Hey There bookcreators, welcome back to episode # 37 of the book creator podcast! I was working on a couple of client books projects that will launch in this fall and I noticed that there have been some MAJOR updates to the Library PCN, or Preassigned Control Number, website! So today I wanted to fill you in on all the changes to help you figure ou…

Learn all about the NEW DIY Picture Book Academy-- created based on listener feedback! Hope you enjoy it! Check out the details on https://www.thepicturebookacademy.com! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thebookcreatorpodcast/support

I had a great question come through from one of our listeners! Shout out to Dr. Edna for the inspiration of this episode! She wanted to know what writers can do to be more helpful to their illustrators and what the writer-illustrator process and contract looks like. So today we are going to talk about just that! Be sure to check out the DIY picture…

As summer approaches, events start popping up all over the place, family and friends seem to come out of the winter woodwork and want to do more-- it can be tough to maintain our momentum with our creative goals! Life moves by quickly especially when you have a lot of things splitting your focus like work, your family, friends, maintaining your hou…

I NEED to talk to you about something that I honestly don’t know why it isn’t a focused theme taught in high school, college or really anywhere for that matter! And this is the art of Creative Prospecting. Creative Prospecting is the ability to partner with the ‘other half’ to your creative whole. So for example, let’s say you make birthday cakes, …

Whether you are an author an illustrator or both, it usually means that you are of the personality type where you genuinely enjoy some quality YOU time working on your next creation. I am with you! But it is also super important that we involve ourselves with the market and publishing community so that we can stay on top of our game and also make c…

When it comes to books, we are designing a story that works just for our character. If we could easily remove our character and replace her with someone else, then it is a good indication that we probably need to rework our character a bit to make sure her purpose exists within the story telling. How do we make sure we have a detailed and complicat…

I am just getting back from an awesome author visit and thought that this would be the perfect time to answer some of the top questions that you all send over about author visits! Author visits are a big deal. When you come out with your book, one major service that you can offer (and that people will ask you to do) is to come speak about your work…

I know a lot of you want to know more about the self publishing route to see if it’s right for you or could fit somewhere in your long term publishing strategy! So today, I wanted to give you a high level overview of all of the stuff I wish someone would have told me ahead of time in a a 10 minute dose about what would be in-store for you if you de…

How do we manage a combination of life, a day job perhaps, maybe kids, and yet continue to stay motivated to pursue our creative calling? We ALL could use some help finding that drive sometimes-- especially on days when we are tired and the weather may not be so delightful! This week we are going to talk about how to staying motivated as creative i…

So this whole subject of web presence is a big topic. If we are going to get out there as creators: start to make pitches, try to start selling our book, or try to line up author talks-- whatever it might be, we need the right information out there that not only sells our products and services, but allows us to be found in the first place! --- Supp…

I get to talk to a lot of you at varying stages in your book making process! Some are just getting started, some have made a book in the past and want to create a second book maybe in a different genre, and others have put work into their first book and are wondering-- is it done? Am I ready to self publish this? Should I pitch? Is this book even r…

I thought it would be fun to talk about how to start drawing! Maybe you haven’t drawn in a while and just want to get back into it, or maybe you’ve always wanted to learn: in this episode we will talk about how to start learning to draw! And these are the things that EVERYONE can do. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show…

You’ve written something, you’re excited, and someone tells you DON’T SHOW THIS TO ANYONE OTHERWISE SOMEONE MAY TAKE YOUR IDEA! How much of this is true? Is this something to worry about? When should you show someone your idea? Today, we are going to discuss fear/question as it is something many of us struggle with! We will talk about copyright, co…

Of course we can pitch our manuscripts to agents and even go direct to publishing, but there are so many other ways to get going as a book creator as well: especially if you consider what it is you are actually pitching! As I get to know more about you and your publishing aspirations, I want to make sure that I am telling you about all of your poss…

This topic really does not get enough attention! For all the illustrators out there, as well as writers, it is super important to show a cohesive body of work. But what does this mean exactly? I learned so much recently from Cecilia Yung, the art director at Penguin Random House, and I wanted to share with you some of my big take aways as well as w…

The title of Episode #21 says it all! It is so important as illustrators and writers to know how to get out of a creative blocks, ruts, low points: what ever you want to call them! These are periods we ALL got through as artists. I am just getting out of one of these periods, and I realized that it is so important to talk about what we do when we a…

In Episode #20, we are going to have some fun thinking outside the box a bit of ways that you can sell your book and start to make a living from your title. Here are 8 tips for you to pursue. Alright book creators, let’s get down to book creating business. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thebookcreatorpodcast/suppo…

Very early on in this podcast, as I started to get to know many of you, it became quite clear that there are a group of Book Creators who would like more of a hands-on/coaching experience where someone will help you to complete your book step by step! This, my friends, is why I am creating the Picture Book Academy: a course where I can personally t…

