by Abi Cushman
Do you have a really cool idea for a novelty book but don’t know where to start? Well, the truth is, when I got the idea for ANIMALS GO VROOM!, my picture book with die-cut windows, I had lots of experience reading novelty books but absolutely no experience making them. So I’m going to share with you what I learned along the way so you can turn YOUR idea into a real novelty book just like I did.
Here’s how to get started:
1. Evaluate the Concept
The first step is to evaluate the concept. Is your idea kid-relatable? Unfortunately, small children may not be interested in your pull-the-tab book about tax preparation. I mean, I’d be clapping in delight to pull a tab to find out if I needed Form 8606 when filling out Line 4B on my 1040, but it may be a tough sell to a 2-year-old.
Make sure your idea is marketable. You might take an evergreen topic that kids and parents always look for, such as dinosaurs, transportation, or bedtime, but present it in a unique, appealing way.
Finally, does your book really need a novelty element? Don’t just add feathers because you think they’re pretty. You should be able to justify why a novelty element is central to the story or idea. Novelty elements cost a lot to produce, and publishers want to feel confident in their investment.
For example, in ANIMALS GO VROOM!, I combined two evergreen topics in a fresh way: animal sounds + transportation. I had thought about how words like Roar, Honk, or Screech could be used for both an animal sound and a vehicle sound, and how it might be fun to make a book where the reader had to guess who or what was making the sound. Die-cut holes that peeked through to the next spread and offered clues seemed like a fun, but intentional way to use a novelty element.
2. Look at Mentor Texts
The next step is to see what novelty books are already out there. Make sure your concept really is fresh and not just new-to-you.
When you find books with novelty elements similar to yours, examine how the novelty element was incorporated into them. Look at how they set up and designed the pages. You may have to dismantle the book to see how things like pull tabs and spinners work.
When I was making ANIMALS GO VROOM!, I studied novelty picture books like Tupera Tupera’s POLAR BEAR’S UNDERWEAR and Simms Taback’s THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY, to get a better idea of how thick the paper was and how large the die-cuts were.
The other thing I looked at was page count. Typically, novelty board books are 5-10 spreads. They often do not have a title page, so you jump right into the action. The copyright info is on the back cover, and they’re usually smaller than picture books. Novelty picture books are usually 32 pages and you end up with about 12 spreads of main story content.
3. Make a Rough Dummy
This is the step where you get to experiment and have fun! If you’re wondering, “Do I need to make a dummy if I’m not an illustrator?”, the answer is yes, absolutely. This is an important step not only so you can see for yourself if your idea actually works, but also to show other people your idea in action. Don’t worry about being messy or making ugly drawings at the beginning. You’re just trying to work out the functionality.
For ANIMALS GO VROOM!, I started with a few thumbnail drawings.
After that, I cut some printer paper in half and folded it to make a mini book. I cut some holes in the pages to see if the die-cuts would work. And truth-be-told, they did NOT line up at first. I had to make the rectangles larger sometimes or tape in little patches to make everything line up properly.
But it was fun to play and experiment and start to see it all come together. My initial dummy was full of tape, wite-out and messy drawings, but it was good enough to show a critique group and get feedback on it. And since it was so loose and messy, it made it easier to go back and make revisions to it because I wasn’t feeling precious about the art.
4. Polish the Dummy and Submit!
If you’re not an illustrator, you don’t have to worry about wowing anyone with the caliber of your illustrations, but you should try to make the dummy as neat and legible as possible. You want editors and agents to see how the novelty element works and why it’s integral to the book. You can use an app on your phone like Genius Scan to take photos of the pages and it will convert it into a PDF.
If you do plan to illustrate the book, you’ll need to polish up the illustrations as well. Here is a sample from my larger, 9×9” dummy with neater drawings to show my agent (and eventually my editor and art director at Viking).
When I worked on the final art with Jim Hoover, the art director at Viking, we played around with different shapes for the die-cuts. I added a little wiggle room around the sound words and animal faces in the die-cut shapes to allow for any discrepancies in the cutting process. Once we got proofs back from the printer, we only needed to adjust the spacing and measurements on a couple of die-cuts. Here are the final tiger spreads:
So if you feel passionate about a novelty book idea, go for it! I can’t wait to see all your fun, inventive book concepts come to life. Even that Tax Prep for Toddlers book.
Thanks for the novel novelty tips, Abi! (I couldn’t resist.)
Blog readers, Penguin Random House is giving away a copy of ANIMALS GO VROOM!
Leave one comment to enter. A random winner will be selected in one week.
