How I Wrote Two Children’s Books and You Can Too

How It’s Done

Learn how to write and publish a book with inspirational concepts about kindness and friendship that children will want to read.

I wrote a couple of short stories based on my creative variation of known fairy tales when I was in my 20s. And then I decided to repurpose those stories and publish them as a couple of paperback books for children and young adult readers. I added thought-provoking inspirational concepts that make one think and ask questions with both stories. That is what’s needed for a valuable children’s book!

In the process, I expanded on the themes with more detail and found public domain illustrations that include licensing for commercial use. That means I can use them with money-making content.

1. One of the stories is an amusing variation of Little Red Riding Hood. In my version, she asks a big bad wolf to help her figure out if a falling tree makes a sound if no one is around to hear it. That was my way of teaching the concept of kindness and friendship, which you can do by writing captivating stories around that theme.
2. The other story is my version of Humpty Dumpty, written as a parody with illustrations. That fictional tail had a hidden meaning about using one’s intellect that a young reader might pick up on.

How I Made the Stories Into Paperback Books

Putting it into paperback book form was easy. I started with an empty template for a 5-inch by 8-inch book. You can download that from Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing site for free.

I copied and pasted my stories into these templates, then reformated them with 16pt font to fit the pages for easy reading. I also added a copyright page and other content to complete it as a book.

I also designed the cover, and I found copyright-free images that I could use from sites such as Pixabay and Unsplash.

I uploaded the files for the cover and the book pages to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Amazon’s self-publishing platform for ebooks and paperbacks. It used to be called Create Space, but Amazon merged it with the Kindle publishing platform in 2018.

It’s Crucial to Order a Proof Copy

After reviewing a proof copy to check out how the physical book looks, I found a few things I needed to improve. So, I made the revisions and ordered a second proof of each book to confirm that everything looked good.

When both books arrived a few days later, I examined every detail, from page number positioning to the correct heading layout on each chapter.

I also proofread the entire thing out loud, as I do with my articles before publishing. Then, when I was satisfied with my work, I logged back onto the KDP platform to click the publish button to complete the job.

Children's Books on Amazon

Now I have two additional books in my Amazon collection that you can see by following these Amazon affiliate links.

1. Humpty Dumpty’s Four Seasons
2. Red Riding Hood and the Sound of a Falling Tree

Learn More

If you are considering self-publishing your paperback book, see my complete guide, "How to Self-Publish a Children's Paperback Book," where I also explain how Amazon handles printing and sales for you.