Common Mistakes New Children’s Book Authors Make


A proven leader and entrepreneur, Tom Redmond is the former owner of Aussie, a hair products company. Since selling Aussie in 1998, he has turned his focus to other business endeavors and currently serves as the president of Onesta and owner of Wolf Springs Ranches. Additionally, Tom Redmond is writing a children’s book about Easter.

Many people consider writing children’s book to be a relatively simple process, but it can actually be quite difficult. There are several common mistakes that many new children’s authors make. A few of these mistakes are included below:

Overwriting: Typically, children’s picture books have around 32 pages and 1,000 words, including the acknowledgements, title, and dedications pages. New authors often make the mistake of writing out what the pictures show rather than using the pictures and words together. They also typically use too many adjectives.

Transparent moral: It is normal to have some sort of lesson in a children’s book, but making the moral of the story too obvious makes it difficult for young readers to maintain interest. Instead, children’s authors should use character action that encourages engagement from readers to get the lesson across.

Wrong protagonist: With the exception of some classic fairy tales, children generally have little desire to read a story about adults. Plus, many publishers will not accept children’s books that have an adult main character. Rather, children’s books thrive when main characters are the same age, or have a similar spirit, as the intended audience.

Comments