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Writing for Children and Teens, Book 1: Story Writing Basics Advice on writing children's books from the Institute of Children's Literature, a writing ... have learned how to write a book for kids Paperback – January 16, 2020

by Katie Davis (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 672 ratings
See all formats and editions

Do You Want to Know How to Write a Children’s Book?


Have you ever said, “I’ve always wanted to write a book for kids!” but then never got around to it? Maybe you didn’t know where to start, or how to get a good idea. Now you can start to write your book for children when you read the Writing for Children and Teens series. (Book 1 in the series has been updated from the previously published book, originally entitled How to Write a Children’s Book. It got 243 reviews––78% positive––from verified purchases of the original edition.)


It'sbrought to you by the Institute of Children’s Literature where almost half a million people have been taught to write for children and teens since 1969.


There are so many different kinds of children’s books, from picture books to chapter books, middle-grade novels, and young adult...it’s hard to know which way to go.


Have you ever asked these questions?

  • Should I decide to write for a particular age group and then come up with an idea that fits them?

  • Or should I write a story or article about my idea, and then choose the age group that’s right for it?

  • Is this topic good for a nonfiction story for young readers?

  • How do I aim my writing at the right readership?


You’ll have a much better handle on all this once you read the chapter “How Old Is Your Reader?”


Writing for Children and Teens Book 1: Story Writing Basics will start you on your way to being an author. Do you want a full-blown career writing children’s books, be traditionally published, self-published, or simply want one book for your children and grandkids? The Writing for Children and Teens series will help you.


Here's what you'll learn:

  • Where Do You Get Your Ideas? Bestselling children’s authors like Judy Blume, R.L. Stine, Jane Yolen and others share their answers.

  • How to know which ideas to follow

  • How to write a smart book

  • How to figure out which readership is right for you.

  • How to target and hit the mark with your reader and make sure you’re writing to the right age

  • How to get going, using writing prompts provided

  • How to get to know your main character

  • How to plot a great story

  • How personality disorders than help you create believable “troubled” characters

  • Five good tools that can get you into bad trouble

Whether you’re a first time or advanced writer, you’ll love how inspirational and educational Writing for Children and Teens Book 1 is, and how much it helps you even all the way to the very end, where you’ll find

  • Your Organization Checklist

  • Character and Settings Checklist

  • Sentence Structure Checklist

  • Mechanics Checklist

Scroll to the top of this page and click the buy button to learn to write your children’s book today!

Five headlines of reviews by verified purchasers on the first edition of this book:

  • If You Only Have Room for One Book on Writing for Children - This is the ONE to Get!!!!!

  • Super helpful and insightful

  • Thorough, Down to Earth Help and Actually FUN to Read!

  • The Craft of Writing for Children and Publishers, Informational and Inspirational

  • Lots of practical advice

Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 1
    Writing for Children and Teens
  2. Print length
    118 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    January 16, 2020
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 0.27 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1944743197
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1944743192
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Institute For Writers LLC (January 16, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 118 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1944743197
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1944743192
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.27 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 672 ratings

About the author

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Katie Davis

Katie Davis

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    Katie Davis is the author/illustrator of over a dozen traditionally published books for children (picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels). She has written, edited, and/or published guides for writers such as How to Write a Children's Book and How to Promote Your Children's Book, both debuting at #1 on Amazon. All told, her books have sold almost a million copies worldwide.

