Picture Books: Those Confusing 32 Pages

For several years, this series on writing a picture book has been available free on this site. It’s now available altogether as a 110 page pdf file, How to Write a Children’s Picture Book.

I got this comment and thought it needed to be a separate post:

Tamar Asks: 32 pages? Not clear

Hi,
Thank you for your posts. They have been very helpful.
It isn’t clear to me from your posting of a 32 page book being standard, how many pages of text that translates into for the author.
Or does it just mean that an author should aim for a book that she tells the publisher is going to be 32 pages, and they break it up. Or does she break it up herself.
Thank you and looking forward to your response.
Tamar

Darcy Answers: 32 pages of finished book, 5 (or less) pages of manuscript text

Thanks for the question!

The picture book has 32 pages.
For the author, though, that means there will be short segments of text on each page (or double-page spread). So, the text will be short, perhaps 500-1000 words long.

If you translate that to standard manuscript pages, that’s 5 pages or less. When you send in the mss to a publisher, you send it in stand manuscript format (5 pages or so). When the text is laid out for the picture book, the editor, art director and illustrator will divide it into the segments that go on each page.

You will see me suggest that you divide your text into 14-28 segments, anticipating how it will be laid out in a picture book. That is strictly to help the author revise and polish the text. When you send in the mss, it should be in standard mss format.

Order the eBook! It includes all the posts in this series. How to Write a Children’s Picture Book. $10, for Immediate Download.

Related posts:

1. Picture book standards: 32 pages
2. Did you Write a Picture Book or Something Else?
3. 33 pages
4. Keeping Current: Read Newly Released Books
5. Picture Book Manuscript Quiz

Revise with confidence.