The Launch

On Father’s Day, which seemed fitting as my parents have always nurtured my creativity, I launched my debut book, A Fairy’s Tale, to Amazon Kindle self publishing.  This decision to self publish my first book was one I had made early on.  I partly felt that my personal vision for the book was something I fiercely wanted to protect, but also an opportunity to “test” the waters and see what could happen as someone wishing to take the indie route.  Completing this project was a feat in tenacity as you quickly learn the challenges of going it alone as an indie author, but it was also a feat of ingenuity as I worked tirelessly to create the vision for my book (formatting, illustrations, and the cover), that would define the words I had spent long hours writing.

Having launched I have enjoyed this new journey, excited to have something I created available to global markets, and excited at the thought that someone might discover my book, read it, love it, and hopefully be changed by it-since I feel that is the power of kid’s books. And ultimately isn’t that what all writers hope for, the opportunity to have other’s read our work and be changed in some way by our prose?

A Fairy’s Tale is only the beginning of my journey as an author.  I have a couple unfinished manuscripts on my computer that I will be diving into once again. As a nurture these projects they will continue my journey as I explore new avenues, including the possibility of finding an agent and attracting a publisher.  Let the fun begin!

A Fairy’s Tale can be found in the amazon kindle store and is available in all markets kindle e-books are sold.

Refusing Failure to Launch

Discovering the ability to publish online through Amazon Kindle reinvigorated my drive. I had become so daunted by the thought of publishing a children’s book. Having researched various Canadian imprints it all appeared to be insanely competitive. Worse, one publisher’s blog had a post relating to just how difficult it is to publish with them since they take on just one or two books a year. How on earth was I going to make it out of the slush pile?

I did write a book several years back. For me it was all about proving to myself I could write something of length that had an engaging plot, some good twists and solid characterization. Did I love this book? No, but I liked it a lot and began my research into Canadian publishers. I found one particular publisher who offered unsolicited email submissions. I sent out a detailed query, and my manuscript. I had no anticipation of receiving a response. I didn’t. Then in a twist of irony I learned this particular publisher had stumbled into difficulty and were in hot water financially. I didn’t feel so bad that I had not heard from them. I had dodged a bullet.

But I still wished to have something I had written out in the public sphere. Attending a local writers group I had another damning crush to my confidence. While chatting with another writer I mentioned I was particularly interested in writing for children. He responded with a laugh and stated I was insane, the children’s industry was too tough to break into. It was not what I wanted to hear.

So feeling defeated I decided to return to writing for adults. I put my first draft of A Fairy’s Tale aside and focused for the next year on working on my first adult novel. Everything changed during a visit to my parents. While flipping through a Canadian magazine I discovered an article about a woman who had self published through Amazon Kindle. She had gone on to do quite well for herself as a writer. The woman’s name is Kate Hilton, and she wrote a comedic novel about the perils, challenges and hilarity of motherhood called The Hole in the Middle. I had my light bulb moment and immediately logged onto the Amazon Kindle site to learn about the process. My journey snowballed from there. I have been editing A Fairy’s Tale and designing the layout and look. In fact I am loving the idea of self publishing because I like the total control I am having over my entire book. I want A Fairy’s Tale to look as professional as any book published by a major imprint and am thrilled with how things are progressing.

Within the last month I have been inspired by the community I am finding on twitter as well as the realization that I can do this. I cannot wait for A Fairy’s Tale to exist in the public sphere. Stick with me folks because everything is a work in process and I am loving every minute of it!

Let’s begin!

What I love most about children’s books-and there is a lot to love- is that a single one can make such an impact on a person’s life. I don’t think we ever truly forget the books we read as children and our favourites stick with us. While there are many books that impacted my life, one in particular has prompted my journey into the world of writing for children.

My copy of this book still has my aunt’s name scribbled in pencil on the inside cover and is held together with yellowing scotch tape. It may be old but it is magical. The Golden Book of Fairy Tales is a brilliant anthology of our beloved (Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast)and more obscure (Green Snake, The Wild Swans, and Silvershod) tales. These wonderful classic tales are brilliantly complemented by stunning illustrations by artist Adrienne Segur.

The Golden Book of Fairy Tales has inspired me to this day. If it weren’t for this book I may have never begun writing A Fairy’s Tale which I am thrilled to say should be available through Amazon Kindle within the next few months. That is why I love children’s books because they have the power to bring out the best in us and to keep on imagining well into adulthood.