“For the Kids” vs. “To the Kids”: How to Write Your Children’s Book

Are you writing and self-publishing a children’s book? It’s vital to consider a few critical questions, which will ultimately determine your word choices and content within your book. Aside from deciding the basics, such as fiction or non-fiction and the theme or overall topic, the next most important thing to determine is your target audience.

Start by answering these basic questions:

• Who would you like to read this book?
• Who are you, as the author, speaking to exactly?
• Are you writing to Christians or non-Christians?
• Is it a book kids can read themselves?
• Is this a book meant for adults to read to children?

If you’re self-publishing for children to read to themselves, from there you have to decide on the reading level. Is this a book for someone who has just started reading? If so, it needs to stay in the “See Spot run” category—words kids can pronounce and easily understand. Keep in mind a kid’s vocabulary at that age. What kinds of words are they using on a regular basis? What words can they recognize and read out loud in their own book?

If this is a book for kids to read that’s a chapter book, for instance, then we’re most likely dealing with an “older” child who has a more seasoned vocabulary than a six-year-old, for example. Remember also, these are kids, so keep the content innocent and clean as they are highly impressionable at this age.

Lastly, if you wish for your self-published book to be an illustrated children’s book, but meant for adults to read to children, you can go a little further in your word choices, but also remember to keep the content easy to understand and light-hearted. This type of book is meant to entertain a child, so put yourself in their shoes and start writing!

Stumped on your target audience? Questions? Leave me a comment below and I’ll gladly help you out.