Stage #1: Books begin with a great idea.



Here is an author (it's supposed to be Aliki!) writing down a story. Probably, the author will write a few drafts of the story, trying to improve it each time.

Most authors do some research for their stories to make sure that they spell words right and get their facts straight. Aliki spends a lot of time doing research for her books.

Sometimes it takes many weeks for the author to find the right way to tell her story. When she is satisfied, she'll type up her words into a manuscript which she will send to her editor at the publishing house.