I have an idea for a children’s book. I’ve already started writing it. I got the idea when I made up a story one night, and told one of my kids, and I thought “dang, that’s a good story!” Weeks later, I still think it’s a great story!
I don’t have any aspirations of developing a line of children’s books. But my oldest kid is 11, my youngest is 2, which means I’ve spent the last 11 years reading kids books.
“I can write one of those,” I figure. Geesh, 50 – 70 words is a kids book, right? How hard can it be?
I know it will be harder than I imagine. I really have no idea how do to it – what I’m doing now is just working on the story, trying to come up with the right words (it’s easier to write for adults, and just write and write and write, as opposed to thinking about attention spans and vocabulary levels).
The ONLY person I know who has written kids books is Kakie Fitzsimmons, who wrote the Bur Bur & His Friends. Maybe I can have her on a radio show sometime to chat about what I do now!
Hi Jason. Wow, pretty cool you are writing a children’s book. When I first started co-writing Bur Bur and Friends in 2004, we had no experience in publishing so it has been a journey. I wouldn’t trade anything I have learned, but will tell you it is alot of work. Writing is the easy part, marketing is a larger portion of the process (which you probably know from your other books).
What you do next depends on whether you want to self publish or go through a traditional publishing house. It also depends on what you want to accomplish from the books. I’d love to talk with you about it sometime. Just give me a call. Warmest regards!