How can I publish my children’s book for a low cost?

A lot of children’s books out right now are distributed by publishers. Not too many are published independently.

I use to manage projects in children’s publishing, and the books we ended up publishing and/or distributing were always from writers who had formed relationships with the company.

My advice (in order of importance) would be:

1) Get to know people involved in children’s publishing! Do freelance or content writing for publishers involved in children’s/educational books. The worse that can happen is that they’ll ask you to write a few uncredited short stories for a children’s collection (that’s what happened to me ^_^).

2) If you haven’t already, make a few “mock” copies of your book. Take your story to a printer and put together as professional looking product as you can. You really only need 3~5 copies, just to show to publishers or representatives.

3) If your book is educational in any way (or if it teaches a moral or value), try to see if you can get a handful of important people to back your work. Head librarians at large libraries, learning experts…they all add credibility.

4) Put together a professional presentation for your book or series. In this presentation, explain why your story or series stands out from other children’s books on the market. Mention anyone of importance who has seen the book, and who has given their backing for it.

I hope that helps. It is really tough to have a children’s book published, but not impossible. Keep trying!