Almost Everything That I Know About Children’s Book Publishing

There are few things more humbling than thinking back through the folks who have opened themselves up to my writing by leveraging their own experiences and networks. But among those few things definitely fall the moments when others with writing projects and aches reach out for similar advice. I continue to love the Ram Dass quote, “We’re all just walking each other home.” It often takes a whole village to birth the words that hurt when they stay inside of us. That said, I’ve been wanting to figure out some ways to stay open-handed with my children’s book journey while also being mindful of this new self-employed-writer life and my limited hours. 

Though I considered (and experimented with) some consultation and editing of other folks’ projects and proposals, I am quickly realizing that there’s just not the time in each week to have all of the conversations that are surely worthy of being had. So it feels right, at this time at least, to gather up my experience into one post to be able to share with those who are curious about the process. 

But first, a disclaimer. I did not set out to be a children’s book author, specifically. Though I have always written poetry/song-lyrics/rhymes, I was working on a theological narrative memoir when I (along with hundreds of other writers and readers) found myself snowed into the Grand Rapids airport during the 2018 Festival of Faith and Writing. It was there that a pop-up poetry reading was initiated by bored and weary travelers, and there that I shared a poem I had written for my big-hearted son. There, an acquisitions editor approached me after the fact with interest in making it into a book.

That was almost 50,000 copies, one agent, and four contracts ago (which is an easter egg about some soon-to-be-shared contract news, by the by). This has been the most unexpected ride of my life, and I am so, so, so, so grateful. But I am also aware that this is not always how it happens. What I’m sharing below is not formulaic or fool-proof. Rather, it’s a collection of some things I’ve witnessed along the way that may be somewhat helpful to someone who is wondering where to start. 

I want to write a children’s book, but I don’t know where to begin. 

Here’s what I’ve shared with writer’s-blocked friends: Write out any words or phrases that come to mind regarding significant moments in your own childhood. Write out any words or phrases that come to mind when you think about what you wish someone would have told you when you were a child. Consider if there are any mentors in your life whose relationships with you have something to teach a wider audience. Consider the themes or messages from your life or your children’s lives that people have latched onto. Consider the gifts/pieces of your personality that you can offer the world. Ask yourself if there are any ways that these would be significant for children? Start there. 

I have an idea for a children’s book, what now? 

Write it! Decide what age group it will be geared toward, whether you want it to rhyme or not, who the audience will be, what you hope a reader will leave with, etc. Then write! Practice your manuscript on children of that age group and on friends who will give you honest feedback. Google the number of words in books for various age groups to inform your manuscript length. Become familiar with categories like “board book,” “picture book,” “YA books” to guage this well. 

Do I need to be or have an illustrator?

You can, but you don’t always have to. If you are self-publishing (through companies like IngramSpark), it will be important to either be or have illustrations to accompany your manuscript (along with a designer to do the layout). If you are hoping to publish through a publishing house, many times they have their own contracted illustrators who work with the authors they sign. Some publishers, however, will only accept work that is both authored/illustrated. My publishers accepted stand-alone manuscripts that were then partnered with illustrators once contracted. It is also important to study the requirements of publishers before submitting (or self-contracting an illustrator) as some houses may only want your words unaccompanied by illustrations. For my first experience with children’s book publishing, I was given the portfolios of several different artists and asked to pick my top three. They then pitched the project to my #1 (who said yes!), and we went from there. 

Do I have to have an agent? 

You don’t! Not always, at least. My first three books were unagented contacts. However, there are some publishing houses that will not accept unagented proposals, nor will they communicate with authors directly. It is usually easy to find this out, though, on different publishers’ websites. Simply search “submissions” or “proposals” on their pages for requirements. If you do wish to become agented, my best advice is to use Google (for everything, always) to find the authors of your favorite books and the agents who represent them. That will give you a starting point for reaching out to see if those agents are considering expanding their representation at the moment and if they’re willing to look at your portfolio. If they are not, you can use it as an opportunity to ask what other agents they might be able to point you toward who would possibly be a good fit for you. I have met writers who have never published who are agented and writers who are agented who have published a dozen books. It depends on what type of experience you’re looking for.

