Children’s book publishing for Australian authors
Story editing, illustration, picture-book layout, printing and distribution — and you keep the rights, the royalties and every illustration at the end.
Start your publishing journeyExplore services
Numbers we can show you the basis for
- 16
- Services under one roof
- 32
- Pages, planned spread by spread
- 100%
- Of your rights and royalties
- 1 day
- To a written reply
Everything a story
needs before it’s a book
Words and pictures are the craft. Publishing is what turns them into a book a child can actually hold.
- 01 / IllustrationIllustrationCharacter design, storyboards and finished artwork for picture books and chapter books. You own every image.Learn more →
- 02 / EditorialStory editingEditing for the read-aloud: rhythm, page turns and words pitched at the age your reader actually is.Learn more →
- 03 / DesignCover designA cover a child points at and a parent picks up, designed to work on a shelf and as a thumbnail.Learn more →
- 04 / WritingStory writingHave the idea but not the words? A writer shapes it with you into a text that is still your story.Learn more →
- 05 / PublishingBook publishingISBN in your name, durable print specs, and listings with bookshops, libraries and online retailers.Learn more →
- 06 / LaunchBook marketingA launch aimed at the people who choose children’s books: parents, teachers and librarians.Learn more →
Genres we publish
Children’s books first, every genre welcome
Picture books, early readers and chapter books are what we do most. Every other genre has its own page too, explaining how we edit it and what its cover has to signal.
- Children’s books
- Fantasy
- Adventure
- Mystery
- Romance
- How-to guides
- Drama
- Horror
- Biography
- Health
- Travel
- Philosophy
- Science fiction
- Crime
- Art
- Business
A child is waiting for your story.
Shall we make it a book?
Promote your picture book to
parents, schools and libraries.
Children’s books are chosen by grown-ups. We plan the launch around the people who put books in young readers’ hands.
Plan my launch
Learn more about
Kangaroo Direct Publishing
A full-service publishing house for children’s books, and for every other kind of book too. Story editing, illustration, picture-book layout, printing, ISBN and distribution, and launch, under one roof. You keep the rights, the royalties and every file at the end.
- Your story is read before you are given a price
- One editor and one illustrator, named, from first sketch to finished book
- No royalty share, no rights assignment, and every illustration is yours
Publishing that puts
your book first, always
A picture book has to work read aloud, one page turn at a time. We edit, illustrate and lay it out with that reader in mind.
Personal, not package-based
No one-size-fits-all bundles. Every project gets a publishing plan built around your book and your budget.
One editor and one illustrator
From first sketch to retail listing, with no hand-offs and no re-explaining your story to someone new.
You keep your rights
The words, the characters and every illustration stay yours. We never take a share of sales.
Built for small hands
Page counts, paper and binding chosen for books that get read aloud, dropped and read again.
Everything you need to bring your book to life.
Whether you have a finished manuscript or just an idea, tell us where you are and we will recommend the right services, timeline and investment. No pressure, no jargon.
Premium membership
Extra 20% off & earn reward plus exclusive offers and more
Start your publishing journeySome exclusions apply — see page details
Picture book
process
Have a story for children but not sure where to start? Here is what happens between your first message and a finished picture book.
Step 1: Tell us about the story
A short form or a call. Who it is for, how far along it is, and what you want from it.
Step 2: An editor reads it
Picture-book texts are short, so we read every word. Free, and no obligation.
Step 3: Scope and fixed quote
A written plan: stages, dates, deliverables and one price. Drop anything you do not want.
Step 4: Illustrate and design
Character sketches, a page-by-page storyboard, then finished art. You approve each stage.
Step 5: Proof, publish, distribute
A printed proof, then ISBN, legal deposit and listings with bookshops and libraries.
Comprehensive publishing services
Take the whole process or the single part your book is stuck on. Nothing here is bundled to pad an invoice.
Illustrations
Character design, a page-by-page storyboard and finished artwork, laid out for picture books and chapter books. You own every illustration.
Start your publishing journeyRead more- Story writingYou have the idea and not the words. A writer shapes it with you into a read-aloud text, and the story stays yours — your name, your copyright, your call.
