Preparing the Book
If you have written a children’s picture book, it is now possible for you to publish it yourself, without having to find a commercial publisher. The weak point here is that your story will not be subjected to any professional scrutiny. It is worth finding an editor to look over your work critically and tighten it up. Spelling, grammar and punctuation all need to be checked, and the story content and style should be assessed. The text should be edited and perfected before you go on to the next stage. When self-publishing a children’s picture book, be careful to bear in mind the age group of the children for whom you have written your story.
Your book will need to be designed with a suitable number of pages in multiples of four. Children’s picture books typically have between 28 and 36 pages. A blank page can be put in at the start or end of the book to help make up the correct number, and coloured endpapers can also be counted in. The number of pages will include a copyright page and a title page.
Self-Publishing a Children’s Picture Book: The Illustrations
The text will determine where the illustrations are going to be. Children’s picture books usually have full colour illustrations on every page. This may be one painting spread over two pages, as a double page spread, and the text can be on both pages. Or, it could be several small pictures on each page with text between them. It is important not to place text over dark illustrations, where it is hard to read. You should make up a ‘dummy book’ with the front and back covers, endpapers, copyright and title pages, and the text positioning with a rough sketch of each picture. Remember that only a few words are needed for the under-5 age group.
Choosing the Font
Selecting the right font is the next stage of your publishing project. There are so many to choose from! But for young children pick a clear simple font, with or without serifs, that has a plain ‘a’ and ‘g’, and a large x-height. The font size should be quite big, between 16 – 24 points. This is especially important for very young children.
If you have your illustrations ready and font chosen, the picture can now be digitised and, if necessary, edited to fit the text perfectly. Unless you are able to do this yourself, you will need to find a suitable reprographic firm to help you create your files. Some companies will provide a complete service for self-publishing, and help you through all stages of production. But beware of ‘vanity’ publishers who encourage you with flattery to spend money.
Designing the Cover
Once your book is edited, planned and digitised, you can design the cover. This is fun, but also very important, because the cover is what will ultimately attract people to look at, and hopefully purchase, a copy of your book. It should have an attractive picture which gives an idea of the content of the story. The title font is also a big part of catching the customer’s eye. Choose something that is clear and noticeable, in a style which suits your story and characters. The back cover should provide the customer with further information about your book. And it should echo your choice of front cover image.
Self-Publishing a Children’s Picture Book: Printing and Binding
Printing and binding your book is the final step of the self-publishing journey. You can have samples made from several printers. Choose the one which you like best, and which looks the most professional. Studying children’s picture books in bookshops will soon give you an idea of what good printing and binding looks like. It is possible to have your book printed more economically abroad, but this may be easier with an intermediary to help with practical issues such as language. Remember that thread sewing is the best binding for young children.
When the copies of your book arrive, they will be the end result of a lot of work and a team of people. But as the author, it will be magical to see your original idea brought to life as a beautiful, finished children’s picture book!
See Goldcrest Gallery’s range of original children’s picture books in our Children’s Corner. Published by LRM Books.