Monday, February 27, 2012

Important Tips for Publishing a Children's Book

The task of finding a publisher for your book can be daunting. Even J.K. Rowling, the highly acclaimed author of the Harry Potter books, received many rejections before achieving her phenomenal success. To circumvent the publisher problem, you may wish to consider publishing a children's book yourself. This route can be a very profitable one, providing you know what you're doing.

As soon as you start to investigate the possibility of self-publishing you will find yourself surrounded by apparent offers to assist. There are hundreds of companies only too ready to part you from your cash, and charge you a very high price indeed for publishing your work. Known as "vanity publishers", these organizations are out to make high profits - for themselves, not you!

As a self-publisher, your best option is to simply choose a regular, commercial printing company to carry out your work. You should fully investigate the market and choose a company that offers competitive prices. By following this route you will have full control of the process, and can make your own decisions about quality of materials and finish.

By using a mainstream printing company to assist you in publishing a children's book you will be able to retain full copyright to your work. There will be no requirement for you to sign a contract with the printer in this respect. This leaves you free to take all the profits from sales of your work, and also at liberty to use another printer, should you so wish, for any future reprints of your book.

It's important that you are fully aware of the work involved in publishing a children's book yourself. You must be prepared to take responsibility for all aspects of the process such as editing and proofreading. Also there will be important decisions to make on layout, font size, typefaces, bindings and so on. The level of involvement is considerable, but perhaps this is something you will in fact relish.

Providing you choose a printing company with a good reputation and high standards of customer care, these additional tasks need not be overtaxing. Ensure your children's book printing company is prepared to offer plenty of guidance, and that you can easily contact them for updates and clarifications.

Lastly, I'd like to touch on the subject of ISBNs. International Standard Book Numbers are unique 13 digit identifiers and enable books to be ordered and tracked in a commercial distribution network. If you are planning to handle sales of your children's book yourself, by selling directly in person or through a website, it's not necessary to have an ISBN.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Top FIve Types of Activity Books For Young Children

Activity books are a great way to make reading fun. There are lots of different types of activity books available to suit different age groups. Here we have selected our top 5.

1.Texture Books
Texture, also known as touch and feel books, are very popular with babies and very young children. These are books where part of the picture is made out of different fabrics and materials. Babies like the tactile aspect of the pages and love to touch the pictures while the story is being read to them. This type of book will also help develop the childs sensory awareness.

2. Lift the Flap Books
These are story books which usually have flaps to lift on every page It is a classic book format that children love. Lifting the flaps adds to the fun of the story and will make story time a more interactive event. These books are usually aimed at younger children from babies up to the age of about 4 or 5. When choosing a lift the flap book look for books with a sturdy feel and strong flaps. The flaps will get pulled and tugged at and if they are not attached securely or are not made out of thick cardboard, they wont last long.

3. Sound Books
Sound books are popular with pre-school children. They usually have one or more buttons to press which made noises or sounds appropriate to the story. The more elaborate sound books will have different sounds that need to played at the correct part of the story. Like the lift the flap books, they add an interactive element to reading your child a story.

4. Pop-up Books
Pop-up baby books are books that have been designed where part of the page leaps out as a 3D picture. The surprise of the 3D picture will intrigue babies and delight older children. The only downside is that pop-up books tend to be delicate so you will have to be careful as young children do love to touch. You can choose quite simple pop-up books for young children but there are plenty of more intricate and even interactive pop-up books which will be suitable for much older children.

5. Sticker Books
Sticker books come in a variety of formats. Some tell a story which can be decorated or added to by a selection of stickers. Others tell a story with specific places where each sticker should be place. Which book will appeal to your child will depend on their personality. some children will love the challenge of finding the right places to stick the stickers. Other children will want to be more creative and place stickers where they want. There is no right or wrong and both ways are good for a child's development and enjoyment.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Activity Books for Little Ones Certainly Are a God Send Throughout the Summer Break

The most challenging task on the planet is to make sure that your kids are kept occupied with either after school activities or activity books for children in the house. Meanwhile with the summer break coming parents may need several activity solutions up their sleeve so as to provide themselves with some respite from their over-active children.

For parents or guardians everywhere the day won't conclude at the sound of the school bell as children are going to want to paint more pictures, play more games and sing more songs. Keeping your kids safe and content after the school day has finished can generate problems yet with after school activities and sticker and activity books at home we've got the entire predicament sewn up!

