Are you thinking about self publishing a children's book but unsure about the costs? You've come to the right place! Children's books are usually short, featuring repetitive rhymes and simple stories. However, many authors worry about the expenses involved in publishing. From now on, don't worry. Amazon is here for you! Let's explore how you can self publish a children's book on Amazon and other platforms at an affordable price.
If you are looking for a platform to publish children's books then it has to be Scholastic. Harry Potter series, The Magic School Bus series, The Baby-Sitters Club series are some well-known books that are published through Scholastic. You can also publish one by following the steps in this section.
Step 1: Research Scholastic’s Publishing Guidelines
Mostly Scholastic works with professional authors and literary agents that are well-known. They don't accept manuscripts directly but through literary agents. But don't be sad. They do have contests, open submissions for selected projects and partnerships that you can avail for your children's book. All you have to do is search their official website guidelines about these things. Go to their social media and newsletters to get updates on programs for new authors.
Get Help: You can use Ace Book Writers expert publishing services to publish your children’s book on Scholastic.
Step 2: Write and Perfect Your Manuscript
Good manuscript can help you shine among multiple competitors with Scholastic. Although children's book are simple to write, adding uniqueness to it is a little hard. Before you start writing a children's book remember to know following things:
What age group are you targeting? Like, for ages 0 to 3 you can publish board books, age 3 to 7 is good for picture books, ages 5 to 8 are early readers so you can write short stories and ages 8 to 12 are middle grade so you can write stories like the Harry Potter series.
Next, you need to write a children's book according to appropriate length and find an illustrator with it to get high quality pictures. Also, if you get selected by Scholastic then they will assign you an illustrator.
You can also use Ace Book Writers professional ghostwriting services to write a children's book.
Step 3: Get Professional Editing and Book Cover Design Services
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Although, Scholastic will help you with book cover design, however you can also hire a professional book cover designer if you want to approach Scholastic without a literary agent.
Step 4: Submit Through an Agent or an Open Call
The best way to get your book noticed on Scholastic is through literary agents. But, you can also approach them directly by emailing them on their website page.
Step 5: Consider Self-Publishing as an Alternative
Since there is less chance of self publishing on Scholastic, you can choose other platforms like Amazon to publish without an agent. You can use book publishing services to professionally produce your book, then market it to build an audience.
How Much Money Can You Make Publishing a Children's Book?
When you publish a book, you may expect to earn a lot of money. However, this all depends on how much you invested on making your book great and interesting. This investment is not only money but also your time and efforts. Let's discuss how much a normal to top tier children's book author earns by traditionally and self publishing.
How much will you earn through Traditional Publishing
If you have published your children’s book through publishers like Scholastic, Penguin Random House, or HarperCollins, you will receive some advance amount against your future royalties.
That amount for picture books can be $5000 for new authors and $20,000 for well-known authors (as they already have a fanbase who can buy their books as soon as they are out).
If we talk about middle grade children's books then it will be $8,000 to $50,000 and for a famous author it can be in six-figures as well.
Royalty Rates
You must be thinking why you are getting advance payment from traditional publishers. Here’s what happens. Publishers usually carry all the load of your book like they will professionally edit, design book cover, illustrate, publish and market your book without taking a penny from you. That's because they earn money from your royalties when your book is published. Once your book sells enough copies to "earn out" the advance and cost of services, you start earning royalties.
Usually they offer 10% price of a book on Hardcover, 5-7 % on Paperback and 25% on eBooks. Like, if your hardcover book sells for $18 and you will earn a 10% royalty. That means you make $1.80 per book while $16.2 will go to publishers. Although many authors use this path to let the professionals do work for their book, one thing that you will lose is ownership of your book.
How much will you earn through Self Publishing
If you are self publishing children's books through Amazon and IngramSpark, you will earn the maximum profit of your book sales. However, this depends on how good your marketing and book quality is.
What will be your profit per book sold
With self publishing, you will be incharge of everything. You will bear the production cost and also earn the profit of your book.
If you have published through Amazon KDP platform then you can earn 35% to 70% of your royalties. It all depends on how much you price your book. Secondly, Amazon only prints your book when an order is placed. So no extra printing cost. For hard copies you will earn 30% to 60% of royalty after deducting printing cost.
If you are publishing your book directly through schools, websites and events then you will receive 100% of profits after deducting production costs you spent. Like, if you sell a paperback children's book for $12 and its printing cost is $4 then you earn $8 per book. If you sell 5000 copies in a month then you will earn $40,000.
Other options to earn from publishing a children's book
If you don't want to publish your book online then you can publish it through schools, libraries, book stores, and even international publishers.
Schools usually purchase children's books in bulk so it’s a good way to earn money. You can also sell activity books, plush toys, or lesson plans related to your book. Secondly, you can visit school events and charge accordingly like $200 to $2000.
Another option is selling your book rights to international publishers for translations is a good passive income.
How Much Can You Make Selling Children's Books on Amazon?
If you want to self publish a children's book on Amazon then you need to have good marketing plans. Amazon is a very competitive online book market where selling a book for good income requires a lot of things. Let's discuss them one by one:
Selling in Multiple Formats
You can publish your book in different formats provided by Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). It can boost your sales and your pay as well.
- You can publish it as a Kindle eBook. You can get 35% to 70% royalties with this format. (70% royalties if priced between $2.99-$9.99)
- Next, you can publish in Paperback & Hardcover. Through this format, you can earn royalties around 30%-60% after printing costs.
- Another format that usually authors miss is Audiobooks. They are best for children's books as it will help them listen to the stories rather than reading them. You can earn 25 to 40% royalty with it. One of the best audiobook company is Ace Book Writer. Go one and try working with their experts believe me you won't get disappointed.
