Help!

 

 

My favourite scripture at the moment is Deuteronomy 31:8, which promises, "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged”. I need to hear that right now, because finally, after thinking about it for a couple of yearsI have a rough draft for a children’s book. It’s aimed at two- to five-year-olds, and features Myka the dog. I’m not a doggy person, but the book’s origins are in the time my son kindly left his dog with me to look after while he swanned off on holiday. 

The character of Myka provides lots of potential for cheeky fun, but also to model overcoming challenges. My mum has done the illustrations and they are sensational.

But now I have the first draft, I find myself uncertain about how to proceed. Hence my blog title this month. Do I need to polish the book first or do I pitch the ideas and the rough draft?

I have asked for some feedback and advice from a variety of friends and many suggested that what I have is the basis for a series not just a one off ‘book’. But not all the advice was consistent. Some suggested the pages should have busy illustrations, so there is lots to engage the children. Others thought this would distract kids; better to keep it simple. Who is right?

There are many decisions I am nervous to make, because I want this book to fly, but this is uncharted territory for me, and I have lots of worries. 

Worry 1: 

Who is going to read my book? If it is simply my friends and relations, I could self-publish - . This would be the easiestsolution and requires the least effort. 

Worry 2: 

But what if this is a classic? Then I probably need professional help. Where do I start?Do I Google children’s books publishers? Will a publisher listen to me - let alone invest in my book? 

Will I need to put in a lot of money?

Worry 3: 

might need social media followers in a hurry, and I have no idea how I might do that. 

 

 

Worry 4: 

If it is a great book and lots of people need to learn about it, then will a lot of my time, energy and finance will need to go into a marketing campaign?

 

 

 

It’s that wince moment when you leave what you know behind and scrunching your eyes up, take those first steps into the unknown.

Some of you reading this blog may have been down this road. If you have any advice on thepoints I have made, please comment below. I want to be transparent with this journey so anyone else who is struggling with these worries can also benefit from the feedback. 

writing MTW blogs for two years. Previously a mum in Prague and a teacher in Zimbabwe, she has settled into granny-hood in Sheffield. She enjoys, running a bit, increasingly playing her sax and guitar and the odd painting. She joined ACW 5yrs ago. Serving on the committee, she got fired up to write and contributed articles to Christian magazines. She is now on the verge of publishing her first children's book illustrated by her mum.