Ready to Self-Publish Your Children's Book? Read This First.

Self-publishing is not as ‘easy’ as it's cracked up to be. Sure, theoretically anyone can do it. But, just because it's easy to put your book online does not mean that you should or even that it will make you any money. The reality of self-publishing is that it is a very tough business, especially on Amazon. You are going against big publishers who have a ton of experience putting their books on the market. How will you make sure that your book stands out? 

8 Things I Have Learned Self-Publishing

1. Have Reasonable Expectations

Too many people make the mistake of thinking that if you put a book on Amazon it will sell itself. The reality is that your book is one book in a vast library of over 8,000,000 books. If you do not advertise your book, you will not sell a single copy and no one will know it exists. Just because you sneaked your book into the largest public library in the world, does not mean that anyone will find it. If you are not worried about sales, go to point two. If you would like to make some actual cash, then you will need to make an advertising plan and consider how much money you want to spend. Most newbies do not sell more than a few hundred books. If you would like to make more than that, you will need to do a lot of work researching the best ways to market your book to your niche

2. Don't Rush It

Most authors spend months to years perfecting a book before they bring it to press. If you have only spent a couple of weeks, your book is nowhere near finished. Join a critique group, have other authors read your work, or pay for an editor to help you out.  Even bestselling authors send their texts to editors to be improved and this process often takes longer than writing itself. My tip. Edit. Edit. Edit.

3. Reflect on Your Illustrations

How do your illustrations compare to other books on the market? When your washing machine breaks down, you hire a repair person who is an expert to fix it. Your illustrator should be an expert, too. Illustrators work hard at their craft and should be paid for their expertise. If you think minimum wage is reasonable, your book will look minimum, too. This is why traditional publishers have their own in house illustrators who they know are experts in their field. If you want to sell lots of books and you are not an artist, do not do your own illustrations. Also, finish all of your editing before you find an illustrator. 

3. Show Your Book to Strangers

Your family and friends will always say your book is great. They love you and don't want to hurt your feelings. You need to find people who do not know you who are willing to read your book. Join a local writers group. Go to your local library and ask your librarian if she knows of any people who would be willing to anonymously critique your book or mentor you. Ask if you can read your book for story-time and see how children react to your book.

4.  Spend Time Coming Up with a Superb Title

First and foremost, your book needs a good title. This should not just sound good, but should also explain to those who do not know you or your book what they are going to expect when they read it. Also, make sure that your title does not sound scary, does not have any negative connotations, and is free from anything that could be considered controversial. A good title stands alone. In addition, look up your title on Google and Amazon and see what other books and products have similar names. This is an important step that shouldn't be forgotten as once your title is uploaded, it is almost impossible to change.

5. Your Cover is More Important Than Your Book

When people see a link or advertisement to your book, the first thing they will do is look at the cover and read the title. Often this is only a tiny thumbnail image on a mobile phone. If the title is illegible or does not catch their attention, they will not even read your blurb and they will definitely not buy your book. Your cover should tell us about what we will expect in the book. If you are doing your own cover, take time to look at other popular books in your genre to see how a good cover looks. A cover is not just an image and a title, its layout, typeface, and understanding industry standards. Zoom out until your image is very small and see if it still works. My advice is to only do your own cover if you have experience in book or graphic design. Unfortunately, you can usually always spot a first time author by the cover of their book. A good cover sells a book because you only get one chance to make a first impression. 

6. Write a Great Blurb

Amazon, for example, only shows the first 2-3 sentences of your blurb and then writes 'more...' You need to catch people's attention in those first few sentences so that they click on either the 'more' button or buy your book. Hook your reader. Tell them why your book is so great and give them a taste as to what your book is about. While putting together my Best Coronavirus Children's Books blog post, I looked at hundreds of product pages and the majority of pages I saw were from first time authors.  Many, were teachers, parents, and medical workers who decided to try to break into the children's book market for the first time. Although some of the newcomers surprised me with their concepts, ingenuity, and talent, others had absolutely no idea what they were doing. Nowhere in your blurb, for example, should you put yourself down and say that you are not a professional writer or illustrator. This may be true, but keep that information to yourself. If you are a teacher, than promote yourself with your experience working with children. If you are a parent, use that. And, don't forget to write in the third person. 

6. Research Your Categories

When you upload to KDP you are allowed to pick two categories for your book. Normally, these are general categories. If you want your book to be a bestseller, you will need to do some research. Most of the 'bestselling new releases' are in categories you probably didn't even know exist. Find other books in your market, see what categories they are in, and add your book to the categories with the least amount of competition (that of course still represent your book).  

