When I first started publishing, I longed for a book award. I remember seeing all those pretty stickers and seeing authors boast about how many awards that they had received. I would look at author websites and drool over the little seals at the bottom of the screen. I mean, who wouldn’t want a pretty gold sticker on their book, right? Isn’t that like a book publishing gold medal? What I didn’t know then was that many of those awards are scams. According to Words Rated (2023), The number of self-published books has increased by 264% in the last five years. Many scammers are aware that there i ..read more

I’ve been in the business of writing and illustrating books now for a few years and one of the areas which I find most frustrating is that of the editorial review.  You would think that a good book just naturally gets good reviews, but that is not how the industry works. Traditional publishers send off their books to review boards months before they are ever published and usually pay nothing to have them reviewed.  Self-publishers don’t have this possibility. They have to pay to have their books reviewed and this is not cheap. Book Reviews are on average $399 Kirkus Reviews leads the ..read more

The Dream Many self-publishers begin with the dream of getting a traditional publishing contract. They write to dozens of agents and submit to publishers accepting unsolicited manuscripts. Then after receiving countless rejections and waiting months for copy-paste replies, they begin to wonder if getting a traditional publishing deal is really worth all the hype. The Reality The media is full of stories about ordinary people publishing bestselling books. Nevertheless, it is actually really difficult for a writer to land a publishing deal. Even when someone has written the best story in the wor ..read more

Part 1: Trends in children’s book illustration First of all, let me make this clear. I think Artificial Intelligence (AI) is pretty amazing. I am blown away by the images that various AI generators like DALL-E or Midjourney can produce. I say this because I don’t want people to assume that the reason I’m writing this article is because I hate AI. I don’t. Nevertheless, as cool as AI is, I’ll be honest, it is wreaking havoc on the illustration industry and making a lot of us worried. This blog post is to explain to those who are not in the world of children’s book illustration why AI art is mak ..read more

Have you ever dreamt of publishing your own children's book? Would you love to see your book on a shelf when you walk into Barnes and Noble? Have you ever wondered how difficult it is to sell a book on Amazon? Well... there are a few things that you should know first.  Here are my top 10 tips for beginners: 1. Have reasonable expectations Too many people make the mistake of thinking that anyone can create a children's book. Part of the reason for this is the number of celebrity picture books on the market. Nevertheless, the reality looks very different. Children's book publishing is a ver ..read more

This has been a crazy year. Nevertheless, I have been amazed by how differently everyone has been experiencing it. I know a lot of people who have complained this year that nothing has happened. No vacations. No conferences. No nothing (I apologize, but sometimes a double negative just sounds appropriate). However, I feel like just the opposite is true. Read Blog Post ..read more

How Writing a Covid19 Children’s Book Changed the Way I Publish February was not a good month to be sick with a cough. Nevertheless, I had one and it ended up being one of the worst colds of my entire life. At the time, Covid19 was just becoming an issue and my continual coughing caused more fear than sympathy. Therefore, I went into lockdown before it ever became a bad word. Then my kids came down with my colds, homeschooling began, and questions about this mysterious virus began to get real. Read blog post ..read more

I do not understand why reflective strips are not mandatory on kids' coats and jackets. You cannot see a child at night without them. Every year I have to add strips to my kids' clothing because I want them to be safe. Sometimes I even get real creative and cut them into interesting shapes and designs. Luckily, it's not hard. Your kids can even help you out. Here is how to make your own. Make Your Own reflective strips ..read more

Self-publishing is not as ‘easy’ as it's cracked up to be. Sure, theoretically anyone can do it. But, just because it's easy to put your book online does not mean that you should or even that it will make you any money. The reality of self-publishing is that it is a very tough business, especially on Amazon. You are going against big publishers who have a ton of experience putting their books on the market. How will you make sure that your book stands out? … Read Blog Post and Publish that book ..read more

Over at Instagram @alittledonnerwetter, you’ll find a back to school giveaway from the authors and illustrators of the Best Coronavirus Children’s Books on Amazon* including my book The Day the Lines Changed. If you are one of the lucky three winners, you will receive all 5 fantastic books! Earth Takes A Break by Emily House The Day the Lines Changed by Kelley Donner School Coronavirus Do’s and Don’ts by Adrienne Barber Not Forever But For Now by Heather Malley Ben Builds A Friendship by Dorothea Laurence (author of Paula and the Pandemic) Go to Blog Post ..read more