Children's books: How to get self-published

How hard can it be? Come up with a good story idea, throw in a few cute characters, then sit back and wait for those royalty cheques to start rolling in. Writing kids’ books looks like child’s play, but is it? If you’ve come up with what you think is a children’s bestseller, here’s what happens next...

Firstly, your manuscript needs to get in front of a publisher. You might choose to send your work directly via the post, but check the publisher’s website first to see if they accept unsolicited work and have submission guidelines you’ll need to adhere to. Otherwise you can use a literary agent. Agents can get your manuscript in front of the people who matter and negotiate your contract if the publisher likes your work, but will charge a commission on your earnings.

Zoe Walton, associate publisher of children’s books at Random House, receives thousands of manuscripts each year. She’ll read about 100 and of these only one may get published.

“It sounds incredibly difficult [to get published], and it can be, but it can happen if your book is good,” Zoe says. But she stresses how important it is for new authors to do their research. “It’s a really crowded market out there, so your story needs to stand out. We want original concepts, a compelling story, a strong voice and characters so real they could walk off the page,” she says.

“It can also be about finding the right publisher at the right time, so if at first you don’t succeed, keep trying.”

Zoe says it’s best to send a full copy of your manuscript rather than just an idea or outline. “Your manuscript is your best chance to wow a publisher, so you’ve got to be ready to go,” she says. “And make sure you’ve spent time on it, polished and redrafted it.”

If a publisher likes your work they will contact you to discuss details. After that, they’ll present the manuscript to the rest of the company’s publishing team, who will scrutinise the book and thrash out how it could be published and marketed. Then, if the book gets approved, you will be made an offer.

So just how lucrative is kids’ book writing? Well, you’ll probably have to keep your day job while making author inroads! “There are very few children’s authors that make a living out of their writing,” Zoe notes. “That said, there are people that do, but the big [deals] you hear about don’t happen that often.”

Once a publishing house signs your book, you’ll be paid an advance, which might be a few thousand dollars. While you’ll likely earn a royalty of around 10 per cent of the price of each book sold, “you won’t receive any money from royalties until after the advance amount has been accounted for or ‘earned out’,” Zoe explains. After that, if your book sells lots of copies, those exciting cheques will start to roll in.