February 19, 2025
Interested in juvenile book writing? Authoring a book for adult readers is something many writers feel comfortable with, even if the potential audience is a little bit different from them because the author and reader’s shared love of a genre or topic helps the writer to connect with their audience. But if you are considering juvenile book writing, your potential audience could be anywhere from a child to a young adult, ages that most writers have passed by a few (or many!) years.
We have all been children at one point, but does that lived experience mean you will be a successful with juvenile book writing? Let’s look at what it takes to self-publish juvenile books and how you can write a great book in this genre that will engage and excite younger readers.
Juvenile book writing may already be the perfect fit for your personality, likes and habits, but authors who are willing to fall in line with these five typical characteristics of a successful author in this genre may also find their books resonate with this younger-set reader.
1 Writers who regularly interact with kids may be able to create book content that will appeal to kids. Talking to, listening to and watching how kids of any age act helps inform a writer’s creation of characters, settings and stories that kids will love, and this natural empathy for children can translate into engaging book content for younger readers.
2 An author with knowledge of genre trends is a key element for authors who want to juvenile book writing. One fallback idea that won’t work is thinking you will be able to use your personal experience as a juvenile to guide your writing today. Solely relying on your own childhood to understand today’s literary trends in juvenile books won’t necessarily help you write ones that appeal to juvenile readers today.
3 Authors with realistic expectations about how to present content to potential readers in this genre will be good candidates to self-publish juvenile book writing. Having a clear understanding of what readers of this genre think, feel, need and want from their books will help you create and write books that they will love. While being wacky or zany can be fun or even entertaining in some instances, outlandish writing will only work a small portion of the time and typically will not hold the attention of this age reader and may even turn them off completely from a book.
4 A writer who can entertain juvenile readers by keeping and holding their attention can be successful in this genre. Being familiar with pop culture and successful characters and stories in this genre will help you create meaningful ones for your book and hone your writing voice so readers will find your work familiar and comfortable within juvenile book writing.
5 Aspiring authors who immerse themselves in juvenile book writing will tend to be successful in writing books for this genre because they are already familiar with the voice, writing style and genre expectations that young readers have for this genre of books.
Another important step in juvenile book writing is researching the market to learn about the current books that children and young teens are reading. While this genre includes books from every subgenre from mystery to crafts to fantasy to pop culture content, juvenile book writing can generally be placed into one of three categories: age group books, children’s and teen books and fiction books.
When you are trying to decide what type of book you might want to write, consider how your interest and content potential could fit into each of these three categories so you can begin to narrow down the book content you want to create.
Books in this category are specifically written for readers of a particular age group. Common groupings can be as narrowly defined as books crafted for toddlers, new chapter book readers, young elementary readers or pre-teens. But age groupings can also be more broadly written to appeal to larger groups such as school-age readers or elementary, but juvenile book writing is often created specifically to appeal to the interests and abilities of a specific age group.
Young readers enjoy reading mysteries, science fiction, fantasy or even crime stories, just like adult readers do. But children and teen versions of these popular genres are created with characters, themes and plot lines that fit with the social and educational norms of these age groups. These younger versions of adult genres have toned-down language, plot lines and thematic content but still retain the overall genre elements that appeal to readers of all ages.
Juvenile book writing fiction readers range from those who are just beginning to enjoy chapter books to the oldest crew of readers who enjoy longer, more complicated novels that hint at more mature themes and topics. This broad category of juvenile book writing includes long- and short-form stories over just about every topic but in age-appropriate packaging.
Early reader chapter books and long-form novels may each address similar thematic content but in language and storylines crafted for that specific age group of readers. Books in this category could include everything from mysteries to humor to books about school and home life.
Yes! Just like adults, plenty of kids love to learn about the world around them, and many baby and toddler books are focused on just that. As they grow up and mature in their reading abilities, kids branch out from books that explore the world around them to reading about relationships, school, and the interactions they recognize in their lives through short stories and eventually novels.
But nonfiction books are perfectly attuned to kids’ interests in their expanding world and understanding of life outside of themselves. But nonfiction books writing for young readers should target a specific age group or target reader group so the content and language will be age-appropriate for your intended audience. Try not to write for “all kids,” as the level of literacy and language levels can vary widely from young children to almost young adult readers.
Deciding to write for this younger set also means pairing up your interests and abilities as a writer with what children or pre-teens like to read. Take a look at what these age readers love to pick up when they choose their next book.
1 Choose Your Subject: Tailor the subject, themes and topics you choose to the age group of the reader you want to reach. Consider whether your target reader is a boy, a girl or both equally. Think about how your subject is approached in other books in the same age group category.
2 Use Age-Appropriate Language: Nothing ruins a book faster than language too difficult or too simple for the reader or word choices better suited for a different age. Look for ways to express your book’s content that resonate with your target reader to help them understand the book as well as feel instantly connected to the characters and story.
3 Edit and Proofread Your Manuscript: Consider seeking a professional to help you in this stage of self-publishing your book since an expert editor or proofreader can help you catch those small mistakes that keep your thoughtful manuscript from turning into a perfectly refined publication.
4 Create Appealing Cover and Book Art: Writers without expert graphic design experience may want to work with a cover designer or a professional illustrator to complete your book’s design.
5 Work with a Proven Printer: Partner with a printer like Publishing Xpress so you can be sure that your printed book looks fantastic and is ready to get into the hands of young readers quickly.
6 Market and Promote Your Book: Start promoting your book right now by connecting with potential readers through a variety of social media channels, attending book fairs, discussing potential book tours and author engagements with literary groups, schools or libraries. Start building excitement by building your own author’s website and linking up with videos on popular channels like BookTok or discussions on Goodreads.
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