Lessons Learned One Year In - Happy Book Birthday!

Today is my book birthday 🎉 - that is, the first birthday for my first book. I watched a short montage of the day and was moved to tears remembering the fullness - the friends coming from all over to support, the vendors taking a chance on me with this new sip & shop, the perfectly vibed musician, and so on, and so on. All with my family in tow, including the three-month-old who held on like a champ. (I'm really glad I have photo / video proof of me nursing him while signing books. That'll go down in my memory book, for sure!)

Here's a snapshot of what I've learned in my first year as a (self) published author: It’s hard. And a steep learning curve. And so very worth it. The end.

Not really. There's so much more to this story (pun intended), and so much more to come. Digging into some of the details, here's how it went.

I wrote a book in 2018 for a friend with cystic fibrosis. My friends liked it, I liked it, I pitched it to Burt's Bees. Didn't hear a word back. 🤐 Joined certain Storyteller Academy to learn more about my craft, found a critique group (still going strong!), realized the book was actually not very good. It had good bones. Rewrote it 3-4 times. It needs one more rewrite. Wrote a different book about my daughter while pregnant with my second born (son), changed it to be about him. Found an illustrator on social media, reached out, reached out a few more times. She took a chance on me 🙌🏽. The Things I Love was born. We figured out the contract, finished the illustrations, made plans for stickers and scrapbooks and greeting cards. Haven't gotten to said stickers and scrapbooks and greeting cards because funds are low. Translated and adapted the book for Spanish edition. Tweaked illustrations for Spanish edition. Haven't finalized or printed the Spanish edition just yet. Soon! Wooed my illustrator to stick with me a little longer for the girl edition. Have character sketches for the girl edition. Doing one last revision.

*Takes breath*

Book Process

Once I opened my mind to allowing my creativity flow - it's always been there, I just lost sight somewhere along the way - it hits me even when I'm not looking for it. A quote at a funeral (yes, even there); my daughter telling me she knows how God made us, first as clay.. you name it. I jot down the idea and how it came to me. I'd love to have a working day to sit and ponder and create. In reality, it's usually on a car ride while Osman drives or on the phone typing over some kiddo's head while they're asleep on me in my bed. 

I send it to the critique group for as much refinement as possible. The critique group is so important because they're perfecting their craft too, meaning they have an eye for story arc and word-smithing in a way friends and family might not.

After that, it's on to the editor for a detailed review, more revisions, and finally acceptance that enough is enough. 

Awards

The book won some industry awards and received heartwarming reviews, such as:

"A beautiful example of love put into words, The Things I Love appeals as much to parents as to children." "The Things I Love is a sentimental trip down memory lane that will leave you eager to send your time with family." -Jordan Ehmann, Indies Today, 5 Stars 🌟

"An appreciation for the small things in life that aren't very small at all..." - Self-Publishing Review, 5 Stars 🌟

"The Things I love is such a sweet book, one that will make you smile on every page and one you'll want to read snuggled up with your child at bedtime, each and every night." - Feathered Quill Review

"Tender and visually appealing, a child's-eye appreciation of happy days and parental love." - Kirkus Reviews

Some awards are still foreclosed to me because I'm self-published. I intend to break through that little barrier one day. But first, figuring out this formula. 

Marketing

Ah, marketing, getting people to notice me. From learning the Amazon ecosystem... which I probably would have to relearn because it's been so long since I've changed anything or had to upload another book (!), and Amazon has about 4-5 separate platforms to use (book upload for the public, book upload for shipping / purchase orders, ads, affiliate links)... to Instagram and SEO and and.. marketing is quite the challenge. It's one I really want to understand for myself, even if I one day delegate it to someone else. The idea of unlocking the puzzle and speaking to a person's "pain point" and delivering a solution, that's fulfilling. Sometimes I lose sight of how to connect with my audience, so I "fall off the wagon" and get a little quiet on Instagram. I'm not sure exactly what my audience wants to hear. What do you want to hear from any other children's book authors you follow that's not just about their books? I have another idea for that, though. How about focusing on bedtime, not just my books or other book recommendations, but tips for bedtime routines and bedtime boycotts (book idea!) and hearing from the experts? Coming to your feed shortly-ish. 

