Publishing Kids Books on KDP
As promised, here are my tips and tricks for publishing books with your kids on Kindle Direct Publishing! It's incredibly simple, but I know it may seem daunting when you haven't done it before.
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The first step is, of course, to write something you want to publish. My kids' first books were some
thing like 100-300 words. Just simple stories. Once it's written, I highly recommend you have them illustrate it! It's SO fun to look back at those cute pictures (they love it, too).
You can use whatever word processor you want, but be aware that you are going to need to choose a "trim size" when you go to publish. If you're using a rectangular document, you will be limited to a rectangular trim size (either portrait or landscape). We have done the 8x11 and 6x9 trim sizes for the kids and they have both worked with a traditional word document. So, format your words (including title page and any empty pages) and then add your illustrations. Imagine
the pages next to each other in the book (so pages 1 and 2 will be together, pages 3 and 4, and so forth). Once you have it formatted how you'd like, then you can get ready to publish!
Now for the fun part! You'll need to create an account with Kindle Direct Publishing (there are other sites, as well, but this is what I'm familiar with). On your dashboard, you'll see "Add a New Title" and you'll need to go through all of the steps for a kindle version AND a paperback if you want both. We've only done paperback versions of our kids' books.
For your files, you'll need a PDF for the paperback interior file, so export from your google doc or word doc into that format. For your cover, you'll need to design one! You can do this in google docs or microsoft word, but the easiest way is through Photoshop. If you don't have Photoshop, you can sign up for a free 7 day trial! It's truly amazing :). Regardless of what you're using, you'll
want to decide on the trim size and then download a template here. Follow the instructions and create your cover!! Then, you'll upload the files as directed and follow the prompts to choose your pricing.
It typically takes a couple of days for the books to go live once published, so be patient, but soon it will show up on Amazon and you can send the link to all your friends and family!