Children's Book Authors/Illustrators discussion
When you join please introduce yourself!
Carol wrote: "Cherokee wrote: "Hello, my name is Cherokee, I am from Southern Indiana, now residing in Northern Kentucky. I am not an author as of yet, but that is in the workings. Hoping to meet other children ..."Thank you Carol, nice to meet you and to know that I am not alone in my embarkment of writing/publishing. Thank you for the welcome. My husband (Michael Compton)is a sci-fi author and is such a great help to me. Best wishes to you Carol and your first book.
Hello, my name is Sara Ruffin and I am reviving my grandfather's (Robert Bright) children's books. I am hoping to learn a bit about publishing and illustration.I just re-published The Travels of Ching (originally published in 1943)The Travels of Ching
T.L. wrote: "Hello, my name is T.L. Clarke and I just published my middle grade mystery and adventure book "The Secret of the Scarlet Stone"."
Welcome to the group T.L. I'm learning and writing my first picture book for young children. Glad you're in the group. Carol
Welcome to the group T.L. I'm learning and writing my first picture book for young children. Glad you're in the group. Carol
Shaeeza wrote: "Hi everybody,
This site seems to contain marvelous talent of all ages.I self published my first book. It is a read aloud picture book for the young child. Thank you for starting this group.
Here is..."
Hi Shaeeze, Welcome to our group. Glad to have another picture book writer in the group. I hope it goes well for you with self-publishing. Carol
This site seems to contain marvelous talent of all ages.I self published my first book. It is a read aloud picture book for the young child. Thank you for starting this group.
Here is..."
Hi Shaeeze, Welcome to our group. Glad to have another picture book writer in the group. I hope it goes well for you with self-publishing. Carol
Well, I'll be brave. I've been working on a picture book for very young children to learn their colors. Please let me know what you think. I'm am not an artist, so some day I'll be ready to work with an illustrator. Here is my story--
Hebe and the beautiful ball
Hebe was a boy who loved to bake cookies and do special tricks with his ant friends at the circus. One day as he was walking back home from the circus, Hebe saw a big beautiful ball. His eyes got as big as dinner plates.
As Hebe walked toward the ball, a boy wearing a bright cap started walking toward him and the ball.
As he got closer, Hebe could see there was something wrong with the boys’ foot. “What’s the matter with your foot? asked Hebe. The boy looked down with sad puppy eyes and said, “I was born that way.”
Hebe smiled so big you could see all his front teeth. “That’s ok if you can’t run or kick the ball. We can just play catch if you want.” They played catch and laughed so hard their sides hurt.
“My name is Febe” said the other boy. “Do you want to be my friend?” Hebe and Febe became the best of friends.
Since Hebe and Febe found the ball at almost the same time, they decided to share it. First, it was Hebe’s turn to keep the ball at his house.
One night they had a sleep over at Hebe’s house. Hebe showed Febe how to make chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies. Yummy!
As they were just getting into bed, Febe noticed that the ball was starting to glow. He got out of bed and walked over to the corner where the ball was as fast as he could. The whole corner was glowing. Hebe saw it too. The ball began to show different colors like a rainbow. “There’s my favorite color, green” said Febe. And Hebe’s favorite color, blue, was there too.
Soon they began to point out all the colors they could see; blue, green, yellow, red, orange, purple, brown, and black. Can you name those colors with Hebe and Febe?
Hebe and the beautiful ball
Hebe was a boy who loved to bake cookies and do special tricks with his ant friends at the circus. One day as he was walking back home from the circus, Hebe saw a big beautiful ball. His eyes got as big as dinner plates.
As Hebe walked toward the ball, a boy wearing a bright cap started walking toward him and the ball.
As he got closer, Hebe could see there was something wrong with the boys’ foot. “What’s the matter with your foot? asked Hebe. The boy looked down with sad puppy eyes and said, “I was born that way.”
Hebe smiled so big you could see all his front teeth. “That’s ok if you can’t run or kick the ball. We can just play catch if you want.” They played catch and laughed so hard their sides hurt.
“My name is Febe” said the other boy. “Do you want to be my friend?” Hebe and Febe became the best of friends.
Since Hebe and Febe found the ball at almost the same time, they decided to share it. First, it was Hebe’s turn to keep the ball at his house.
