Indie Kids Books 2024
On February 2, 2024, Publisher’s Weekly published What's Ahead for Kids' Books in 2024? Much of what Joanne O’Sullivan reports pertains to both legacy publisher and indie publishers. Here’s my take on the article.
Kids Don’t Read for Fun
O’Sullivan starts with a deep concern: “concerns over the number of kids reading for fun, which was at an all-time low according to surveys by the National Assessment of Educational Progress in the U.S. and National Literacy Trust in the U.K.”
This isn’t surprising. When the Common Core began to be adopted in 2010, I complained that the standards never approached reading as “fun.” Instead, it was always with a purpose.
Under the Common Core, reading became utilitarian, not something that entertained.
Over a decade later, this attitude carries over in subtle ways as parents and educators look for something that “teaches” a lesson on whatever, instead of a great story that entertains and leaves a takeaway. I prefer stories that lead the child to a conclusion, but leaves it unspoken in the text so the kid can voice it themselves—a takeaway. It’s a more powerful experience when the child discovers the “lesson” themselves.
Kids aren’t reading for fun? It’s just as the Common Core designed.
Popular Genres
Perhaps in backlash to the “not reading for fun” problem, O’Sullivan reports that there’s an uptick in humor stories. Also big are graphic novels, romantasy YA, dark academia, thriller YA, mystery YA. Closer to my heart, animal fantasies like Redwall or Warriors is coming back (see my Kittytubers or Vagabonds stories). Perhaps dystopian is staging a comeback, and mental health continues to be a topic of concern. Realistic fiction is weaker than before.
I love these types of rundowns of topics for children’s books. In the end, though, what appeals is kid-friendly, well-written stories. For indies, I’d urge you to follow YOUR heart.
Middle Grade: Innovative Formats in Series?
Some report a slowdown of middle grade stories. Abby McAden, associate publisher at Scholastic says that it’s hard to break out a new middle grade author, “We’ve found that we really need to get to book three for a series to gain traction, but attention spans and bookseller commitments are hard to command.”
That’s one clue to how an indie can succeed in the middle grade space, write a longer series.
But McAden continues: “Books with innovative formats such as Andy Marino’s Escape from Chernobyl series are notable exceptions.”
I think formats is the wrong word here, though. When I look at the book, the format is the same as most novels. Perhaps she means that it’s set in Russia, near the Chernobyl power plant. In that case, it would be innovative settings, perhaps?
Still, there’s a second clue to what might work for middle grade, innovative formats or settings.
It’s what has always sold, something fresh and different. Follow your heart.
Adam Lerner, CEO of Lerner Publishing, is high on middle grade fiction. He says, “We’re not reliant on trade. We sell there, but we don’t overpublish. Every book we publish has a specific audience. If you publish the right books and have the channels to read the market, they’ll still read. People recognize that it’s important for middle graders to read.”
This is exactly the advice given to indie publishers! Publish books that have a specific audiences, with specific channels to reach that market. Before you follow your heart, map out how you will reach your audience through specific channels. It’s just good business!
Discoverability: Cascading Successes
Increasingly, legacy publishers are trying to find new ways for discoverability. That is, how do people find or discover your book. Everyone knows that it’s a combination of parents, educators and kids that discover books, and still, Word of Mouth is the best way to grow your audience.
But—this is good news for us—O’Sullivan says “a book’s reach increases from ‘piecing together small successes and building on them.’” That puts in within our reach.
My brother-in-law recently spent two years circumnavigating the Pacific Ocean. From Seattle, he sailed down the coast to Mexico, then across the open ocean to Fiji (and many other islands), and on to New Zealand. After summering-over there, he caught some good winds and sailed back to Seattle. He says that sailing disasters are often a cascade of small problems that build to a giant problem. If you ignore the small tear in a sail, it will grow bigger. Add that to a small problem in your navigation equipment. And so on. Sailors cannot let small things build into a huge problem, or they’re (literally) sunk.
In a like but happier manner, we can build a cascade of small successes that build to a big success. When thought of that way, it becomes manageable. When you publicize a book, think of building a cascade of small events. If you do a local event, can you then add on a regional event or an online event? If this project appeals to art teachers, can the next one appeal to science teachers?
Cascade your successes. Multiple things should work together to create a larger success.
For example, on April 8, 2024, the Great American Eclipse will cross the US. For my book, ECLIPSE, I have local events, school visits, a regional professional development, features on two children’s reading apps, and online promotions to specific audiences. It will build the audience in multiple ways, only possible because of this big event in the sky! And a cascade of small successes.
Book Bans
The PW article has a good balanced discussion of book banning, which you should read. For indie publishers, it’s a reminder that we can publish the books we want. Selling them may be harder for certain topics, but we can publish.
Frontlist, Backlist, and Forecasts
The article highlights the problem of breaking out new authors. As indie authors, we know that pain. For us, the problem is to stay motivated and profitable long enough to have a substantial backlist. When backlist rules profit, how do you build that backlist?
The answer to building a backlist is the same as always: one book at a time, one reader at a time.
We need to publish books that we are passionate about, work to capture readers on a mailing list, and stumble forward to the next book. I now have about 70 books in my backlist and it keeps me profitable. The most profitable book varies month to month, platform to platform, but something is profitable somewhere. Lots of books and lots of distribution—that’s the story of success for indies.
The PW article was interesting because even the legacy publisher say the same things that we live by:
Reach your readers with great books.
Create fresh and different stories that resonate with kids.
Publish a lot and distribute widely. Let readers buy the format they want in the marketplace they choose.
Publishing by legacy publishers isn’t so different from indie publishers. Let’s write and publish some great books this year!
Hello Candice, I also liked your article. Not all books are a 'fun' read for all kids. I think that, like adults, they too have their preference for characters and storylines. I've been writing positive chapter books, and more recently picture books, since 2010. I've decided to focus on stories that are positive, with fun adventures. Since 2014, I've been adding images in each chapter to help those that are more visual readers. I've included a section for learning new words, and even a world map where it makes sense. Like you mentioned, I do agree that even if the author has a message in each story, I think it's up to the readers to find what resonates with them. I believe that indie authors have more flexibility for writing stories that can meet diverse needs. J:O)anne
This is a great read and I appreciate all the info. I am someone who came very close to publishing traditionally and then broke up with my agent and walked away from that process. I'm seriously considering self-publishing for the first time in 20 years, though I have loosely followed self-publishing through that time as well. It seems to me that in self-publishing the answer to earning an income always boils down to "write more books. The more books you write the more you earn." I always take pause with this for two reasons....not all writers want to write lots of books (especially if they're writing novels) and have a longer process...just because. Do you believe that self-publishing is a less viable option for such writers? Thank you for your insight!