- EditingEditing for the read-aloud: rhythm, repetition, page turns and vocabulary pitched at the age your reader actually is. Then a proofread for what is left.
- MarketingA launch aimed at the grown-ups who choose children’s books: school and library visits, review copies and a plan with dates in it.
- Audio bookA read-aloud recording, narrated, directed and mastered to retail specification, then sent to Audible, Apple Books and library platforms.
- PublicationISBN and retailer accounts in your name, print specs that survive small hands, and listings with bookshops, libraries and online retailers.
- IllustrationsCharacter design, a page-by-page storyboard and finished artwork, laid out for picture books and chapter books. You own every illustration.
What published authors say
We help first-time picture-book authors, teachers and grandparents, as well as novelists and memoirists, make books they are proud to put their name on.
Marnie DelacroixAuthor of The Lighthouse Cat I had the story and some very rough sketches, and no idea how any of it became an actual book. What I did not expect was being asked why the cat was in the lighthouse at all. That question changed the ending. The proof copy arrived and my daughter read it to me, which is the only review I needed.
Nadia VanceAuthor of Salt and Paper Boats I had been told by two other companies what my manuscript would cost before either of them had opened it. Here someone read the whole thing first and came back saying the first sixty pages were a prologue pretending to be chapters. That was not what I wanted to hear and it was the right call.
A portfolio built
on purposeful craft
Illustration, cover and production work. Picture books and chapter books first, with fantasy, crime, romance, memoir and poetry alongside.
See the full portfolioTestimonials
A simple, guided process that takes your story from first draft to finished book, with a real publisher alongside you at every step.
Marnie DelacroixIllustration and printing I had the story and some very rough sketches, and no idea how any of it became an actual book. What I did not expect was being asked why the cat was in the lighthouse at all. That question changed the ending. The proof copy arrived and my daughter read it to me, which is the only review I needed.
Nadia VanceStructural editing and cover design I had been told by two other companies what my manuscript would cost before either of them had opened it. Here someone read the whole thing first and came back saying the first sixty pages were a prologue pretending to be chapters. That was not what I wanted to hear and it was the right call.
Hana OkadaIllustration and picture-book layout I teach Year 1 and wrote the story for my own class. I assumed the pictures would be the hard part. It was the storyboard: seeing every spread pinned up on one wall showed me the middle sagged. We moved one scene, and the red coat stopped changing shade halfway through.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers for first-time children’s authors, including the questions about cost and illustration rights.
- Most illustrated picture books cost more than a novel to publish, because the illustration is the largest single cost. Your quote depends on the number of spreads, the illustration style and the print specification, and we confirm it after reading your text. You see an itemised price for editing, illustration, layout and publishing before any work begins.
- Yes. Copyright in the text stays with you, and every illustration is licensed to you outright for all editions, documented in writing before the illustrator starts. We never take a percentage of your sales, and the ISBN is registered to you as the publisher.
- Illustration takes three to five months for a standard 32-page picture book, then allow a few weeks for layout, proofing and retailer setup. Editing the text is quick; the time goes into character design, a spread-by-spread storyboard and finished artwork. Your plan carries dated stages, not a vague window.
- No. Most picture-book authors arrive with the text only, and some with rough sketches. We match the story to an illustrator whose style suits the age group and tone, show you samples before anything is commissioned, and you approve character designs before a single page is painted.
- Most first-time authors spend between $2,000 and $9,000, depending on what the manuscript needs. Editing a 60,000-word novel starts at about $1,900. A full package of editing, cover design, typesetting, ISBN registration and retailer setup starts at about $4,900. We confirm the figure after reading your manuscript, because word count alone does not tell us how much work it needs.
- We will tell you. A manuscript assessment is the cheapest thing we sell for a reason: a written report on what works, what does not, and what to fix first. Some authors take it away and revise for six months before coming back. Paying for a cover before the book is ready is the most common waste we see.
Your story
deserves to be published
Picture book, early reader or chapter book: we handle the whole publishing process. Tell us about the story and an editor will read it before you are quoted.
Call nowStart your publishing journey