How do I find a publisher? 

There are three avenues that I’ve experienced and can personally root for regarding this question. 1. Similarly to the advice above, figure out who publishes your favorite books, and learn about their submission process (do they take unagented work, what kind of proposal do they require, do they only open their submission portal a couple times a year?). 2. Join a writers group, Facebook page, or guild; then network, network, network. Ask pointed questions about who knows whom in the field. Get emails, reach out. 3. Attend a writing workshop, festival, or conference. Many times these types of things are also attended by acquisitions editors or those running publishing booths who can—at the very least—point you in the next direction. 

How do I know if a contract is good without an agent? 

For my first book, I sought out the guidance of a lawyer friend who could help me look over the contract and flag any concerns. Also, other published authors may be willing to tell you if anything seems off, and publishers are often extremely willing to walk you through explaining and clarifying. 

How do I create a proposal?

If publishers accept unagented proposals, often times they outline exactly what needs to be included on their submission pages (such as who your primary audiences will be, word length, names of possible endorsers, book hook, etc.). If publishers only accept agented proposals, agents will typically provide templates.

What is a realistic timeline for publishing? 

Many publishers are working 2-3 years out. From contract to launch date, a year in-between is fast. During that time, various rounds of edits take place, illustrations are solidified and laid out, marketing plans are established, endorsements are gathered, copyright processes are handled, and launch teams are prepared. If you are self-publishing, this process can be expedited and take only a few months depending on your desire/illustrator/understanding of the self-publishing platforms. I am less familiar with this arena, but I do know that it is typically greater cost up front while making room for more direct income in the long-haul—however, one thing to consider through self-publishing is that sales and fulfillments are often dependent on the writer’s ability to market and mail, whereas publishing houses typically have full teams and connections dedicated to these very things.

What expenses are involved? 

Again, it depends. If you are self-publishing, you may be paying for an illustrator, a designer, a lawyer, an editor, early copies, shipping, and marketing (this could cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars). If you are pitching to publishers, it may cost you relatively nothing up front, though profit is of course a percentage.  

What royalties and advances can be expected?

I probably could have simply put “it depends” as the sole content of this article, and it would have been true. I have signed contracts with zero advances and mere pennies on the copies, I have signed contracts with small advances that have yet to be paid off, and I have signed contracts with larger advances that have paid themselves off multiple times over. Publishers take many factors into account when deciding on advances and royalties, including working with their marketing team to attempt to predict what they imagine the market will demand and what sales will be in those first few years. Elizabeth Gilbert wrote in Big Magic, “I held on to those other sources of income for so long because I never wanted to burden my writing with the responsibility of paying for my life. I knew better than to ask this of my writing, because over the years, I have watched so many other people murder their creativity by demanding that their art pay the bills.” I have lived by this—even now, as a “self-employed writer,” I continue to work 15hours a week as an editor and 8hours a week as a consultant. 

When do I write if I am working other jobs and have other responsibilities?

Whenever you can. There are many folks I know who have participated in things like The Artist’s Way morning pages or are disciplined to crank out 500 words a day. For a few months, I would wake up to join the #5AMWritersClub on Twitter, which gave me a little boost of connection in the early hours when my family was still asleep. For five years, I spent a majority of my vacation days writing or at writing conferences. There was a time when we lived in a small, one-bathroom bungalow whose toilet shared a wall with my toddler’s room and whose floors would creek so loudly on my walks to the coffee pot. On more than one occasion, I left his potty-training-potty in the laundry room on the other side of the house the night before so that I could . . . use it . . . the following morning and not wake him, thereby losing those precious minutes of writing. And, honestly, there’s no other way to share that story that makes it sound better than it was. But here’s what I have maintained: writing serves my life, my life doesn’t serve my writing. I write because it helps me live, and process, and connect, and express, and understand the world around me. Therefore, it deserves priority because it helps keep me healthy and not alone and allows my pain to move constructively. But it still must fit into my actual life, even if that is at weird times and inconsistently. Also? Books get written in notes on phones and napkins at restaurants, in conversations with friends and staring at leaves. That part matters, too. Maybe most. 

