Can You Write Rhymes? How to Make Millions As A Children’s Book Author

If You Can Rap, You Can Write Children’s Books

Self-published authors on Amazon can earn impressive amounts.

In 2022, over 2,000 independent authors earned more than $100,000 in royalties from their books.

The self-publishing market continues to grow, with some authors even making six figures in a single month from one book.

So why not become an author yourself?

One of the easiest entry points into the world of publishing is through children's books.

Unlike novels, which can take months or even years to write, children's books can be crafted in a matter of days.

And despite the (significantly) shorter amount of effort, children's books can reach the same large audience and generate the same amount of sales as a novel would.

So if you can write basic rhymes, you can break into this side hustle and earn those royalty checks every month.

Here’s our guide on making bank by becoming a Children’s Book Author:

How to Write Really Good Children’s Books

Writing a children’s book is incredibly straightforward. You basically think of a story, a moral of the story, and then write the story in rhyming sentences.

It doesn’t have to rhyme, but over 50% of children’s books and some of the most successful books use rhyming.

However, the real key to success lies in choosing a niche, and inclusive theme that resonates deeply with readers, especially one that doesn’t exist yet.

The more unique and inclusive, the better. For instance, consider a story about a person of color who is paralyzed and overcomes life’s challenges, or a blind dog who overcomes his disability by finding strength in his sense of smell.

These themes showcase hidden strengths and resilience, and are a huge attraction for schools and libraries in need of books like these.

Next, you’ll want to research the market to see what themes and styles are currently popular.

Head to Amazon Kindle and filter by best-selling children’s books, paying close attention to reviews and reader feedback.

This will give you a sense of what resonates with readers and what gaps you can fill.

Here’s a little trick…You can also just try copying the best sellers and making them a bit different (swapping out the animals, etc). Just be careful to not write a total ripoff for copyright reasons.

You can also gather further insights by joining Facebook groups related to children’s books and parenting. Engage in discussions to understand the types of stories and characters that resonate most with parents and kids.

When writing your story, keep it simple and rhythmic.

The goal is to create a captivating and easy-to-follow narrative that keeps young readers engaged.

Remember, the title and theme is what gets parents and schools to buy, but the story itself is for the kids, but it’s still just as important to write a great story. That way, the kids will want the next book.

Use tools like rhyme zone or AI to help you craft perfect verses. The simpler and more rhythmic the story, the more it will appeal to children.

Here’s an example of a simple ABAB rhyming structure you can use:

Sparky the dog loved to play (A)

He’d run through fields of green (B)

Chasing butterflies all day (A)

The happiest dog you’ve ever seen (B)

You’ll want to shoot for at least 24 pages (that includes words on one page and illustrations on another). So 12 word pages and 12 illustration pages.

This will allow your book to be printed on paper. However, if you don’t want paperback, your book can be shorter.

A good tip is to outline the book and write in 3 or 4 words what will happen on each page, until you get to page 12 (the ‘end’). Shoot for 2-4 lines per page as well.

All in all, that’s just 500 words total on average.

Imagine how quickly you can start cranking these out?

However, we can’t forget about illustrations. Where do you get those?

The Power Of Illustrations

Illustrations can make or break a children’s book. Think about “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. You can probably picture that book in your head right now, can’t you?

The vibrant, engaging artwork is as memorable as the story itself, capturing the imaginations of children for generations.

And that means generations of cashing out from royalty payments too.

To find an illustrator, platforms like Fiverr are excellent. You can browse through portfolios and find artists whose style matches your vision.

Alternatively, you can use tools like Canva’s AI generator to create your own illustrations.

Canva offers easy-to-use templates and design elements that can help you craft visually appealing artwork for your book. This approach is cost-effective and gives you full control over the creative process.

By investing in high-quality illustrations, you enhance the appeal of your book, making it stand out in a competitive market.

However, you should expect to shell out a few hundred bucks for illustrations, unless you want total crap.

Publishing Your Book And Finding Customers

Publishing your children’s book is incredibly simple with Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Sign Up: Create an account on Amazon KDP.

2. Prepare Your Manuscript: Format your book according to Amazon’s guidelines. Make sure your text and illustrations meet their requirements. This is super easy to do with any basic word editor like Google Docs.

3. Upload Your Book: Follow the steps to upload your manuscript and cover design. Amazon has tools to help with this process. Use Canva to make an easy book cover in under a minute.

4. Choose Your Formats: Decide if you want to offer a paperback, a Kindle version, or both. Amazon KDP allows for on-demand printing, which means your paperbacks are only printed when ordered, saving you upfront costs.

5. Set Your Price: Determine the price point for your book. Consider pricing competitively to attract buyers while ensuring you earn a good royalty.

6. Publish: Hit the publish button, and your book will be available on Amazon within 24-48 hours.

Amazon KDP handles everything from printing to shipping, making it an excellent choice for new authors. Additionally, you can update your book at any time, allowing you to make improvements based on reader feedback.

Marketing Your Book and Getting Sales

Marketing your children’s book effectively can make all the difference in achieving success.

Attending local and national book fairs is a great way to showcase your book, getting it in front of your target audience and making connections with potential buyers and influencers.

Most successful book authors I’ve met who make REAL money have sworn by this.

Instead of Facebook ads, or social media, or email blasts, just hustling at book fairs apparently gets the best results.

However, we don’t all have time to be driving around pushing children’s books all day.

So what’s an easier way to promote your book that could actually get you a bigger deal faster?

The real goldmine lies in bulk orders from school districts.

You can find major decision makers for educational institutions and schools publicly on the web. It’s usually a .edu email and you might get ignored by most people, but you can email your book to superintendents, principals, financial heads, librarians, and teachers.

For instance, author Dave Hendrickson found success by targeting schools with themes that resonate deeply with educational values, such as bullying and social justice, which led to substantial bulk orders from school districts.

His secret was to target the head of the English department for over 300 schools, as they are the primary decision makers on which books get bought.

So instead of scraping sales together on Amazon, he just got a purchase order for 1,000s of copies of his book at once.

Imagine writing something in less than 10 minutes that sells 1,000s of copies in a single order?

The Easy Way - Ghostwriting

If you want to avoid the hassle of marketing and promoting your book, ghostwriting can be a lucrative alternative.

Ghostwriting involves writing books for other authors or clients who take credit for the work.

This can be a steady source of income without the need to worry about sales or marketing.

Typically, you can charge between $200 and $300 per book.

While you won’t earn royalties, this upfront payment can be appealing for quick projects. Using AI tools to help create rhymes and generate story ideas can increase your productivity and allow you to take on more projects.

Conversely, YOU could also hire a ghostwriter and leave the marketing side to you, if that works more in your favor.

The BMM Takeaway

Writing a children’s book is easy.

Promoting it is a bit harder.

Right now the market is very saturated because of how easy it is with AI, Amazon KDP, and free tools like Canva to make digital books quickly.

So make sure if you do decide to try this, that you write very niche and inclusive books that are much needed in the market. That will give you your best chances.

The sales might come slow at first, but do the work, and you could have royalty checks showing up in the mail soon.