Like, after deducting all prices, you earn from your paperback at $6.59, eBook $2.09, and Audiobook $4. You earn $12.68 per sale on Amazon from one book.
You can even boost your earning by using professional services on Amazon. Like good marketing, good cover designing and good illustrations for picture books.
For good marketing you can use Amazon Ads. If you spend $200 on Amazon Ads and sell 100 books at $3 profit per book, you will earn $300 in revenue, making a $100 net profit.
In short, we can only estimate how much you can earn by selling on Amazon. It depends on the right marketing strategies, publishing in multiple formats, hiring a professional book designer, and illustrator.
How to publish a children's book on Amazon in 10 minutes
One of the quickest ways to publish a book is through Amazon. Only 10 minutes and you are done! Let's see how you can publish a children's book or any other book on Amazon:
- Simply go to Amazon KDP and sign in with your Amazon account or create a new one.
- Tap on “Create a New Title" and choose between Kindle eBook, Paperback, or Hardcover for your book format.
- Next, enter your book's details like book title, subtitle, description and author name. Also, add keywords that are higher in rank so readers can search you easily.
- Now, upload your manuscript in PDF, AZW3 or MOBI.
- Add a book cover.
Tip: Invest in book cover design services to make your book shine.
- Set the price for your eBook by choosing between 35% or 70%.
- Choose your paperback price, keeping in mind the cost to print a book (Amazon deducts printing costs from each sale).
- Finally, tap on click and you will be live within 24-72 hours!
What’s the Cost to Publish a Book on Amazon?
The cost to publish a book on Amazon is $0 means no upfront for eBook and print both. That's because KDP uses a print-on-demand method. Your main costs may come from:
- Illustration & Cover Design ($100-$5,000)
- Marketing & Amazon Ads** ($50-$500+)
Self-publishing a children's book with illustrations
You can publish a children’s book on multiple platforms with illustrations. We have already discussed about Amazon KDP platform. Let's talk about other platforms:
Barnes & Noble Press
It is another famous book store for self publishers. It is ideal for print and eBooks and let you sell directly through BN.com and distribute your book through Nook eBooks. It also has higher royalties as compare to Amazon for print books. Just like Amazon, it doesn't have upfront fees and is great for authors who are targeting US readers.
Apple Books
If you want to publish an illustrated children’s book for Apple users, Apple Books is a great choice. First, it has beautiful formatting for illustrated eBooks and high royalties rate. The best thing is that you can access millions of iOS readers.
Kobo Writing Life
Kobo allows you to publish and sell your children’s book in over 190 countries. It also has premium model Kobo Plus for books. It aslo has no publishing fees, it distributes through OneDrive and provides promotional services to self publishers. It is best for reaching international markets, especially Canada and Europe.
IngramSpark
It is one of the strong competitor to Amazon KDP. It provides global distribution to bookstores, libraries, and retailers. Just like Amazon it has Print-on-demand service for hardcover and paperback. However, it requires ISBN and higher upfront cost but it also has broader bookstore distribution. It’s cost to publish a book is $49 per title + printing costs.
Cheapest way to publish a children's book
You must be searching for this part of this guide the most. Although, self publishing a children's book on Amazon is already very cheap. But let's see more ways to publish a children’s book affordably.
Digital Publishing
One of the most economical way to publish a book is eBook or digital publishing. You can use platforms like Amazon and more alike platforms without upfront cost.
Print-on-Demand (POD)
Another best thing for authors is POD services. It enable you to print books as orders come in, eliminating the need for high printing cost. For a 32-page children's picture book, POD costs can range from $2 to $10 per paperback copy.
Bulk Printing
If you have a retailer that order for bulk purchase then that is also an cheap way to publish a book. It is because bulk printing can lower the cost per unit. However, this requires a significant upfront investment, often ranging from $2,000 to $5,000.
We recommend you to use Amazon KDP for publishing and Ace Book Writers services like ghostwriting, editing, formatting and marketing. Their services are affordable and also has 25% discount with 100% ownership to you.
Wrapping Up
If you want to publish your children's book without spending a fortune? Amazon KDP is a great, easy-to-use option. If you spend wisely on good illustrations, a great cover, and smart marketing, you can make your book a success without overspending. Remember, publishing a book is an investment in yourself, and with a good plan, it can pay off!
Frequently Asked Questions
The cheapest way to publish a children's book is through digital self publishing platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Apple Books, Kobo Writing Life, and Barnes & Noble Press. These platforms allow you to publish your book for free and earn royalties from sales.
You can publish a children's book for free by using self publishing platforms that don’t charge upfront fees. Amazon KDP, Apple Books, and Kobo Writing Life allow you to upload and distribute your book at no cost. If you create your own illustrations and cover design, you can avoid hiring professionals, keeping the process completely free.
The answer depends on your goals. If you want complete ownership of your book content, pricing, royalties then go for self publishing. However, you need to bear all the production cost. On the other side, if you want full professional support in everything from writing to marketing then go for publishers. Both has there own pros and cons so choose wisely.
Little kids' books, the thick ones for babies, are usually about 10 to 32 pages long, with easy words and pictures. Storybooks for slightly older kids, like 3 to 8 years old, are usually between 24 and 40 pages, with 32 being the most common. Books for kids just starting to read on their own, around 5 to 7 years old, have about 32 to 64 pages. And longer stories for kids around 7 to 10 years old, called chapter books, are typically 80 to 150 pages. If you're printing your own book, it's best to have at least 24 pages so it stays together nicely.
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