Looking for independently published children’s books? Every month, we sample books from this growing corner of the publishing industry.
Our weekly self-published bestsellers list is often dominated by the popular genres of romance and erotica. In an effort to help GalleyCat readers find other kinds of independent authors, we will offer regular genre-focused bestseller lists for other kinds of indie writers–we’ve highlighted three top children’s books from three different marketplaces.
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Bestselling Children’s Books by Self-Published Authors
Amazon Books
Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja by Marcus Emerson: “My name is Chase Cooper, and I’m a 6th grade ninja. It’s my first day at a different school and the only person I know is my cousin, Zoe (but she might be a little too cool for me).”
The Monster That Ate My Socks by A.J. Cosmo: “What happens to all those socks that go missing? Monsters eat them of course!”
Slumber Party Wars by Melanie Marks: “When twelve-year-old, Nicole, is forced to go to a new school, nothing goes right. She swallows her contacts, throws up on the boy she likes, and looks like a dork in front of Sara, the girl she wants to be friends with most.”
Barnes & Noble Books
Maggie and the Perfect Puppy by Courtney Ruffalo: “Maggie is an extremely bright and imaginative 5 1/2 year old (although she tells everyone she meets “I’m practically six”). Maggie wants to imagine a world more fantastic than her own. She wishes for impossible, fairy tale-like experiences but accepts the world as it is.”
Maggie and the Trouble with Monkeys by Courtney Ruffalo: “In this first installment in the series Maggie is imagining all the ways her brother acts like a monkey.”
Dolphins: Playmates of the Sea by Caitlind Alexander: “Dolphins are mammals that live in the ocean. They have smooth, gray skin. Their skin feels like rubber. The dolphin’s mouth is filled with rows and rows of sharp teeth.”
Smashwords Books
Jocomo by Timothy Cohorst: “In this tale, written entirely in verse for the intermediate to advanced reader, Jocomo’s journey takes him afar, not in a plane, or a train, or a car, to a place where his differences trump “fitting in”, and his talents inspire a Kingdom to grin.”
A Heavenly Hill Hollow Halloween by Winders Templing: “Welcome to Heavenly Hill Hollow.. a small town tucked away in the backwoods of rural America, slightly off the grid of the mainstream hustle and bustle.”
The Underachievers by Holly Young: “What can Tully do when he fails the test to be an Easter bunny for the last time? The situation looks up as he and some under-achieving hopefuls get another chance. Will they be able to problem-solve their way through a maze of fractions to prove themselves worthy?”
This list was created by collecting the three most popular self-published books in three different marketplaces: the “Children’s Books” Best Sellers list at Amazon, the “Kids & Young Readers” bestsellers at Barnes & Noble and the bestselling “Children’s Books” category at Smashwords.
What do you think? If you believe your book should (or should not) be included in our rankings, feel free to email GalleyCat with your concerns.