I'm thinking of writing a book for young children. How do I go about getting it published?

[MisterMist]

Just that really.
I kinda know what I want to write and have an artistic family member to do the illustrations.
How do I go about getting it published?
I believe you can self publish on Amazon but does that work for young children's books?
Does it not need to be seen in a store?
Any advice or useful links appreciated.
TIA

Surely you write it first and see if it's any good?

First you need to read widely in the genre you want to publish in. Consistently check out new releases so you know what's on the way in, what's getting saturated, and which tropes are on the way out.

Next, write your book. Finish it, edit it, polish it, test it on your target market. Make sure it's as good as you can possibly get it. Then you should be ready to start querying. My understanding is that for the most part you don't need to provide illustrations of your own. Some publishers accept direct submissions, some will require you to go through a literary agent. In publishing the flow of money should be from publisher to writer. If your publisher/agent is asking you for money, I'd dig a bit deeper to see if it's legit.

For children's books, self publishing doesn't really works children's books are so physical, having a bookshop and library presence is very important.

Reedsy are usually a pretty good resource, and this article does mention things about the UK market as well as America. Good luck.

It’s a long hard road to get a picture book published by a publisher who will sell your book to bookshops. Your family member’s illustrations definitely wouldn’t be included, even if you did get your text taken on.

You can self-publish on Amazon, but as you say there is a problem that things get lost in the thousands of other books.

Or you could self-publish by taking it to a local design & print company to make copies, then try to sell them yourself to bookshops and libraries and do events with preschools and baby groups etc. Do not expect to get rich!

Become a celebrity. They seem to have no problems getting publishing deals for their children’s books.

Well anyone can write and self publish a book on Amazon and use social media for ads.

Don’t mean to discourage you but I hope you’re writing it because it’s something you feel passionate about.

I worked at a big publishing house and can tell you that, unless it becomes a huge success, there isn’t much money to make out of writing children’s books.

A slightly more negative reaction than I had hoped for.
I've put the Ferrari order on hold!

I had no idea that publishers wouldn't want your illustrations.
I'll do some more research.