One night they had a sleep over at Hebe’s house. Hebe showed Febe how to make chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies. Yummy!
As they were just getting into bed, Febe noticed that the ball was starting to glow. He got out of bed and walked over to the corner where the ball was as fast as he could. The whole corner was glowing. Hebe saw it too. The ball began to show different colors like a rainbow. “There’s my favorite color, green” said Febe. And Hebe’s favorite color, blue, was there too.
Soon they began to point out all the colors they could see; blue, green, yellow, red, orange, purple, brown, and black. Can you name those colors with Hebe and Febe?
Hi! I'm Mariana and I'm in the process of self-publishing my very first Children's book, Tristan Wolf. As you can imagine I'm full of doubts and questions. I've been lurking around this blog for a while, looking for some answers and now I've decided to go ahead and ask and learn from all of you, and be helpful if I can, too. Thanks in advance to my fellow authors. I'm looking forward to "meet" and interact with you!
Mariana wrote: "Hi! I'm Mariana and I'm in the process of self-publishing my very first Children's book, Tristan Wolf. As you can imagine I'm full of doubts and questions. I've been lurking around this blog for a ..."
Hi Mariana Best wishes on publishing you book. I, too, have been curious about self-publishing or going the traditional route. Are you familiar with Childrens books insiders group/website? They might have some help for you. I can give you the link if you wish.
Carol
Hi Mariana Best wishes on publishing you book. I, too, have been curious about self-publishing or going the traditional route. Are you familiar with Childrens books insiders group/website? They might have some help for you. I can give you the link if you wish.
Carol
Mod
It is very cute! Keep writing! :-)
Jodi
Mod
Jodi Stone :-)
Jodi wrote: "Carol wrote: "Well, I'll be brave. I've been working on a picture book for very young children to learn their colors. Please let me know what you think. I'm am not an artist, so some day I'll be..."
Thank you Jodi. Please be honest if you have time and think I need to work on it in certain areas a little more. Carol
Thank you Jodi. Please be honest if you have time and think I need to work on it in certain areas a little more. Carol
Hi All,I'm in a bind. I've tried all the writers I know who've been published and have blogs, but they're either too busy or haven't gotten back to me. I need an answer today. If you're published (self-published is okay)and have a blog and are interested in being tagged by me to be the next on the Quirks and Quills The Next Best Thing Blog Tour (you can check it out at (http://quirkandquill.com/2013/03/04/t...) please email me at janetmclaughlin@verizon.net today. You'd have a week to complete and post the Q & A blog, but I need to put your tag on my blog, which needs to be posted by tomorrow. Sorry for the late request, but I've run into a few roadblocks along the way. This is a good opportunity to get your word out and maybe meet other writers who blog, etc. Thanks!
I am currently participating in a Goodreads Giveaway of
Shlemiel Crooks,
my picture book illustrated by Paula Goodman Koz, and set in the Yiddish community of my great-grandparents in the early 20th century. The book introduces young readers to the history of Passover, as Pharaoh and a town of Jewish immigrants play tug-of-war with wine made from grapes left over from the Exodus from Egypt. As one reviewer said, it's a combination of shtetl humor and magic realism.
Shlemiel Crooks
is a Sydney Taylor Honor Book and PJ Library Book. A family musical based on the book premiered at Merkin Concert Hall in New York. You can read more at the website www.ShlemielCrooks.com. I'm happy to answer questions!
Hi everyone, I'm looking forward to getting to know a new community of writers! I've been involved in a local critique group for several years, and know how valuable it is to have the support and encouragement of other writers. I have a traditionally published picture book LIBRARIAN ON THE ROOF!, and have just epublished my first children's novel FIZZ & PEPPERS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD. Can't wait to hear about what everyone else is writing!
M.G. wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm looking forward to getting to know a new community of writers! I've been involved in a local critique group for several years, and know how valuable it is to have the support and e..."
Hi M.G. Glad you have you in our group. Congrats on publishing your books. Carol
Hi M.G. Glad you have you in our group. Congrats on publishing your books. Carol
Hi guysI am the a relatively successful crime author, with a couple of titles under my belt and a number of thousands sold. I am, however, about to do something different...
I am soon to launch my debut children’s book, ERROL COME HOME, written under the guise of Harvey Rooster.
