Top ten tips for writing wonderful stories for children.
Jun 22, 2020 10:18:33 GMT
And Kevin 2024 likes this
Post by benziger on Jun 22, 2020 10:18:33 GMT
How to write a children's book - the top ten tips for writing wonderful stories for children.
1. age of the target group
Usually bookshops and publishers distinguish between books for the following age groups:
0 - 2 years: picture books
3 - 5 years: Picture books and storytime books
6 - 7 years: storytime books and first reading books
8 - 12 years: Children's novels
from the age of 12: novels for young people
2. the language
Picture books for children up to the age of 5 years usually have a simple structure: the texts are short and the sentences simple. Rhymes, repetitions, onomatopoeia and word inventions are well received. Storytime books for children from 6 years of age already contain more extensive stories and the wording may be a little more difficult. As soon as the children read by themselves, the language must be based on the knowledge and skills of the target group. First-reading books should therefore be short and linguistically simple: short words, short sentences, simple sentence structure, logical line breaks.Novels for children from 8 years of age are already linguistically more demanding, but even here the authors usually avoid difficult words and awkward phrases. The language in novels for young people hardly differs from that for adults.
3. scope
Picture books for the little ones often contain only a few words or sentences. Picture books for 3 to 5 year olds usually have 12 double pages and can contain up to 10,000 characters including spaces per book. Storytime books usually have between 30 and 80 standard pages of text. Children's novels are already a little longer: 100 to 150 standard pages are not uncommon, even thicker books are popular. Books for young people have a similar length as books for adults.
4. the main character
If the main character of the story is a child, then he should be one or two years older than the target group. Because children like to read stories in which older children appear. But stories with younger children are for babies.
5. topics
Thematically, children's books are oriented towards the needs of the target group. For smaller children, everyday experiences, fears or the family are important topics, for older children friendships and school are also important. Adventure stories, detective stories and secret societies are also very popular with older children. Books for young people hardly leave out any topic, similar to books for adults. Particularly common are topics that are burning under the nails of young people: the circle of friends, growing up and love.
6. fantastic worlds
Children love to be taken into unknown worlds. Therefore, besides everyday stories, imaginative stories and special characters are very popular: talking animals, fantasy creatures, animated objects, children with supernatural abilities and much more. The more surprising, the better.
7. narrative structure
In picture books for the youngest children, the focus is often on a special figure, which we accompany over several stations on their way. At the beginning, for example, the character asks a question and we witness how he or she searches for the answer and, of course, finds it.
Children's novels are often about one character or a group of characters: for example, a family, several friends or the children of a settlement. Each chapter tells a small, self-contained episode about this character or group of characters. The older the target group, the more the books are structured like books for young people: they tell a story over several chapters.
Many children's and youth novels, such as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", have a mixture of both: the book tells a big coherent story and each chapter contains a self-contained episode.
8. illustrations
The younger the children, the more pictures there are in the books and the less text. In the first reading books the pictures still take up a lot of space, the older the children, the more the pictures fade into the background and the text becomes more important. In children's novels from the age of 8 there are still many pictures, in books for over twelve-year-olds hardly any.
9. illustrator
If you want to offer your book to a publisher, you do not need to worry about illustrations. Because publishers provide their own images and also regulate the payment of the illustrators. That's why you usually apply to a publisher with the text only.
If you want to publish your book yourself, you should try to get professional illustrations. With the search term "Illustrations children's book" you will find numerous websites of illustrators with samples of their work. In this way, it is easy to find out whether the illustrators already have experience with children's books and whether their style matches the planned book. In germany, a picture costs between 30 and 150 euros, depending on the design and individual contract. In other countries, prices may vary.
10. find a publisher
Once the manuscript is finished, one can apply to publishers of children's books. But before doing so, you should check their website to see if your book fits into their programme. The websites also show whether and how a publisher would like to offer manuscripts. Usually, one applies with an exposé and a reading sample: an exposé comprises a maximum of three pages of text and contains the complete story in short form. A reading sample should be about 15 to 20 standard pages long and give a good insight into the story.
But you would not be on this page if you did not want to publish yourself. Either because they have not found a publisher or for some other reason. Then you are in the right place - in the other threads of this forum.
