How to Start a Children's Book Publishing Company from Scratch

A book publishing company is where all the finalized scripts of the novels of different authors go for publishing. They then take a final look at the manuscript before they give it to the printers for publishing. A lot of copies are printed for the opening sale of a new novel.

After the publishing is done of around a thousand copies, then readers buy the newly-launched novel. The publishing company also hosts a signing session with the author where he/she signs the new book for the lucky readers. Advertisements are posted on social media of the event and also sent as an email to targeted readers to attend the event.

Usually, these events are held at malls as it is a great place for youngsters to hang out. The author meets and greets the audience first and foremost and thanks them for taking out their precious time to come to the event. Then he/she narrates a bit of the story by reading out a few paragraphs from the book as it creates a new interest in the readers who will be reading the book after the event.

After the meet and greet come to the signing session where the author writes a personalized message for the readers and signs the book. Readers even get the opportunity to get their pictures clicked with the author.

But before the book makes it to its final destination that is the book shop, the task of publishing is a long one which takes time. But, with mechanized publishing nowadays, it has become quite easier to publish books.

In the early days of printing and publishing books, it took years and years of work to bring out just a single copy of a book. But, now we get to see thousands of copies of a single book displayed at the bookshop.

As there are book publishing houses which cater to the needs of adults, there are similarly book publishing houses which specifically cater to the needs of children. Some of these publishing houses are Peachtree Publishing Company Inc., Sleeping Bear Press, Tilbury House Publishers, Flying Eye Books, Free Spirit Publishing etc.

In India also, we have a large variety of children’s book publishers who are publishing children’s books daily. Some of these houses are Pratham Books, New Saraswati Publishing House, Katha Press, Srishti Publishing, S. Chand Publishing etc.

Book launch events are held for children’s books as well where the authors read small paragraphs to children after which they sign and write personalized messages for children.

But, if you are someone who wants to start your own book publishing company, then you need to think of all the factors that go into the starting of one, then this blog is for you.

In this blog, we will be helping you out with how you can start a new children’s book publishing company from ground zero. So, let’s discuss some tips as to how this can be done.

Tips on How You Can Start a Children’s Book Publishing Company

1. Firstly, you will need to plan your business. The key questions that you need to ask yourself regarding this sphere are what are the startup and ongoing costs, who will be your target market, how much can you charge your customers and what will be the name of your business?

2. After you have done the planning, you will need to get your company registered and legalized. There are four types of business structures such as sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company or LLC and finally corporation. Usually, children’s book publishing companies prefer going the LLC route as it protects their organization from getting personally liable if the company is sued.

3. The third step is to get your business registered for several taxes which are required to open a business. This is because you will have to get your business registered as it is a commercial setup. 

4. Get your business a bank account which is called a current account in India. This account keeps a stock of all your business transactions on a day-to-day basis. Also, get a credit card for your business as this will help you to get higher interest rates, more credit lines and more.

5. Also, make sure you set up the accounting system of your business as this will help you in knowing how well is your business doing financially. This system will also keep your tax filing in check and allow you to file your taxes on time.

6. After all, has been said and done, apply for permits and licenses which will enable you to run your business in a proper manner and without doing anything illegal. But, if you don’t get your business licensed, then you will be liable to pay huge fines or your business could even be sealed and shut down by the police and other authorities.

7. A very important step is to get your business insured. Insurance will keep your business safe from falling into huge debts and even if you do incur a loss, it will help you recover all your losses in a short time.

8. After all, the legal and business paperwork is in place, you can then advertise your publishing company online on social media platforms. Open a business account on your social media platforms and keep your graphics very creative and interesting. The content should also be very accurate so that it gets to the target audience and authors who are looking to publish their new manuscripts. Create a logo that resonates with your business.

9. When you are looking to advertise your children’s book publishing company, then the best way to do so is to get yourself reviews and a few awards. Book reviews will help a book reach the bestseller list and awards of a prestigious nature will give your house authenticity. It will also increase school and library sales in your region.

10. When you have gained enough popularity in the offline market, then you can think about launching your website where parents and children can pick and choose and buy books of their choice. These can be delivered to the doorsteps in the form of book boxes.

11. All businesses have phone numbers on which customers can reach them. So, make sure you get a phone connection for your establishment. And if you change your number in the future, then make sure you do mention it to your customers in advance so that they remember to call you on your new number.

So, these are some of the tips for new entrepreneurs who want to try their hand at opening a children’s book publishing house. Make sure you follow all the steps and guidelines when you decide to do so. This will ensure your business will be a thriving one and gets new customers every day.