Writing a children’s book is a challenge that is easier said than accomplished. After all, writing a children’s book and ensuring its success is more than rhyming a few lines and asking an illustrator to turn these lines into art.
While authors play a primary role in making or breaking a children’s book, they are not the only ones who ensure the success of their efforts. Several other professionals can put together their efforts to boost the potential of their children’s book.
If you are not sure where to begin, here are some of the most important professionals you must have by your side before publishing your children’s book.
1. Children’s Book Editor
Although revising your book by yourself is never a bad idea, you cannot overlook the importance of hiring a professional editor for a children’s book. A children’s book editor is more than someone who can help you catch and fix grammatical mistakes.
In fact, a good children’s book editor has hands-on experience in improving children’s books by refining manuscripts and meeting the needs of the target audience. In addition, their help is also known to empower authors to improve the plots, pacing, and language of their children’s books.
2. Professional Illustrators
The success of a children’s book is based on its creativity. While the words you use play a magical role in boosting the creativity of your children’s book, you cannot overlook the way a professional illustrator can uplift your story’s potential through their illustrations.
Their skills and creativity enable them to bring your characters, plot, and settings to life. They can use different mediums and styles to create illustrations for your book based on your target audience and their expectations.
3. Experienced Book Cover Designer
Another professional who can help your book be received by the right audience is a book cover designer. An attractive book cover can attract young minds from a distance and convince them that they must explore your book.
The best thing about having a great cover for your children’s book is that it will not only attract children but also convince adults that your book can be an ideal match for their child’s needs and interests.
A good book cover for your book also improves your recognition as an author among adults. It means that they will likely look for your work the next time they are shopping for books for their children.
4. Hire a Literary Agent
The world of children’s books is more competitive than you think and you realise this fact when you step into the publishing industry. Finding the right path can be a challenge, especially if you are trying to publish your first children’s book.
Having a literary agent by your side can make a lot of difference. Literary agents are professionals who can represent your work on your behalf and help you navigate the publishing industry without feeling overwhelmed at any point.
In addition to helping you find the right publishing opportunities from their vast networks, literary agents also help you negotiate the best deals with the publishers to ensure your best interests in regards to book sales and ownership rights.
5. Seek a Publicist
As the name suggests, a publicist is someone responsible for getting attention to your book in different ways. These ways may include generating media coverage for your work through press releases, book tours, author interviews, and more.
Their help can generate publicity for your book even before it is released to excite people about what is headed their way. Most importantly, they maintain relationships with media outlets, bloggers, and influencers on your behalf to maximise exposure for the book.
6. Invite a Sensitivity Reader
If you are concerned about the right usage of representation and identity in your book, you should not take any risks with such important aspects. Wrong or misleading representation can undermine your career as a children’s book writer.
Instead of taking any risks, it is always a better approach to seek the services of a sensitivity reader. A sensitivity reader provides experience-based feedback on cultural representation, diversity, and other sensitive topics in the book to ensure that your book is respectful and free from harmful stereotypes.
7. Ask an Educational Consultant
If you are writing a children’s book with the mindset of its usage in a classroom, you must consider seeking advice from an experienced educational consultant at every step of the way. No one can understand what will intrigue, educate, and engage young minds better than them.
You can ask an educational consultant to provide supplemental materials and also recommend the addition of the right interactive elements in your book to make it an ideal choice for schools and other educational institutions.
8. Consult a Child Psychologist
In order to ensure that your book engages your target audience, you must know how their mind works. You must consider what attracts them to a book and what may make them put it back from where they picked it.
In this respect, you cannot simply rely on empathy to do the magic. It is better to rely on a child psychologist to dive deeper into child development, cognitive abilities, and emotional needs to ensure that the book is age-appropriate and resonates with young readers.
They can offer their guidance on different aspects of your books, such as the themes, characters, and more, to ensure that every aspect of your work has a regard for your audience’s developmental stages.
9. Think About a Translation Expert
If your children’s book gains recognition in the local language, you may also want to consider translating it to different languages to engage children from different parts of the world. You can hire a translation expert to help you meet your goals.
Translating your book is not a responsibility you can undertake yourself. It is important to let the experts handle translating your book because they do not translate the words only. They also ensure that the translated version maintains its integrity and sensitivity regardless of the target language.
