How to self publish a children’s book

Have you written a children’s book? First of all, congratulations. You are an author! Many people contemplate writing something and very few take it all the way to the completion. Even then, many don’t take the next step to publish what they have written, so well done for getting this far!

Are you now looking to get a book printed? At BookPrinting; Publishing made easy, we understand how overwhelming self-publishing can be and are here to help guide you through the process from start to finish to ensure you get exactly what you want, at a reasonable cost.

We’ve pulled together a simple step-by-step guide to help with your children’s book printing, and to make sure you have thought of everything before taking that final leap:

High resolution images are key to any children’s book

It’s safe to say children’s books will have illustrations or imagery in them for a point of interest. So, it is very important that these images are of the highest resolution possible to ensure you have clean lines and zero fuzziness. If you have drawn the images yourself, you will need to ensure these are scanned (or digitally illustrated) so they can be easily transferred into your book.

Create an easily to follow and attractive layout

Once you have written the words and chosen the images, you now need to pull them both together to create the look and feel of your book. By layering the text with the illustrations, you can start to see how the final book is going to look. Be mindful of the design program you are using, and ensure it is compatible with your chosen publisher. 

If you don’t have the software or the design eye for this part of your book, at BookPrinting, we can recommend designers we have worked with for a number of years with budgets to suit everyone. Please contact us for further details.

Purchase an ISBN number and barcode

This is a very exciting step in the self-publishing process. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number and is found on every single book in any shop or store. It is the seal of approval and once you have this, you official own a book!

Copyright your book

You don’t want to put in all the hard graft and then find someone else has printed your book without your say-so, or worse(!) they have stolen your ideas and made them, their own. It’s as simple as filling out a form online and paying a fee. The copyright office will then send you a certificate listing all the information about your book. You can copyright anything; including your artwork, photography, and your words.

Make sure you keep it safe for future records, should the unthinkable happen.

Prepare your book for print

Once your book is ready for printing, the best place to start is with print on demand (POD) as there is no minimum order. You can start with as few or as many copies as you like to get a feel of how your book will track with people and whether you should look to print some more.

Getting your book ready for print, and supplying “print ready PDF files” can seem a little daunting, with lots of technical jargon thrown at you like; embedding fonts, using CMYK or RGB colour space; adding bleed to your cover or images, etc. Whether you are producing the files yourself, or using one of our recommended designers, we at Book Printing, like to keep this process as simple and as stress free as possible for you. 

 Self-publishing a children’s book, or any book for that matter, is hard work. The publishing side of the book can take as long as the writing side of things, and you will find yourself putting in many long hours. But once that book is published and you are able to share it with everyone, you will find the who process worthwhile, and you’ll be read to jump in and write/publish another! 

If you’re considering self-publishing a children’s book, consider BookPrinting. We offer book printing for self-publishers and our dedicated team have a wealth of experience in the book production and publishing arena. We produce high quality books and provide assistance to publishers and authors so they can focus on what they do best. Whether you’re looking for a free bespoke estimate or some professional advice, contact us today and let us help you to get a book printed. Call us on 01525 621742 / 01525 621754 or email: enquiries@bookprinting.co.uk.