Parents who work have the biggest problems as normally they aren't present in the home when the children finish school.

Although not to be mistaken as a baby sitting service, after school activities are a lifeline for working mums and dads everywhere. That being said, these activities can only do well if parents become involved also. For instance, occasionally parents or guardians could possibly assist with the making of outfits or maybe the painting of scenery for a school play. If your youngster was a member of a sports team, what would their game be like without the benefit of parents supporting them on the sidelines?

Although kids with working parents need to be looked after, there's no point in making your young kids participate in activities that may not interest them or they are not skilled at because it keeps them out of harms way. Talk to them, get to know what interests them and thereafter start looking around for the right after school classes which they are able to really enjoy whilst also generating new skills.

If you are a stay-at-home mum or dad and pick up your kids each day from the school door then you have to try and keep them entertained for far longer. With the aid of activity books for children and after completion of their homework assignments, one can sit them down and let them draw or paint a really colourful picture, solve puzzles or put together a jigsaw puzzle.

At home activities needn't always be stationary hobbies though. Young ones can play things like football, tennis or basketball in the garden. Not all kids are sporty and will much prefer to take dance lessons or discover how to play a musical instrument - however these kinds of classes invariably have a price! They may also pass the time by assisting with activities in the kitchen or garden - under the attentive eye of the parent or sitter obviously!

Whatever activity your little ones desire to do, they shall acquire a number of life skills such as discipline, patience and self-control.

In case finances are a concern there are lots of discount children's books online that you could select from and which will not break the bank. There is a wide range of kid's books available that can help them to discover how to read, further their reading skills or to educate and stimulate them in some other way. Just because they're educational books doesn't necessarily mean that a lot of them can't be fun!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Value Of Books In Character Development In Children

Reading is a fun and interactive way to bond with kids. Experts recommend reading a good book to a young child every day. It is usually done before a child goes to sleep. It is an excellent way to end the day as it leaves the kid's imagination flowing with wonderful thoughts. Moreover, reading books to children aloud can help cultivate creativity and expand vocabulary and reading skills. Children are curious beings and they love to hear new stories, see beautiful pictures and illustrations. Parents use books to help their children develop good character traits like courage, kindness and obedience.

Story Telling Books Mold Character

Stories have been an important part of man's life. Before, stories were passed on by word of mouth. Now, there are so many kinds of books available, thanks to the invention of the printing press in 1440. Story telling books today ranges from fairy tales, princess and prince books, fables, parables, folklore and so on. Millions of parents around the globe still use these story books to teach moral lessons to their little ones. Goldilocks and the three bears and Little Red Riding Hood are two of the most popular books of all time. These books teach kids different values which are applicable to all aspects of life. Goldilocks and the three bears talks about respect of others property and privacy. Little Red Riding Hood, on the other hand warns children of the danger of talking to strangers.

Fables And Parables

Parables illustrate life lessons and instructive principles. The Bible's New Testament provides a number of parables that Jesus taught himself while he is still on earth. One of the most significant parables in the bible is the Prodigal Son, which teaches about the love of the Father to his children. Fables, on the other hand, are very much like a parable but the difference is that it uses animals in the story. Aesop is credited for a number of popular fables today. Thus, the name Aesop's Fables become a popular household name. Aesop, according to research was Greek slave and story-teller believed to have lived between 620 and 560 BC. Some of his famous stories are "The Dog and the Wolf", which teaches the importance of being free, "The Bear and the Two Travelers" which talks about sincerity of friends.

Evolution Of Books

For years, books have greatly evolved. Before, books are part of every kid's bedtime routine. Children anticipate eagerly the first page of the book that their parents will read to them. Each book has a new story to tell. Children are intrigued to see how each story will end. Will the princess meet his prince charming? Will the frog turn to a handsome prince? On the other hand, with the advancement of technology, some children are no longer accustomed of having good books around the house. More parents and educators rely on the power of the internet to teach young minds to explore. Yes, having educational other educational materials and gadgets around the house is good. Then again, it is refreshing to see kids enjoying reading books. Certainly, the experience of feeling the hard covers of the book and the crisp turning of pages is different from just clicking on pages.