7. Use the Look Inside Function

When I went researching coronavirus children's books, I was amazed at how little information authors give about their books. I rarely buy a book just based on the cover. Although I will buy a fiction book based on the blurb, for a children's book I need to be able to look inside. If I don't know what your book is about, why should I buy it? Write to Amazon and have them set the 'Look Inside' feature to at least 50%. You want people to read your book and get hooked. Tell people in the blurb what your book is about and why you wrote it. The more info, the better. My bestselling book The Day the Lines Changed can actually be read in its entirety on my website. So far this transparency has actually improved my sales. 

8. Don't Stop Now

 In order to be successful as a self-publisher, you do need to research what you are doing and treat it like a business. Begin researching how to advertise your book to your niche. This is different for every author. Think of why your book is newsworthy and hit up local media. Call your local paper and television station. If you really want to make it in self-publishing, you will need to have more than just one book. Like many, I didn't begin really earning money until my fourth or fifth book. It takes time to get to know the industry. If you are serious about publishing children's books as more than just a hobby, join the Society of Children's Book Writer and Illustrators. They offer invaluable courses on how to write and illustrate, critique groups, and have chapters all over the world. I would never have gotten to where I am if I hadn't joined this wonderful group of people.

I hope these tips help to get you started. Good luck! If you have any questions, add them to the comments and I'll try to answer them as soon as I can. You'll find more information about A Little Donnerwetter Books and my current projects on my author website at KelleyDonner.com.

Blog Tip: The Toy Whisperer

This week I discovered The Toy Whisperer, a website from Rene Yapp, a blogger from Canada. I especially enjoyed her post called "Are we there, yet? When will this be over?"  where she discusses some valuable tips for parents about how to handle their children's fears about the pandemic and lists various resources and children's books which are great for handling the situation. 

The Toy Whisperer has a lot of fantastic posts including current issues such as  coronavirus fatigue in children and how to deal with children's emotions and anxiety about going back to school.  In addition, if you are looking for the right toys for your child, The Toy Whisperer has a huge list all chosen from an educator's perspective.  

Toywhisperer.blog

Back to School Giveaway

Maybe it's one of my quirks, but if I like a book, I often write the author. Of course, not everyone writes me back, but you'd be amazed how many do.Therefore, in the past few weeks, I have gotten to know some of the other writers and illustrators of the best coronavirus children's books on Amazon. 

I have been happily surprised to find that most of them are mothers, teachers, and absolutely wonderful people. Four of them and I have gotten together to do a giveaway. If you would like to take part, you have the possibility of winning all five of these great books.

Earth Takes A Break by Emily House 

The Day the Lines Changed by Kelley Donner

School Coronavirus Do’s and Don’ts by Adrienne Barber

Not Forever But For Now by Heather Malley 

Ben Builds A Friendship by Dorothea Laurence (author of Paula and the Pandemic)

To enter, just head on down to Instagram to @alittledonnerwetter and you'll find all of the instructions. They're pretty simple. Contest runs until August 14, 2020. Good luck!

Best Coronavirus Children's Books 2020

Back to School?

Whether or not your school is held normally or remotely, no one knows how this pandemic will actually affect our kids. And, although we may not be able to change policy decisions, we can make sure that we pay attention to our kid’s mental health, their anxiety, and their worries no matter how things play out.

As someone who has worked in education for over twenty years, I know that teachers and parents have too much on their plate already. Who has time to research an entirely new market of books? Therefore, as someone with experience in publishing and education, I have created a list of the top children’s books currently on the market which discuss the pandemic in simple terms, are not scary, and help to ease children’s fears about going back to school.

How I Created This List

Since I published a book about the pandemic called The Day the Lines Changed back in March, I have been scanning the market for similar children's books about Covid-19. I have read, joined forums, connected with other writers, and checked Amazon bestseller lists. In addition, when I decided to create this list, I asked my colleagues in the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators, other forums, social media, friends, and family for their favorites and received over one hundred recommendations for children's books about the coronavirus.

As traditional publishers usually need months (to years!) to bring out new books, there are a lot of independent publishers who have stepped up to fill the need. Some of these children's books about the coronavirus are great, others less so. From a child spraying bleach (never a good idea) to another being chased by germs, many of them get so specific in their explanation of the virus, whether through text or elaborate illustrations that they actually come across as frightening. I find this unfortunate as I think children are already overwhelmed enough as things are. As most of these books have been published quickly (and some are from first time writers and teachers), I am not going to judge them too harshly for having a less than perfect layout or a text that could have used a bit more editing. Instead, I am judging these books on what matters most, how much kids will like, understand, and learn from them and how well teachers can use them in the classroom. 

