How to Be a Published Writer of Children’s Picture Books?

1. Decide what age group you are writing for, either for toddlers, kindergarten or first grade, middle school children or high school kids.
2. Stick to a word count and develop your children's story.
3. Make sure your children's main character solves a problem.
4. Either illustrate your children's book yourself or have someone else draw the art to your picture book.
5. Polish your manuscript and send it to many children's publishing houses. Wait for an answer, and continue blogging to build up your name brand.

If you are not successful after some time with traditional publishing companies, I suggest you connect with an awesome self-publishing house. You'll need to spend the money to have your children's picture book self-published.

I began my public writing career approximately in 2010. I was looking for something to do online after my computer programming job was sent overseas. I searched and searched and found this site. I thought HubPages was a cool site and I signed up right away since they promised to pay a commission for every article I wrote.

I was excited and wrote a few hubs and I was elated by the response of my family and friends on Facebook and the community. Straight away many Hubbers became my friends. They absolutely loved the plethora of pictures I posted in my hubs. Then, I wrote a few more hubs and began writing a bunch of children's stories.

I felt elated and on a roll, I had already published six hubs on HubPages and desired to write more. Back then I was living in a large house with a few friends and one strange day, which actually turned out to be my greatest blessing, I discovered a little lizard hiding in a bathroom faucet. I chuckled and thought of writing a short story about this quizzical lizard for my granddaughter.

Within twenty minutes I dabbed an interesting lizard story on a sheet of paper and read it to my roommates. They loved it and laughed out loud and stated it sounded like a children’s book. I couldn’t believe it and my mind started working overtime on how I would turn my children's story into a kid's picture book.

Since, I was already writing articles for HubPages, I imagined creating a children’s picture book wouldn’t be too difficult.

I found Trafford and contacted them straight away. They too laughed at my title and said they would love to publish my children's book. Since they are a self-publishing company, they normally acquire all authors into their corporation as long as your material is not offensive.

At the time Trafford was running a children's book special for $1000.00 and my marketing consultant put me in contact with a fantastic artist by the name of Frank Roosa.

Mister Roosa was delighted to illustrate my children's book and felt it would be a neat challenge for him since he was a nautical and lighthouse artist. I paid him $1000.00 for twenty children's book illustrations too.

Within two years my publicist at Trafford suggested I contact a traditional publishing house and I sent my children's manuscripts to Tate and they loved my talking lizard series and took me in after reviewing over two hundred thousand manuscripts that year. I felt lucky and totally blessed.

With Tate on my side, I didn't need to spend a plethora of money advertising my children's books anymore. Because Tate decided to invest in me and believed my children's manuscripts would be a hit among children up to middle school grades. Tate promised in a 63-page book publishing contract to invest up to one hundred fifty thousand dollars in advertising my three children's picture books. Tate is in the process of publishing all my books and they have made me an author for life. The talking lizard series is composed of nine books. Over the next few years, hopefully, by God's grace, they'll publish the remaining children's books too.

Tate created three children's book trailers for me which they air on certain children's cable television stations. They also in the process of crafting more trailers along with a few children's book videos for children to read along on YouTube.

Each of my children's books comes with a free audio download. Kid's may download the audio file for each of my children's books at the Tate's Publishing website once their parents purchase my books either at Tate Publishing, Amazon, or Barns and Noble.

Besides, Tate also handles book signings for me and book venues. I only need to show up, smile and sign the books parents buy with a thoughtful saying, especially for their children. This is totally exciting and the elementary schools in my area have invited me to do book readings for their students. Tate created a Children's Lizard Book Site for me as well.

Posted on YouTube is my children's book video for Mr. Ses Attends Stockville Elementary Academy for kid's to follow along. It's a cartoon similar to the one listed below for kids to read along as they watch.

Tate is also working on having a children's storybook hour on TV for kids in the near future, where they will air my children's book videos.