There are many things to consider when writing a children’s book.

If you do not pay attention to some of these things, writing a children’s book can go bad. As a new author in the genre you have to first ask yourself the following questions:

• What age range are you writing for?
• Do you want your book to have pictures or only texts or a touch of both (pictures and texts)?
• Do you want to write non-fiction, fiction or fairy tales?

Doing some research can help you decide better. Try the following:

1. Read a number of children’s books.

You are not an island of knowledge, you need to know what others know in this field so that you can leverage it and write a very good children’s book.

2. Know the BSR (Best Seller Rank) of the category of book you are writing.

There are many categories in children’s books:

• Picture or illustration books range from age 0-4. They capture illustrations/pictures majorly with very few words. Books like these can be used for bedtime stories and storytime for children.
• Early reader books range from age 5-7. This category has more texts than picture books, although it captures illustrations too but not as much as the former. Children in this category would have started learning how to read on their own.
• Chapter books can be from age 7-9. Vocabulary in this category would be higher than in the previous categories and the word count will definitely be higher and with fewer illustrations.
• Middle grade books, from age 9-12. Here the readers are more advanced than the previous ones. And challenging vocabulary and more texts can be introduced into writing for this category.
• Young Adult books (YA books), from age 12-18. This category is mainly for teenagers therefore the words can range from 40,000-80,000.

You need to know which of these categories is selling fast, or better still, know what people want. Knowing this will help you determine the length, content (illustration, text, fiction, non-fiction, fairy tale etc), and vocabulary of your writing.

How to get started

1. Select the age group you are writing for.
2. Choose a genre. Are you writing fiction, non-fiction, fairy tale, science fiction etc? Whichever one you choose. Give it your best.
3. Be creative. You need to think like the child in the age group you are writing for. Be creative and play with words. Children want to be entertained. Films and games are fast taking the place of reading these days. You need to write something captivating that will make them want to leave the screen and read your book. If you have children around you, watch and learn from them.
4. Do not be afraid to edit your work. It might look good to you, but if it doesn’t suit the writing, please take it out. You can keep the idea for your other writings.
5. Read out your writing to the children around you. You need to know what they think about the story. Pay attention to their reactions and check to know if they understand it. This will help you in evaluating your writing before it is published.
6. Publish.

With all these in place, you can write a captivating children’s book.

Ajimuda Evelyn is a writer, a poet and a blogger. She is a creative who brings imaginations alive.