New book imminent...

The launch of my latest book is imminent, so I thought it would be a good time to share some thoughts on this latest project.

This will be my fourth children's book, and the second in the Mr. Starfish series. I couldn't be more excited to share it with you. 

Once again I've done the illustrations, though this time they are drastically different from the first Mr. Starfish book as I've learned some good techniques from my last two books. I decided to "go big" with this book, in more ways than one. The story is bigger, the illustrations bigger, and the book size is bigger too. Bigger all round!

Why so big?

Here's the thing. I had written two versions of the book. One closer to 2k words, the other version just over 1k. The latter would be too big for a conventional picture book (although there are many exceptions), and the former definitely too big, but probably okay for a young readers book. 

I went with the bigger one, and scaled up the size of the images so that we could produce a "bumper sized" special book for the Halloween holiday. 

So, you're an illustrator, right?

And yet, I still don't consider myself an illustrator. There are a couple of illustrations I look at and think, "hmm, not sure", but I really wanted to do do the drawings and challenge myself. However, it does take a lot of time and effort, and I'd much prefer to involve a proper kid's book illustrator in the future.

At least at this point I believe my artwork established the look and feel of Mr. Starfish and his world, and that will help when I move the character forward in future projects.

Publishing and representation - part 1

I'm not known for being impulsive, and yet on my last three books (latest one included) I've decided on a whim to just do it and publish them rather than try to get representation or approach a publisher. 

However, it was a bit different with my first book. I first wrote The Christmas Starfish (in the late 2000s), and then spent several years refining and sending off to agents trying to get representation. Hardly any responded and those that did sent generic "not right for us" responses. I eventually published it myself in 2014, mainly to have some copies to give to family and friends.

At the time I felt burnt out and needed a break from writing (on top of fulltime working).After a short period of the book being available I withdrew it - my inner perfectionist rose to the surface. I didn't look at it again until 2020, during lock-down. The time away helped me to view it with fresh, more mature eyes. I took the red pen out and rewrote it, and even employed an editor for reassurance that I was on the right lines. Happy the revision, the updated version was made available once more. 

Anyway, my previous experience of trying to find an agent made it easier for me to go for the self-publishing route for Strawberry Scoreberries and I Wish It Were Raining again. 

To be honest, with the latest book, Mr. Starfish and the Mystery Skull, it was a dilemma. Mr. Starfish is deserving of a bigger audience and the series will continue to grow, so I really was considering approaching an agent

So, I spent a fair bit of time looking at potential agents and I believe I found the right one, with an agency that will meet my aspirations. However, timing is everything. Unfortunately in the period between finding the agent and then going back to the painstaking process of editing and fine-tuning the book (including agonising over the short/longer versions), the agency had stuck up a sign-saying "no picture books today, thanks."

Now, whether the book falls under picture book or early reader is up for debate, but I'm still thinking of it as a bumper-sized picture book for 6-8 year olds. Unfortunately the nearest option on the agents submission form was "Middle Grade", which is 8-12yrs. 

Publishing and representation - part 2

If I had to choose, I think I'd go for the traditional publishing model and would love to have an agent to work alongside. 

Yes, I've proven I can put together a book and publish it and I'm proud of doing that. Word only books are a lot easier I'm sure. My last three books have involved full-page and even double-page images - Not easy for the novice. Some aspects I have enjoyed, others I haven't. But I think the biggest thing for me is the "what's next" stage of book publishing. 

The books are there, but self-promotion doesn't come naturally, so I think it would help having other people involved who understand the publishing world. 

As I've alluded to in this piece, I never really set out to be a self-publisher. Some people do, and in some of those case its right for them. It certainly gives you the flexibility and control, and done right some people can be very successful. But for me, I'd feel happier knowing I've got people in my corner who live and breath the industry. 

So, hopefully I'll move in that direction one day. Hey, if you're a UK based children's literary agent or a publisher maybe get in touch! 😊

Timing

Okay, my timing isn't great. Releasing a Halloween book mid-October sounds okay, but in reality it should've been available last month. But, as explained above, I wasn't really aiming for this year's holiday - it became an itch I had to scratch.

Promoting books

When it comes to book promoting I guess I'm more from the school of "if you build it, they will come."  In other words, I haven't actively sought to push my books. For me, it's enough knowing my books are out there. Yes, it would be great to sell tons of books and win prizes, but I'm happy to look at my bookshelf and see copies of my own books.

I guess in part I'm also keeping back most of the book-promoting gun-powder. Y'know, for when my books are taken on by a big publisher, redrawn by a proper illustrator and released to the masses.

In summary

Okay, so I'm running out of stuff to write and it's nearly midnight. If you're reading this on the 17th October you'll be amongst the first people to know the title of my latest book (it's about mid-way through the article if you missed it). 

If you buy it (or any of my books) I hope you and your children enjoy it. Many months went in to writing, illustrating, editing*, and compiling my books. Long days and nights, bleary-eyed, carpal tunnel syndrome playing up, aching neck and back from sitting 'n staring at the screen too long. But when I held the proof copy a couple of days ago the aches don't feel so bad. And when I hear children enjoy my books too it makes it all worth while. 

*As I type this I realise I haven't checked my typing on this article. I'll have to retro-edit it as I'm off to bed to dream up my next book... and the cycle starts again...

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