How to self-publish a children's book

Before any of the production work, the book itself has to be finished and polished. Edit the text hard — children's publishing prizes economy — and check it against its age band with the children's book word count calculator so the length matches the format. A 900-word picture book and a 6,000-word chapter book are different projects.

Then sort the artwork, which for most children's books is the defining task; our guide to how to illustrate a children's book covers hiring and briefing. Plan the words and pictures together, page by page, with the picture book planner so nothing is a surprise at the layout stage.

A children's book is a full-colour, tightly specified print job, so the files matter. Fix your trim size, lay out the interior in full colour, and build the cover to exact dimensions. The cover template generator produces the full wraparound spread, and the book spine width calculator gives you the spine for your page count and paper.

Whoever prepares the files — you or your designer — the artwork needs CMYK colour, 300dpi images and 3mm of bleed, exported as single pages. Run the finished interior and cover through the print-ready PDF checker before you send anything to press, because a colour reprint is an expensive mistake to make twice.

There are two broad routes. Print-on-demand, such as Amazon KDP, prints each copy as it sells with no upfront cost, which suits testing the water — but the per-copy fee for full colour is high. A short run with a book printer costs money upfront, yet the unit cost falls with quantity and the colour reproduction and paper choices are usually better.

Children's books lean towards short-run full-colour printing, and they benefit more than most from ordering a physical proof before committing. Weigh the two routes with the KDP vs short-run calculator, and size your first order with our guide on how many copies to print.

To sell through shops and libraries you need an ISBN, and each format needs its own. KDP can assign a free ISBN for its own store, but buying your own gives you one consistent identity across every retailer and printer. Once you have it, generate the matching barcode for free with our ISBN barcode generator for the back cover.

Children's books sell unusually well in person — at schools, fairs, story times and local shops — so do not overlook direct sales, where your margin is highest. A short run in hand is what makes those sales possible, which is another reason the format suits self-publishers who are willing to get out and sell.

Always approve a physical proof before a full run. Colour looks different on paper than on screen, and a proof is your last chance to catch a muddy illustration, a tight margin or a spine that is a hair off. Only once you are happy should you commit to the quantity your sales plan supports.

When the files are ready and the proof is approved, you are ready to print. Model the run one more time with the calculator above, then request a quote from a UK book printer for your exact specification — page count, trim, colour and quantity — and place the order with confidence.