Children’s Book Authors: Join our StoryWalk© Book Program!
Are you a children’s book author looking for new ways to share your story, gain visibility, and earn passive income? Lark Signs is now accepting submissions from children’s book authors and small publishers who want to feature their books in the Read & Walk™ StoryWalk® program.
If your picture book is fun, inspiring, educational, or beautifully illustrated — we would love to see it.
This page explains what we’re looking for, how much we pay, how royalties work, and what rights we need (and do not need).
What We’re Looking For
We are seeking children’s picture books that are:
Fully illustrated
Approximately 12–52 pages (a StoryWalk© panel fits two book pages)
Appropriate for early readers, families, schools, and public spaces
Wholesome, positive, educational, or nature-themed
Original and owned by you (or your small publisher)
We welcome:
Self-published authors
Indie authors
Small publishers
New or established creators
If you own the rights to your book, we encourage you to submit your information here!
Our Royalty Program
Authors are paid a flat $7.00 royalty per book set sold, whether the StoryWalk© insert set is purchased in printed form or as a digital download.
This rate applies to:
Printed StoryWalk® insert sets
Digital StoryWalk® files sold for self-printing
This flat rate makes earnings simple, predictable, and fair.
Monthly Royalty Payments
Royalties are paid monthly via check, within 15 days after the end of each month.
Each payment includes a clear sales report showing:
Total units sold
Royalty rate
Total payout
Rights You Keep
We believe authors should always remain in complete control of their intellectual property.
You’ll keep:
Full copyright ownership
All publishing rights
All digital, e-book, and audiobook rights
All merchandising rights
All foreign and translation rights
All adaptation rights (film, TV, etc.)
This is also not an exclusive contract. Feel free to partner with other people and businesses while you work with us!
To avoid confusion, we make this promise clear:
“Yes. Usage is limited strictly to producing and selling StoryWalk© inserts and digital downloads. We will never alter your story or illustrations, unless for resizing, publish your book in other formats, or use your work outside the StoryWalk© program. You keep full copyright ownership.”
Rights We Request
The rights we request are extremely limited. Here is the exact scope:
“The licensee (Lark Signs) is being granted permission to reproduce, resize, and modify for basic layout adjustments the book’s pages as StoryWalk© inserts, to sell those inserts, and to use images from the book in marketing the inserts. All copyright remains with the author.”
This limited license allows us to:
Reproduce your book pages as StoryWalk© inserts
Resize or format pages for panel layouts
Sell the printed or digital insert sets
Display book images in our catalog and marketing
Credit you properly everywhere the book appears
Nothing more.
Why Work With Lark Signs?
1. Exposure for Your Book
Your story will be enjoyed by families, classrooms, libraries, parks, and community programs across the country.
2. Passive Income
Once your book is approved, you earn $7.00 for every sale without needing to do anything else.
3. Literacy Impact
Your work becomes part of outdoor reading trails, early literacy initiatives, and educational programming.
4. Simple, Respectful Licensing
We only use your book as StoryWalk© inserts and nowhere else.
What We Need From You
If your book is accepted, we will request:
A high-resolution PDF or image files of the book pages
Your author/illustrator names for proper credit
Your payment information (mailing address and legal name)
A signed non-exclusive licensing agreement
The agreement is straightforward and written to protect both you and your work.
Submit Your Book for StoryWalk©
Or email us at:
karl@larksigns.com
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do I keep the copyright to my book?
Yes. You maintain full copyright and ownership at all times. We only receive permission to create, resize and sell StoryWalk© inserts of your book.
2. Is the licensing agreement exclusive?
No. You can continue selling your book anywhere you like, in any format.
3. What exactly will my book be used for?
Only for StoryWalk® inserts. We will reproduce your pages in an 11” × 17” format, sell those pages digitally or printed, and use images for promotion.
4. Do you alter my text or illustrations?
No. We never alter your creative work. We only resize or reformat pages to fit the StoryWalk® panel layout.
5. How much do I get paid?
You earn $7.00 per StoryWalk© set sold, whether it is printed or digital.
6. When do I get paid?
Payments are made monthly, with a sales report included.
7. What kind of books are you looking for?
Fully illustrated children’s picture books that are engaging, educational, positive, or nature-centered. Not sure if yours will work, email us and we can take a look!
8. Can I submit more than one book?
Yes. We welcome multiple submissions.
9. How long does the partnership last?
Typically a three-year term, renewing automatically unless either party chooses to end it.
10. What if my book has a publisher?
If your publisher owns the rights, they must sign the license — not you. Small publishers are welcome to apply.