Resources
Chapter 1
Introduction
Anybody that has a love for the written word has at one time dreamed of becoming the next Dr. Seuss. While the road to get there is an often long, difficult process, it is attainable if you know how to do it. All too often, publishers cast aside great children's book authors the side, not because their ideas or creativity was not good enough, but simply because their story did not have the proper format This lack of understanding the children's book world has thrown many published books into the category of unpublished. Once this happens, many authors simply give up their dreams.
That great storyline or idea could have been the one that would have introduced the world of reading to a child that never really had an interest in it. This is also the thought process that every author must stop thinking.
When we write a children's story, we really are not doing it for ourselves, we do it to give to the children that will be reading it. In order to overcome many of the obstacles and rejection letters you may receive, you must keep this thought in your mind. It will give you the necessary determination to be a successful children's book author. We write to entertain the children. The livelihood that we receive from it is simply of a bonus for our efforts.
If you are seeking fame and fortune through writing a children's book, then you should not write one at all. Do it for the children. I know it is a cliché saying, but in this instance, it holds very true. If you lose that sense of love for the children, you will inevitability fail because you are doing it for all the wrong reasons.
By writing just for fame and fortune, somewhere along the way, you will lose the child within you. This is a much needed personality trait that every author must preserve and tap into when writing a story designed just for children. Regardless of the age range, you will need to harness those feelings that you had at that point in your childhood. Seeking fame and fortune is something that we acquire as adults. Children do not have an interest in that they just want an enjoyable book that will entertain them.
If you are writing to entertain children, then you have the start of becoming a great children's book author. The very basic feeling of wanting to write to entertain children means that you have already tapped into the inner-child that you need to have.
You eventually get wrapped-up in the business of being an author, but keep yourself grounded and remember why you initially wanted to write a children's book. Becoming too involved with the business side of publishing is something that you cannot avoid, and should not avoid, but try to regain those childlike emotions once you get back to the actual writing. Without it, you will go nowhere fast and the rejection letters from publishers will be the first indication of it.
Within these pages, you will find out all the do's and don'ts in respect to having a quality children's book. However, this book will not actually write it for you, it is up to you to do. The best-laid plans only work if you decide to enact those plans. Nothing worth having comes easy, so prepare yourself for a lot of work.
Many people think it is easy to write a children's book because, after all, they are just kids. That statement cannot be further from the truth. Children are actually quite precise about what they like. Do you remember when you were a kid? I am sure there was only a particular food you liked, a show you watched or a toy you played with. Your interest was very narrow at that tender age. The scope of what interested you did not come until you were much older. Books are the same. You want your book to be the one that Junior wants his
