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From concept to finished picture book is a quick guide

Master the Picture Book Format

Think of picture books as visual storytelling. As the author-illustrator, you have full control of the experience. Standard picture books are 32 pages. The sweet spot for text is under 500 words for a picture book targeted at younger readers.

Before illustrating, outline the story by making a “dummy” (aka mock-up) of your picture book, which acts as a rough-and-ready miniature map of the story. Illustrations shouldn’t only depict the story, but enhance it, providing additional meaning through subtext, humor, emotion.

Create the Artwork

Whether digital, watercolor, gouache or another medium, the finished piece needs to be scanned (300-600 DPI) or saved (300 DPI) at the size the art director wants to reproduce it at, and must be formatted to match the trim size of the book.

Characters need to be consistent, as you’ll be showing them from every angle, so make sure they’re the same every time! Digital artists who create images using Procreate, Photoshop, etc. should set the document as CMYK to make sure what’s on-screen matches what gets printed.

Remember to leave a “bleed” (an extra 0.125”) around your art so important parts don’t get trimmed away.

Choose Your Publishing Path

Traditional or Indie? If going the traditional publishing route, send your query letter, a PDF of your “dummy” and a link to your portfolio showcasing other work to literary agents and art directors at publishing houses that publish “author-illustrators.” If accepted, they will publish and market the book, including printing, distributing, etc., and pay an advance and royalties.

Alternatively, publish independently (Indie publishing) and release the book to the world as soon as it’s finished, retaining complete control of the entire process. Print-on-demand options include Amazon KDP, IngramSpark or both!

KDP can publish a paperback and reaches the whole world; IngramSpark publishes gorgeous hardcovers and gets the book into their bookstore catalog. If you want the option to be distributed more widely than Amazon, purchase ISBNs, and in the US they’re available through Bowker.

Layout and Production

Next up is placing the art and text together using a program such as Adobe InDesign, Affinity Publisher or Canva. Pick fonts that compliment the art.

Export a PDF of the book to send to the printer, along with a full-color, print-ready file that includes the entire cover (front, spine, back). Order a galley/proof to make sure colors are true and nothing got misplaced. Check text placement, trim, etc.

Launch and Promote

Congrats, your book is finished! Next up is sharing it with the world. Reach out to indie bookstores to discuss local promotions like read-alouds.

Connect with other authors-illustrators in your genre, as well as parents and teachers on social media. Contact book bloggers for reviews.

Publishing a self-illustrated picture book can be a very rewarding experience. As the author and illustrator of a self-illustrated book you have full control over the creative process. Here is a step by step guide to publishing your own book.

### 1. Master the Picture Book Format Standard picture books have 32 pages, 8 pages to the spread. So you must first plot out your story in the form of a 32-page ‘dummy’ or model for the book. That means your artwork for each spread does more than illustrate words. It illustrates what is between the words too – emotions and even humor. The word count in picture books for young children is below 500 words, and generally under 500.

### 2. Create the Artwork Once you’ve developed a solid story and thumbnail illustrations for your book, move on to create the full-sized art. Take time to ensure consistency in how your main characters look. This means that regardless of how you draw them, they will appear the same from every angle. Use watercolor or gouache if you’re working traditionally, and then scan in your artwork at high resolution (at least 300-600 DPI). If working digitally, such as with Procreate or Photoshop, work within the CMYK color model to ensure that the colors you see on your screen will look the same when printed as they do on your monitor. Remember to add a 0.125-inch bleed to the edges of your illustrations so that none of the artwork will get cut off when printed.

### 3. Choose Your Publishing Path You have two primary routes:

* **Traditional Publishing:** Traditionally published author/illustrators are represented by literary agents who have connections at various children’s book publishing houses. Most publishers have an art director who reviews dummies (half-sized mock-ups) of proposed books. Research these individuals and create a professional online portfolio, with a PDF version of your picture book dummy, to send along with your query letter to appropriate agents. Here’s how the process would work with a publisher: You write and illustrate the text and then submit your work to a publisher. If they like your book, they pay you an advance and then print, distribute and market your book to gain sales. You receive additional money for each book that is sold. This can be a very profitable route for talented writers and illustrators, but it requires a tremendous amount of work to set up the initial submissions and to develop your network of literary agents and art directors. * **Self-Publishing (Indie):** Keep full ownership and achieve your publishing goals faster with Print-on-Demand services. You can find suitable options for self-publishing author-illustrators on Amazon KDP (for paperback publishing and global distribution) as well as on the platform of IngramSpark (for beautiful hardcover editions and inclusion in bookstore catalogs). This option requires you to purchase ISBNs (Bowker in the US, for example) if you wish to get your published book distributed more widely than through Amazon.

### 4. Layout and Production Use your chosen software to combine your artwork and text and to select appropriate types of text. Export your book interior as a print-ready high-resolution PDF file. It’s also a good idea to create a cover spread file (front and back cover, including spine). Export this file separately as well (e.g. front and back cover, and spine).

### 5. Launch and Promote Most printed books are checked for color, cut edges, etc. before they are sent out to the public. This is called a “proof” copy. Always order a proof. Then, distribute your newly published book to local bookstores for readings, to parents and teachers on social media, and to book bloggers for reviews.