As we know from Happy/Sad comments, I have an infamous Bucket List, but that list doesn’t just include travel or activities (such as riding in a rumble seat.) Despite Covid, I was able to check off another one: Publishing a book!
I was warned by many authors, “Writing the book is the easy part.” They weren’t just a woofin,’ as my mother would say. There are several ways to get a book published in our 21st Century world — and trust me, none of them is a walk in the park. Having said that, I’m proud (even though that’s a sin) to introduce something I never thought I’d write — a hardback children’s book entitled “Locked Out in the Snow.”
Here’s how that happened.
When my parents faced that day when it was time to go into assisted living and my siblings and I were discussing what to do with their stuff, I announced that there was only one of their belongings I wanted. I think my siblings thought I knew of some valuable treasure they weren’t aware of, but soon discovered that possession was something only of value to me: Mom’s diaries. I sometimes look up things in those neatly uniform books she kept from the time I was 5 years old until I was in my 50s.
One afternoon I was looking up something and came across an entry that reminded me of an incident when I was 7. It took a very short while to write the story – with just a teeny bit of embellishment. Then I found an editor because any author needs one as they see things the writer doesn’t. Next came an illustrator (that part is especially tough.) In my case, the illustrator is thirty-plus years younger than I, and the generation gap startled me to realize what a dinosaur I am. Some examples: She made my school bus driver female. That wasn’t allowed during the book’s setting of 1961. My schoolroom clock was not digital. Little girls wore dresses to school, no matter what the weather. She had no idea what galoshes are. She didn’t know what handwriting exercises looked like. The list goes on – and it becomes expensive to make changes if an illustration isn’t what the author wants.
CLICK TO CONTINUE READING about Kim's publishing journey, as well as her next book, scheduled to be out this November!
Kim's next book is scheduled to be out in November.
Then there’s the publisher, book designer, printer, distributor, and of course the marketing. The marketing is especially tough during Covid as bookstores and libraries aren’t open and don’t want to buy books from unknown authors, and I can’t do public readings and book signings.
Now, having said all that, I’d do it again – but with some more of those smarts one learns from experience. I also learned that I’m not the only author that looks at the finished product and wishes they’d done this or that differently.
The book is available on Amazon, but if you’d like $1 per book to benefit FIR, I need direct orders—not necessarily from members, but any orders from anyone recommend by members of FIR. Plus I can autograph and personalize those (e.g. For Susie, Love Grandma and Grandpa) Just email me at kimekimmy@gmail.com or call/text me at 425-445-3355. It’s $20.
And a great big thank you for those of you have purchased the book. I hope you love it. And guess what? Book Number 2 will be out in November and it’s designed for adult gift giving. It’s a hardbound keepsake book entitled “Special Occasions A Written Legacy,” designed to record 10 special memories – retirement, graduation, recital, showers, holidays – you name it. I couldn’t find anything like it and so I created one. But that’s another story.