Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Michelle Gets Into Picture Books :)

All right, so on Monday, I mentioned that I had some fun picture book news. Wellll, here it is :D

With a file full of picture book manuscripts and a very talented, and surprisingly willing, friend, Toni Wilson, who agreed to illustrate for me, I will soon release my first picture book. I am self-publishing it; first as an ebook with a print version to follow this summer. The first book will be ready in just a couple weeks (and I will be having a Picture Book Party to celebrate :D ).

And, making it's debut.....my cover :)



(the size requirements for the e-version made it necessary to add the large blue border. The print version will be more squarely shaped, without the large blue border on top and bottom)

I am publishing my picture books under the name Michelle Raynor :) I decided to publish these books myself for several reasons.

1. I wanted to see if I could do it.

2. I wanted to control how things looked. Going through a traditional publisher, I would have had little to no say over the illustrations, which is a hard thing to consider when the illustrations are such a major part of the book.

3. Breaking into the PB business is even harder than getting a novel out there - and the same goes for PB illustrators. These books don't make agents much money, so very few represent them. And while there are several publishers who accept manuscripts (and art submissions) it's just a tough nut to crack.

4. I recently purchased a Nook. My kids LOVE to look at picture books on them. But finding a cute, decent quality epicture book for under $7 is dang near impossible. The books I've found around the $4 range are those early readers I can buy at the grocery store for $1. And yes, I read the article on Amanda Hocking right around this time. Now, I have no illusions about making it rich, but...with all my manuscripts and a good friend who can draw...I figured it wouldn't hurt to start putting my books out there, for a price that even a picky mother like me could afford :)

And so, I did some research, found a company I can publish through who will distribute my books to all the major ebook retailers, found a company for the print versions who will also distribute (at minimal cost), and away we went :D Toni and I will be working on several more books together, and I am also working with another very talented friend, putting words to her beautiful pictures.

This whole process has been absolutely amazing and more fun than I could have imagined. Creating a picture book is such a unique and all-around fun process, made even more so because it's one I can share with my children. They are my guinea pigs, my soundboards, my inspiration, and in many cases my co-authors :) No matter how this journey ends, it has been a wonderful experience and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Stay tuned for more info on the upcoming Picture Book Party! We'll have some fun things and of course lots of prizes going on :D

*Update in response to Stephanie's question :D* The book will be available on all ereaders, as well as in html form and as a pdf. If you have any sort of ereader (Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iPad, iPhone, etc), a computer or any other means of digitally viewing something, you should be able to download the book. And a print version (which will include color pages for your kiddies) will be available this summer :)

9 comments:

Janet Johnson said...

Congratulations at taking the plunge! Best of luck to you. :)

Jennifer said...

I love the cover! The Jolly Roger has a rubber ducky on it. Which is just awesome. And there's an octopus. These are two things that make me happy. Heh.

Congrats! Best of luck. :D

Stephanie McGee said...

Congrats! Just for the Nook? (Curious because my brother has a kindle and an 18 month old.)

Matthew MacNish said...

Very cool!

Lindsay said...

Yay. Love the cover!

Rebecca Knight said...

The cover is WONDERFUL! :D

Also, congrats on going for it yourself! I'm doing the same thing with LEGACY, and am super excited to see how it goes.

Have you looked into Createspace on Amazon for your print version? A lot of writers have had good success using their POD service.

Good luck!!!

Katrina L. Lantz said...

LOVE the cover! I'm excited to read it, and even more excited to buy the print copy when it comes out this summer. My kids and I are still in the print age when it comes to children's books.

And congratulations on reaching the finish line on what must have been an involved process!

Jack LaBloom said...

Michelle and Toni, you two are unbelievable. Love the cover. What a fun looking world you've made.

Best of Luck.

Kell Andrews said...

Very fun and inventive -- can't wait to see the inside!