What else?

Follow hashtags like #kidlit #kidlitart #picturebooks #DVpit #childrensbook #writingcommunity #booktwitter , follow publishing houses, follow their acquisitions editors on Twitter. Look for when they open submissions, and pay attention to the kind of content they are open to at the moment. 

Follow the bread-crumbs of curiosity. As referenced above, one of the best books I’ve ever read for writing (aside from Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird) is Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic. In it, she writes: 

“Passion can seem intimidatingly out of reach at times - a distant tower of flame, accessible only to geniuses and to those who are specially touched by God. But curiosity is a milder, quieter, more welcoming, and more democratic entity. The stakes of curiosity are also far lower than the stakes of passion. [...] Curiosity only ever asks one simple question: ‘Is there anything you're interested in?’ Anything? Even a tiny bit? No matter how mundane or small? The answer need not set your life on fire, or make you quit your job [...]; it just has to capture your attention for a moment. But in that moment, if you can pause and identify even one tiny speck of interest in something, then curiosity will ask you to turn your head a quarter of an inch and look at the thing a wee bit closer. Do it. It's a clue. It might seem like nothing, but it's a clue. Follow that clue. Trust it. See where curiosity will lead you next.” 

I’ve been very lucky in a lot of ways with my writing journey—right place, right time sort of thing. I’ve been very privileged in my opportunities (as a white, straight, cisgendered, socio-economically stable, family-supported, and able-bodied person). There are many stories and words of less privileged people who deserve the kind of open doors that I have been offered, and I hope the discomfort of that never leaves me and continues to challenge me to find ways to leverage. But one thing I am proud of is that I have seen the possibility in each connection and experience and asked where it may lead next; and that is the best advice I could give a new writer. 

Start somewhere, anywhere, then pay attention. Every rejection letter can be followed up with if you have a moment, can you share what areas I might strengthen? Every relationship can be a door to 12 more. Every hashtag followed will surface another to follow that might lead to the open submissions you’re looking for. Every collaboration can add to your own identity journey and the relationships that make this writing thing that much more worth it. From what I have both witnessed and experienced, those who wish to arrive at *insert a kind of life, opportunity, contract, etc* often become frustrated unto quitting. But those who turn over each stone they encounter, write the sentences they need to breathe better, join the circles and ask for names of friends of friends . . . they are typically in different places a year from now than they would have been otherwise. Arrived places? What even are those . . . Different places. And what a gift that is. 

Lastly.

The publishers I’ve worked with (all while unagented) are Beaming Books, Wipf & Stock, and Upper Room. My agent is Lisa Jackson of Alive Literary Agency. I have benefited from attending the Festival of Faith and Writing as well as from applying for grants at the Louisville Institute and Collegeville Institute. The Redbud Writers Guild was an incredibly helpful group of women to learn from during the years I was a part of it. My Grammarly subscription helps me self-edit, Squarespace is who hosts my user-friendly website, Canva is where I pretend to be a graphic designer to promote my work on social media platforms. All of these can be found with a quick Google. 

I believe in you.

You want to be a writer? Then write. That is how to be a writer. The gatekeepers exist only in your mind, the impossibility of where to start is but a self-given-permission away. Craft one sentence, Google one submission guideline, turn over one rock, be curious about one idea. Tell that ache that it is welcomed in your presence, but it must pick one task to accomplish before the week is over to earn its keep. 

The world needs your words. <3

**This piece is shared free of charge in the hopes of greater accessibility. If you feel so inclined and able to support my work, and this article has been helpful, your gifts-of-choice can be sent by Venmo to @britneywinnlee .