How Much Does It Cost to Publish a Children’s Book?

You will know that your book is ready for professional editing once you have tried everything with it that you can do yourself. This means having done a first draft, sorted out serious plot or structural issues, and addressed glaring errors of consistency or weakness. You should have a feeling that the message or story is fully expressed, if not perhaps flawless. If you find yourself rephrasing sentences but no longer making noticeable improvements, that's a good sign you're ready. An editor's role is to lift your work from good to polished, not to finish half-thoughts. When you both love your manuscript and don't know how to improve it, it's time to bring in professional eyes.

A good editor of any kind—developmental, copyeditor, etc.—is going to honor your voice and want to help you hone it. It's good to keep in mind that your editors are not trying to make your writing less unique, they're trying to guide it to be the best it can be. With that understanding in place, make sure you're reading their feedback from a place of trust and open-mindedness. Once they've read a few hundred words of your manuscript, an editor will often have an idea of your voice and will do their best to work with your voice, not against it.

Editors will often offer an explanation for an opinion-based change, and it's important to hear their perspective. (And if your editor isn't offering an explanation for a particular change from the get-go, feel free to ask them for one.) If you find that you're declining a lot of changes in an ongoing partnership, try to afford your editor the same respect and offer an explanation as to why their changes aren't working for you. That will improve their sense of your goals for your manuscript and they can adjust their feedback accordingly. They'll probably be really excited to now be on the same page and might have some fresh new ideas!

Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes—especially in creative writing—you may think you're doing something clever on the sentence level, and then your editor tells you they're confused by it and/or that it's wrong. As in grammatically incorrect, or conveying the wrong message, or illogical, or any number of things for which there is technically a black-and-white rule in the English language. In these instances, remember that in general the impression you want your reader to get is more important than being clever. Sometimes you may just need to be disappointed that the clever thing you thought you were doing wasn't so effective after all. And if you feel strongly about maintaining a style that's sometimes "wrong" (maybe it's important to your character building), work with your editor on how to make sure you're still being understood by the reader.

Above all, remember that your editors are on your side! They want to help your writing be its best, not be exactly like everyone else's. Your editors want to work with you. Make sure you're working with them, too!

A professional editor should respect your voice and project. Honestly, it's as simple as that.

The best way to be sure that will happen is to hire an experienced editor and also ask for a sample edit, especially with line/copyedits. Seeing that sample edit and thinking about how the editor engages with your voice should tell you everything you need to know. Chances are, you won't agree with everything an editor recommends because editing is a subjective business, but if the editor is keeping in mind your particular voice and project, and if they're experienced and aligned with your vision, you should probably expect to agree with 80-90% of their recommendations.

That said, there are exceptions! I once had an author tell me she only agreed with about 40% of my copyedits, and I was horrified. I immediately told her that meant we weren't a good fit...and then she told me that she'd had three previous editors, and she'd only agreed with about 10-15% of what any of them had suggested! In fact, she was thrilled with my work! This particular author was simply extremely attached to even the smallest nuances of her language use, and had a lot of trouble working with an editor at all. I came to realize that her taking even 40% of my suggestions was actually a pretty serious compliment, odd as that may sound.

With developmental edits, things get a little trickier, but respect is still the ultimate goal. An editor shouldn't be trying to rewrite your story. Ideally, you want a developmental editor who will respect your story and help you find its full potential without injuring your vision. If they point out plot holes, they might point out different ways to address those fixes (and you can talk to them in advance about whether or not you want them to), but they won't insist on you taking any of those fixes; they'll only strongly suggest you fix the plot hole. Similarly, if you've got a 180,000 word paranormal romance on your hands, they'll be right to talk to you about the realities of publishing and how difficult it will be for you to find an agent, but they shouldn't be rewriting the book for you or lecturing you. (In a case like this, I'd personally be having a conversation with the author to talk about their publication plans, the realities of publication, and options for how to go forward, whether that would mean splitting the book into two or cutting subplots...but it would be a conversation, and not a lecture). If an editor is telling you how to rewrite your book and you didn't ask them to do so, they're not the right fit for you, and you should move on--because yes, it's a matter of respect for your project and you.

Once you find an illustrator that aligns with your story's tone and theme, make sure their style is consistent in their portfolio. Have they worked on picture books before? Can they design a book spread?

You can always ask for a test and have them do a character sheet for you. You want to make sure your illustrator can draw your character over and over again. You also want to make sure the character looks like the same from all view points.

I think the most important thing is emotional resonance. Style matters, of course, but it isn't the whole story. An illustrator can have technically beautiful work, but if it doesn't feel like the world of your book, something will be missing.

When reviewing portfolios, I'd encourage authors to look beyond surface aesthetics and ask themselves how the artwork makes them feel. Does it capture the atmosphere they want readers to experience?

I also think authors should look for an illustrator who can interpret the story rather than merely reproduce what's written on the page. Illustration is a creative partnership. The most rewarding projects are those where the illustrator brings their own observations, memories, and visual language to the work, adding layers that enrich the narrative.

