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There’s just something special about the look, feel and even the smell of a children’s book. I don’t know if it’s the colorful illustrations or unique designs that pull me toward the kids’ section every time I enter a bookshop, but the lure of a great children’s book works its magic on parents and children alike. Of course, most of us don’t even think about how books are made (I know I didn’t give it a second thought before I started working in publishing), so we thought we’d share just a bit of the publishing process with you today, to give you an idea of how the children’s books on your shelf at home got their start.

As you may have imagined, the process begins with a great idea. Many children’s books involve stories which take shape on the page through the voice of an author and the creative art of an illustrator. But publishers also have to decide all sorts of details you may not notice, but which have a huge impact on how you perceive the books in a shop. Publishers have to decide everything from the type, weight and finish of the paper used to the format and design of the book itself. Bilingual Readers is a perfect example of the fact that children’s book publishers often use different shapes, boxes and rounded corners to make their books safer and more attractive to young readers. Special novelty elements like flaps and magnets are also used to help small children develop fine motor skills and a love of reading from day one.

First dummy for Easy Alphabet!

First dummy for Easy Alphabet! with the box top open

First and second dummies with box top open

First, second and third (and approved) dummies and plotters

Once we have made these decisions regarding format and design, the next step is conveying these ideas to the printers. That sounds simple enough, but trust me when I tell you this is often the most difficult part. That’s why the printers send us blank white “dummies”of what they think we want, so that we can make sure we’re all on the same page. As you can see from the picture below, sometimes we have to go through several dummies until the printers finally understand what it is we really want. To complicate things even further, the dummies often inspire us to change certain aspects of what we originally thought we wanted, so it can all be a very confusing process. Remember that while it is easy to send the printers a digital file of the text and illustrations, the design and quality of the material these files are printed on can make or break a children’s book.

Two Little Libros: Animals, dummy and plotters

Two Little Libros: Animals, dummy and plotters

So we’ve finally approved a dummy and turned in our digital files, but the process doesn’t end there. We send color proofs to the printer to make sure there are no color variations in the final product, and the printers send us plotters (which is just a fancy word for a version of the book printed out on cheap paper) so we can make sure there are no errors. When we think we’ve made sure everything is as it should be (one can never be completely sure), we approve the plotters and the printers get to work printing and assembling what eventually ends up on your bookshelf at home.

Marina and the Little Green Boy, dummy and plotters

We receive a few samples by air mail, but we actually don’t receive the final shipment of books until at least a month after they have been printed. Since all of our books are printed in China by a great family owned, child labor free printing press called WKT Limited, they must first make a long journey by boat from Hong Kong to Barcelona port. Call me nostalgic, but I kind of like the idea of our bilingual books making a trip halfway around the world before they make it to the bookshelves of bilingual families across the globe. We can only hope that our readers enjoy our books as much as we enjoy creating them!