292: Writing A Children's Book
Selling the Couch
Self-Publishing
Besca: I carry a notebook with me everywhere i go, in my purse. Any time i have an idea, i'll start story boarding in that it's like a minne sketch book. It looks like a crazy person wrote in it, because sometimes i'll get ideas, you know, three a m and i'll write them. And so i don't think any of that's crazy at all. Besca: There's some truth to that relic, when we're passively doing something else, just how our brain sort of comes up and generates these ideas,. Right? Absolutely.
Have you ever considered writing a children’s book? I’ll admit that I’ve thought about it, and it might be a new endeavor in my future. Writing a children’s book takes creativity and planning, and much perseverance is required to navigate the publishing process. Join me as I talk to a longtime friend who has been through the process and published two children’s books.
Our Featured Guest
Amy Jivani
Amy is a childhood friend of mine who has become a children’s book author. Her latest book, Meera’s Flowers, tells the story of a young girl celebrating an Indian holiday while living in America. She also wrote More Than Words: A Book About Body Language, a story about body language and feelings. Amy is a former first-grade teacher who is inspired by her students and her cultural background to write children’s books with ethnically diverse characters. Amy shares with us where she gets ideas for books and how the creative process works. We also discuss the concept of self-publishing compared to the traditional publishing route. We wrap up with Amy’s insights into the hardest part about writing and releasing a book during a pandemic.
You’ll Learn:
● Where Amy’s inspiration came from for Meera’s Flowers
● Amy’s advice for other aspiring writers:
○ Write something you can champion.
○ Storyboard your ideas as you begin.
● How the traditional publishing route requires resilience and seems like a “closed club”
● Why Amy decided not to self-publish her first book
● How Amy realized that creative stories could teach and reinforce important concepts to children in more memorable ways
● How Amy gives herself creative space to think and produce rather than setting aside a disciplined time slot
● The hardest part of what Amy has accomplished: getting publishers to see the quality of what she wrote and releasing a book during a pandemic when typical book promotion is a no-go
● How Amy handles the newfound attention of being a published author with humility
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Disclosures: Please note that all opinions are my own and based on my personal experience. Sponsors are acknowledged. Some links in the description are affiliate links where if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I use these funds to continue to create helpful content to serve our field. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
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Hi. I'm Melvin. I'm a psychologist (PhD), entrepreneur, and online creator living in Philadelphia, PA.
In 2014, I began to think about how to use the therapy skills we learn in grad school, and in our clinical work into different realms (e.g., podcasting, consulting, online course creation, etc).
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