As a parent, one of my favorite things is reading board books with my little one. The bright colors, simple stories, and thick pages are perfect for tiny hands. When my son was an infant, I must have read “Goodnight Moon” to him hundreds of times. Now that he’s a toddler, he loves naming the different trucks and cars in his transportation-themed books.
Seeing how much he enjoys these books made me wonder—could I create one myself? As a professional board book printing manufacturer, I decided to find out exactly what’s involved in publishing a board book for babies.
Understanding Baby Board Books
Before diving into the publishing process, let’s look at what defines a baby board book:
Thick, durable pages. Board book pages are made of cardboard or thick paperboard rather than normal paper. This makes them durable enough to withstand chewing, throwing, and all the other things babies unintentionally do to books.
Small size. Typical board book dimensions are 5 to 7 inches on each side. This compact size is easy for little hands to grip and hold.
Limited pages. Most board books have around 10 to 20 pages total. Sometimes they feature convenient carrying handles for babies to hold onto.
Engaging content. Board books tell simple stories or focus on basic concepts like numbers, letters, colors, shapes, animals, vehicles, etc. The combination of bright pictures and just a few words per page holds babies’ attention.
Now that we know what defines a board book’s form and function, let’s look at how to publish one.
How to Publish a Baby Board Book
Step 1: Decide Whether to Self-Publish or Traditionally Publish
The first decision that aspiring board book authors need to make is between self-publishing or traditional publishing. Here’s an overview of each path:
Self-Publishing
This is when you independently handle all aspects of book publishing rather than working with a publishing house.
Pros
- Full creative control over content, illustrations, design
- Keep all royalties and rights to your book
- Low financial risk (only pay for services needed)
- Fast process from writing to printing
Cons
- Upfront costs for editing, design, printing
- Handling own distribution and marketing
- No advance payment like some publishing deals
Traditional Publishing
This route involves signing a contract with a publishing company.
Pros
- Publishing house handles editing, design, printing, distribution
- Possibility of advance payment
- Established publisher platform helps with marketing
Cons
- Less control over look and feel of book
- Smaller royalty percentage
- Competitive space with low acceptance rates
For a first baby board book, self-publishing is likely the better route in most cases. The ability to retain creative control while keeping startup costs manageable makes it lower risk. Plus, you can always explore a publishing contract for future books once you build an author platform.
Step 2: Handle Writing and Illustrations
The next steps in the publishing process for a board book involve settling the words and pictures.
Let’s start with writing the manuscript. Effective baby book text should:
- Use very simple words (think preschool level)
- Rely heavily on repetition of words and sounds
- Have rhythm, rhymes, or catchy alliteration
- Limit sentences to just a few words per page spread
When writing, it helps immensely to read the text aloud. This allows you to catch awkward phrasing and ensures an enjoyable reading experience.
Manuscript length depends somewhat on dimensions, but 100 to 300 words total works well. Short and sweet is key when it comes to board book text.
With the words sorted, it’s time to think about illustrations. Great baby book art:
- Uses bright, vibrant color palettes
- Draws the eye to focus on one or two spot illustrations per page
- Visualizes the minimal text in an imaginative way
- Maintains thematically consistent characters and settings
Unless you plan to illustrate the book yourself, you’ll need to hire an illustrator. Places to find talented freelancers include UpWork, Fiverr, networking events, and creative staffing agencies.
Provide potential illustrators with an overview of the book and sample text so they can present art style options. Review portfolios closely before selecting an illustrator.
I opted to get rough sketches, revisions, and then final art for each page spread. This ensured the illustrations correctly reinforced key story elements I wanted to emphasize.
Step 3: Handle Page Design and Layout
With writing and illustrations complete, the next self-publishing step involves handling page design and layout.
The illustrator may offer layout services or you might prefer to engage a book cover designer to do it. A good designer understands principles like:
- Positioning visual elements and text effectively within bleed and trim lines
- Printing margins and gutter considerations unique to board books
- Fonts and typography best suited for early readers
- Harmonious arrangement of art and words on each spread
- Maintaining cohesiveness across page layouts
Provide the designer with print specs (like book dimensions, paper thickness, page count, etc.) along with final illustrations and manuscript copy.
Let them know if you have a vision for certain art or text placements. For example, you might want your main character on the right-side pages only.
Above all, keep an open mind and let your designer’s keen eye guide the creative direction. The collective goal is enhancing the book’s visual storytelling and ensuring proper formatting for the printer.
Step 4: Select a Board Book Printer
With files ready for printing, the next step in self-publishing a baby board book is finding the right printer.
Start this process early so you fully understand pricing and minimum order quantities before finalizing book length and specifications.
Things to discuss with prospective printers include:
- Book trim size, page count, paper thickness
- Print options like page colors and coatings
- Order minimums and per unit pricing
- Proofing process and alterations protocol
- Shipping costs and delivery time estimates
As you assess printer options, seek recommendations from self-published author communities to guide your selection. Cross-reference printers under consideration with in-depth online reviews as well.
Vetting printers thoroughly upfront prevents getting stuck with lackluster quality or exorbitant fees down the road. Take your time making a choice so manufacturing goes smoothly.
Some of the most popular printers for board books include:
- PrintNinja
- Pint Size Productions
- BookBaby
All provide printing services expressly for board books along with helpful customer service and support.
Step 5: Plan Distribution and Marketing
So your adorable new board book is printed and delivered—congratulations! Now it’s time to execute distribution and marketing.
Let’s start with distribution—getting your book in front of customers so it can sell. This involves:
- Listing your book for sale on major online retailers like Amazon, eBay and Etsy using their seller platforms
- Enrolling in Amazon’s FBA program to leverage fulfillment and distribution
- Pitching local bookstores and libraries on stocking copies on their shelves using a sales one-sheet
- Attending book fairs and conferences to exhibit your book to vendors and possible partners
When distributing your book, focus on avenues that cater specifically to baby products whenever possible. This helps with visibility versus getting lost in a sea of general book releases.
Next comes marketing—creating awareness for your book and driving sales. Smart promotional strategies include:
- Creating an author website and leveraging SEO to boost site visibility
- Launching social media profiles and running ads geared towards parents
- Having baby product reviewers feature your book on YouTube channels or blogs
- Offering discounted pre-orders for friends, family, colleagues to get word-of-mouth going
The internet offers limitless marketing possibilities, especially for niche books like board books. Get creative with your campaigns and track what drives conversions using UTM parameters. Allow performance data to inform your promotional strategy iteration.
If needed, explore hiring a book marketing specialist to map a comprehensive launch plan catered expressly to baby items and early learning materials. Their expertise can be invaluable navigating promotional activities, identifying partnerships, managing campaigns, and handling general PR.
Wrapping Up
Publishing a baby board book takes careful coordination across writing, illustration, design, printing, distribution and marketing. But with passion for the project and attention to each step outlined above, it makes for a highly rewarding endeavor—especially when you see little readers enjoying the finished product!
To recap, key aspects of how to publish a baby board book involve:
- Deciding between self vs. traditional publishing
- Handling the writing and securing illustrations
- Overseeing layout and book formatting
- Selecting the right board book printing partner
- Structuring distribution and marketing efforts
As you move through each phase, don’t hesitate to solicit advice from children’s book publishing communities along the way. Fellow authors are usually happy to lend insights on vendors, timelines, budgeting and more to see your book idea blossom into reality.
Now, get out there and start bringing your board book concept to life—I can’t wait to have your book on my son’s bookshelf someday soon!