Are you an aspiring children’s book author eager to see your stories in print? Discover the ultimate guide that takes you from idea to successful publication. “How to Write, Market and Sell Children’s Books” is your comprehensive companion through every stage of the publishing journey. Packed with 460 pages of invaluable insights accumulated over 24 years in the industry, this book leaves no stone unturned.
The 5300 Year History of Unicorns and Bi...
Unicorns have been written about, described, sketched and drawn for more than 5300 years – and yet, historians want to claim they are a myth? Why do you think that is?
Encouraging Children to Write
As a children’s book author, I have found it incredibly important to be active in schools as my audience is there 75% of the year. Yet that being said, how do you make it worth the teacher’s time? One of the key things I like to do upon reading a book to the students is […]
The book publishing snowman theory:
Book publishing is like a snowman – follow me here. To build a snowman you have to have the desire to get out in that freezing cold snow. You have to have the talent and patience to do the job. You have to be willing to learn or research the aspects you don’t know. You […]
Doing business without advertising is li...
I like this one: Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does. Steuart H. Britt I find that hilariously true… and yet, can not do anything about it. When you don’t have the economic means to advertise your product(s) to […]
How to make a Great Book Cover (Self-Pub...
You’ve written the book, yeah! You’ve edited the book, super! You are ready to publish the book, wahoo! But Wait! You need a book cover. If you are not a graphic designer like me, you may feel a bit overwhelmed. You are creative with words, not pictures. How do you begin? Where do you […]
Bullying: What are the answers to the qu...
I did some major research for a children’s bullying story I was writing for the Hamilton Troll series and what wowed me were the statistics. The in-depth research that was done as to the various types of bullying, the various reasons bullies are created, the various reasons bullies attack, but the ‘how to stop the […]
Start by doing what’s necessary; then do
What a great quote! Yes I like quotes – they are great inspirational writing starter topics – perfect for blogs – but this one is truly amazing… Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and environment had these words to encourage your efforts; “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and […]
Experience life through a writers eyes!
You see things and say “Why?”; but I dream things that never were and I say “Why not?” – George Bernard Shaw* That is how I write. Or at least how I used to write. So many of my stories came from dreams (stories that I haven’t published yet) and a few that I have. […]
When one door closes another one opens.
When one door closes another one opens. – Alexander Graham Bell Easy to say, hard to see. How many people can see the open door next to the closed door? The door that was open moments ago, the one that we were heading towards, had the goal of walking through, had been anticipating the idea […]
I can’t afford to follow my dreams the b
Have you ever said this? I know I have, on many, many occasions. When my husband was first trying to get me to start my own website business I couldn’t fathom working for myself. Waiting for someone to just happen by and give me money to create something for them. I grew up KNOWING that […]
Have Children Read Your Children’s Book
A recent comment from a LinkedIn member reminded me of a story that I felt would be really great to share, especially for those authors who are self publishing and even more so for those thinking to print in bulk to save money. When I was first starting out, regarding self publishing, I was still […]
Read. Get Smart. Make Good Choices. Beco...
– The more you read, The more you know. The more you know, The smarter you grow. The smarter you grow, The stronger your voice When speaking your mind Or making a choice. – I saw this poster in an elementary school library and I LOVED IT! What a great message! Read – Get Smart […]
Start your own Troll Patrol
What is the Troll Patrol? Hamilton Troll realizes in our next book “Hamilton Troll meets Rudy Rat” (available July 4th) that there are some children out there that are ‘mean’ to others…. You see Rudy Rat wasn’t a very nice rat to the other children. He didn’t know how to make friends so he took their […]
It’s not Education if it’s Fun… It’s Enl
Education – acquiring knowledge through teaching and instruction. Enlightenment – giving or imparting knowledge by removing the dimness from one’s eyes or heart. These two definitions talk about gaining knowledge, the difference is the means to the end. Learning lessons, through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or […]
Do you ever worry about writers block?
Writers block can definitely be a problem. So can deadlines. How can you write something on a deadline, especially when you don’t know what to write about? This reminded me of those weekly journal reports we used to do back in high school. For ten minutes we needed to write in our journals. It could […]
How to Create/Publish Children’s Books
1. Write a Good Book This is such a ridiculous suggestion it may even be over-looked but the key to this statement is “Good” and not just good in your head but good for children. What age group are you writing for? Have you read it to children in that age group and received a […]
It takes hard work, for this dance!
I love watching dance movies. Whether it is ballet, or hip hop, I simply love them. Why? Because the hero must endure. They must work hard, practice, face the challenges, keep struggling and then in the end – they succeed! They give the best performance of their life and win! It’s a feel-good moment that […]
Using Amazon and Buy Now links
In this post I’m actually going to combine questions 8 and 10 together because they truly go hand in hand. Q. Do I need links to Amazon for my books on my author web site? A. I would! I would link to absolutely every bookstore and online shop I can. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell […]
How to market your author website
While I am not an expert on marketing, I do know enough to get by. I know that a website that doesn’t change grows stagnant. I know that Google is going to drop you down if you don’t add new content every once in a while. And I know that a website takes work, a […]
Testimonials and Reviews, are they impor...
In the world of web, the difference between testimonials and reviews isn’t much. Defined though, a testimonial is a statement and a review is a critique. While the terms tend to reflect generation, the Google generation vs the hand written letters generation, the point is that they are important. In the world of books, a […]