Writing Child Book Guide

A winning D.I.Y. writing business.

It has always been my greatest dream to write and be published, and for those of you reading this now who may have similar aspirations, I’ll try my very best to pass on everything I’ve learned, both good and bad, and show you exactly why, it’s got to be D.I.Y.

I have in fact been writing for several years now, although it took me quite some time to delelop my writing child book formula, find my strengths and weaknesses and what indeed I really I wanted to write about. I’ve written songs, several novels and even a couple of screenplays, but looking back I suppose I found my true vocation in child writing, when my daughters began bringing home the dreaded ‘SCHOOL’ books.

“Come on dad”, they’d plead. “Read us a story.” A daunting prospect to be sure! So, up the stairs we’d go, climb up into bed and open up the latest cheesy offering. Night after night they’d arrive, book after book, weeks turning into months until finally I just couldn’t take any more. Then, one night the unexpected happened, they came home bookless. Great, thinks I, night off, feet up, glass of vino. Boy was I wrong.

“Come on dad, tell us a story, pleeeeeeease!”No peace for the wicked, thinks I. So up we went yet again. It was summer time as I remember, and as we sat snuggling on top of the bed-covers I found myself staring at my second eldest, Danniella’s, impatiently wriggling right foot searching desperately for inspiration. Minutes passed.

“Come on daaaaad!”

Then the strangest thing happened. I imagined I could see cute little faces on each of her wriggling toenails. There was a big fat one, a tall skinny one, one in the middle with a fat tummy, a short stumpy one and a little sweet one. Danniella’s got really weird feet, gets them from her mum’s side!


Anyway, I opened my mouth and low and behold, a story poured forth. It was all about a little handicapped boy named Charlie, and how he came to spend all his dreams in a magical world called Yumsville with characters resembling the toes from his own right foot.

Well that was that, a star was born. My kids loved them and couldn’t get enough. Goodbye dreary schoolbooks, hello fun and exciting adventures in Yumsville.

And so, armed only with a heart full of enthusiasm and a bag full of stories I began my journey into the writing child book arena, and the eye-opening world of agents and publishers.

I feel that I can’t share everything I’ve learned about the writing child book business in one fail swoop, so I’ve split it into what I feel are the relevant sub-headings. You can start by clicking on the link below, and work your way through what you feel is important to you, and what you feel is important to create your own writing child book business.

Other great websites promoting quality reading for kids!

Fellow SBI site owner and good friend, Steve Barancik, has a fabulous new site promoting top quality reading for kids. Steve, an accomplished Hollywood screenwriter, decided, just as I had, that to actually put some decent reading material in front of his own child, he’d have to knuckle down and write it himself. And, if I may say so, a mighty fine job he did too! Steve’s site has first class information on writing for kids, and where to find the best quality books available. But, not wanting to steal his plunder, I’d highly recommend catching up with Steve yourselves, at:Best Children’s Books


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