How To Self-Edit A Children’s Picture Book: 5 Quick Editing Tips

     Before you invest money into an editor, let's make sure you've done these 5 things so you don't waste your time and money on unnecessary back and forth edits. 

      Picture Books are a beautiful and unique combination of pictures and words so it takes a different approach to editing. We can’t just edit a picture book like we do novels because novels have to include certain things that a children’s book does not.

AND

      You would think that editing a children’s book yourself would be easy, but I’ve worked with a lot of authors who think their book is done and doesn’t need any edits when they still have A LOT of work to do so today let’s jump into some quick editing tips to help you avoid some of the major mistakes I see authors make when writing their children’s picture book…

Before We Start...

        First of all before you even start editing DON’T edit.

        Yes. You heard that right…

        This step is crucial if you want to publish your book.

        We need to let the words flow naturally, but when we start to edit a book that’s not finished then doubts and imposter syndrome will creep in very quickly preventing us from actually finishing what we start.

        *raises hand to lots of unfinished projects because of editing too early*

        You can’t really edit a book that’s not finished.

         So it’s important that you don’t edit your book until your story is complete. I’ll talk more about this another time, but for now, just make sure your book is done before you start tearing it apart.

      Otherwise, you’ll end up with an unfinished manuscript and that’s no fun.

1. Write Your Story On Paper

      Now this step might be a bit harder to do at first if you have a tendency to type everything up, but it’s an important step because it helps us know our story better.

      There’s actually scientific evidence that shows the positive effects on the brain that writing things down on paper has.

      When we write with our hand new neurological pathways form and allow us to truly get to know our story.

      Which is why I ALWAYS tell people to start your story on paper.

*Note* When you write on paper, don’t think too much about punctuation. It will just slow you down.

 2. Type Your Book In A Word Document

      Once you’ve written your story on paper go to a Word document and type it all up in there.

      I don’t suggest Google Docs because google has a tendency to change the words I type and then tell me I wrote it wrong, when I KNOW for a fact I wrote something different. I have literally SEEN this happen. 

      Google thinks they know what my words should be, but they get it wrong more often then not so stick with a good old Word doc and you won’t have this happen.

    At least Word will ask permission and “suggest” a change instead of doing it without permission.

     The process of typing it into the computer allows you to notice things you didn’t see before and gives you a chance to put some punctuation that you may have missed in there, but don’t do too much with it just yet.

     We’ll get there in a minute.

    If you see an extra word go ahead and delete it, but for now just do minimal editing as you enter it into the computer.

 3. Read Your Story Out Loud

      Next, we are going to read our story out loud. I actually do this for all my writing…no matter if it’s just a poem or a full length book, but this is super critical to do for a picture book because they were MEANT specifically to be read out loud.

     Do NOT skip this step.

     When you read it out loud it helps you hear what it sounds like in real life. We read differently in our head so to make sure you are getting your message across clearly reading your book out loud helps to make sure it’s a home run.

     If you notice any stumbling or weird sentences that just don’t flow while you read it, you can fix it right away.

     Also try recording yourself to help you notice any other awkward point In the story.

 4. Get Rid Of “ing” and “ly”

     If you have either of these endings in your children’s book then it probably means you are doing too much describing.

     These endings specifically show “weak” verbs and are meant for books that don’t have pictures.

     For example, instead of “Tod angrily pulled the wagon up the rocky hill.”

      You could show him with your illustrations and use a literary device like an onomatopoeia (BANG!) to SHOW the emotion and action of the character.

     If you let the pictures take the stage on this one you can then change the sentence to say, “Tod went up the hill in a huff.” The pictures will show the wagon and the rocky hill and can easily show Todd’s angry face.

    These endings do a lot of telling instead of showing so definitely try to avoid them in your picture book.

      A quick and easy way to find the “ly” and “ing” endings in your book is to go to the search bar at the top of your word document and type one of those endings into the box. It will then show you all those endings so you can easily delete it from your text.

 5. Look For Sections That Are 4 Lines Or Longer

     If you see this in your manuscript, then it means you probably need to tighten things up a bit and get rid of unnecessary word and phrases.

     I have a big habit of adding extra words in my writing so I have to be particularly mindful of this one! lol

     Example: Mindy had a really hard time holding onto the very slippery and slimy green goo.
Alternative: Mindy struggled to keep the goo in her hands.

    Also, keep your eye out for words like, “began” and “started.”

    Example: He began to push the rock down the hill.
Alternative: He pushed the rock down the hill.

      In children’s books people like to just jump right into the action instead of being dragged into it slowly so skip all those extra words.

Is It Really Doable To Edit Your Own Book? 

      Yes it is.

      Should you always edit your book? Yes.

      Are there times you should hire an editor? Yes.

      It really all depends on your book though.

      Regardless of your book, these tips should be implemented before you submit it for publishing or editing.

     There are a lot of tips out there on editing, but I think these are the biggies.

     Children’s picture books are supposed to be easy to read and roll off the tongue. If there is any lagging it could result in unhappy readers...

     And we don’t want that!

    These tips should help with that.

       If you want to work more closely with me then you can join me in my growing Facebook group “The Author Room Accelerator” or if you want me to walk you “click by click” on how to self-publish your children’s picture book you we can check out my, “Ultimate Self-Publishing Picture Books,” course.

Remember:

You are uniquely qualified to tell the story that is within you and the world needs what YOU ALONE have to offer! 💪💗🏅

Until Next Time,

Keep Scribbling!

Dawn Bowers