Free tool for children's book authors  ·  Find your stage in 2 minutes — no account needed
Show me my stage

Free · Takes 2 minutes

Wondering what your children’s book needs next? Let's find your exact spot on the path.

The free Kidlit GPS™ shows you which stage your current book is in, what to focus on now, and the next milestone to work toward.

Click now to begin the free 2-minute GPS check-in.

Have more than one book in progress? Complete the GPS for the one book you most want help with right now. You can return and complete it again for your other books.

Free Children’s Book Writing Roadmap | Kidlit GPS™
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The Kidlit GPS™

One journey. Six stages.
A clear path for every book.

Every children’s book moves through the same core stages—from choosing and developing the idea to writing, revising, publishing, and becoming a book readers can hold. Kidlit GPS™ helps you see where your current book is on that path.

Your Book's pathYour book's path, for every book idea

1
Dreamer“I have an idea”
2
Drafter“I'm writing it”
3
ReviserMaking it publish-ready
4
Explorer“Which path?”
Traditional path
5
Query agents & publishers
Self-publishing path
5
Produce & launch your book
Author“I'm published”
When you begin another book, you return to the beginning and move through the stages again with more knowledge and experience behind you.
children’s book writing roadmap
From Stage 1 · DreamerThe idea moment
Free Children’s Book Writing Roadmap | Kidlit GPS™
To Stage 6 · AuthorWhen your book gets published
Free Children’s Book Writing Roadmap | Kidlit GPS™
Find your next stepGet one clear action, in your inbox

How the navigation system works

Three quick steps to your next move.

1

Answer a few quick questions about your current book

Tell us what you’ve completed and where you feel stuck. This isn’t a personality test. Your answers simply help us pinpoint where this book is on the path.

2

Discover your stage

See which stage your book is in, the milestone you’re working toward, and the common roadblock that may be slowing you down.

3

Get your stage roadmap

Your personalized PDF will show you what to focus on now, what to avoid, and the steps to complete before moving to the next stage.

You're not behind. You just need the right map.

After reviewing more than 900 children’s book writer responses, we found that approximately 76% rated their current progress a three out of five or below. They weren’t lacking ideas or passion. Most were struggling to understand what to work on next—and whether they were on the right track.

Your roadmap will also point you toward the education, feedback, and support that best match your current stage, so you can stop sorting through advice that doesn’t apply yet or feeling like you’re always starting over at the beginning.

Free Children’s Book Writing Roadmap | Kidlit GPS™
Brooke Van Sickle Owner of Journey to Kidlit and Award-Winning Author

Hey, I'm Brooke Van Sickle

Why I built the Kidlit GPS.

I built Kidlit GPS™ from more than a decade of working across the children’s book journey, as an author, senior editor, educator, and publisher.

After running a publishing house that helped produce more than 50 titles, and reviewing more than 1,000 children’s book manuscripts, I know what it takes to help writers at every stage—from their first idea to their publishing contract.

But again and again, I see talented writers stall for the same reason: they're receiving plenty of advice, yet no one has shown them how all the steps fit together. That's why I created this system.

The Kidlit GPS™ is the navigation system I wish every children’s book writer had from day one.

Find Your Stage Here

Free Children’s Book Writing Roadmap | Kidlit GPS™

Your result isn’t based on how long you’ve been writing or whether you consider yourself a beginner.

 It’s based on what you’ve completed for this specific book and what it needs next.

Take the free GPS navigation system and get:

  • A separate GPS result for each book you assess 
  • A roadmap matched to its current stage 
  • Clear milestones before moving forward 
  • Support that changes as the book progresses

Click now to begin the
free 2-minute GPS check-in.

Free · No spam · Your info stays private.