Two Weeks to Your Best Children's Book
Write your children’s book in two weeks by following the steps in my course, even if you have no experience writing before.
You have an amazing idea for your children’s book, but you’re not sure how to write it, or the steps to publish it. It can be difficult, but I'm here to help.
Stop dreaming, start writing
I work with a lot of frustrated writers who spent months and even years trying to write and publish their children’s book. I want to make it easier on you.
Let me be your guide and it will radically speed up the process (and your book will be much better, too).
I’ve counseled thousands of children’s book writers through the process of coming up with an idea, writing the book, revising the book, and then publishing.
If you want a book that children clamor to read a second time, let’s work together.
Not expert writers. Not famous people.
Just moms, dads, grandpas and grandmas who wanted to entertain the little ones.
By taking my course, you can transform your idea into a living, breathing children’s book, just like all these authors.
And after you write your book, I offer editing services and also help authors with publication and marketing.
More than 1,000 books
Books I've helped authors create
Success stories
And then she started reading at schools around the country, entertaining children with her story of an environmental superhero who used his superpowers to clean up garbage.
Evelyn was a writer who had a young child at home, and though she had a great idea for a children’s book, she didn’t know how to write it.
My course helped her to tweak her concept, and to get a rough draft on the page.
She sent it out to literary agents, and an agent got it published with a huge publishing house in 2019, and it even won a prestigious Northern Lights Book Award for Best Nature / Environment children’s book.
— Gemma Coombes
"Totally new to this, but within a few videos I was flying with my writing and looking critically at my own creations. This course streamlined the crucial points of writing children’s fiction – and I didn’t know that I needed to know it! On top of this, the tips on the next stages of getting agents and publishing has been insightful and I am excited to continue with the process."
— Belinda Hiebert
"John’s course allowed me to go through the content at my own pace. I loved that I could pick up wherever I needed to, go through the videos and rewind when I wanted to hear some piece of info again. The provided pdf's were helpful and really I had a great time while learning SO much. Thanks John for putting together this great course in an easily accessible and organized platform."
— Annie Olson
"What a GREAT way to get started! Love the videos, excellent exercises and resources. This answered a lot of questions — especially the age range and creating memorable characters. Thank you!!!"
— Mirela Szitar-Sirbu
"Particularly useful information, very well structured, easy to follow (even for a person who is not a native English speaker). It was a real pleasure to watch the course and do the exercises (and I will continue). I truly appreciate your work."
— Zac Peter
"This course was exceptionally helpful, entertaining, and kept me on track to creating my children’s book. Upon completion, I felt like I had the tools and resources needed in order to make this dream a reality. Thank you!!!!!"
— Karen Abramo
"I’m a first time writer and what a wealth of information this is. Hesitated at first to purchase but I am so happy I made the investment. John is animated and interesting and clear and exceptionally helpful."
— Deborah Fraser
"If you are looking this over – DO IT !!! I love this course. The content is perfect, the topics covered are so simply and directly explained that they are totally relatable and understandable. And it covers the lot. Beginning to end of the whole process. It has made the world of difference to me already in the first few lessons. I feel like I have a good understanding of the process now and it is not so out of reach! So grateful I came across this!"
— Vanessa Reilly
"I have been on a number of children’s writing course, some with big publishers and this is the first realistic course. John gives fabulous information I have never received on any other course. His ideas about finding an agent and writing a 'query letter' are invaluable. I would highly recommend this course to both new writers and also to those of us coming from a different field of children’s writing wanting to to write children’s stories."
— Karen Andrews
"Writing my first book, I thought I nailed it straight up, but I decided to do John’s course anyway. What an eye opener to all of my mistakes and solutions on how to improve them. It resulted in a couple of re-writes to a much more polished and (I hope) publishable book. The course is easy to follow and do at your own pace. Don’t skip ahead though, make sure you do the “homework” as you go. It makes the whole process so much more beneficial. Loved it!"
This course offers
Editing Support
After you’ve finished the course, you can hire me to personally edit your children’s book.
30 Videos
Learn how to write, edit and publish your children’s book with these practical, step-by-step lessons.
Quizzes
Test your memory of what you’ve just learned with playful quizzes at the end of each video.
Four sections of the course
Generate the best idea for your book, learn how to build your character, and avoid cliche ideas.
1. Pre-writing
How to use repetition, employ key storytelling techniques, and write illustrator-friendly books.
2. The Writing Process
Learn how to compress your book, choose the exact right language, and find an editor.
3. Revision
How to write the perfect query letter and find an agent, or how to hire an illustrator and self publish.
4. The Marketplace
Questions? We have answers!
Leesa McGregor took my course and her children’s book, “A New Alphabet for Humanity” ended up selling more than 100,000 copies around the world.
She said: “I absolutely LOVE John’s work and his writing course really helped me to move my writing forward.”
Success Story
Hi, I’m John!
I’ve helped thousands of children’s book authors write, revise, and publish their books.