I asked my book launch team / street team to do a little too much. We're all busy. We're all tired. Next time, just review the book online. That's what gives me credibility and helps others find my works. And if it's good enough, the word of mouth recommendations will come naturally without me having to plan out some social media strategy for everyone.

At the end of the day, I suppose I really just want to delight parents and kids with books I've poured over with love and painstaking detail and consultants to get it right, books with characters that look like them, books that are (mostly) a quick read - keeping in mind other working parents like me who are, frankly, exhausted at night. 

Book Launch

As for that book launch, idk what I had in my head planning a 20+ vendor sip & shop for 200+ women, seated brunch, all free with a newborn. 🤦🏽‍♀️😂 And yet it was easily one of the highlights of my life. Not just because it was a big celebration for someone who stopped celebrating herself long ago, shining the spotlight on everyone else around her (me - I'm that "someone"). But also because it reminded me with actual evidence of what I can do that gets lost in the shuffle of life, the mommying, the lawyering: I can plan a large event and drive some traffic - still with much to learn; I can execute on a vision; I can host while being present; I can keep calm under pressure, like when my whole presentation almost flopped because my cords weren't connecting to the projector; and I can work a room for 45 minutes, getting women to whoop and holler, laugh, and cry. Even my best friend and my husband were surprised by my presentation abilities, which means this book launch unlocked something in me that hadn't yet seen the light of day. All of that is a different level of "feel good" that I pray I always remember. 

Book Success

Lots of folks ask me how the book business is going. In all honesty, I spent much more money on that launch than I "should" have - kind of. On the one hand, I haven't made a return on the book yet. On the other hand, that launch provided intangibles that are more valuable than the money spent. 

I thought the rule of the game was to launch a book, market market market while working on the next book, launch that book, market market market, reach 10k sales in the first year for probable evergreen status. Yes, another rule is to have a bevy of books so that customers can find more of you / vet your other offerings. But what I learned by someone else's economic happenstance is that it's actually beneficial ("better"?) to have those additional books all ready at once and leak them over time (thanks, Katie!). That way, you have grace of time to work on your fourth or fifth book while you simply market the ones waiting to be released, instead of attempting to do it all at once with only one book ready to deploy. I suppose that's what the romance authors and other series novelists do, I just hadn't heard it being applied to children's books despite all the research I've done.

Then there's this formula business: good words + good illustrations + cover that evokes emotion at a thumbnail + title that explains what you'll find inside = a really good book. I've got the words and the illustrations. I've got a beautiful, embossed cover that provides a great tactile experience.. but is hard to know the emotion at a thumbnail. And the title? Well.. you know someone loves something somewhere. Still tinkering with this formula before I spend oodles more (it's a front-loaded business, these full-color illustrated children's books) on all my other books.

In case you're wondering what's next in the pipeline and hadn't yet heard, here are the working titles that are completed or near completion from the writing standpoint: Mr. Nelson's New Address - on loss and grief and understanding God has a home waiting for us; Summer at the Elephant Sanctuary - about the core of what it means to be a sister of Delta Sigma Theta; The Things I Love, Girl Edition - except that the title will be much different to clearly explain it's a girl reliving with her mom the joys of her childhood at bedtime; Messy Love - reminding readers that the spilled orange juice when he makes breakfast and the glitter when he surprises you with a birthday card are all his messy ways of showing he loves you; The Little Poor Boy - about how the po' boy sandwich came to be; A NOLA Beignet - where Nola and her grandfather explore her New Orleans heritage, beginning with the beignet... and and and. I'm like a dog restrained by a leash just itching to go after that squirrel, just yearning to break free and let 'em loose. 

This all really is an art. And I want to make sure I'm in this game for a long time yet, so I'm slowing down on my eagerness for getting more works out the door to figure out the formula to have commercial success. 

The Takeaway

Seeing the kids love my books makes it more than a personal endeavor, more than a dream I accomplished for myself and my kids. Talking to kids at a school visit about this journey and about living out my dream while also working as an attorney and a mom and a wife reminds me I’m more than just enough, more than doing just a good job. And it’s all confirmation to my 5 year old self that dreams do come true.