Here are ten books to start your school year off right!

The Dino Hunt

A little while before lockdown began, my boys and I went to a dinosaur museum to sketch. As an illustrator I’m used to bringing my sketchbook along to places to draw, but this was the first time that I took my sons along to draw with me. My oldest son Jonas, who is ten, is already an avid paleontologist. His enthusiasm for the subject had rubbed off on his two younger brothers, age 6, and 9 who were also excited to learn more about these huge animals that once roamed the earth.

Time to Sketch

We headed off to the Sedgwick Museum in Cambridge, UK which in addition to having a few complete skeletons, is also so old that it is easy to imagine walking its aisles a hundred years ago looking for drawers full of bones. We walked around the museum for a few minutes until we found a fossil or skeleton that we wanted to sketch, pulled up some chairs and started drawing. It was a wonderful experience. My usually rambunctious boys were quiet and concentrated. They also wanted to learn how to sketch shadows and tips for proportions. There were no complaints and they all agree that we should sketch again another time. After a couple of hours we left with our heads full of dino ideas.

I was very impressed with my children's drawings. Of course, as their mother, I am a biased observer. Nevertheless, I loved how much attention they paid to the use of shadow and shape. The most realistic drawings, in my opinion, were from my ten year old son in the middle. In addition to their drawings, I also made a few funny ones to add to the mix. Who doesn't want to see a dino with a handbag?

Looking for Fossils

When we got home, the dinosaur fever didn’t stop. Out on the playground, the boys gathered rocks and began making dinosaur fossils. Then they asked me to search the playground for bones like a paleoentologist and to try to figure out what dinosaur I had found. Was it an Allosaurus? A Pterandon? A Triceratops? I loved looking at their dinosaurs. It was not hard to imagine the broken rocks as bones left behind.

Now, in the midst of partial lockdown, I am reminded of our dino hunt. The playgrounds just reopened and my boys are glad to be free again to use more space than just our mini-backyard. They are all still big fans of dinosaurs. 

I think its time to go hunting for fossils again...  

Keywords: Dinosaurs, paleoentologist, sketching

The Day the Lines Changed - Storytime

Social Distancing Scavenger Hunt

In our little neighborhood in Cambridge in the UK, my children have a nice group of friends that they enjoy playing with after school and on the weekends. As for many children in the world at the moment, social distancing has been very difficult for them. Other than saying hello from a window or on a computer screen, they have not been able to play with their friends in two weeks and probably won't be able to for three months.

In order to make this time a little easier and to give them an indirect way to connect with the neighbor kids, my neighbor Michelle and I decided to start the Social Distancing Scavenger Hunt.

1. Getting started
In order to get prepared, the kids and I first picked up some large rocks on our morning walk, took them home, and then painted them. One of my boys painted dinosaur fossils on his rocks, my youngest just painted them with different colors, and my middle child had some funny ideas. I also painted a couple, including the very simple sleeping rock which is covered in the letter z. Once the rocks were finished, we put a sealer on them.

2. Hiding rocks
Then, on our next walk, we chose 8 large rocks to hide along the way and as we hid them we thought about clues and wrote them down. For example, one rock has the word "rabbit" written in brown on it. This rock we hid under a large white round sculpture in the dog park. The clue was, "Find the brown rabbit under the white planet." Another rock we hid close to the playground and made finding it like in a pirate's story, "go four paces forward, then five to the right..." Sometimes we made references to landmarks or street signs. It was fun making the clues. The final rock was put by our doorstep and I told my friend to ring the doorbell and we could say hi from the window. Then it was her turn to place the rocks and think up clues.

3. Precautions
If you are worried about cross-contamination and catching Covid19 when picking up the rocks, you can use an inverted plastic bag to pick them up (as if you were picking up after your dog). If you coat the rocks with clear nail polish or a good coat of sealant, then you can also wash them with soap and water. Make sure you always wash your hands when you come back inside.

I think you'll find that the more often you do a scavenger hunt with the same people, the more difficult you can make the clues and hiding places. I hope that you enjoy this idea. Please let me know what other ideas you have! Stay safe!

By the way, if this is your first time on my blog. Please check out my previous post about a children's book that I wrote and illustrated to help ease children's fears during this time. It's called The Day the Lines Changed and all proceeds go to Covid19 charities. For more info, see my website kelleydonner.com.