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300–35,000 words (varies by age band) · from $4,800

Children's books written for kids, not for the adult who hands the kid the book.

Picture books, early readers, chapter books, and middle grade. Written by named children's authors. Read aloud, every chapter, before sign-off.

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You have a story your kid loved. Or a lesson you want to teach. Or a manuscript you wrote and an agent told you the word count was wrong. You need someone who actually writes for the age band you're targeting.

Why this is harder than people think

A picture book is 500 words. Adult writers see 500 words and think “an afternoon.” Elena spends six weeks on a 500-word picture book manuscript and they are some of the densest weeks she works. Every word is load-bearing. The line breaks dictate the page turn. The page turns dictate the pacing of the read-aloud. The illustrations carry half the meaning, which means the writer is leaving room for them deliberately. It is not “writing short.” It is writing tight, in service of a read-aloud rhythm to a real child.

Middle grade is the opposite problem. A 35,000-word middle grade novel reads quickly because the prose is supposed to disappear. But for that to happen, the structure has to be tight enough that an 11-year-old reading at 8pm doesn’t put it down. The pacing rule is brutal: something has to happen, or something has to change inside a character, every 1,200 to 1,500 words.

We write both with that discipline. Elena reads every revision aloud to her seven-year-old before sign-off. If the read-aloud falters, the manuscript goes back to the writer.

Children's writing mood

What children's writing feels like, in five frames.

Visual reference for the voice, palette, and reader mood the books in this category live in.

Sub-genres we work in

The children's writing categories with their own conventions.

Sub-genres each have their own structural rules, word-count norms, and reader expectations. We assign by sub-genre, not just by parent.

Sub-genre Board book (0–3) Sub-genre Picture book (3–7) Sub-genre Early reader (5–8) Sub-genre Chapter book (6–9) Sub-genre Middle grade (8–12) Sub-genre Faith-based / Christian picture book Sub-genre Spanish-language picture book Sub-genre Bilingual picture book

Genre conventions

The rules we will not break unless you ask.

Every category has conventions its readers expect. The right time to break them is on purpose, with eyes open. The wrong time is by accident.

  • Picture book: 200–800 words, 32 pages, 14 spreads. Word count is the law.
  • Early reader: 1,500–3,500 words, controlled vocabulary, 32–64 pages.
  • Chapter book: 6,000–12,000 words, short chapters, illustrated spot art.
  • Middle grade: 25,000–50,000 words, single point-of-view, no romance.
  • Read aloud at every revision. If it doesn't read aloud, it doesn't ship.

Sample covers

Children's writing covers we shipped this year.

Each cover is a real project. Drag through to see the visual language we work in for this category.

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Comp titles

Books that share your shelf, and the choice we'd ask you to make about which one to compete on.

On the discovery call, we ask which two of these your book most resembles, and which one you refuse to be compared to. The answer shapes the outline.

  • Last Stop on Market Street Matt de la Peña
  • The Day You Begin Jacqueline Woodson
  • Sulwe Lupita Nyong'o
  • Mercy Watson to the Rescue Kate DiCamillo

Genre lead

Elena Mireles reads every children's writing brief that comes through the door.

The same person reads your brief, joins the discovery call, and signs off every chapter. No rotating account managers.

Leads Children's books & illustration

Elena Mireles

Children's Books Lead, 12 yrs

Twenty-six published picture books on her shelf, two of them as author. Reads every children's manuscript out loud to her seven-year-old before approving the read-aloud rhythm.

  • Author of The Light Behind the Door (Chronicle, 2020) and Field Notes from the Yard (2022)
  • Picture-book editor on the 2024 SCBWI Crystal Kite finalist The Soft Hour
  • Member, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
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Case study

The Soft Hour

by Aliyah & Joseph Bremer, Parents; first-time picture-book authors ASIN B0CTYHRP7Q

The brief
The Bremers came in with an 1,800-word manuscript and a strong feeling. Word count was three times too long for a picture book; the structure had no page-turn rhythm. They didn't know that 'short' was the bar.
The outcome
2024 SCBWI Crystal Kite finalist (Pacific West region). 4.9-star Amazon rating across 142 reviews in the first nine months. Picked up by two independent bookstore-distributors in Portland and Seattle for hand-sell.
  • SCBWI Crystal Kite finalist, 2024
  • 487 words down from 1,800
  • 4.9★ across 142 reviews
  • 2 indie distributors Pacific Northwest
Read the full case study
Children's writing — what a project looks like 01:08 60-second tour of a children's writing engagement from outline to launch.

Services for this genre

What a typical engagement looks like.

The studio

The team behind every genre.

See the full team →

Children's book writing — FAQ

Questions we get from children's writing authors every week.

How short is a picture book, really?

500 words is the sweet spot for ages 3–7. Under 300 reads as a board book. Over 800 starts to lose the read-aloud audience. The agents and acquisition editors I know reject manuscripts at the word-count check before they read a sentence. Elena will tell you the exact word count for your age band on the first call.

Do you do the illustrations too?

Yes — we have a roster of 14 working illustrators across styles (watercolor, digital painting, collage, vector). The illustrator is matched to your manuscript, not assigned by default. Picture book illustration is a separate line item billed at $4,200–$11,000 depending on style and complexity.

What if my kid wants to be in the book?

Lovely. A common pattern is the main character shares your child's first name and one trait (the puzzle they love, the food they refuse). Children's authors who write for their own kids tend to write better books than authors who write for an imagined kid.

Can my book teach a specific lesson (kindness, sharing, brushing teeth)?

Yes, with one warning. Lesson-first picture books rarely sell. Story-first picture books that happen to teach the lesson do. Elena will push back hard if a manuscript opens "this is a book about sharing." The book is about a specific character with a specific problem; the lesson is what the reader takes away.

How long does a picture book take from kickoff to print-ready?

Manuscript: 4–6 weeks (it's 500 words, but each is worked over many times). Illustration: 12–18 weeks for 14 spreads. Layout and print prep: 2 weeks. Total: 18–26 weeks, calendar. Most clients are surprised by the illustration timeline; it is what it is.

What about diversity, representation, and sensitivity reads?

A sensitivity read is included on any picture book featuring a culture, religion, ability, or community the author is not personally part of. The read is done by a named, paid reader from that community. We do not skip this; it has saved more than one project from launching with a problem.

Can I self-publish a picture book on Amazon?

Yes, via KDP for the print-on-demand and ebook (Kindle Kids' Book Creator). The constraint: KDP print-on-demand picture books print at a price point ($14–$18 retail for a 32-page hardcover) that makes them hard to sell at Amazon. Most of our picture book clients also distribute through IngramSpark for bookstore reach. We help with both.

Other genres

Twelve in total. Different team for each.

Ready when you are

Ready to talk about your children's writing project?

A 30-minute discovery call with a senior editor — no sales script, no pressure. We'll tell you whether we're the right fit for your project, what it would cost, and how long it would take.

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