A picture book is a conversation between words and pictures, usually read aloud by an adult to a child. Both halves have to do their share of the work, and the format has its own rules.
Keep the text short
Picture book texts are usually brief, often under a thousand words, because the illustrations tell part of the story. Do not describe what the pictures can show. Leave room for the illustrator, and trust the reader to see what is there.
Think in page turns
A picture book is made of spreads, which are pairs of facing pages, and the turn of the page is part of the storytelling. Use it to build anticipation, to surprise, or to give the reader a pause. As you write, picture where each turn falls.
Mind the page count
The traditional picture book is 32 pages, including the title page, the copyright page and any other front and back matter, which leaves a fixed number of pages for the story itself. Print-on-demand platforms offer other page counts, but the platform's rules differ, so check them before you plan your layout.
Write for the ear
Picture books are read aloud again and again, so rhythm, repetition and sound matter. Read your text aloud, listen for places where you stumble, and cut any word that does not earn its place. If you use rhyme, it has to be flawless, because a clumsy rhyme is worse than none.
Give the child something to do
Good picture books invite participation: a repeated phrase to join in with, something to find in the pictures, a question to answer, or a joke the child gets before the adult does.
Work with an illustrator
Illustration is a craft in its own right. Choose an illustrator whose style suits your story, brief them about the characters and the mood, and then let them interpret. The best picture books come from collaboration, not dictation.
- Character design should be settled early so that characters look the same on every page.
- Page planning decides which scenes appear on which spreads.
- Colour and style should suit the age of the readers and the tone of the story.
Make sure the agreement with your illustrator is in writing, and covers who owns the artwork, how it can be used and how the illustrator will be credited.
Prepare for print
Picture books need careful production. Full-colour interiors, images that run to the edge of the page (which need a bleed), and exact placement of text over artwork all affect how the files are prepared. Hardbacks are popular for picture books, because they are durable and make good gifts.
For eBooks, picture books often use a fixed layout rather than reflowable text, so that the pages appear exactly as designed.
Read it aloud
Read your text aloud, slowly, as you would to a child. Mark every place you stumble, every page where the words repeat what the picture will show, and every sentence that runs on. Then read it to a real child, if you can, and watch where their attention drifts.
Choosing the format
Picture books are often square or landscape, so the shape of the page affects the artwork. Decide the trim size before the illustrator starts, because changing it later means redoing the art. Our guide to trim size, paper and finish covers the options, and paperback, hardback or eBook explains why hardbacks are popular. For the cover, see illustrated cover or photography?
Where we fit
Our book design and illustration service covers picture-book artwork, character design and page planning, our interior layout design lays out text and artwork for print, and our book formatting prepares the eBook.
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