By BWC Team in 2023
Children's book authors Los Angeles can benefit from children's book publishing services that specialize in editing, formatting, cover design, and marketing to help their manuscript stand out in a crowded market.
This blog post explores 10 ways these services can make a manuscript the complete book and help authors, whether they are first-time or professionals, take their book to the next level. These services can help achieve publishing dreams and elevate the quality of children's books.
Self-publishing a children's book is a challenging task, but children book-publishing services Los Angeles follow a specific process including editorial assessment, developmental editing, copy editing, and proofreading. This blog will discuss each step to help readers self-edit and self-publish their book without expert assistance.
The editorial assessment is the initial step in editing a children's book, involving identifying and resolving issues within the book. This includes:
A children's picture book should have a word count between 500 and 700 words, not exceeding 1000 words. The book should be 32 pages, and the text should be spread evenly across these pages. Assessment helps determine the book's tone, grammar, punctuation, format, and interior. It is essential to be aware of the market, popular themes, and trends in children's book publishing to avoid issues and ensure a successful book.
After identifying necessary changes, authors must conduct developmental editing, also known as Line Edit, Substantive Edit, and Structural Edit, which typically takes time and involves revisiting the manuscript from the beginning. Children's book publishers expect authors to refine the text, which includes elements such as:
Verify that the word choice, writing style, tone, and other details correspond to the target age group. To make the book understandable to young readers, you must use gentle language, shorter sentences, and easier terminology.
Make sure the transitions between sentences, paragraphs, and chapters are fluid, clear, and concise. This is the appropriate moment to reduce the word count of a picture book for young readers.
The main character ought to behave and think consistently. In order to keep readers interested and involved, the tale must also include tension and action.
Self-publishing a book requires copy editing, as grammar rules are constantly evolving. Many editors are not trained in grammar perfection, making it essential to hire a copy editor if you cannot afford one. Copy editors identify typos, grammar issues, and wordiness, as well as checking for consistency. They are the second set of eyes that find overlooked or missed elements in your manuscript. To improve your copy editing, take a short break after completing developmental editing, usually a week, to declutter your mind and provide a fresh outlook. To minimize time spent on copy editing, use word processing softwares. For more information on writing a book with Grammarly, read this post.
Book Writing Cube, a children's book publisher, provides affordable proofreading services for authors to ensure their book's design matches the edited manuscript. This final step ensures that the pages match the manuscript, identifying errors such as word breaks, spelling and spacing, awkward design, and layout issues. The company also offers consulting services for more customizations.
Improving the dialogue is an essential part of editing children's books. It entails making character dialogue seem realistic and accessible to younger readers. This is how it operates:
We use phrases that are appropriate for the target age group and simplify difficult terminology. Characters should be simple enough for kids to understand
Kids should be able to tell who is speaking by listening to the distinctive voices of each character. We make sure the speech fits the disposition of the character.
To assist kids connect with the characters and their experiences, dialogues should resemble actual discussions.
Our key goal is to keep the conversation lively and flowing back and forth while keeping the plot moving forward.
By making conversation more engaging, we develop stories that capture young readers' attention and inspire a love of reading.
Formatting a children's book can be done using various software. The core factors of creating a successful children's book remain the same: ensuring the book is enjoyable for the target age group, and following these tips can help you achieve this.
Don't miss out on the chance to make your book shine. Get started with Book Writing Cube now!
Children's picture books typically have a 32-page page count, including title, copyright, front and back matter. This standard was initially based on printing methods but has since become the norm. It's recommended to adhere to this for your first book, but if you can't, ensure your book has a total page number that's a multiple of 8 (24, 32, 40, 48, etc.).
When formatting a children's picture book, it's important to consider the word count. Most books are under 500 words, so if you're over a hundred words, it might be worth revisiting your plan. It's not just about putting the book out there, but also ensuring it has the best chance of success. Remember, formatting isn't just about putting the book out there.
Choose your trim size and orientation early in the book writing process, or before hiring an illustrator. There are three orientation options: landscape, portrait, and square, which are standard sizes that excel in the children's book publishing world.
| Best Landscape Sizes | Best Portrait Sizes | Best Square Sizes |
| 10″ x 8″ | 7″ x 10″ | 8″ x 8″ |
| 11″ x 8.5″ | 7.5″ x 9.25″ | 8.5″ x 8.5″ |
| 8″ x10″ | 9″ x 9″ | |
| 8.5″ x 11″ | 10″ x 10″ |
Bleed refers to images in a book going all the way to the page's edges, while no bleed means images don't go all the way, creating a border around the pages. Most children's books have bleed, but not all. It's up to the author to decide whether to have all images go all the way to the page. If one image goes to the edge, the entire book should be formatted for bleed. It is important to note that bleed works only on KDP for fixed-format options, such as print-ready PDF files.
Margins are important in ensuring that essential elements in a book are not cut off during the printing process. There are four total margins: outside, top, bottom, and inside (called the gutter). The gutter margin depends on the page count, as it is where the binding of the book goes. Children's picture books have low page counts, so the gutters are usually 0.375". Depending on the formatting software, you may have both an inside margin and a gutter option. If both are present, ignore the gutter option or set it at zero. The inside margin should be set at 0.375”. Bleed affects the other margin sizes, with outside, bottom, and top margins needing at least 0.375" for bleed-free books and 0.25" for non-bleed-free books. Working with 0.5" margins on these sides ensures enough space for words or essential illustrations.
To become a successful children's book author, it's important to ensure your book is polished and professionally presented. Children's book publishing services California offer expert editing and formatting services to meet industry standards. Book Writing Cube a team of skilled editors and designers, can help take your book to the next level and prepare it for submission.
Contact us today to start your journey towards success in the publishing industry!
This is the first time I’ve worked with Book Writing
Cube
and I’m happy that I chose to work with them.
I am self-publishing my book for the first time and I
didn’t
know what to expect...
To be honest I happen to come by Book
Writing Cube by accident. I was researching websites
that
helped with self-publishing and I clicked on it and
accidentally clicked on the chat icon.
Someone responded and at first I didn’t write
anything back.
But then I decided to take a chance and the person I
talked
to put me in contact with Mark Rivera.
Mark and his team have been very helpful during this
whole
process. They take my suggestions and show me where
I can
make improvements.
So far I am very satisfied with the work they have
been
doing. I know that they will do everything they can
to make
my debut book a success. I am very confident of
that.
Ana - US
Everythign was managed in the most professional and convenient way. They are amazing with communications and answering all necessary questions. They deeply explained everything and guided me through the entire process. A big thank you to the team of Book Writing Cube.
John S - US
As a self-published author, I had a hard time effectively promoting my book. But Book Writing Cube's marketing team helped turn my book into a success!
stalo marce - US
My experience working with Book Writing Cube was great and Mark was a huge help! Looking forward to working with them again in the future.
madis eliot - US
Book Writing Cube's graphic designers made the most beautiful book cover for my book. I was shocked at how accurately they had portrayed my ideas.
Justin Langer - US