How to create and design a Children's Non-Fiction History series:
Inside Story to Spectacular Visual Guides
A Ten Step Guide To The 'Inside Story' of ‘The Spectacular Visual Guides’
Series and How To Create a children’s non-fiction history book series.
So how do you create a children’s non-fiction history book series and keep it in print for more than 35 years? I'll detail my working process when I created and designed the ‘Inside Story’ series in 1988. I later redesigned the series as ‘Spectacular Visual Guides' in 2008 and again in 2015. So, these children's non-fiction books have had a few ‘facelifts’ to help them achieve a surprisingly long, long life which is quite unusual for children’s information books. Normally a series like this would have been consigned down the hatch and be ‘out of print’ after about five years. This series may be seen as dated by some, so how did I make a children’s book series that remained in print for 35 years…and more?
Read on…
How To Create A Children's Non-Fiction History Book Series
Here are ten steps to guide you through the process of creating an educational history non-fiction book series for children:
1 DEFINE THE THEME AND THE PURPOSE OF YOUR IDEA FOR A CHILDREN"S BOOK NON-FICTION SERIES
Start with a clear outline of what the book will focus on. The ‘Inside Story/Spectacular Visual Guides’ focus was introducing kids to historical landmarks. Learning about architecture, people and culture in children’s history was the theme. The purpose of the building or structure is clearly defined, as are its builders and their lifestyle, and the people who live and work around the structure are examined, too. Delivering the historical period in this way establishes a clear purpose for the book.
2 RESEARCH AND SELECT A SUBJECT, WORK OUT THE FORMAT AND LENGTH
Identify, research and know your subject. Large structures, people and culture was my theme so I drafted a list of possible subjects/titles for books that could make ‘Inside Story/Spectacular Visual Guides’ into a series. Developing a series is determined by the thourogh and careful workings that go into the design process for the first book in the series - thereafter it is an easy process for other creatives to run out subsequent titles. My choice of book subjects purposely included diverse structures from different time periods and different parts of the world with an eye to international rights sales. The subjects you choose needs to be of global interest and have compelling stories behind them. Most books for children are 24, 32 or 48 pages. The subject matter of the targeted age group can influence the size and length of the book.
3 DEVELOP A NON-FICTION SYNOPSIS
Books are like life - they have beginnings, middles and ends - so craft a narrative that connects your chosen subject to ensure its story is engaging and accessible for your target age group. When the’ Inside Story/Spectacular Visual Guides’ series was created we aimed it at 9+yrs. The focus of the books was to show how the purpose of a building (or structure) influenced its design, and how it developed over time. The lifestyle and culture of the people in its midst helps to set it in its historical context.
The books were first published by Simon & Schuster in the UK who also sold the rights internationally and in the USA the books were published by Peter Bedrick Books. The publisher, Peter Bedrick’s best selling title in this series was ‘A Medieval Castle’ which was sold mostly in museums and art galleries.
4 THUMBNAIL SKETCHES AND FLAT PLAN
As a book designer I focus on creating strong visuals as my starting point. I draw thumbnail sketches to plan the entire book in miniature as a flatplan. I worked out the series format in this way when I designed the first volume - ‘A Medieval Castle’ - I always chose subjects I knew something about as the first volume.
How To Create a children’s non-fiction history book series flatplan
Series comissioned by Philippa Stewart at Simon & Schuster
Oddly, the UK publisher Philippa Stewart at Simon & Schuster Young Books had ordered five titles to start the series and ‘An Egyptian Pyramid’ needed to be planned extremely carefully and had a tight deadline.
Author, Jacqueline Morley, illustrators: John James and Mark Bergin
I decided to commission two illustrators: John James and Mark Bergin. The author, Jacqueline Morley, and I worked out the sequence of the contents for the book and Jacqueline thoroughly researched the project and made folders of reference for each of the double page spreads. ‘Research’ then entailed frequent trips to the British Library. From Jacqueline’s bundles of reference, I then roughed out each spread in thumbnail sketches to show how the book would flow using dramatic cutaway views, picture strips, 'bird's eye’ views and 'worm's eye’ views.
The Cover Attracts the Eye and Sets the Narrative for the Whole Book
Fflatplan to decide if the spreads were correctly positioned
We used this flatplan to decide if the spreads were correctly positioned. If not, we swapped spreads around and made adjustments before anything was commissioned. It was expensive back in 1989 to move or drop in pieces of artwork by the printers, so the artists had to produce complete double-page spreads, as per the page layouts on one sheet of paper in situ. The artists worked one quarter up on the finished book size.