Good luck!
Abi Cushman is the author-illustrator of ANIMALS GO VROOM! and SOAKED!, which was a Kids’ Indie Next Top Ten Pick for Summer 2020. She has also worked as a web designer for over 15 years, and runs two popular websites of her own: MyHouseRabbit.com, a pet rabbit care resource, and AnimalFactGuide.com, which was named a Great Website for Kids by the American Library Association. In her spare time, Abi enjoys running, playing tennis, and eating nachos. (Yes, at the same time.) She lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her husband and two kids.
To learn more about Abi and her books, visit her website at AbiCushman.com. If you like secrets, exclusive sneak peeks, wombats, and special giveaways, subscribe to her newsletter.
89 comments
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September 3, 2021 at 11:46 am
Mary Warth
Thanks Abi for the step- by step tips. Your book looks and “sounds” amazing!
September 3, 2021 at 11:48 am
Deb Adamson
I’m lucky enough to have already purchased a signed copy of this adorable book! Can’t wait to give it to my two-year old vehicle/animal loving nephew!
September 3, 2021 at 1:22 pm
Abi Cushman
🙂 Thanks, Deb!
September 3, 2021 at 11:48 am
calliebdean
This is such a helpful post! I have a novelty book manuscript that I haven’t done anything with yet, but it sounds like my next step is to make a dummy 🙂
September 3, 2021 at 11:54 am
rosecappelli
Love learning from you, Abi! This book is such fun!
September 3, 2021 at 11:57 am
Elyse Trevers
I really enjoyed reading this had an idea recently and this made me realize it might be a great novelty book. Now to get to work…
September 3, 2021 at 11:58 am
pathaap
Very helpful post, Abi. Thanks! Your book looks wonderful!
September 3, 2021 at 12:04 pm
katiemillsgiorgio
Great advice…thanks for sharing!
September 3, 2021 at 12:05 pm
Christine Pinto
Cool post! Thanks for the in detail info about how to do this!
September 3, 2021 at 12:10 pm
kskeesling
Congratulations on your second book release! I loved seeing your process, it’s so helpful to have visuals to learn from, thanks Abi.
September 3, 2021 at 12:15 pm
Joy Wieder
I love it! Thanks for sharing your process. I had an idea for a novelty book many moons ago, and then a book came out just like it and stole my idea 😉
September 3, 2021 at 1:22 pm
Abi Cushman
Oh no! That’s happened to me too and it’s so disappointing. Though I suppose it validates that we do have great (publishable) ideas.
September 3, 2021 at 12:16 pm
diana patton
Your book sounds (absolutely delightful. The tips are great; I’ve been wondering about how to create a special effects book. Thank you!
September 3, 2021 at 12:17 pm
Polly Renner
So cool! Thank you fur sharing this whole process!! And congrats!
September 3, 2021 at 12:21 pm
Susan Claus
Thank you for showing all the steps in your process.
September 3, 2021 at 12:25 pm
KIM NOLAN
Thank you Abi! This was so informative. Your post answered all of my questions about how to propose and submit a novelty book.
September 3, 2021 at 12:25 pm
lmconnors
What a wonderful post! Congratulations Abi.
September 3, 2021 at 12:26 pm
lmconnors
Wonderful post! Congratulations Abi.
September 3, 2021 at 12:28 pm
Linda Mitchell
Very cool book and wonderful, practical advice for how to start. Thanks!
September 3, 2021 at 12:30 pm
rmscott99
This was so well done! Are lift-the-flap books considered novelty books? I started illustrating one. 🙂
September 3, 2021 at 12:34 pm
Wendi Silvano
Looks delightful! Congrats!
September 3, 2021 at 12:35 pm
Stephanie Gibeault
I would love to do a novelty book. Thank you so much for your great advice, Abi!
September 3, 2021 at 12:39 pm
Jody Jensen Shaffer
This looks darling, Abi!
September 3, 2021 at 12:47 pm
Rebecca Guzinski
Thank you, Abi! 🙂
September 3, 2021 at 12:52 pm
kirstenpendreigh
Well now I guess I’ll shelve my board book about planning for retirement! 😉 So fun to see the process, Abi. I just LOVE this book! I think I told you before my then-preschooler thought we should use yowling cats in ambulances instead of sirens to make things more fun! Awesome concept mash-up!
September 3, 2021 at 1:20 pm
Abi Cushman
bwahaha! Perhaps we need to start a new line of novelty board books for Adulting. And yes! Haha I remember the yowling cats. It’s spot on.
