I wrote Stories of Love Elementary in December 2019 and began reading the stories to my students. The photo below is from the February 2020 school newsletter, the Bobcat Beat. I am reading the first book in the series, Kindness Wins to a group of 1st graders. This is where the dream began…
My dream was to become a published author… to give back to my students and community by connecting important messages to the young learners I was teaching everyday. I wanted to publish my own series of stories- sharing with every student the important lessons I have learned and in turn, working to make the world a better place.
At the time, I really had NO idea where to start! My first steps included:
-
-
-
- researching the industry
- joining Facebook groups
- reading (and buying) LOTS of children’s books!
- reaching out and connecting with people who successfully reached their self-publishing goals
-
-
I found inspiring people all around me. I reached out to these self-published authors for advice and encouragement all throughout the entire process.
The Journey...
Step 1: Editing the Manuscript
The 1st Edit
I had a manuscript (a rough draft). After looking into the process, I knew it needed to be edited by someone with more experience.
The first edit was done by outstanding editor, copyrighter, and branding specialist, Julie Osterman. Julie is also an Oak Forest parent and serves as OFE’s amazing theater director!
The 2nd Edit
The 2nd edit was done by Robin Katz, founder of Word Wiz. Kindness Wins is written in rhyme. After much research, I quickly learned that rhyming stories are are the most difficult to write. I had no idea how much actually went into perfecting both the rhyme and meter of the story. Robin perfected the meter so it is a consistent anapestic tetrameter. She provided suggestions, and feedback that were in crucial for a flowing, rhyming story, that is easy to read aloud.
Step 2: Developing the Story / Characters
I didn’t have an illustrator yet (I was saving up!), so I printed out copies of my characters and glued them into a mock book. Using my 15 years of experience working with kids from many backgrounds, I created each character based on different personalities of the students I taught over the years. I posted the characters on my door so my (current) students could offer ideas, suggestions, and feedback. Together, we gave every character a personality and most importantly – a name!
I would leave it out for the kids to look at while waiting to play. They would offer ideas and inspiration!
Reading on the Sidelines
Step 3: Creating an Illustrator Brief
School was closed March 2020 for 6 months. It was hard not being at school everyday- and being away from the inspiration.
However, I used to the time away from school to research the process and begin looking for an illustrator!
By the time we returned, I was ready to create an illustrator brief file with pictures and notes for each page. I spent several months working on this and I had the perfect illustrator in mind!
Step 4: Finding the Perfect Illustrator
Zoe Ranucci
I first saw Zoe’s work when I read Michael Brown’s book, What I Tell Myself FIRST, which I had purchased during the pandemic. I immediately fell in love with the depth of all the characters. I looked at hundreds of illustrators and my mind always came back to her.
I finally worked up enough courage to reach out to her! She told me she would definitely be interested in working on the project, but she wouldn’t be available for 4 months because she was working on another project.
I was willing to wait!!!
Zoe began illustrating Kindness Wins on October 4, 2021!!! The first thing she did was draw the characters. It was so exciting to see them come to life!
After she created the characters, she then created a rough story board. Again, I posted this on the door, so the kids could see the progress.
The illustration process was incredible to watch, and Zoe Ranucci’s work was truly phenomenal!
Over the weeks and months, the story became more colorful and alive. We were all amazed will each illustration and layout that Zoe created!
Step 5: Funding the Printing
As the illustration & editing process was finishing, it was time to seek some help with funding the project. I chose to use Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform focused on creativity, where I had previously been able to support other new authors.
My goal was to raise $10,000. I had only 28 days and the project went live May 1, 2022. I was extremely anxious!
Kindness Wins!!!
And then the awesome news!! After the 28 days, I not only reached my Kickstarter fundraising goal….but I also reached my library donation goal! The Kickstarter was FULLY FUNDED! I sold 631 books (in total) and a copy of Kindness Wins will be donated to 246 elementary school libraries!!!! Kindness Wins was ready to be published!