I know for a few years now I have been trying to decide when would be the right time to go to a writers and illustrators conference. Even just this year I was still reaching out to ask questions to see if it was worthwhile to invest in this kind of experience! What I can tell you is that SCBWI Winter Conference was incredible and filled with so muc…

Whether you are choosing to go the self publishing route or the traditional route: either way you will need to have some technical know-how to be able to create a working manuscript or dummy of your book! In this episode we are going to talk about some AMAZING book creation tools for your tool belt that will help you to create your book. Want to be…

If you’ve been listening-in to a bunch of Book Creator Podcasts, you know that I am a BIG fan of keeping things as simple as possible. If you start Googling self publishing, you will find a whole lot of companies out there that offer services-- by all means look into as many as you’d like! Just remember that you need to create a title that can be a…

I know that there are so many questions on your mind about which publishing avenue is right for you! So I thought we would spend some time talking about the pros and cons of self versus traditional l publishing. Also friends! I am just ramping up to launching the FIRST ever Picture Book Academy Course where I will take you step by step through the …

Welcome back to episode #14 of the Book Creator Podcast. Today we are going to have some fun talking about Book Business Plans. Building a business plan is not something you want to skip over! Remember, your book is a product-- and a product that you hope will be purchased by actual consumers! If we treat a book like any other product development, …

In Episode #13, we are going to talk all about the wonder that is a Book Map! I’ve been so excited to nerd-out a bit talk with you about this topic! I love creating book maps-- it is one of the most exciting stages of the book making process in that you get your very first glimpse of what your final book is going to be like. Book Maps help us to cr…

I’ve been getting a good deal of questions about how to get out there as an author/illustrator or soon to be author/illustrator! This is a great topic for all of us to be thinking about, no matter what stage of the game we are in! I thought it would be fun to do something a little different and answer a few of YOUR questions! So here we go, in epis…

Description: Have you ever noticed that when you go to the gym for the month of January there is a crazy surge of people there and it is busy almost every day? Then by the time February hits, the gym population is back down to its normal size. This is the perfect example of creating a non-sustainable new years resolution. As you launch your 2019, I…

In episode #10, we are going to have some fun talking all about some things I want to add to your creative stockings this year: a whole bunch of Book Creator resources and more podcasts! No one can know everything, and that is why it is OH SO important to know how to use your resources. Listen anywhere you listen to podcasts! For a full list of opt…

Something that you will guaranteed come across in your search is something that is referred to in the industry as a Vanity Press. These companies offers sound really appealing and are designed to market to a very specific person in a very specific state of mind. As you may have guessed-- the person most susceptible to these offers are book creators…

In episode #9, we are going to discuss how at every stage of the game, whether your book is out or not, how you can start to build your audience of loyal fans. Alright book creators. In this episode we will talk all about: 1. Building your book-brand and becoming an known authority on your topic2. How to come out publicly as an author3. How to turn…

Today we are going to be talking about a REALLY big topic-- one that haunts us all because it is so gosh darn important--and that is, Style. Today we are going to go through 5 Exercises that will help you get on your style path! Alright book creators, let’s get down to book creating business.Please connect with Rachel on Instagram and Facebook @T…

First thing’s first: what is an Author Page? An Author Page is your author website! As you start working on your book project, there is one thing to keep in mind: it is NEVER too early to start building your audience. We want to start connecting with people and allow them to get to know you as who you intend to be: a developing author, Illustrator,…

Creating a book means that you are creating a product: there is so much that needs to happen to make it a success! Check out episode #5 to learn all about how to set yourself up for success beginning with mindset, then a short talk about the power of creating a creative environment for yourself, followed by the 5 phases of book creation! You don’t …

Rachel jumps into Part II of our creativity conversation and talks all about the creative journey. In this episode you will get to know all about her journey so far, where she is along her path, and how she can help you discover your own book creation path! Please connect with Rachel on Instagram and Facebook @TheBookCreatorPodcast or @ThePictureBo…

Being creative is not a choice, it’s part of who you are. To deny it means you are trying to get one of purist parts of you— the one that makes you, you! In this episode we talk all about what it means to be a creative person, how to decide which paths to pursue and which paths maybe you should pivot away from, and the importance of staying true to…

Creativity takes such courage! Only you can safeguard your idea and develop it until it is ready to be born into the world: and then after that, it will need to be able to stand on its own two feet! It is critical for us to talk not only about strategy, sales, marketing and product development (those items that will allow your book to hold its own …

The very first episode of The Book Creator Podcast! This podcast is made for those who dream to lead a creative lifestyle: particularly those who aspire to be an author, illustrator, or author illustrator! If you have that idea (or maybe tons of ideas in your head) this is the show... this is the show that is going to help you turn that dream into …