It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when creating children’s book ideas, but if you work through the process below, you’ll be writing, illustrating, and self-publishing your first children’s book in no time!
You sit down, get comfortable, and you’re finally ready to start creating children’s book ideas, but then doubts creep in.
Haven’t all these children’s book ideas been done before? Surely not. However, after a quick deep dive into your memory bank and hours of searching book titles later, you are still exactly where you started, at square one.
You’re not alone. I’m currently in a similar situation. I want to create a children’s book, and I have a lot of children’s book ideas, but I’m not sure which direction to take.
Don’t panic. The only time limit you have for developing an idea for your kid’s book is the one you set for yourself. If it’s not happening straightaway, try to take a break. The main aim is to set realistic goals and not panic! In the following guide, we’ll cover 4 tips for creating best-selling children’s book ideas.
If you’re considering self-publishing a children’s book in Australia, read our Self-Publishing A Children’s Book 101 article, where we cover everything you’ll need to know about writing, illustrating, and formatting a children’s book.
We’ve also set our Author Services Australia Premium Children’s Book Packages, which are perfect for anyone who has an idea for a children’s book and wants a complete start-to-finish package for a ‘ready-to-publish’ kids’ book.
4 Tips for Creating Best-Selling Children’s Book Ideas
Having a running note or document on your phone with lists of children’s book ideas so that when you’re out and about or wake up in the middle of the night and inspiration strikes, you can write down your idea is a good plan. Even the smallest seed of an idea could grow into something much bigger. If you wake up later and your idea is terrible, you can always delete it.
1. Read Children’s Books Related to Your Topic
If you’re planning on writing a children’s book within a specific niche topic, it’s time to start learning more about the subject and how other authors are writing and illustrating their books. The library is a fantastic place to do this, as you can sit and read a massive number of the most popular books. However, you can also visit bookstores in your area to see what’s selling, or just head online and browse categories on places like Amazon.
What made you pick up a specific book? Was it the cover art, title, or illustrations? Please write down the title and explain why you picked it up. It’s time to start thinking like a reader for a while.
Once you start reading, make notes of the story structure. Did it keep you turning pages? Was it easy to read? What was the lesson or message? Did the language engage you?
Remember, the chances of creating a 100% original book that has never been seen before are slim. According to TonerBuzz, over 18,000 children’s books are published each year. So, if you come up with an idea and find an author has already done something similar, don’t be put off. Just try to put your own spin on it.
2. Does Your Children’s Book Have A Lesson?
A lesson or teaching moment in children’s books is a critical step. Sure, not all children’s book ideas include a message. Some are just humorous, but the great ones have an underlying theme or message to teach kids.
For example, If you’re trying to write a children’s book where you want to empower children and boost their self-esteem and confidence, start with a character that doesn’t believe in themselves or isn’t confidently completing a specific task or activity and then put them in a situation where they can overcome that challenge.
3. Look Back At Your Childhood When Creating Children’s Book Ideas
Think back to when you were a child. Not only is it a good source of inspiration for creating children’s book ideas, but you can also tap into challenges you faced, your fears and dreams, what made you happy, what made you sad, and situations you encountered, which may not only be unique to you.
Were you scared of the dark? Did you hate going to the dentist? Were there specific foods you couldn’t stand? All of these could be ways to incorporate an experience or event you’re familiar with from your childhood into your story. Sometimes, the best inspiration and ideas come from personal experiences, as if they made an impact on you and your life, and other people could potentially face the same issues.
4. Don’t Get Stuck in Editing Mode Too Early
It’s easy to fall into the trap of editing when you’re in the idea stage, but don’t. The goal during the idea stage of creating children’s book ideas is to get as many ideas down as possible. Good or bad, write them down. You never know when one idea can merge with another idea to create the absolutely perfect idea for a children’s book.
There’s plenty of time for self-editing and editing, but it shouldn’t be during the idea stage. However, if you are in the self-editing stage of your story, check out Three Tips for Self-Editing Your Book, which covers some fantastic author tips for self-editing a book manuscript.
Children’s Book Ideas FAQs
If someone has already written a book with a similar theme, can I still write my book?
Of course. While you don’t want to copy another author’s book, with millions of children’s books already published, the chances of coming up with a completely 100% never-done-before book idea are slim.
Does my children’s book idea need to teach a life lesson?
No. While teaching life lessons is an essential aspect of children’s books, sometimes it’s just fun to come up with silly book ideas that give children a giggle.
Are there any set rules for creating children’s books?
While no rules govern your writing, it’s important to remember your target audience and use language suitable for that age group. While designing your children’s book, you must consider the number of illustrations, total page count, trim size, book type (paperback, hardcover, or board book, and how you plan on self-publishing.
Where can I self-publish my children’s books?
Most self-publishing platforms, including Amazon KDP and IngramSpark Publishing, offer trim size options for children’s books. However, the minimum page count for colour children’s books on Amazon KDP is 24, so keep that in mind.
Creating Fantastic Children’s Book Ideas | Conclusion
Creating a children’s book is arguably one of the most rewarding activities any author can do, and a lot of fun. Sure, there’s a process to follow, and mistakes along the way with illustration size and text can be a pain, but ultimately, compared to most fiction and non-fiction books, kids’ books are just fun to make.
If you have any questions about the children’s book self-publishing process, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We recently added an exciting new premium children’s book package, which includes everything you’ll need to create your first children’s book. There are a bunch of optional extras you can add to your kid’s book package to take it to the next level and make self-publishing a children’s book in Australia a little easier.
At Author Services Australia, we support Australian and New Zealand self-published authors and writers with a full range of affordable self-publishing services, including ghostwriting, copyediting, developmental editing, proofreading, ebook and paperback formatting, book cover design, children’s book illustrations, graphic design services, Amazon KDP Keyword and Category Research, manuscript uploading assistance, animated book cover reveal videos, beta reading, and social media and marketing.
