How the Book Gets Made
HOW THE BOOK GETS MADE
Happy Sunday,
The number one question asked of this author by both children and adults is: “How did you come up with the story, THE SUN JUMPED OVER THE MOON?”
The second question is: “How did the book get made?”
THE CREATION OF THE STORY
When I lived in Evansville, IN for a short time, the view out of my patio windows was a very large pond that had a walking path around its shoreline. On sunny, non humid days, I quietly walked this path as often as I could with no talking, no phone, no music and no ear buds. Just me, myself and I enjoying a little down time.
For this particular year’s resolution, I was keeping a daily journal, writing down five things I was grateful for without repeating anything that had already been recorded in the journal. The goal was to have 1,825 grateful entries by December 31st. The pond walks always provided me with grateful things to record. Each day was never the same: the weather, the various animals in and around the water, the diverse foliage, the kindness of a smile or a hello from people also walking the path.
One day, I saw all the characters in the book throughout my walk. The sun was shining brightly. There were two little brown squirrels frolicking by the waterfront. Two birds were chirping in a tree by their nest. The flowers were blowing in the breeze, and I even found frogs on lily pads and little, tiny fish coming to the surface of the water. Towards the end of my walk a big dark cloud appeared and blew away before it released any rain.
I was excited to have so many things to be thankful for during this walk that I could enter into my journal over the next several days.
The following day at work, I was sitting at my desk and the storyline of the book popped into my head. Just like that! It came out of nowhere.
HOW THE BOOK WAS MADE
I love to tell stories, read stories and listen to stories. I am challenged to do anything artistic. I can color within the lines of a coloring book but that is as artistic as I get.
Once the story was written, I went on a hunt for an illustrator. Being a self-taught author, I was not aware of how the publishing process worked. I assumed that I had to have the illustrations before I found a publishing company.
I decided to go to the art departments of the local colleges and universities in the surrounding areas. I proposed a contest to the students, that the professors fully supported, to use whatever median they chose to do the illustrations. The winner would be paid for each page of the book and if the book ever sold, they would receive 10% of the royalties.
Several of the art students were excited about the contest. Each received a synopsis of the story and two pages of the actual story line. I received several entries that were all amazing.
Ms. Emily Smith’s watercolors were exactly what I had imagined all the characters to be. Fun, playful, cute, colorful and full of expression!
EVERYONE loves the illustrations – from preschoolers to senior citizens. What a great job she did, capturing the true theme of the book.
Once the illustrations were completed, I went on a hunt for a publishing company. Once again, being a self-taught author and the publishing process, I was not aware that publishing companies control the illustrations of children’s books and I received several rejection letters because of the illustrations. So, I put the original paintings and the story in a box and there it sat for 20 years. During COVID, while cleaning out closets, I came across the box and decided once again to pursue a publishing company. I found one almost immediately.
Having moved away from Evansville IN, I then had to search for Emily to let her know we had been published and to get an address where she wanted the royalties sent. She was more than excited and wanted to know when we were doing the next book. The royalties didn’t seem to excite her which was a good thing. Royalties are almost nonexistent to the author and/or illustrator of the book once the folks from the publishing company, the distribution companies, and the online point of sale as well as the brick-and-mortar bookstores all get their cut of the dollars from the sales of the book. This lesson was learned after publication, unless of course you sell large quantity of books like Steven King. THE SUN JUMPED OVER THE MOON isn’t quiet there yet.
Having been in marketing and sales before I retired, I do the majority of the promotion, marketing and sales for the book. It is a hobby for me. I love reading to the kids. It gives me great joy to see how their little faces light up because of the illustrations and the storyline. They are always so eager to share their stories of being helped by friends and helping their friends.
And that is how the SUN JUMPED OVER THE MOON was created.
The lived and learning process of getting the children’s book published, marketed and sold was a great experience. And now that I have finished my first novel and am looking for an agent, I discovered that the larger publishing houses want an author to already have a published book, articles etc. before they will consider their work. So here I go again with learning the process of getting an adult book published and hopefully to the big screen. But this time I will be using an agent. I am too old to wait another 20 years for my novel to be published.
Until next week. Happy reading.
Kathy Diebold
p.s I did get all the 1,825 entries in my grateful journal that year.