From idea to book

by Joshua Mwanakhu
20th December 2014

Hello, I've been developing an idea for a children's fiction book for a few months and I wish to transform it into a book, I have no clue where to start I've read about getting an agent but I'm unsure if its the right time to do so. I have done plenty of art for this story but writing is not my strong point. Ideally I would like to work with a writer to flesh the whole thing out into a sellable book. Any advice or pointers would help a ton. Thanks

Replies

Hi Adrian, thanks for the response. I should have been more specific on my part, the idea is indeed a picture book not spanning over 20 pages.

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Joshua
Mwanakhu
270 points
Starting out
Poetry
Short stories
Fiction
Business, Management and Education
Autobiography, Biography and Memoir
Middle Grade (Children's)
Picture Books (Children's)
Speculative Fiction
Adventure
Popular science, Social science, Medical Science
Practical and Self-Help
Sports
Joshua Mwanakhu
21/12/2014

It's hard to answer your question without more details.

An agent will want to see something more substantial than artwork for a children's novel, unless it's a Picture Book.

The majority of children's novels do not have pages of illustrations in each chapter. Pictures are strategically placed as visual guides, which serve to set the scene, characterise and individualise your characters, and advance the plot and storyline.

I suggest you employ a professional literary service, or a ghost-writer to flesh out your ideas. If you can't afford to do that, then use one of the many peer review sites to receive feedback on the strength of your novel.

I hope that helps.

Good luck.

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Adrian
Sroka
19900 points
Ready to publish
Fiction
Historical
Middle Grade (Children's)
Young Adult (YA)
Adventure
Adrian Sroka
20/12/2014