Katie is the former Director and CEO of the Institute of Children’s Literature and its sister school, the Institute for Writers, co-founder of Picture Book Summit, and now runs The Writers' Block, a membership group for writers who want regular critiques and support.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
672 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Elizabeth
5.0 out of 5 stars "How to Write a Children's Book" is an amazing resource for anyone who has just begun writing
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2016
Verified Purchase
"How to Write a Children's Book" is an amazing resource for anyone who has just begun writing, has thought about writing, or is struggling with the process of writing a children's book. It is written in a very clear, concise format which makes it an "easy" read--I especially appreciated this because there wasn't all kinds of technical, confusing language to bog me down and I could really focus and understand some of the tricky concepts like outlining, plotting, character development, conflict, revision and keeping to that beginning, middle, end three part story structure. Additionally, this book addresses "pre-writing" areas like target audience, idea formation, writing styles, and type of writing (ie fiction, non-fiction, historical, etc). Plus there was a really cool transcript of an interview and question/answer with a "mystery editor" titled "What Editors Wish Writers Knew" that answered a ton of questions and gave some really good insights into the "do's and don't's" when submitting and writing for publication. That was extremely helpful. I also found the various "checklists" to be an excellent resource. When you are all finished (or think you are finished) there are checklists to run through to help focus your attention to all kinds of "little" and "not so little" things that you may have missed or need to fix before submitting. I have used those before and really do find them useful to catch mistakes that I just didn't catch in my revisions before. I also very much appreciated that there were tons of examples throughout the book to really emphasize whatever key concept was being talked about. Those examples made it much easier to understand and they were a great reference point I could think about when comparing it my own manuscript. This book really takes you from the beginning stages of planning a children's book all the way to the end where you are tackling revisions and those "checklists" to double-check that everything makes sense. It is a wonderful resource book and I learned a ton that I will be able to apply right away to my writing. I would HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone even thinking about writing a children's book.
3 people found this helpful
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Vivian Kirkfield
5.0 out of 5 stars If You Only Have Room for One Book on Writing for Children - This is the ONE to Get!!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2016
Verified Purchase
Some of the best advice to aspiring authors who want to know how to write for children is to take classes, attend conferences, and read lots of books in the genre you want to write. And here's one more VERY IMPORTANT MUST-DO:

GET THIS BOOK AND READ IT!!!! From cover to cover! It is a clear, concise, and easy-to-navigate read. Davis knows what she is talking about...as the published author of several children's books, she has been there and done that over and over again. Anyone who reads How To Write A Children's Book will benefit from the path she blazed successfully. I can't believe there is so much valuable easy-to-follow advice.

The book is divided into chapters like Where Do You Get Your Ideas, What Editors Want Writers To Know, Plotting a Great Story, and many more. Written by experienced writing instructors and published authors, I loved the step-by-step action plans and idea-generating writing exercises.

I've taken classes and I've been tol writer conferences. I've also read thousands of picture books. My debut picture book comes out next spring. so I guess I know a little something about how to write for children...BUT, in the very first chapter of Davis' book, I learned a nugget of information that is going to save me a lot of time and heartache. It's all about how to determine who your intended readership will be. I mean, after all, shouldn't we be writing specifically for our target audience?

Davis also details how to choose your topic and how to decide which nonfiction topics to write about, based on which age level and grade level you are writing for. I know people often say how they wish they had a particular book before they had done this or that. I'm just thankful I have Davis' book now. How to Write a Children's Book is for new aspiring writers as well as for multi-published authors. I'm keeping it by my side from now on as I continue to write for children.
13 people found this helpful
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Freelancer
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth Adding to Your Library of "How to" Books for Writing for Children
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
If you are interested in getting started in writing for children, this is a great book for you. Katie Davis does a good job of walking you through the basics of putting together a story, targeting it for your audience, and the nuts and bolts of writing. She uses real time examples to explain how to make a story work. She also includes a lot of helpful tips about what makes a story work for children, and for different age groups. Perhaps the most helpful section that is unique to this book is a transcript of a chat with an editor of a major publishing company. It's called "What Editors Wish Writers Knew." It gives a good inside perspective from an editor's point of view. The section does run a little long and there is some repetition, but it includes a great deal of good advice and practical tips.
This book is organized well and very easy to read. I would say it is better for the beginning writer, and not as much for published authors. But, as Davis points out, there is always room for improvement when it comes to writing!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in Italy on July 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
Good book, for beginners interested in writing for kids. Lots of hints. Read, read, read. Follow the advice. Good luck
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DCbaby
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! Loved it.
Reviewed in Canada on April 24, 2020
Verified Purchase
Amazing information and great insight. I was able to take away tons of information. It’s also brief, but every paragraph packs a punch. Easy read.

I really loved the exercise using the three pictures.
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Jenkins
1.0 out of 5 stars Too superficial
Reviewed in Germany on April 17, 2019
Verified Purchase
Too superficial
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Rubya
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for all types of ages and publishers
Reviewed in France on March 30, 2017
Verified Purchase
Really helpful and detailed about what kind of conetent is suitable for every type of age, from babies to young adults. It has also an interview and many chapter about publishers and the market, which is great
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carol corp
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Australia on February 13, 2018
Verified Purchase
GOOD INSIGHT TO WHERE YOU ARE GOING.
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