Publishing My Children's Book in Six Months: Designer's Proof

(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.)

We take Alex’s sculpture of Deputy Tom Jennings with us whenever we set up a vendor book table. Deputy Jennings and K-9 Kudzu are a team of two.

Tablecloth banner by D’s Duds, Hutchinson, KS helped me with my promotional and graphic needs. Contact Angie at dsduds@yahoo.com or www.dsduds.com.

Designer’s Proof

We’re getting closer to a published book. It’s an exciting and anxious time with restless nights, but we can see light at the end of the tunnel and I’m positive it’s not another train.

This blog series about publishing my children’s book, K-9 Kudzu: Observations of a Working Dog Who Loves to Play, began the first week of January, so we’re five months in with one month, or so, to go. We’re expecting to celebrate publication prior to Hutchinson’s Third Thursday celebration on July 20th when I’ll be selling books at my “meet the author” table.

I’m pleased to report we’ve had a remarkable week of progress towards completing K-9 Kudzu. Gina Laiso, Integrita Publications, has been so productive that I’m wondering if she’s been swallowing sugar cubes by the mouthful. The book is now designed and formatted. This includes all, I said ALL, of the seventy-plus colorful spot illustrations!

J. Alex Potter, my trusted, visual, artistic adviser, has helped Gina tweak some final illustrations while I’ve made a few minor edits to the narrative.

As Gina works on the covers, Alex and I will examine the designer’s interior proof. We’re anxious to send K-9 Kudzu’s electronic file to POD Print, but we’re well aware that overlooked errors now can become expensive corrections later.

Typos are easiest to find by readers with fresh eyes. Thanks to the valuable proofreading service of author Melody Cole, our draft copy of K-9 Kudzu took another important step forward.

Melody may be reached at sentimentsofasurvivor@gmail.com. Her remarkable book is available for purchase at numerous locations, but I’d recommend https://timehonoredproductions.com/ if you’re ordering online. If you live in or near Hutchinson, KS, Bookends bookstore, 123 N. Main, is very supportive of local authors.

While Gina was completing illustrations, I did my online work of acquiring the Library of Congress control number, assigning the book to an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) I already had, preparing a barcode to be printed on the back cover, and lining up endorsements.

My barcode includes the retail price of $24.95. Pricing is complicated for indie authors because we want to sell as many books as possible at a reasonable price, but we can’t afford to give our books away. If we set the book’s price too low, it will prevent us from offering our book for sale at bookstores due to their commission rates, and we won’t make any money for our creative work.

As I’ve mentioned previously, the costs of publishing a children’s book increases drastically if you hire an illustrator and when you print in color.

Just recently, I received my last “blurb” or endorsement for K-9 Kudzu. All three will be printed on the back cover to help inform potential readers about what to expect from the book. The endorsements will follow my brief synopsis of the work.

I’m really pleased with the blurbs written by pre-publication readers who were sent an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) file. I’ll share their comments when I can display the front and back cover. The endorsers consist of a 10-year-old reader who loves dogs, a former elementary school librarian who owns a bookstore, and a former sheriff who is networked across the country.

My team of dedicated book lovers exemplifies the fact that it takes a village to birth a book.

This sounds premature, but I can’t help it. Like a proud parent, once K-9 Kudzu comes into the world I’ll want to show him off. If I meet you in the street or in an elevator, don’t be surprised if I make a speech, tell you stories, and show you photos. Please understand, he’s my beautiful baby.

Until next time, happy writing,

To contact Gina Laiso, Integrita Productions, click on the following Facebook link. http://www.facebook.com/IntegritaProductions
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