement, font choice, and overall visual aesthetics. Consider the pacing of the story and how the text and illustrations work together on each page. Review the layout and design carefully, making sure there is ample white space all around (center fold, etc.). Check and recheck the text for accuracy. This needs to be done every time the formatter makes a revision. Doing all this before you upload your print-ready files for publication is essential. Always get a review copy of your book before making it available for sale. Submission and Publishing: If your goal is to traditionally publish your picture book, research and follow submission guidelines of literary agents or publishers that specialize in children's books and the genre you’re writing in. SUMMING IT UP I think I covered most of it. There’s so much; I’d need to write a book to cover everything. But if I missed something notable, please let me know and I’ll include it, and credit you! Remember that creating a picture book takes time, patience, and a lot of creativity. It’s about creating something magical for a child, so keep that in mind throughout the process.
I’m a working children’s ghostwriter, 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:
FICTION WRITING FOR CHILDREN COURSE
A guided self-study course and mentoring program.
HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN’S FICTION BOOK
A DIY book to help you write your own children’s book.
WRITERS ON THE MOVE PRESS.
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.)
