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Children’s book publishing
You have the story but not the pictures. We match it with a children’s illustrator, you approve the sketches before any color goes down, and we publish it in print and ebook so it reaches Amazon, schools and libraries.
Tell us the age group and how many pages you imagine. A specialist replies within one business day with the illustration plan and a written price. Nothing is charged until you approve it.
The short answer
Columbia Publication publishes children’s books from $3,000 for a 32-page full-color picture book with original illustrations, and from $1,500 for a lightly illustrated early reader. Each includes editing, layout, cover, ISBN and distribution to Amazon and, through IngramSpark, to libraries, schools and bookstores. An illustrated book takes 10 to 19 weeks, and you keep 100% of your rights and royalties.
Prices checked October 25, 2026 · Reviewed by Gia Kahn, Lead Editor · Next review November 2026 · How we check
Is this you?
A children’s book is judged by its pictures first.
Authors who try it alone run into the same walls: an illustrator whose characters change face from page to page, art at the wrong resolution for print, text that falls into the fold, and an ebook that breaks every spread. A book listed only on Amazon never shows up in the catalogs librarians and schools buy from.
We handle every one of those steps. Your illustrator is matched to the story and age group, you approve character sketches before anything is painted, and the finished files meet every print and library requirement before they go live.
A typical brief
This is how a standard picture book is specified. Your quote sets out the same choices for your story.
| Item | Picture book (ages 2 to 8) | Early reader (ages 5 to 10) |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 32 pages, 500 to 1,000 words | 2,000 to 10,000 words, short chapters optional |
| Illustration | 14 to 16 full-color spreads plus the cover | 8 to 15 spot or black and white illustrations |
| Layout | Every spread designed so text never falls into the fold | Larger type and spacing for new readers |
| Print files | 300 DPI art, full bleed with trim allowance | Print-ready interior and cover |
| Ebook | Fixed-layout, so spreads stay intact on tablets | Ebook edition |
| Listing | ISBN, age range, reading level and children’s subject codes | The same metadata schools and libraries search by |
Board books for ages 0 to 3 and middle-grade novels for ages 8 to 12 are quoted to their own format.
Get a Quote for My StoryAge groups
Children’s publishing is four different formats. Word count, illustration, type size and page count all change with the reader’s age.
50 to 100 words, one bold image per page, usually 10 to 14 thick pages that need specialist print setup.
500 to 1,000 words over a standard 32 pages, with the story told equally by words and full-color pictures.
2,000 to 10,000 words, larger type, shorter sentences, and spot or black and white illustration.
20,000 to 50,000 words in chapters, with little or no illustration. Published through our standard service with children’s editors.
Illustration
By matching the style to the story and the reader, then proving it before the full commission. In a picture book, the illustrations carry half the story, so this is the decision that matters most.
Tomie dePaola, author of Strega Nona, held that a good picture book can tell its story through the illustrations alone (Reading Rockets). That is why the illustrator is chosen before anything else is designed.
Illustrators with published children’s portfolios who understand page turns, expression and keeping a character the same across 32 pages.
Watercolor and gouache, clean digital, whimsical cartoon, pencil and ink, collage, or realistic portrait style.
You approve the character sketches first, then each finished illustration, with two revision rounds on each.
We can lay out and publish illustrations you already own, checking resolution and bleed first.
Have the story but no pictures yet? That is where most authors start.
Start My Children’s BookSchools and libraries
Through IngramSpark and the right metadata. Amazon alone does not reach those buyers; IngramSpark is the wholesale catalog libraries, schools and bookstores order from.
When it is done
You open the box and the cover looks like it belongs on a library shelf. The character on page one is the same character on page thirty-two. You read it aloud, and the child it was written for turns the pages before you finish the line.
A week later a teacher asks where she can order a copy for her class, and the answer is: anywhere.
Prices
Illustration is the main thing that sets the price. These are starting points; your quote is fixed in writing after a free consultation.
Early reader
From $1,500
An early reader or chapter book edited for its reading level, lightly illustrated and published in print and ebook.
A first chapter book a child can read on their own, with pictures where they help, on sale on Amazon and orderable by libraries.
Editing, 8 to 15 spot or black and white illustrations, layout, cover, ISBN, distribution
Price This for My BookMost chosen
From $3,000
Your picture book edited, illustrated spread by spread, laid out and published in print and as a fixed-layout ebook.
The book you have pictured since you first told the story: original art on every spread, a printed copy in your hands, and every right yours.
Editing, 14 to 16 full-color spreads, cover art, layout, fixed-layout ebook, ISBN, distribution
Price This for My BookCustom
From $5,000
Board books on thick stock and longer illustrated books, set up for schools and libraries as well as stores.
A board book that survives a toddler, or a longer illustrated book, made by a senior illustrator and listed where schools buy.
Board book print setup, senior illustrator, school and library metadata, launch support
Price This for My BookYour story is protected from first sketch to print
All prices in USD, paid in full upfront once you approve the written quote. Want the launch handled too? Book marketing can be added to any package.
What you can count on
How it runs
We’ve started with Illustrations. Add anything else your manuscript needs, and a specialist sends an itemised quote within one business day. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Written quote within one business day. Nothing is charged until you approve it. 100% of your rights stay yours.
Questions
Columbia Publication publishes a 32-page full-color picture book with original illustrations from $3,000, and a lightly illustrated early reader from $1,500. Board books and larger or complex books start from $5,000. Each price includes editing, layout, cover, ISBN and distribution.
An illustrated children’s book takes 10 to 19 weeks from signed agreement to live book. Illustration is most of that time, usually six to ten weeks. Your schedule is confirmed in writing with your quote.
No. We match your story with a professional children’s illustrator and you approve their style before work begins. If you already have illustrations, we can use those instead.
Yes. Through IngramSpark your book can be ordered by school and public libraries, bookstores and educational wholesalers, and we set the age range, reading level and subject codes those buyers search by.
Yes. We handle Amazon KDP formatting and submission, including 300 DPI art, full bleed, correct cover dimensions and a fixed-layout ebook for picture books.
Yes. Board books need thick-stock print setup that standard print-on-demand does not offer, so they are quoted individually from $5,000.
In full upfront, once you approve the written quote. Full payment books your illustrator’s time and fixes your schedule.
Tell us the age group and the story in a sentence. A specialist replies within one business day with an illustration plan and a fixed price.
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