Self Publish Your Children's Book

Launching into the World of Children’s Books

I’ve been an author and involved in the publishing industry for many years. I’m also an avid reader. One of my fondest hopes for my two children was for them to love the world of books as much as I do. Well...one out of two kids, isn’t bad. At least I got 50% participation. Truthfully, I’ve always believed that reading is so important for children, and they need a wide variety of things to read.Not only am I an author, but I’m also a graphic artist. I enjoy working in the publishing industry doing book covers, banners, promotional posters, etc. for authors and publishers.

Recently I was approached by a dear friend and children’s author, Marsha Casper Cook, who asked me if I could format a children’s book for her. Thinking to myself, “How hard could this be?” I immediately grabbed for that brass ring. I viewed it as another chance for me to work on a project that would encourage children to read. I dove in enthusiastically. Designing her cover was more fun than I ever thought it would be. I was challenged to make it bright and colorful as well as something that would attract a child’s attention. After collaborating in many sessions full of laughter and giggling at our ideas, we landed on something we were both happy with.

Next...the inside of the book. I’ve been formatting books for years and heard working with illustrations was difficult, and boy, that’s the truth. I wanted the interior of the book to rival what I’d seen from some larger publishers, and to do that I knew I’d need some complicated software. In a very short period of time, I taught myself how to use Adobe InDesign. What a worthwhile challenge. Working with illustrations is no picnic, and there were many nights when I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning just to get something to fit within the page exactly the way I wanted it. Marsha and I went through a few rounds, but we ended up with a book we are both very proud of.This experience spurred me on to make connections with children’s illustrators and promoters and my company Select-O-Grafix, LLC is primed and ready to launch into the world of formatting children’s books. I can’t wait to do more and give children that wonderful experience of an enjoyable fun read.