Much of children’s publishing feels like a big ol’ mystery especially when we are getting started in the industry. I thought it might be helpful to share the process of a new children’s book from my original lightbulb moment to the eventual book on a shelf.
Caveat: there is no guarantee this will actually be a book on a shelf. More on that to come.
Add any questions in the comments. My goal for this monthly series is to transfer some knowledge you can use.
Let’s go!
THE IDEA
On July 3rd, 2020, Hamilton, the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical written by Lin-Manual Miranda, was released on Disney+. We sprung for a streaming subscription, and our family was captivated by the musical. I watched it three times that summer. I particularly loved the song, The Room Where it Happens, performed by Leslie Odom, Jr.
During the last viewing, a picture book-related thought popped into my head. Again. [If picture book-related thoughts were basil leaves, I’d have pesto for centuries.] My thought? What about a nonfiction picture book about animal gestation called The Womb Where it Happens?
Funny, right?
I shared the idea with my family right then and there. Although they laughed out loud (or at least snorted. In my memory, there were extremely loud guffaws), they wanted to keep watching the musical. But later that night, I decided to see if the idea had legs. So I…
Stay tuned for the next installment of Journey to A New Book: RESEARCH FOR MARKETABILITY
And while you’re waiting…
Feast your eyes on the full cover (front and back) of REAL PRINCESSES CHANGE THE WORLD. Isn’t she gorgeous? Isn’t Dung Ho an amazing artist?
Pre-orders are available now for release on April 11, 2023. It’s available anywhere good books are sold but if you’d like a signed copy sent to you, be sure to order through my local independent bookseller, Snowbound Books. Tell ’em Carrie sent you!
Ciao for now, friends.
