(To listen to the audio of this blog, use the purple play button.)
(To listen to the audio of this blog, use the purple play button.)
Introduction
Copyright 2023 by Jim Potter
It’s a new year, and I’m excited to be on a path to my first children’s book. I expect it to be printed in June 2023.
Six months to go and every day is busy. Editing. Meeting with illustrators. Getting a range of cost estimates for printing even though I’m unsure of the book’s size. Looking for grants or other financial support since it’s an educational book.
Before I share about the present activities, let me tell you about the past. The idea for writing this children’s book began fifteen years ago.
My first law enforcement book was a police memoir titled Cop in the Classroom: Lessons I’ve Learned, Tales I’ve Told (2007). It includes true stories from my experience working for the Reno County Sheriff’s Office in Kansas.
Children and youth have read Cop in the Classroom, but the typical reader is an adult. After the memoir was published, I started considering an illustrated or picture book for literary beginners. I called it B is for Badge. It was an introduction to law enforcement, highlighting police vocabulary and organized in alphabetical order, for example: A is for Accident, B is for Badge, and C is for Car.
During my workday visiting children as a school resource officer, I kept a spiral notebook in my patrol car with ideas, a draft, and drawings. At one point, I considered presenting the narrative for each word as poetry, but that idea died a quick, painless death.
Today, B is for Badge has returned to my consciousness and is well on its way to being published in six months. The new title is The ABCs of Law Enforcement as Told by K-9 Kudzu. Now, children 10 years of age and up, are the target audience to read the book, but parents and grandparents are potential customers.
As you can see, with time, the title and reading level has evolved. In fact, until recently, I was stuck with this book’s rough draft. Then, Alex, my wife, suggested having a police dog be the book’s narrator. Her idea caused a seismic shift in my thinking. K-9 Kudzu will be an ideal icon for young readers.
Currently, I have illustrators working on drawings of what K-9 Kudzu, a German shepherd, looks like when he’s in different moods.
Meanwhile, I’m editing and planning my marketing.
If you’re interested in learning about my publishing progress, check back often. Tomorrow, I meet with an author-publisher who has a passion for helping people achieve their literary goals. Maybe she’ll offer me one new idea.
Until next time, happy writing,
One step at a time!
Thanks for the reminder. I need it.
Best of luck to you in this literary endeavor, Jim!
Thanks, Pat!
This is very interesting, Jim. Wishing you all the best in this great-sounding project.
Thank you, Nancy. It’s pretty exciting and as you know, a lot of work.
I think your recently-adjusted goals for this book are on a really great track. The choice of a narrator and a focus on the book’s educational value look like a winning combination to me–coupled with the good writing and drawings that I’m sure the book will include.
Thank you, Miriam. A friend told me recently that every school library should have this book. I’m a bit like a child at Christmas waiting to open a present. I can’t wait to meet the illustrated K-9 Kudzu. You can be sure, once we agree on the image, I’ll be plastering his mug shot all over the Internet.