Laura Purdie Salas

Writing the World for Kids

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You are here: Home / Writing for Children / Should I self-publish my children’s book?

Should I self-publish my children’s book?

I am not against indie-publishing. In fact, I have indie-published some books for both writers and for educators. And I read lots of mystery books by authors who indie publish in a highly professional manner.

In many years of writing for kids and of critiquing and coaching children’s writers, I have worked with loads of folks who want to self-publish (or who do self-publish) their books. Most end up disappointed due to unrealistic expectations.

Here’s what I think, in a nutshell:

Also, from my indie-published (ironically) book, Making a Living Writing Books for Kids:

“The cons to self-publishing are many. First, it’s almost impossible to self-publish picture books well. Novels are easier to produce well, because of the lack of art, but they still rarely reach many readers. You have to be a monster marketer to self-publish successfully, and you should accept that you will likely lose, not earn, money off it.

Self-publishing can work well for sharing memoirs, novels, or poetry with family and friends, though. And you can use [Kindle Print] or another print-on-demand service (still very complex for picture books, and with limited trim sizes).

Another form of self-publishing might be to create a lesson/unit featuring your manuscript to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers or another teacher resource marketplace. This would still require art, great design, and educator materials to accompany your manuscript.

There are rare exceptions, but self-published children’s books generally do not reach an audience beyond the author’s immediate family and friends. If you are working on a personal project that you want to share with immediate family and friends, indie-publishing might be a good fit for you.”

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Signed, personalized books?

You can get them easy peasy! Just order through Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, MN! I'll zip by and sign it for you, and they'll send it on its way. Click on any book below to order.

Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten Secrets of the Loon Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle: How Animals Get Ready for Winter, by Laura Purdie Salas and Claudine Gévry (Millbrook Press)
In the Middle of the Night Snowman - Cold = Puddle If You Were the Moon
A Rock Can Be... - cover - hi-res Water Can Be...

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LP Salas is a participant in the IndieBound Affiliate Program and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to indiebound.org and amazon.com. The few cents she earns off a book purchase does not change your price. Happy reading!

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