Backing Up!

"You do what you can for as long as you can and when you finally can’t, you do the next best thing. You back up but you don’t give up.” - Chuck Yeager

As with many self-published books, copies of mine were purchased by family, friends and friends of friends. I am delighted that BookWoman bookstore in Austin, TX, is carrying the book now. However, the size (8 ½” x 8 ½”) is slightly larger than the standard according to BookPeople, the popular independent bookstore in my hometown. Books have to be able fit in their children’s books racks. Nevertheless, I have decided to forge ahead with a new approach: I am now submitting it to mainstream publishers starting with Albert Whitman & Co.

The competition is incredibly stiff. Stephen Mooser, coeditor of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Bulletin, said, “I’ve published 60 books, but probably had that many rejected.” Still, I’ve been encouraged by the warm, positive feedback from those who have shared the book with the children in their lives. So, I’ve made a New Year’s resolution to send the book out to at least one mainstream publisher each month.

The Baby Who Wouldn't Say Mama now speaks Chinese!

The Baby can’t really speak Chinese but now has the potential to be read by Chinese babies! Strategic Publishing put together a deal that Chinese agents purchased which includes a set of titles they will promote to their libraries, schools, and bookstores. Apparently they are hungry for books in English to help them learn the language outside of the classroom. “The Baby” is ideal for this since the words are the ones infant English speakers first learn. At first I thought the deal was to translate the book into Chinese but it turns out only the PR sheet will be done that way. Now I am pining to see that version. Plus, I’m inspired; maybe the Baby will in fact learn to speak a foreign language in another book. What’s your recommendation? If you have a vote, post it on my Facebook Author/Illustrator page.

By the way, Cantonese for "Baby" is "Be-Be." My favorite baby doll was named "Phoebe B. Be-Be." How prescient, right?

 Don’t forget to read!

June 2011

The Baby has made an appearance at the Texas Library Association. The publishers had a booth there in April where they represented books they thought Texas librarians might find a good fit for their audiences. They gave books away to “seed the cloud.” At the end of the event, they told me they were surprised how many people were interested in the book and they wanted to know if I would be willing to do book readings across Texas. Of course, I jumped at the chance and said, “Yes,” but I haven’t had any real requests yet.  I also learned that everyone wanted to know who the illustrator was. I was dumbfounded when I realized there was nothing on the book anywhere that made that clear. I guess I have always thought of the book as a total project: idea, text, illustrations. But I should have the author/illustrator signature as part of the biography. Since I approved the final text, I will have to pay to make the change. In the meantime, I made beautiful gold stickers that say, “Illustrated by Author with Self-Made paper!”  Maybe this will help.