1. age of the target group
The most important consideration is usually at the beginning: What age group is the book aimed at? Because everything else depends on it: How complex the language should be, how long the text should be and how many pictures are needed. The older the children, the more demanding the formulations may be, the more extensive the texts and the fewer pictures are needed. And vice versa, of course.
0 - 2 years: picture books
3 - 5 years: Picture books and storytime books
6 - 7 years: storytime books and first reading books
8 - 12 years: Children's novels
from the age of 12: novels for young people
2. the language
Picture books for children up to the age of 5 years usually have a simple structure: the texts are short and the sentences simple. Rhymes, repetitions, onomatopoeia and word inventions are well received. Storytime books for children from 6 years of age already contain more extensive stories and the wording may be a little more difficult. As soon as the children read by themselves, the language must be based on the knowledge and skills of the target group. First-reading books should therefore be short and linguistically simple: short words, short sentences, simple sentence structure, logical line breaks.Novels for children from 8 years of age are already linguistically more demanding, but even here the authors usually avoid difficult words and awkward phrases. The language in novels for young people hardly differs from that for adults.
3. scope
Picture books for the little ones often contain only a few words or sentences. Picture books for 3 to 5 year olds usually have 12 double pages and can contain up to 10,000 characters including spaces per book. Storytime books usually have between 30 and 80 standard pages of text. Children's novels are already a little longer: 100 to 150 standard pages are not uncommon, even thicker books are popular. Books for young people have a similar length as books for adults.
4. the main character
If the main character of the story is a child, then he should be one or two years older than the target group. Because children like to read stories in which older children appear. But stories with younger children are for babies.
5. topics
Thematically, children's books are oriented towards the needs of the target group. For smaller children, everyday experiences, fears or the family are important topics, for older children friendships and school are also important. Adventure stories, detective stories and secret societies are also very popular with older children. Books for young people hardly leave out any topic, similar to books for adults. Particularly common are topics that are burning under the nails of young people: the circle of friends, growing up and love.
6. fantastic worlds
Children love to be taken into unknown worlds. Therefore, besides everyday stories, imaginative stories and special characters are very popular: talking animals, fantasy creatures, animated objects, children with supernatural abilities and much more. The more surprising, the better.
7. narrative structure
In picture books for the youngest children, the focus is often on a special figure, which we accompany over several stations on their way. At the beginning, for example, the character asks a question and we witness how he or she searches for the answer and, of course, finds it.
Children's novels are often about one character or a group of characters: for example, a family, several friends or the children of a settlement. Each chapter tells a small, self-contained episode about this character or group of characters. The older the target group, the more the books are structured like books for young people: they tell a story over several chapters.
Many children's and youth novels, such as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", have a mixture of both: the book tells a big coherent story and each chapter contains a self-contained episode.
8. illustrations
The younger the children, the more pictures there are in the books and the less text. In the first reading books the pictures still take up a lot of space, the older the children, the more the pictures fade into the background and the text becomes more important. In children's novels from the age of 8 there are still many pictures, in books for over twelve-year-olds hardly any.
9. illustrator
If you want to offer your book to a publisher, you do not need to worry about illustrations. Because publishers provide their own images and also regulate the payment of the illustrators. That's why you usually apply to a publisher with the text only.
If you want to publish your book yourself, you should try to get professional illustrations. With the search term "Illustrations children's book" you will find numerous websites of illustrators with samples of their work. In this way, it is easy to find out whether the illustrators already have experience with children's books and whether their style matches the planned book. In germany, a picture costs between 30 and 150 euros, depending on the design and individual contract. In other countries, prices may vary.
10. find a publisher
Once the manuscript is finished, one can apply to publishers of children's books. But before doing so, you should check their website to see if your book fits into their programme. The websites also show whether and how a publisher would like to offer manuscripts. Usually, one applies with an exposé and a reading sample: an exposé comprises a maximum of three pages of text and contains the complete story in short form. A reading sample should be about 15 to 20 standard pages long and give a good insight into the story.
But you would not be on this page if you did not want to publish yourself. Either because they have not found a publisher or for some other reason. Then you are in the right place - in the other threads of this forum.
