May 11, 2021– I hope everyone is having a happy Tuesday so far! As we continue into our series this month of Children’s Book Writing, I hope you’re getting some valuable tips and information. Everything we talk about here compliments what we teach during our Children’s Book Writing Masterclass here: www.pandamoniumpublishing.com/shop
Today, we’re going to get into the nuts and bolts of children’s picture book writing and creation. Let’s look at what the industry standards are:
- Page count-For children’s books we have a standard page count of 28 full-coloured illustrations with 4 blank pages (32 total pages). 2 pages are at the front; 1 for the dedication and 1 for the vignette page. 2 pages at the back are typically for marketing (books in the series or your collection as an author) and about the author/illustrator page, respectively.
- Size-Sizes for children’s books range from 8.5 x 8.5 to 8 x 10 for the acceptable standards.
- Word count-The sweet spot for kid’s books when writing is typically 800-850 words. Anything longer will lose their interest, and anything shorter doesn’t allow you to explain your story enough to wrap up everything with a bow. Remember that illustrations in your book will help fill in some of the story, but not all.
- Formula-There are usually 13 double illustrations (where 1 illustration spans over 2 pages) and 2 single illustrations. 1 single illustration starts off the story, and one single illustration finishes the story. The rest are doubles that fill in the middle. So 13 double illustrations (13×2 pages=26) + 2 single illustrations=28 + 4 blanks=32 pages.
The key when writing for kids is to write about things that they are interested in and that are fun, crazy, and out of this world. Make your story larger than life with characters that kids care about, and you’re sure to have a winner! Also, be aware of writing for illustrators; their skills help us tell the story as authors, and they are the ones who bring the book to life. Browse our collection of best-selling children’s books here: http://www.pandamoniumpublishing.com/shop