September 3, 2021 at 1:01 pm
Deborah Williams
Loved learning about your process! So happy for your success!
September 3, 2021 at 1:02 pm
supermario6
So interesting to see how you constructed the book yourself!
September 3, 2021 at 1:04 pm
Claire A. B. Freeland
Thanks for sharing how this book came about. It looks adorable!
September 3, 2021 at 1:18 pm
Teresa Rodrigues
Congrats, Abi, and thanks for sharing your process!
September 3, 2021 at 1:26 pm
K. Yin
Super informative post. Thanks, Abi!
September 3, 2021 at 1:35 pm
authorlaurablog
What a fun post! Thanks for sharing.
September 3, 2021 at 2:01 pm
Kelly Zhang
What an informative post! Congratulations on making this fun book!
September 3, 2021 at 2:06 pm
Leslie Eva Tayloe
Thank you! Great tips. And, congrats on your book!
September 3, 2021 at 2:11 pm
aliciaminor
Our very dear Abi and her stories deserve a place in Story storm, a very good example of a very successful author and illustrator from Storyteller Academy. Go Abi!!!
September 3, 2021 at 6:26 pm
Abi Cushman
Thanks, Alicia! Yay Storyteller Academy!
September 3, 2021 at 2:45 pm
Catherine
Thank you for sharing! What a fun book!
September 3, 2021 at 2:58 pm
Susan Johnston Taylor
Congrats, Abi! This sounds adorable.
September 3, 2021 at 3:32 pm
Cheryl Johnson
Loved reading this! I never knew how a book like this was created!
September 3, 2021 at 3:35 pm
Bethanny Parker
This sounds like such a fun book! I love how you did the die cuts.
September 3, 2021 at 3:36 pm
serenagingoldallen
Loved reading this post! I’ve made a few novelty book dummies (having absolutely no idea what I was doing and not being an illustrator) but I was able to share them with my editor. And I’m happy to note that my dummies didn’t look any worse than Abi’s. 🙂 Anyway, I loved seeing the progression here from first idea to finished product.
September 3, 2021 at 6:25 pm
Abi Cushman
Yes when I make my early dummies, my main goal is making sure it functions the way I want and that it’s legible enough for other people to see what the idea is.
September 3, 2021 at 3:44 pm
susandilldetwiler
Terrific post! Thanks for all the information, presented in a way that was fun and easy to follow. Great job Abi and Tara!
September 3, 2021 at 4:43 pm
katiefischerwrites
I have been wondering what kind of special work goes into the novelty books. Thanks for sharing for experience.
September 3, 2021 at 5:37 pm
Nancy Furstinger
Thanks for a glimpse into this fascinating process–can’t wait to see your latest (loved SOAKED)! And now I’m going to hop on over to your house rabbit website (I have a trio of house rabbits, volunteer with the rabbits @ my SPCA, and feature my rescued NZ white in one of my books)!
September 3, 2021 at 6:28 pm
Abi Cushman
Oh hooray! Bunny people rock!
September 3, 2021 at 5:48 pm
mlyablonaolcom
Loved Abi’s Soaked, so I know I’ll love Animals Go Vroom!
September 3, 2021 at 5:50 pm
kathydoherty1
I love all the action verbs!
September 3, 2021 at 6:00 pm
chaunceyelephant
fun concept; can picture reading this aloud and laughing with my little one!
September 3, 2021 at 6:01 pm
Penny Parker Klostermann
This looks adorable and I loved seeing the process! Very informative!
September 3, 2021 at 7:19 pm
Genevieve Gorback
This was fantastic, Abi and Tara!
Thank you for sharing your process!
September 3, 2021 at 7:45 pm
karen lee
What a clever idea! And thanks for sharing the very first sketches!
September 3, 2021 at 8:43 pm
writersideup
Love the post, Abi 🙂 I’ve created novelty books and you did a GREAT job explaining the process 🙂 And the tax novelty? LOL!! ❤
September 3, 2021 at 8:50 pm
Linda
I love the cut-outs in the pictures in this book.
September 3, 2021 at 9:11 pm
Sarah Meade
Thanks for the post, Abi! I love the progress pics from your adorable book.
September 3, 2021 at 9:24 pm
marty bellis
What a fun idea. It’s always great to see the stages a book goes through on its way to the final version. Thanks for sharing all your tips for the process.
September 3, 2021 at 9:45 pm
Marcia Berneger
My son will love this when it comes out! I love how you paired the animal and vehicle sounds! So creative!
