• How To Write an Award-Winning Children’s Book

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    During the month of June, we’ve been cheerleading a segment of authors who write some of the sweetest books around: those who write children’s stories. To cap things off, we’re featuring a special guest blogger, Terry Doherty of Mom’s Choice Awards and The Reading Tub. We wanted to find out what she looks for when in an award-winning children’s book, and she was kind enough to share some of her expertise! Writing for children seems like it would be easy, right? Kids have the most active imaginations, they’re open to any and all ideas, and of course they LOVE stories.…

  • writing a children's book, plots for a childrens book, characters in a childrens story, how to write books for children

    The Most Common Mistake in Writing a Children’s Book—and How to Avoid It

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    Who doesn’t have a children’s book that they have cherished and grown to love over time, hoping to share with their children when they reach the right age? This month we’re talking about writing and self-publishing children’s books on the blog, and it reminds me of my love of reading—and how I don’t have enough fingers to count the number of books I read as a child, and still love to read as an adult. Children’s books regularly come through our editorial fingers, but what has become a noticeable trend in manuscripts is content gaps in storylines: characters disappearing and reappearing…

  • 4 tips for writing children's books on difficult subjects from Xulon Press, the largest Christian self-publisher.

    4 Tips for Writing Children’s Books on Grown-Up Topics

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    When many think of writing children’s books, images of talking animals communicating with awe-struck children come to mind. Many of these children’s stories aptly summarize the youthful whimsy of naivety, as the young protagonists are captivated by every angle of his or her growing experience. Some may even feel the role of children’s books would be to focus on the positive aspects of life, downplaying the harsh realities of daily unpleasantness. This is just one option and perspective of children’s literature. In editing and examining the assortment of children’s stories we come across, the need for children to be exposed to reality—the…

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

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      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…