Today in 20 minutes or less, you will learn how I took a book from idea to paperback. TLDR in emoji summary: 💡 ➡️ 📖, and in keeping up with being a good shepherd of your time, here’s the round-up so you’ll know what to expect:

Step 1: get inspired, or obsessed 🫨

My toddler obviously went through the Wheels on the Bus phase (or craze), as most toddlers do. If I didn’t see how special big, yellow, school buses were, my son would make sure I get as excited about them as he did! Youtube’s algorithm was also happy to fill my recommended video feed with various renditions of the classic nursery rhyme. By the end of it all, I was listening to wheels go round and round nonstop… It was inevitable LSS would overtake my mind (Last Song Syndrome, if you didn’t know).

One day I was humming the song while brushing my teeth. My husband hollered, “STOP ITTT!'“ all the way from bed.

Clearly, I needed to channel the LSS elsewhere.😂 

So at the dinner table I was being silly with my son. I was making up all kinds of “The {subject} on the bus {verb} {onomatopoeia}”.🎶 (Bet you haven’t seen that last word since your fourth grade spelling homework). …And then the EUREKA moment came!

Book idea - ta-da!✨ I quickly went to werk.💡

Step 2: write some notes before they leave the room 📝

Step 3: look for a great illustrator 🎨

I have always used Fiverr to hire illustrators and so far have had very good experiences *knock on wood*. This is the illustrator I used, and I just noticed she updated her service image with my book.🤣

So you’ll always start with a direct message first. Never purchase a service right away! Typically I reach out to at least 4 freelancers to compare quotes, after I’ve decided I like their style and base price. I relay my idea for the book in each message inquiry, and wait to hear what they think. I like going with the ones that are most excited and available. Coincidentally, all my illustrators have been from Ukraine ❤️🇺🇦.

Rina really liked my book idea so she gave me a small discount with the condition that I mail her a copy of the book!

Step 4: collaboration towards the vision 🌈

Once I’ve finalized my manuscript, I lay them out in Canva to see how many spreads I’ll need from the illustrator. Below is an example of what I sent. I make sure to include descriptions and reference images.

Depending on the artist, they could show you sketches of all the illustrations first, and then proceed with color. I prefer this process so that I can request changes to facial expressions or placements before they color.

😛 Fun fact: The boy’s expression above was initially naughty and mischievous! I revised it by asking the artist to make it look like he’s passing gas innocently, with his mouth looking like this emoji 😚 and whistling with notes coming out of his mouth 🎶 (Yes, I actually used emojis to convey this directive! 😂)

Step 5: get the book print-ready 🖨️

Once I am a happy camper and sign off on the illustrations, I use either Canva or Affinity Publisher to layout and format the pages. If you are a beginner, start with Canva, but if you are experienced using apps like Adobe InDesign then Affinity Publisher would be your cup of tea. I prefer Affinity over Adobe because they charge a one-time fee instead of a subscription.

Initially, I wasted a lot of time figuring out the size to export my books with page bleed and margins.😓 KDP performs automated and manual checks to make sure your book prints well, and if the size is wrong they reject it outright. Fret not, you have unlimited time to fix the issues and you can keep at it until your book is finally accepted.

Since I’ve published a bunch of books now, I am much faster at this process. I now use a template that I know KDP will accept right away. You can figure it out yourself but if you need help with this, you can get my Canva KDP template for 8.5×8.5 inch books below. This is the exact size of my children’s books.

If you are a current newsletter subscriber, you’ll see a special discount code below so you can get the template for FREE!🎉 Note: you’ll need to be reading this from your email to see the code.😉

Step 6: submit your new book to KDP (and wait…) ✨

I’ve shared about KDP in my previous newsletter which is how I self-publish all my books. Check out the tail-end for what you want to know. I can’t walk through everything in detail here without writing a novel, but there’s plenty of Youtube videos that show you the basics. Here’s one to get you started.😊

When the book is published, I always order a copy and have it shipped via my Prime account so I can get it quickly to check for any issues. If there are, I go back and make corrections and re-upload the manuscript. When I’m satisfied, I order a couple of author copies. Author copies take longer to deliver but I only pay for printing costs and shipping, so it's a good way to get my books in bulk pricing. I’ve made a couple hundred dollars selling my books on Amazon so far, so if you're interested in publishing your first children's book, picture book, photo book, novel, biography, journal, etc — KDP is a very easy way to start (biggest plus is it's free!). This year I will learn how to run ads so I can eventually make my books one source of monthly passive income.🙏

So, you might be curious, how long did this book take to make? ⏳

From ideation to illustration to publication, making a single children's book takes me a solid 4-5 months! Note that I do have a full-time job and a toddler to take care of, so those take up the lion’s share of my day. Since I only work on these projects on the side, this whole process might look faster for you. I enjoy the creative process immensely and love making these books for my son as a creative outlet.

So here’s the final book, ladies and gents, presenting The Silly Willy Wheels on the Bus!🥳

Each page features a unique bus from around the world, from the iconic double decker bus of London to the guided bus of Germany that can hop on train tracks (did you know about that before? Coz I certainly didn't! Now my almost 2 year old knows more than me 😂). That's a good way to beat traffic if you ask me.

Current steal-deal find

We're almost at the end here but before I cap it off, I want to share my favorite sleep solution for my toddler, especially since we’re nearing summer which means lots of out-of-town trips!! 🧳🏕️🚗💨

This is my preferred travel cot of choice since my son is over 18 months old and does NOT like to be enclosed in a Pack ‘n Play.😓 He loves it so much and enjoys jumping into it. This comes with:

• Interior mattress

• Exterior inflatable serves as guard rails

• Pump

• Travel bag

It fits our standard crib sheets but I always like adding my seat plane extender / airplane hammock on it for an even cozier feel. I saw other parents simply use plush blankets, so whatever works. It’s strong enough to hold both my son and my husband, and it has a ✨lifetime guarantee✨! That’s amazing since our old inflatable mattresses always end up with tiny holes that become irreparable over time… Hiccapop will replace your mattress if that happens.

🇨🇦 Tip for Canadians: buy the mattress from Amazon US. Even with duties and import fees + currency conversion, it’ll end up cheaper than the price tag on Amazon Canada.🫠

We bought this for our trip to the Philippines after careful research, and even though my son eventually made his way up our bed during the first week, the succeeding nights were much better and I attribute us getting quality sleep to this, hands down.😂 I also didn’t have to fret about him falling off the bed if he napped on a normal adult bed.

Surprise Giveaway (free books!) 🥳

It's officially May and this month my little muse turns 2 years old!! 🎂🎈🎉 To celebrate, I'll be giving away a signed copy of any one of my books to 2 random winners. This is open to everyone around the world! Well, as long as I can mail it to you.📨 

To join, subscribe to the newsletter and leave a comment below with a bus emoji 🚌 and let me know if you'd try your hand at self-publishing books in the future--now that you know how it all works! See you in the next newsletter fam 👋