Ensuring that the illustrations complement the narrative, makes the content visually appealing for the reader. The cover attracts the eye and sets the narrative for the whole book - it requires carefully thinking.
5. CONSIDER AGE APPROPRIATE READING LEVELS
Tailor the language and writing style to suit the age group you're targeting, and never assume *‘prior knowledge’. Use shortish sentences which add information as opposed to describing the illustrated content. Space is always at a premium in books for children so text has to be carefully honed. if you find you don't have enough text space to explain a word that you introduce - make sure that the word is explained in the glossary. An editor’s first question on receiving a new project to edit should be ‘What age is this aimed at?’
* ‘Prior knowledge’ example…
Introducing a term like ‘The Renaissance’ needs explanation:
In European history, the Renaissance saw the exploration and discovery of many new ideas in the fields of thinking, science, technology, and the arts. The Renaissance was so named because so many ideas were being thought about that it seemed as though European culture was being reborn. The word Renaissance means "rebirth". The Renaissance spanned around 1300 to 1600, many other time periods also overlapped the Renaissance with names like the Reformation, the Age of Exploration, or the Age of Discovery.
Summarising any of this content would take up too much of your valuable 200 word main text and likely caption space of 16 - 20 words. It needs to be the glossary
6 INCORPORATE INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS
The ‘Inside Story/Spectacular Visual’ guides’ selling point was the use of exploded views and architectural reconstructions, cutaway illustrations and picture strips. You can integrate other interactive features like pop-ups, fold-out pages, or activities that enhance the learning experience for children. However, adding ‘extras’ adds more expense in printing costs and some techniques can only be done by hand. When I designed the ‘Scary Creatures’ series - my idea was to use ‘see through’ pages. An illustration of an animal printed on one side of a page had its skeleton printed on the reverse side so that when the page was held up to the light - it created an X-Ray effect. This was actually an economic ‘extra’ as the paper had to be thinner for the idea to work, and was therefore cheaper, too. Other options could include age-appropriate quizzes, puzzles, or drawing prompts related to the content of the type of book you plan to create. Obviously added ‘drawing prompts’ are not suitable for books you want libraries to buy copies.
7. BALANCE TEXT AND VISUALS
Maintain a harmonious balance between text and visuals. Ensure that the text provides valuable information, while the illustrations support and enhance the narrative.Captions help to reinforce information and using labels on extended leader lines take the eye to the part of an illustration that is being named or explained. I find it helpful to read text I’ve written out loud to check that it flows naturally and with clarity.
A timeline along with maps are useful additions to Information books - if the subject is appropriate - but a glossary and an index are both essential.
8. CHOOSE TYPOGRAPHY AND DESIGN
Select fonts and typographical design which is easy for children to read. Work out how much text you need - on average 200 words main text is appropriate, plus ‘bite size’ captions. Headings and capitals at the beginning of sentences help make it clear where the main text starts and can set the mood of the spread. Pay attention to the overall design, ensuring it is visually cohesive and aligns with the theme of the book from beginning to end. I often introduced processions or people walking into books - hopefully enticing the reader to walk into the book, too. Be careful with colour behind text - if it’s too dark, text can disappear. On the other hand, children with reading difficulties can find white pages just too white and find it easier to read text on a slightly tinted background.
9. SEEK FEEDBACK FROM CHILDREN
Mock up your book and test it by getting feedback from children to ensure it resonates with them. Your friends and family may not have the heart to be honest - they will adore whatever you produce - so go for an honest critic - a child! Better to receive the negative criticism from your audience before you have palettes of books languishing on a warehouse floor. Consider adjustments based on the feedback that could make your book more engaging. Teachers can be helpful in giving feedback and children enjoy the experience of being a critic and being asked for their opinion. A teacher will report back on how your book was received by the age group, what they understood and what they didn’t. This is your opportunity to make changes. At the same time it’s wise to have a consultant who is an expert to give you feedback on specific areas on age appropriate language or expert subject knowledge.
10. FINALISE AND PUBLISH
Review and finalise the content, ensuring that all elements are cohesive. Once satisfied, proceed to the process of editing, page make-up, printing and publishing whether through traditional publishing or self-publishing. It’s wise to hire an editor or a professional designer if self publishing give your book the professional quality it deserves.
Commissioning illustrators and authors along with page make-up and editing is a whole story in itself that will form other blogs in the future.
Aim high - each stage of the work is an opportunity to inject your creativity and passion into the project. Remember, anyone can deliver information - but if you can deliver an experience that young readers enjoy and remember… that is what creates a title with a long shelf life.