Full of beautiful illustrations, courtesy of ace Aussie author Jacoba Dorothy, ERROL COME HOME tells the story of Errol, a sleek, black, family cat who loves nothing more in the world than to eat tuna and have his chin tickled.
It's a little story I have written primarily for my own kids - one of my early New Year resolutions - about our own cat. The goal was originally to have it published and available for them to enjoy but through popular demand I have decided that it will also be available on kindle and for the wider world.
So, stay tuned, spread the word and savour the world of Errol. Sample pages, illustrations and regular updates will all be posted on the facebook page over the next few weeks.
http://www.facebook.com/ErrolCameHome...
Hi everyone! I'm Bryce and I just joined Goodreads after self-publishing my first children's book 'Pomodoro Penguin Makes a Friend.' I am also a professional singer, classically trained tenor. Pomodoro Penguin Makes a Friend
Bryce wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Bryce and I just joined Goodreads after self-publishing my first children's book 'Pomodoro Penguin Makes a Friend.' I am also a professional singer, classically trained tenor.
..."
Welcome Bryce. Glad you joined our group. I'm still learning and working at getting my first picture book ready. How fun that you can sing too. Carol
..."
Welcome Bryce. Glad you joined our group. I'm still learning and working at getting my first picture book ready. How fun that you can sing too. Carol
Carol wrote: "Bryce wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Bryce and I just joined Goodreads after self-publishing my first children's book 'Pomodoro Penguin Makes a Friend.' I am also a professional singer, classically tr..."The singing is definitely the day job, but I will say, I actually enjoyed working on the first book (which is free today -shameless self promotion) and have the second one in the pipeline.
Having self-produced my CD thanks to a Kickstarter project and now self-published, I am not quite sure what this says about me. Control freak maybe?!?
Bryce wrote: "Carol wrote: "Bryce wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Bryce and I just joined Goodreads after self-publishing my first children's book 'Pomodoro Penguin Makes a Friend.' I am also a professional singer, ..."
To me it sounds like you're having fun.
To me it sounds like you're having fun.
I'm fairly new here and have just published by first novella (funny) for children 'From Goat's Gruff to Glory' on the Kindle platform. Happy to share my experiences so far of promoting my book (the difficult bit!). So far I'm finding Goodreads a very useful and informative site and am enjoying getting to know other authors and reading and reviewing their work as well as getting reviews for my book. http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Welcome Rik. I'm still working on the writing part. I'll get to the promotion part soon, hopefully.
Carol
Carol
Hi everyone, I'm KoKo. It looks like I'm in good company here, as I too have just written, illustrated and self-published my first children's picture book -- ooposhi Forest --available on Kindle, (and iBooks when my KDP select period is up).I'm trying to think of something interesting to tell you all about myself, since I enjoyed reading everyone else's introductions so much, but I'm kind of drawing a blank.
Let's see.
...
...
When I was five, I stole a package of tic-tacs.
Well, hopefully, I'll be more interesting in the future! :) In the meantime, I'm looking forward to hanging out and sharing this experience!
KoKo
By the way, for anyone concerned, the tic-tacs WERE, in the end, paid for, and I definitely don't condone or encourage such behavior in my kids' books. Lol.
Carol wrote: "Welcome Rik. I'm still working on the writing part. I'll get to the promotion part soon, hopefully.Carol"
Thanks for the welcome, Carol. I have spent the last few years (as a hobby) writing Internet content and earning from advertising. This is very different to book publishing. The key thing with articles is attracting traffic. With eBooks you need to persude your audience to part with cash and download - very challenging! I'm hoping my 'free days' on Amazon will kick start my sales.
Rik wrote: "Carol wrote: "Welcome Rik. I'm still working on the writing part. I'll get to the promotion part soon, hopefully.
Carol"
Thanks for the welcome, Carol. I have spent the last few years (as a hob..."
Good for you Rik. Thanks for the update. I wish you the best.
Carol"
Thanks for the welcome, Carol. I have spent the last few years (as a hob..."
Good for you Rik. Thanks for the update. I wish you the best.
KoKo wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm KoKo. It looks like I'm in good company here, as I too have just written, illustrated and self-published my first children's picture book -- ooposhi Forest --available on Kindle, (..."