For example, on a current commission, an author described a family gathered at a window watching a sunset. As I read the scene, I was reminded of evenings spent walking along the seafront in Aberystwyth, seeing people standing at their BnB windows for the golden light. Each group, unaware of the other groups. was absorbed in its own small moment.

That memory helped me understand what I needed to show the characters feeling and informed the emotional atmosphere of the illustration. It wasn't about reproducing the description exactly; it was about finding a visual expression for the emotion at the heart of the scene.

Practical considerations such as reliability, communication, and experience in the genre are all important. But ultimately, I believe authors should look for an illustrator whose work makes them feel something similar to what they hope their readers will feel.

Style may catch your eye, but emotional understanding is what brings a story to life.

When I calculate a rate for a book cover design, I take several factors into account. The subject matter and target age group can influence the amount of research and concept work needed at the outset — some projects require deep visual exploration, while others are more straightforward.

I also consider whether the design will involve illustration. That might mean creating the artwork myself, commissioning and art directing another illustrator, or combining photography and illustration, each of which carries different levels of work.

Practical elements also play a part: how many editions are required (for example, hardback, paperback, eBook), whether it’s a standalone or part of a wider series brand, if a series branding needs designing, and the level of Photoshop work or complex typography involved. Some effects in Photoshop take some time to get the feeling and atmosphere across, some simple typographic concept led covers may look easy, but they are in fact the hardest to finesse.

All of these details help me gauge how much time, creativity, and collaboration a project will need, and I set my fee to reflect that.

If we are talking about a full color cover illustration I start with a flat rate for most quotes. This rate is calculated on many things, including, in no particular order: time, comparing market rates, my skill and experience, and rights I am agreeing to sell. I compare this against other things like complexity, exposure of images, any extras the client may be asking for including additional rights. I am also keeping in mind how this will translate to an hourly rate.

I have found that there is a fairly clear link between how much I charge and the quality I produce, which comes down to time. I like to read as much of the manuscript as the client will give me, ideally the whole book. If we add up reading the book, sketching and ideating, communication and negotiation with the client, assembling reference and photoshoots, painting the illustration, revisions, type and cover design, assembling the final files, billing (which Reedsy takes care of) and back end business organizing, then divide that by the total cost we get a rough hourly. This informs how many jobs I need over a given time.

In an ideal world I would work on an image until it’s done. In a world with deadlines and money, the more I charge the fewer jobs I need to work on at once and the more time, love and attention I can devote to the task at hand, which, for me, always yields better results.

One of the most common mistakes I see with self-published authors is setting unrealistic timelines for their publishing journey. Many writers plan their schedule far too tightly and only reach out to professionals—whether editors, designers, or marketers—at the very last minute.

This creates unnecessary stress on both sides: the author feels rushed and overwhelmed, while the professionals either have to decline the project or take it on under less-than-ideal conditions. In the worst case, authors struggle to even find available professionals because their preferred timeline doesn’t allow for the necessary lead time. Many professionals book out months in advance, so it’s wise to plan at least four months ahead—and in many cases, even that may not be enough time.

It’s also important to remember: as self-publishers, you are free to set your own pace. Unlike in traditional publishing, there is usually no external deadline or audience impatiently waiting for the book—especially when it’s a debut. That pressure often comes only from a self-imposed timeline. Instead of rushing, it’s far wiser to take the time to do everything properly, work with professionals without stress, and then launch the book when it’s truly ready.

Publishing a professional-quality book requires space for collaboration, revisions, and creative breathing room. When timelines are compressed, the process becomes about “getting it done” rather than “getting it right,” which can ultimately compromise the quality of the finished book. A thoughtful, realistic schedule not only reduces stress but also ensures that every stage of the process—from editing to design—has the attention it deserves.

I've read a fair number of self-published books, and one thing I have noticed is that an unprofessional interior book design does impact my reading experience.

Interior book design is about all that invisible work that makes a book visually pleasant to read. If the lines break poorly, if the font is too big or too small, if the line spacing is too tight or too loose, if the font selection is one that's difficult on the eyes, especially after reading for a long time--all of this will subtly make your reader tired while reading, and, perhaps subconsciously, less likely to enjoy reading your book. They might not even know why! And by the end, they may be left with this feeling that they didn't want to pick up the book to read it as much as they have other books, which is not a feeling you want your readers to have, especially for something so easily fixable.

A well typeset book is unnoticeable. That's the point! Your reader doesn't notice the words on the page. Instead, they glide over them, immersed in the story. But a poorly typeset book stands out. Your reader's attention is pulled from the story again and again because the words are too squished together to read easily, or because there was one dangling line all by itself on the last page of a chapter and that looked odd, or because the font for the text messages was inconsistently applied.

Interior book design is an important part of the publishing process that I think a lot of self-publishing authors overlook.