If you take my course and hire me for editing, I promise that you’ll write a book that you’re proud of.
I’m the author of a nonfiction book, "The Linchpin Writer" and also a short story collection, “I Will Shout Your Name.”
I’ve also written for the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times.
Ask me a question?
john@bookfox.com
As featured In
Course Curriculum
Book Idea Quiz
Get the Most out of this Course
Find Your Best Book Idea (and Avoid these 3 Cliches)
7 Steps to Becoming a Children’s Book Author
The Golden Rule of Page 3
Picking a Mentor Book
Quiz Time!
A Visual Guide To Children's Book Lengths
30 Questions to Improve Your Character
Quiz: Can you guess the age range?
5 Step to Choose Your Ideal Age Range
7 Examples of Children's Age Ranges
How to Build Your Character (4 Easy Steps)
Launch Day! Writing Your First Draft
Repeat, Repeat, Repeat - Use Language Repetition
Repetition of Story Structure
Repeat After Me: I Will Get All These Quiz Questions Correct
Storytelling with Problem / Solution
Storytelling through Mystery
Storytelling Quiz
The Power of Humor: Be Funny, Zany, Wacky
Should I Rhyme or Not?
Funny Rhyme Quiz
Who is Telling Your Story
Harness the Power of Emotion
Quiz: Mistakes to Avoid
How to Write an Illustrator-Friendly Book
Find Your Deeper Meaning – Metaphor and Subtext
Quiz: Layers of Illustrations
The Art of Compression
The Right Language
Compression Quiz: Can You Edit Like John?
Beta Readers – Feedback from Children & Adults
How to Choose an Editor
20 Questions for Beta Testers
Why You Shouldn't Copyright (But I'll Show You How)
Writing the Perfect Query Letter
Quiz: Queries and Copyright
3 Fantastic Examples of Query Letters
How to Find the Right Illustrator
Don't Freak Out About Formatting
A Challenging Quiz
How to Find the Perfect Literary Agent
Illustrator Cost Ranges
Formatting Examples
How to Find the Perfect Literary Agent (Part II)
A Guide to Self-Publishing
3 Action Steps as We Conclude
I'd Love to Know Your Thoughts
I’m so confident that you’ll like this course that I’ll refund your money if you don’t love it.
Money Back Guarantee
— Sandie McCullough
"What an incredibly fun and thoughtful course packed with insider information on how to get your Children’s Book finished and published. The exercises were awesome to help you hone your skills. This is a must take course! 5 stars."
— Matt Lewis
"Content of course was really good, small chunks easily absorbed. As a published illustrator and author I still gained valuable insight and information from John. Highly recommend this course."
— Elizabeth Buffolino
"This course was really everything that I’ve been looking for. I have been googling “tips for writing children’s books” for so long, but this course surpasses all of the articles that I have read combined. It is so clear with very useful examples and assignments. Thank you so much John!"
— Selina Courtney
"John has completely demystified the Children’s book writing process with his current, clear, concise, deconstruction and explanation in this well worth it how-to!"
— Elke Effler
"I have wanted to write a children’s book for a long time but did not know how. I jumped onto this course and it delivered in spades, answering questions I didn’t even know I had. I highly recommend this course to anyone who wishes to write a children’s book, especially because John’s style is friendly and humorous and his obvious passion for writing shines through every video."
— Louise Vippond
"As somebody just starting out on the journey to writing children’s books, this course was pure gold! So much useful information, presented in an accessible and engaging way by John. I’ve learned so much, and armed with this new knowledge I feel confident to continue my journey, thank you!"
— Karen Abramo
"I’m a first time writer and what a wealth of information this is. Hesitated at first to purchase but I am so happy I made the investment. John is animated and interesting and clear and exceptionally helpful."
— Saralyn Critchlow
"JMF is a really compelling and inviting instructor. You feel like you have someone in your corner guiding you as you finish your book. Each lesson is upbeat and insightful and he gives practical advice and exercises so you, the writer, can see you books improvements with each class. The videos are short but packed full of solid information. If you are considering taking a class, I recommend Bookfox!"
— Lisa Spencer
"This course is just what I needed. I have been working on my picture book manuscript for almost three years. This course covered every area of the book writing process from idea to publishing. The section on “revision” really helped me rewrite my manuscript and make it so much better. I really like that I could do the class at my own pace and go back and re-watch various parts."
— Cathy McCabe
"I am a novice writer who first read John’s article 12 Tips on writing a children’s book. The article itself was so helpful and the reviews so positive that I took this class. The writing tips shared plus how to navigate the end-to-end process of finding an editor, agent, publisher and illustrator were all so valuable. The videos are short, fun and very helpful. HIGHLY recommend this class especially for beginners like me!"
— Beth Sadlek
"This course is easy to follow. John makes it fun! His instructions are clear and he gives great examples. The writing exercises and course homework really help so don’t skip them!"
