Publishing Basics for Children’s Books - A Guide for the Small Press and Independent Self-Publisher - Second Edition

Sep 29, 2026

A practical guide for small presses and independent children’s book publishers, covering essential prepress and production details from endpapers to title-page and copyright-page fundamentals. It explains what end leaves (endpapers) are, how they affect binding, whether to choose “plus end leaves” or “self-ended” formats, and how endpaper color selection works alongside CMYK printing. It also outlines where key pages appear and provides editorial guidance on beginning the story.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages48

Reading Time2 h 1 min

AccessFree to download

What is this page called?

How do I select an endpaper color?

Where does the copyright page appear?

Do I have to say in which country the book was printed?

Do I have to say who printed this book?

Introduction to the Second Edition

Where do I start my story?

PublishingBasicS forChildren"s Books A Guide for the Small Press and Self-Publisher # What is this page called? It is called the end leaf(or endpaper,or in plural sometimes simply referred to as“ends”).Ends are actually four pages(page“one”is glued down,you are looking at pages “two andthree"and page“four"is the back of page"three").End leaves are a necessary part of thehardcover binding.This book and all Self Publishing.com children's books have end leaves.They are made of different paper than the rest of the book,and we print on pages two andthree in a single color(some people pick a PMS color)or leave them blank.They do notgenerally have any copy printed on them.These pages are not counted into the total pagecount.Not all books have end leaves.A book without ends is called"self-ended."In a self-ended book,the first and last four pages of the book function as end leaves.For example,a thirty-two page self-ended book has thirty-two pages out of which eight pages are end leavesand twenty-four pages are the story.In a self-ended book,there is a visible difference in theway the book looks as you open it,too.As you shop around for printing prices it is importantthat you watch out for whether you are being quoted a“plus end leaves”or“self-ended”product.It makes a difference. # How do I select an endpaper color? Your book will print using two different printing methods.The text and cover will print ona traditional four-color printing press in CMYK colors(Cyan,Magenta,Yellow and Black).The endpapers(which you are looking at here)print on a one-color press.Give us a swatch(in color)that you want us to match,or tell us to match a particular color in your file.We willselect the closest solid ink color for you.This blue color here is Pantone 300U,and is very closeto the color you'll see in the little girl's top in the center of page 15. DISCARDFD # PUBLISHINGBASICSFOR CHILDREN'S BO0KS A Guide for the Small Pressand Independent Self-Publisher Written by Iwana Ritabooke and Ima BookeprintaRJ Communications,LLC,New York,NY # What is this page called? This is the title page.This is where you list your title,author,illustrator,publisher,the city of the publisher,and usuallyyour first picture.Children's books are different from otherbooks in that the role of the illustrator may be moreimportant than that of the author.You'll want to keepthis in mind as you design this page. .S Second Edition,copyright ◎2006,RJ Communications,LLC All rights reserved.No part of this publicationmay be reproduced,stored in a retrieval systemor transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingor otherwise,without the prior written permissionof the publisher. Published by: RJ Communications,LLCNew York,NY ISBN:0-9700741-7-4 Printed in the United States of America This is abookHelping Authors Become Publishers Book Design:Jonathan Gullery Illustrations:Sam Joseph ## Where does the copyright page appear? The copyright page is almost always found on theback of the title page.In some children's books youwill find that the the copyright information is on thelast page.We have the copyright notice that includesthe word"copyright,"the symbol,the year andwhoever will hold the copyright.You don't need boththe word“copyright”and the symbol.Either will do,but almost every publisher uses both.This is also theplace to add any acknowledgements. ## Do I have to say in which countrythe book was printed? No,not if it is printed in the United States ofAmerica. ## Do I have to say who printed this book? No,but giving credit is always a good idea,not onlyto the printer but to your illustrator and designer too. # Introduction to the Second Edition Over the past thirty years in the business,I have watched one country after another take colorprinting away from the U.S.printers.As one offshore country would lose their competitiveedge,there were ten more sitting there ready to print it better and cheaper.

FAQs

What are end leaves (endpapers) in a hardcover children’s book?

End leaves are pages that are part of the hardcover binding, typically glued and made from different paper than the rest of the book. They are not counted in the total page count and may be printed in a single color or left blank.

What is the difference between “plus end leaves” and a “self-ended” book?

In a self-ended book, the first and last four pages function as end leaves, creating a visible difference when the book is opened. When shopping for quotes, it matters whether you are quoted a “plus end leaves” or “self-ended” product.

Where does the copyright page appear in most children’s books?

The copyright page is almost always found on the back of the title page. Some children’s books place the copyright information on the last page instead.

Sep 29, 2026

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