How to Write a Children’s Book Template

It took me 4 years to learn everything I needed to write a children’s book and another year to actually write a good story. If only there was a “How to Write a Children’s Book” template to help me when I started. 🙈

I’ve heard from TONS of fellow KidLit writers that it takes 5-10 years to get your first publishing contract. And while that’s true for a lot of people, it DOES NOT have to be the rule. If you know what you’re doing upfront, you can expedite the publishing process.

How to Write a Children’s Book Template in 3 Easy Steps:

There are three main things you need to know when you want to write a children’s book:

1. Is your story idea a good one?
2. Do you understand the basic structure of a children’s book?
3. Are you able to outline your story idea before you start writing?

Once you are able to answer and show you understand these three questions, you’re able to start writing your kid’s book. And here’s how you can start to answer these questions.

1 – Is your story idea a viable one?

A lot of writers begin writing about a great idea they have without doing ANY research beforehand, only to realize that their idea has already been done before. Then they can’t sell that story that they spent HOURS working on.

But that doesn’t have to be you.

Instead, you should research your story idea before you ever start typing. Make sure you know what books already exist and when they were last published. Go to the store or library and read them. This is the only way to make sure you’re truly being original.

2 – Do you know the basic structure of a children’s book?

I hear it all the time: “Oh, I could write a kid’s book!”, “Writing kids’ books is easy!”, or “I have the best idea for a kid’s book.” But normally the person saying this has NO IDEA what it takes to write a children’s book.

Even though kids’ books are relatively short compared to novels, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a structure you have to follow. You need to understand what genre you’re writing for, who your comp books are for your story idea, and what components you need to include to make a good story. And this only comes from learning about kids’ books.

3 – Are you able to explain what your story’s about before you start writing?

I know there are a lot of pantsers in the world, but I don’t believe that’s a good way to start out writing your story. There are still components that you need to know before you sit down at the computer. Like, who’s your story about and what’s going to happen to them?

Even if you don’t plan on writing an outline for your story and would prefer your character’s to speak to you as you write, you should still understand the answers to those two questions. It’s the only way to know that what you’re writing isn’t going to have to be tossed out later. 🤗

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You do not have to have an English background to write a children’s book. Anyone can learn how to do this! All you need is the proper tools. And to save you tons of time and research, I’ve created an easy to follow, step-by-step template to get you started.

Download the “How to Write a Children’s Book” template here and get started writing that story idea of yours! Every book deserves a place on a child’s bookshelf if you write it well enough. With this template, you’ll have all the tools to ensure that incudes your story. 😚

And if you want more help writing your children’s book, check out these other articles around the blog:

• Everything you need to know to write a kid’s book
• All you need to know to publish your kid’s book
• How to market your kid’s book when you’re ready

Download the Children’s Book Template and Get Started Writing Today!