| Children’s book publishing firm is a hot market right now. Parents are working more hours than they really should have to be working these days, and they’re looking for some way to spend a little more time with their kids. So, of course, one of the best options is reading to their children before bed. It only takes a few minutes, but it helps to reinforce the bond between parent and child. An okay children’s book is, at least, probably going to sell, and for the children’s book publishers putting out the really good kid’s books, they fly right off the shelves.
Now, we’ve mentioned the sagging economy, which is the negative side of what’s going on right now, but let’s look at the good news: These days, with the internet and small publishers, anybody in the civilized world can create and publish a children’s book, and, they can retain the rights.
Fifty or sixty years ago, it wasn’t like that. In the post-WWII era, any artist who wanted to create children’s books, comic books, film, or novels was basically resigned to handing one hundred percent of their ownership over to the publisher. Artists and writers owning their own creations was practically unheard of until the seventies rolled around.
One of the artists who really got the ball rolling for creator’s rights was the Underground Comix pioneer Robert Crumb. Crumb was making a living as a greeting card illustrator and drawing comics in his spare time. His somewhat-autobiographical work has been championed for its unique, strange appeal, and its sincerity. Crumb became the poster child for ownership rights simply because his work was just too offbeat for DC or Marvel comics to have any interest in trying to sell, and so, he went to a small print shop, made some copies, and sold them himself. His notoriety snowballed, and today, he’s a cult legend, all without ever having been signed by a major publishing house.
Crumb set the example, and other comic artists followed suit. Then, novelists, children’s book writers, all forms of cartoonists, musicians and filmmakers, and so on. Crumb sent a clear message to aspiring storytellers: Your foot’s already in the door, so just draw and write what you like, and publish it on your own dime.
Another success story would be Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Inspired by Ninja movies and superhero comics, the two chose to draw their own comic book and publish it through a small time publisher with money from their tax returns. If you don’t know who Eastman and Laird are, you might assume that they basically blew their tax return on a silly pipe dream, but that comic book was entitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As you know, those four amphibians went on to grace movies, children’s books maker, toys, and even toothpaste with their likeness. Today, the duo are multi-millionaires, all thanks to self publishing. And, Peter Laird still retains 100% of the rights to the property (Kevin Eastman sold his own 50% share to Laird, and then bought the entire share of his favorite magazine).
The bottom line is, if you’re a storyteller, if you’ve got great ideas for children’s books, there are more ways than one to get your stories out there, there are small presses, and children’s books publishers who will let you retain all of your rights. Traditional, sell-the-rights book publishing is not the only way to go. LifeVest Publishing, Inc. is a Worldwide Independent Publisher, currently publishing in four countries and in four languages. They are a book publishing company specializing in Christian publishing and youth book publishing. LifeVest Publishing, Inc. provides quality, affordable children’s book publishing to the writer seeking a high-caliber print publisher. |
