Starting a Children’s Publishing Company

If you have always wanted to start a publishing company in the children’s book niche, here are some tips to help get you started.

Create a Business Plan:

The first thing you want to do when starting a business – any business – is to write up a business plan. There are numerous free programs and templates online that can help you through this vital step. There are a few different types of business plan, but any good one should include a summary of your goals, a detailed description of what your business will entail, how you intend to market it, some sort of analysis of the market you intend to enter and how the competition is doing it. Spend some time looking for the correct type of business plan for you and then put some serious thought and effort into the plan. This is the document that will steer your business, and help you get back on track if and when you experience setbacks.

Legal Stuff:

Go online and research what you need to do in order to start a business in your city, county and state. Get all the necessary forms and fill them out. If you didn’t do so in the business plan stage, now is the time you will have to come up with a name for your publishing company. Don’t rush this phase, as it is a name you will have to live with, and that you want to make sure will help your publishing company to succeed. You are starting a children’s book publishing company, so you want to make sure that the name isn’t too stuffy or too cutesy either. Make a list of names, carry it around with you and look it over from time to time. You should also seek the opinion of trusted friends and colleagues, as a name is a very important part of your business.

Office Equipment and Software:

Assuming you already have a computer, make sure that you have enough memory, and externals for backup. You should also have a good all-in-one printer. Software should include MS Word and a layout program such as Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, or QuarkXpress. If you do not know how to run these programs, hire someone who does, or take a few classes.

Getting Submissions:

There are a number of ways to get the word out to writers about your new publishing venture. You can place ads in the back of writer’s and illustrator’s magazines, and/or find and join online writer’s and illustrator’s forums. One thing that you will definitely want to have is a high-quality website. On your website, you can list your submission policies and procedures in more detail, and show your company’s face to the world. You can also start to endeavor to find other ways to get writers to your site. One idea may be to start your own children’s writers forum.

ISBNs, Printing and Binding:

Buy a block of ISBNs in the number that you believe you will use over five years’ time. Printing should be done is high-quality digital. And, depending on the size, scope and budget of your publishing company, you may want to do your book binding yourself. The machines that make hardcover books are inexpensive and dead-simple to operate. Having one of these thermal binding machines (as they are called) can save you a lot of money in a relatively short time.