“Where do I start?” is the most common question I hear when someone tells me they want to put the story on paper.
“With the first word,” is my usual reply. A nice joke, sure, but how do you really get started?
Step 1: The Writing Phase
It might sound obvious, but the first step truly begins with writing your story. What is your message, the core of your story? Get everything down on paper and give it structure. Every story—whether it’s a book or a movie—follows the same structure. You can read more about this in one of my free e-books. Think your story is already amazing? Try reading it out loud. You might notice sentences that don’t flow well. Or have it read aloud by a chatbot.
Step 2: The Editing Phase
Every seasoned author knows: writing is rewriting. Especially when writing a children’s book, it’s important to avoid long-windedness and overly long sentences. Did you know a picture book only needs about 500 words? It might seem easy, but fitting your entire story into just 500 words can be quite a challenge.
In this phase, you’ll be revising and cutting. You can edit the story yourself using AI-assisted tools (like Grammarly) or hire an editor who can look at your story with fresh eyes. You can also ask beta readers for feedback. These could be people in your circle or fellow authors.
Step 3: Illustrations
This is often one of the most exciting phases. If you’re not a visual thinker, you’ll need someone who can translate your story from words into images. Your main character suddenly becomes real. How exciting—and maybe a little scary—is that?
To find the right illustrator, it’s important to first consider a few things:
- Budget: How much are you willing to spend on illustrations?
- Style: Research the style you want in advance. Think about detailed illustrations, simple lines, bold shapes, comic style, watercolor, or digital art. There are so many styles! For example, you could visit your local library, look at books, and take photos of illustrations that appeal to you. Online platforms like Pinterest or Facebook groups for illustrators are also helpful.
- Number of illustrations: How many do you need?
- Book format: What’s the size of the book?
- Type of illustrations: Are they full-page illustrations or smaller spot images?
- Once you’ve identified a few illustrators, narrow it down to a top three. Check their websites and portfolios: Do they have plenty of experience?
- Does their work fit within your budget? When you feel confident, set up a meeting.
Be cautious: Unfortunately, there are scammers in the world of illustrators. If you can’t meet in person, always plan a Zoom meeting and have your questions ready. If the quote you receive after the meeting fits your budget, you can move on to the next step.
Step 4: Administrative Tasks
While the illustrator is working on your story, you can tackle the other necessary tasks:
- ISBN number: It depends on the country you’re staying but for people in the USA, you can request one at Bowker.
- Colophon: This contains all the book’s details, like who worked on it and when it was published.
- Social media: Will you create a dedicated channel for the book or use your existing accounts? Consider an author website too.
- Amazon publication: If you’re publishing on Amazon, set up your author page in advance.
- Blurb: Don’t forget to write a short description for the back cover, along with a little about yourself as the author.
Step 5: Design
The text is finished, the illustrations are amazing, but… how do you turn it into a book? This is where a graphic designer comes in.
In some cases (like mine), both the illustrations and design are handled by the same person. Clients often appreciate this because it eliminates waiting times between steps. During this phase, the designer ensures the illustrations and text are placed on the correct pages in the right size that is correct for print. The book is split into two files:
- A PDF for the cover.
- A PDF for the interior.
You can send these files to the printer. I often help my clients with this final step, either by contacting the printer or assisting with uploads to their KDP platform.
Step 6: Publication and Promotion
And then the printed book is finally here! Either printed at a local printer or available online on Amazon. Now what? Now comes the hardest part: marketing and selling. On Amazon, you can order author copies to sell through your own website. You might also want to give away some books for promotion. Promote your book on social media, but also think about local markets, libraries, or school visits.
Good luck!
Still have questions or want to learn more about how I can help? Feel free to get in touch or book a Zoom meeting.