News

Story time

Easy to read, easy to write? Jan Hurst takes a reality check on publishing stories for children When you snuggle on the couch reading those lovely new Christmas books to the children in your care, does it ever cross your mind that you could write a book yourself? A common mistake of childcarers is to think that because a story is easy to read, it must have been easy to write; or that because you have a knack for thinking up great ideas for stories and children love to hear them, you could transfer your thoughts successfully to paper.

When you snuggle on the couch reading those lovely new Christmas books to the children in your care, does it ever cross your mind that you could write a book yourself? A common mistake of childcarers is to think that because a story is easy to read, it must have been easy to write; or that because you have a knack for thinking up great ideas for stories and children love to hear them, you could transfer your thoughts successfully to paper.

Two things that successful children's authors tend to have in common is that they have always wanted to write and have been doing so since they were children themselves, and that they are extremely well-read and love both adult and children's literature. As a market, children's publishing is extremely competitive. It is not something you can dabble in as a hobby or approach half-heartedly.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Unlimited access to news and opinion

  • Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here