Hi KoKo Welcome. I think we all some crazy or silly things when we're growing up. Carol
Hi KoKo Welcome. I think we all some crazy or silly things when we're growing up. Carol
Hi everyone.My first children's book is getting great reviews. Things are moving slow since it's just my wife and myself doing all the marketing, but so far we've got 8 5 star reviews on Amazon.
The fun is just beginning!
http://www.amazon.com/Its-Weird-Grow-...
Thanks Carol -- and I'm sure you're right about that!
Hi,I'm the Online Book Publicist and SEM specialist at Online Book Publicity. I love reading Fantasy and Mystery. I work hard but try to take time off during the summer to read and relax on my vineyard. I'm always looking for promising new titles and look forward to being introduced to yours.
http://www.onlinebookpublicity.com/
Cheers,
Cheryl wrote: "Hi there,I'm in Tampa and I write Christian ebooks for all ages. I have a new YA mystery/adventure series starting with Lost in the Woods: A Bible Camp Mystery and a new YA Bible study plan (with ..."
Your books sound terrific-great concept for a series-continued good sales!
KoKo wrote: "Thanks Carol -- and I'm sure you're right about that!"KoKo wrote: "Thanks Carol -- and I'm sure you're right about that!"
Hi,
What interesting work you do, plus run a vineyard! I hope to send you my first middle grade mystery being released this spring from Tumblehome Learning called Something Stinks! I'm beyond excited.
Congrats to Neal - and wow, has this group morphed into something really special! Thanks to Jodi for keeping us going.Gail
Gail wrote: "KoKo wrote: "Thanks Carol -- and I'm sure you're right about that!"
KoKo wrote: "Thanks Carol -- and I'm sure you're right about that!"
Hi,
What interesting work you do, plus run a vineyard! I ho..."
Good job on your first middle grade novel. That's terrific. Carol
KoKo wrote: "Thanks Carol -- and I'm sure you're right about that!"
Hi,
What interesting work you do, plus run a vineyard! I ho..."
Good job on your first middle grade novel. That's terrific. Carol
I decided to do a spontaneous 'free day' today (Sat 23rd) on Amazon Kindle for my children's book 'From Goats Gruff to Glory' to see how it works. This has been useful so far. I'm around 6 hours into it (not too late if you want to download!) and have a reasonable number of downloads bearing in mind I haven't advertised much.One mistake I made was with my categories on KDP - I've now changed them so more people should 'find' my book next time. My downloads are mainly from .com, some from .co.uk and one from Japan.
Interesting to see tomorrow if I still get any downloads!
Rik wrote: "I decided to do a spontaneous 'free day' today (Sat 23rd) on Amazon Kindle for my children's book 'From Goats Gruff to Glory' to see how it works. This has been useful so far. I'm around 6 hours ..."Keep us posted Rik. I would love to hear how you have gotten on. My own debut children's book (http://www.facebook.com/ErrolCameHome) is soon to be released. It is a massive change from my other stuff (crime fiction) where I have had some great success with Kindle Select.
Hello all. My name is Sara Ruffin and I am a big fan of illustration and am hoping to get some inspiration from this group. My grandfather is children's book writer and illustrator, Robert Bright and I am trying to keep his books alive! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Sara wrote: "Hello all. My name is Sara Ruffin and I am a big fan of illustration and am hoping to get some inspiration from this group. My grandfather is children's book writer and illustrator, Robert Bright a..."
Hi Sara Welcome to the group. How fun and exciting that you have a grandfather who is children's writer and illustrator. Carol
Hi Sara Welcome to the group. How fun and exciting that you have a grandfather who is children's writer and illustrator. Carol
Very cool, Sara -- are you an illustrator yourself?
Hi everyone, I'm Ashley. I'm a mum, who works part time with kids and dogs. I also write as a hobby. I am currently in the process of having my third book published. I also blog and do interviews / reviews for other children's authors. Love swapping reviews!
Ashley wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Ashley. I'm a mum, who works part time with kids and dogs. I also write as a hobby. I am currently in the process of having my third book published. I also blog and do interviews /..."
Welcome Ashley. I love to write as a hobby too. Congrats on getting your third book published. That's great. Carol
Welcome Ashley. I love to write as a hobby too. Congrats on getting your third book published. That's great. Carol
Hi guys,I just uploaded my first book trailer. It's for "It's Weird to Grow a Beard", poems and illustrations by yours truly. Hope you like it.
