Teaching Tuesday
If you Google “How to write a children’s book” several sites that are titled 6 Ways To Do This, 11 Ways To Do That. Writers try to simplify the process of writing a book and publishing them. There are so many avenues and I think they should be chosen based upon where you want to go with your writing, your audience, and if you want to self publish or go the traditional route. There are even several options in format, types of book sizes, just an abundance of information that can sway you from writing period.
With that said, I figured I could touch some of the first thoughts just to get your knowledge wheels greased and ready to roll.
Let’s start with 1st thoughts, or steps if you will. Know your audience- age, demographics, race, culture and most of all do you have a reach to get your work in their hands. So, once you know the answers to these questions you are well on your way to processing your thoughts on Step 1. You are not quite there yet.
If you have chosen your audience do you know them? Have you introduced yourself to this community? Taken part in any author signings, book readings, or even hung out at the bookstores or libraries to see what books the kids you want to write to gravitate to and why? Do you know what makes them laugh, smile, giggle shyly? Or what they are curious about, struggle with? When you find out some of these answers it will make it much easier to choose a topic to write about and how to address it.
Ask questions in writers' groups specifically for children’s books. There are a lot of teachers in these groups and teachers who follow the groups as well. Unknowingly you have just started what we call social media networking. The key to what you will need during later phases in Writing A Children’s Book.
See you again on teaching Tuesday. Then you can share with us your idea. Here are a few tips on getting your know your audience. In most cases, the age brackets for books are of the following: (this is not written in the scroll of writing and publishing books- as I said, in the beginning, there are many scrolls. This info is experience-based. Stuff I learned through hands-on errors and reaching out to other writers, teachers and children’s book clubs and the children in them.)
NEVER take one person’s advice do more and more and more research to find what works for you and what you are comfortable with. There is no wrong way to do this. What works for you may not work for me or others. Not doing research in various ways would be the only WRONG way.
Just know these things:
0-4 board books
3-8 picture books
5-7 short chapter books
Not sure what the differences in these are…RESEARCH THEM.