Creating a Picture Book In Today’s Market
by Mary Kole | Former literary agent, now a freelance editor, writing teacher, and IP/story developer for major publishers and creators.
Creating a picture book is such a fun adventure. If you’re on this journey, remember that you want an engaging title. You might find that titles can change as you go through the process of creating a picture book, but there are a few aspects you should consider. So be sure to do your best in selecting a title that will make your book stand out to publishers and literary agents when you’re creating a picture book.
Creating a Picture Book Without Giving Everything Away
A title such as "Josie Finds Her Cat" may not be a compelling choice for a picture book, as it gives readers a giant spoiler. There’s no reason for them to read on, because the ending is clear and there’s no story tension or conflict. You didn’t spend all that time creating a picture book just so it could be undermined by a mediocre title.
With a plot involving Josie losing her beloved pet and frantically searching for it, readers can relate and stay invested. That’s a high stakes picture book idea. However, the lack of suspense is going to nip the project in the bud.
There’s a reason that people hate spoilers in movies. As adults, we may be able to suspend our disbelief and follow the narrative, regardless of our awareness of the ending, yet young readers aren't as adept at this.
Creating a Picture Book With a Message
Similarly, a title like "Josie Learns to Share" has two detrimental elements. Firstly, it reveals the ending as well, so there’s no question. Secondly, it may give readers the impression that they will be subjected to a relentless moral lesson. In this age and market, an overt, pedantic approach is a definite no-no for picture books.
If the primary purpose of the book is to drive home the idea of sharing, then it's likely not fit for today's readers. You don’t want to focus overtly on the moral of the story when creating a picture book—moralizing in meaningful children’s books don’t tend to do well, because the audience doesn’t generally take well to a lecture.
A good picture book must be a harmonious blend of story and message or book theme, where the two support each other seamlessly. If you take the moral out of your story and find that no story remains, that’s very valuable feedback. That means the idea might not be worth pursuing if you’re creating a picture book.
Avoid Being Heavy-Handed When Creating a Picture Book
You want to tell a story that’s more than just a moral tale where a wise adult spouts life lessons or a robotic, idealized kid absorbs a message about the value of sharing. There are so many better topics when you’re creating a picture book, and the entire picture book market has come a long way.
While you do want character growth or for your character to experience something that’s beneficial to your young audience, make sure you’re creating a picture book with the message artfully interwoven into the narrative, creating a delightful story for readers of all ages to enjoy (don’t forget that you’re also creating a picture book for the parents and grandparents and educators who are looking for read aloud picture books).
If agents sense that the book will be too instructive from the title, their interest to read it (and young readers’ too) will plunge. To get an idea of what’s hot in the market today when you’re creating a picture book for the modern publishing landscape, take a look at some of the titles of children’s books that have been published within the last two years. This will help point you in the right direction as you’re creating a picture book.
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