Neal
http://youtu.be/rMxbpeMAcjU
Ashley wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Ashley. I'm a mum, who works part time with kids and dogs. I also write as a hobby. I am currently in the process of having my third book published. I also blog and do interviews /..."Hi Ashley and welcome. I'm new here too, and I'd love to swap reviews if you're interested.
Neal wrote: "Hi guys,I just uploaded my first book trailer. It's for "It's Weird to Grow a Beard", poems and illustrations by yours truly. Hope you like it.
Neal
http://youtu.be/rMxbpeMAcjU"
Wow, excellent job with the video Neal! I'll have to check out the book when I get a chance! :)
My names is Judy Pierce and my first MG books - Tales from Farlandia: Ozette's Destiny was recently published. I am hoping to connect with other writers and learn more about marketing. My publisher has done some marketing, but a lot is up to their authors. Ozette has a FB page, I have a Tales from Farlandia page on FB & an author's page. The book is doing quite well, but I am wanting to broaden my base. I thought writing a book was a lot of work, but the marketing...whew! Here is a link to my book on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Ozettes-Destiny...I gave my first interview & also writing tips on using animals in stories (Ozette is a white squirrel) on a blog this week. You can read it at http://randomwritingrants.com/2013/03...
Am eager to share ideas.
I just watched your trailer, Neal, and it's adorable. Did you do it yourself? Do you have video experience? Sorry for the questions-I have a MG fiction coming out soon and have wondered about trailers.Thanks,
Gail
Neal wrote: "Hi guys,
I just uploaded my first book trailer. It's for "It's Weird to Grow a Beard", poems and illustrations by yours truly. Hope you like it.
Neal
http://youtu.be/rMxbpeMAcjU"
Neal wrote: "Hi guys,
I just uploaded my first book trailer. It's for "It's Weird to Grow a Beard", poems and illustrations by yours truly. Hope you like it.
Neal
http://youtu.be/rMxbpeMAcjU"
Neal wrote: "Hello all,
My name is Neal Fox. I just self-published my first kid's book of poems that I also illustrated. Got a couple more in the works.
It's out in Kindle, PDF, paperback and soon Nook and iPa..."
Gail wrote: "I just watched your trailer, Neal, and it's adorable. Did you do it yourself? Do you have video experience? Sorry for the questions-I have a MG fiction coming out soon and have wondered about trail..."
Hi Neal, Glad to have you with us. I'm glad someone else is thinking Nook. I'm a big Nook fan. Carol
Hi Neal, Glad to have you with us. I'm glad someone else is thinking Nook. I'm a big Nook fan. Carol
My publisher produced a very short trailer about 5 months before Tales from Farlandia: Ozette's Destiny was released. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxrj3...I have been wondering if it is worth the money for me to have someone produce a longer trailer for the book. might be tricky with an animal book.
Hi,Judy!Your interview was great, and your publisher sounds perfect! I was lucky enough to head along a similar path, and found my publisher (Tumblehome Learning-my book Something Stinks!-MG mystery set in SW VA coming out this spring) via Children's Writer/SCBWI.
The whole white squirrel thing is really interesting-we live south of Tampa, (but have lived in both Lexington and Boone, NC!), so we'll have to take a run to Sopchoppy!
More later, but hope your sales skyrocket and welcome to the group-we are lucky to have you!
Gail
Thank you so much for the warm welcome, Gail, and the kind words on the interview. It was my first, and i hope i can do more. Yes, we know Boone well. We are heading to Winter Garden for a book signing with my publisher and two of their other authors - April 13th and 14th at Here Be Dragons bookstore. Be such fun if you - and any others - could wander on down for a meetup! Looking forward to your book release Let me know when it is out. I love supporting other authors!
Children's Book Authors/Illustrators
Books mentioned in this topic
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The Gift From Little Raccoon: A Pandemic Tale (other topics)
The Curse (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Paul Ian Cross (other topics)Harold Krakower (other topics)
Shane E. Bryan (other topics)
A.J. Westin (other topics)
Jim Richard (other topics)
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Welcome to our group. Me too. I'm writing and learning too.