September 3, 2021 at 9:46 pm
Chelle Martin
Thanks for sharing, Abi. Love your concept book idea. I appreciate the advice.
September 3, 2021 at 9:47 pm
Marcia Berneger
My son will love this book when it comes out! I love how you paired the animal and vehicle sounds. So creative!
September 3, 2021 at 11:35 pm
Varda Livney
Funny AND Informative. Both the post AND the book! Thanks!
September 4, 2021 at 9:44 am
evelynchristensen
What a fun book! Thanks so much for sharing your process, Abi. Congratulations to you.
September 4, 2021 at 10:08 am
Jan Milusich
Abi, I make tactile books for my students who have visual impairments and or blindness. I think they would love a book where they get to guess that the sound on one page creatively matches the tactile image on the next page. Off to the drawing(creating) board . . .
Thanks for the idea!
September 4, 2021 at 12:35 pm
Abi Cushman
Wow! That would be awesome. Go for it!
September 4, 2021 at 11:43 am
Rebecca Van Slyke
I love this concept! And thanks for the tutorial on beginning the process for a novelty book.
September 4, 2021 at 3:24 pm
chardixon47
Congratulations Abi! I’m looking forward to reading ANIMALS GO VROOM! Thank you for sharing your insightful tips!
September 4, 2021 at 3:50 pm
Heather Stigall
This looks adorable, Abe! I can’t wait to see it in real life. Thanks for the novelty book tips, too!
September 4, 2021 at 5:50 pm
Janet Johnson
I loved hearing about the process! So creative. Thanks for sharing, Abi!
September 4, 2021 at 5:50 pm
Janet Johnson
I loved hearing about the process! So creative. Thanks for sharing, Abi!
September 4, 2021 at 6:07 pm
Stephen S. Martin
Love your explanation of the process and what a clever idea. Good Luck.
September 4, 2021 at 9:38 pm
seschipper
Thanks for sharing the process you have used, Abi! So clever! Congratulations! 🙂
September 4, 2021 at 9:59 pm
Christina Frigo
This is such a cute concept. Looking forward to reading this one!!
September 5, 2021 at 1:23 am
Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez
So much fun, Abi and Tara! I just loved this post and your boo, Abi!
September 5, 2021 at 6:43 am
kaleegwarjanski
I can’t wait to read this book! My son is going to love it.
September 5, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Amy Benoit
Yay, Abi! Thanks for the tips.
September 5, 2021 at 2:51 pm
Kris H
I appreciate your reminder to look at what has already been done… another excuse for my personal library. 🙂
September 5, 2021 at 6:15 pm
Lori Alexander
This book is sheer genius! Congrats, Abi!
September 5, 2021 at 6:19 pm
writeremmcbride
Abi! Thank you so much! I love your book and your idea of using sound words in two ways. I have had a novelty book idea churning around for quite some time, but haven’t dared to send it out since I can’t illustrate the functional side of it well. Your informative article is very encouraging! I will get it out there and give it a try! Thank you!
September 7, 2021 at 4:59 pm
Abi
Awesome- yes! Make a dummy and have fun with it!
September 5, 2021 at 7:18 pm
Monica Acker
Thanks, Abi, for showing how this book came to life. It is so fun!
September 6, 2021 at 4:34 pm
Carol Gordon Ekster
This concept is fabulous! Congrats and thanks for sharing your tips.
September 6, 2021 at 11:57 pm
Karan Greene
This is such a fun-sounding book!!
September 7, 2021 at 12:29 pm
caroljoymunro
Wow. Timing is everything. I’ve just been thinking about novelty and board books (and, in fact, began writing one this morning), and now I find this email from days ago. It’s just what I need to hear! Thanks Tara and Abi!
September 7, 2021 at 5:03 pm
Abi
Hooray! That’s awesome, Carol!
September 7, 2021 at 2:16 pm
Kassy Keppol
I love this concept, can’t wait to see the book.
September 8, 2021 at 10:28 pm
TL Fales
You’ve got my wheels turning. Maybe even for the tax book.
September 9, 2021 at 1:47 pm
Lynn Becker
Excellent post. I loved seeing your dummy in its stages. And very clever idea, too! Looking forward to seeing the book.
September 11, 2021 at 5:14 pm
tinamcho
Great post of tips! Congrats on your book!
September 15, 2021 at 3:21 pm
Alicia Shawn Gagnon
Woohoo! Love all the roars and fun sounds for children…& the adult reader.
Congrats and peace! Alicia
January 20, 2022 at 5:09 pm
Peggy Archer
Thanks for the tips! I know a special one-year old who would love this book!