Creating and publishing a book is a collaborative work involving the talents of many people.
Inside Story: Series created and designed by David Salariya
An Egyptian Pyramid 1991
Winner of The (TES) Times Educational Supplement Senior Information Book Award 1992
Book Editor Shirley Salariya
Design Assistant Carol Attwood
Author: Jacqueline Morley studied English at Oxford University and has taught both English and History. She has written and researched many books on art and historical subjects for adults and children. She has written many of the books in the You Wouldn't Want To Be...series
Illustrations:
Mark Bergin was born in Hastings in 1961. He studied at Eastbourne College of art. He illustrated ‘A Medieval Castle’ and a ‘World War II Submarine’ in the Inside Story/Spectacular Visual guides series.
John James was born in London in 1959, He studied at Eastbourne College of Art. He illustrated 'A 19th Century Railway Station' and 'A Medieval Cathedral' in this series.
Consultant:
Prof Rosalie David is an Egyptologist at Manchester Museum, and director of the Manchester Museum Egyptian Mummy Research Project and the Kahun Project. She has been consultant to the BBC television series Chronicle on several films about Egypt.
First published in 1991 by Simon & Schuster Young Books • London
Thank you to Philippa Stewart at Simon and Schuster for seeing the potential in the presentation of a cover, two sample spreads and a synopsis in 1988
Artists and authors: Jacqueline Morley, Mark Bergin, David Antram and Fiona Macdonald were the main brilliant contributors to the Inside Story/Spectacular Visual Guides series between 1988 and 1993 with Fiona Macdonald writing ten of the guides, Jacqueline Morley wrote five, Mark Bergin illustrated ten of the titles and also illustrated An Egyptian Pyramid with John James. David Antram illustrated the last in the series A Samurai Castle along with John James in 1993.
Titles in the Inside Story / Spectacular Visual Guides (SVG) series:
A Shakespearean Theatre
Written by Jacqueline Morley, Illustrated by John James
An Ancient Egyptian Tomb
Written by Jacqueline Morley, Illustrated by John James, Carolyn Scrace, Nick Hewetson
A Medieval Castle
Written & Illustrated by Fiona Macdonald, illustrated by Mark Bergin
A 16th Century Mosque
Written By Fiona Macdonald, Illustrated by Mark Bergin
An Ancient Greek Temple
Written by John Malam, Illustrated by Mark Bergin
An Ancient Roman Fort
Written by Stephen Johnston, illustrated by Mark Bergin
A Medieval Cathedral
Written by Fiona Macdonald, illustrated by John James
A Renaissance Town
Written by Jacqueline Morley, Illustrated by Mark Peppe
A Viking Town
Written by Fiona Macdonald, illustrated by Mark Bergin
The Roman Colosseum
Written by Fiona Macdonald, illustrated by Mark Bergin
A 16th Century Galleon
Written by Richard Humble, illustrated by Mark Bergin
The Beagle
Written By Fiona Macdonald Illustrated by Mark Bergin
A Frontier Fort
Written By Scott Steedman Illustrated By Mark Bergin
An Egyptian Pyramid
Written by Jacqueline Morley, illustrated by Mark Bergin & John James
A 19th Century Railway Station
Written by Fiona Macdonald, illustrated by John James
A Medieval Monastery
Written by Fiona Macdonald, illustrated by Gerald Wood
A Samurai Castle
Written by Fiona Macdonald, Illustrated by David Antram & John James
World War II Submarine
Written by Richard Humble, illustrated by Mark Bergin
African Town
Written by Fiona Macdonald, illustrated by Gerald Wood
A Roman Villa
Written by Jacqueline Morley, illustrated by John James
History & the past: general interest (Children's / Teenage) | Literature, books & writers (Children’s/Teenage) | People & places (Children's / Teenage)
As an inventor of children’s books, curiosity and humour has been at the heart of my work as an artist, designer, and storyteller. I explore history, science, and creating art in the world for many different age groups, using my books to offer a light, hopeful perspective on big world ideas. Rather than adding to the noise, I aim to make complex topics accessible, offering young readers an entry point for understanding the world.
The Salariya Book Company was a hub of creativity, inspiration, and exciting discoveries. Focused on young readers aged 3 to 15, our children's imprints—Book House, Scribo, and Scribblers—offered engaging, informative, and enriching titles designed to spark the imaginations and passions of the next generation. With a strong emphasis on non-fiction, interactive learning, and art-based activity books, The Salariya Book Company helped foster a lifelong love of reading and curiosity - 1989 - 2022.
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