Books and More...

 Before 'Slime' was finished I had 'Sleuths' in my head.  I actually began writing it before 'Slime' was on the market.  My writing gurus assured me that the second book would help sales of the first book and I loved where the story was going and wanted to keep the story going.

That it helped sales for a time was true. However, I ran up against a brick wall with marketing efforts for both books because I hadn't figured the high cost into my budget. Some things you lean the hard way.  When folks were asking for $100 to review my book, I balked.  I did double down on social media, saturating Facebook and Instagram with Slobbers and his books.  I also set up a store on Etsy to sell Slobbers branded products but ran into some brick walls there, too.  I'll explain that aspect as we go along.

Shortly before 'Sleuths' was released I happened across a very popular Saint site on Facebook because the administrator of that site began sharing more and more of my posts on her several sites.  It was a huge boon. I also had set up a page for Slobbers and a group and people were getting on board.

A little back story here before I continue.  During this time a very good friend lost her Saint.  I had grown old with her Harley because we met just before we lost Bacchus, some 12 years earlier.  When chatting about our boys we laughed that perhaps in the next book Harley could be Slobbers' dad.  After all, Slobbers' had parents and it would be interesting to tell how he happened to become a shelter dog.

Back to my Facebook friend.  During this same time frame, she, too, lost her Saint. The iconic Brenda Lee. I was stunned for I had been thinking of asking if she could be Slobbers' mom.  After allowing my friend some time to grieve, I asked her what she thought. Maybe it was fine that all the dogs had crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Slobbers, after all, was the composite of all my Saints. Fortunately for me she was thrilled with the idea.  As with Harley, Brenda Lee would live on.

I began doing little stories on social media telling Harley and Brenda Lee's story and people liked them so much they began clamoring for them to become a book of their own. I asked my publishing gurus if I should do it and if I chose to, could it be a prequel. The answer was yes.

How all that went coming up...

Picking the Pictures

 I thought I had done enough illustrations - better than thirty, but by the time we  placed them it was decided we needed about eight more. I spent the next several days working on them.

The one to the left is one of my early favorites. My two heroes studying a snail drinking beer.  What is that all about?  Read the book! Slobbers and Slime.  All the books, by the way, are available on Amazon and most bookstores that have an online presence.  I'll be repeating this often, just in case...

I had studied a lot of illustrated children's books and have to this day never seen one illustrated in my style. I thought so many of them were very static and while  cute, they didn't show action. By design I kept mine loose and sketchy. After all the book is for kids and I wanted them to be able to feel a sense of action and intrigue. 

My project manager told be I should investigate putting myself out there as an illustrator but I didn't, and still don't, know enough about the publishing requirements nor all the technical aspects of the drawing program. I decided to stick with my own projects which were challenging enough. She had a point though, when she told me illustrators command around $150 per picture.  My immediate thought was, wow, I could never have afforded to have a professional illustrate my book to the extent I did.

Once the illustrations were completed everything was made available to the layout people.  This is another area where there are a lot of guidelines online for those wanting to tackle it themselves, but again, I knew nothing about it so opted to have the professionals handle it. Layout and cover design.  We're getting close to actually having a book!

Now It's Written - What Next?

 I had a manuscript.  I had thrown in a few illustrations just to break it up a bit.  The illustration at the left was the first one I drew. I had already fallen in love with that puppy!

People I had asked to read the manuscript - those who would be honest, but kind, loved the illustrations and said I should do them myself. More on this as we go along.

I had two options to move forward.  One was to begin researching and submitting to appropriate publishing houses, or self-publish.

Of course ego suggested going for a publishing house until a friend told me that I'd probably have to wait a couple of years before they'd get around to reading it and there was no guarantee it would be accepted. At my age I didn't feel that was viable choice.

One of my readers was with a small local house begun by a group of writers who had problems getting their own books published.  They were interested, but then they weren't, then they were again.  As with many small businesses they were having their own share of financial problems so I decided that too was not a viable choice.

The next step was finding out the pros and cons of self-publishing and how did one go about it. One thing I did know was that I was going to need all the help I could get.

Next - who helps and what exactly do they do?

The Mystery Man and Then Some

I now have the dog, Slobbers, the kids, and their families. Next I needed the mystery man. Originally he would have been Big Foot but now he's just big.

Originally there was a brew master in the neighborhood.  Now he's the owner of the local pub.

Now I need an actual mystery.  Originally our neighborhood gardens were inundated with snails.  I kept it the same in the story upon the advice of my advisors who felt kids would love the icky, slimy, smelly creatures.  I couldn't disagree with that so snails it was. 

Okay, my characters were set, now get it written.  The first draft was written in the third person.  Then I was told middle grade stories were usually written in the first person and don't go into too much detail because the kids aren't interested.

Would a writing class have taught me all this?  Who knows. I never even expected to be writing a kids book! 

Just how do I do this first person bit?  Who should it be? Why, the dog, of course, I was told.  My first crack at it was terrible. Try again. I figured since I had four Saint Bernards and two mutts over the years, certainly I could get inside a dog's head. 

Once I settled down to it I found it easier than I had expected and actually quite a bit of fun.  I was falling in love with all my characters.

I felt quite good once done to my satisfaction.  I had friends who were fantastic supporters who kept me going. Then the big question arose.  Where do I go with it now?  The first thing I discovered was writing the story was the easy part! 

Coming up will be illustrating, then the agony of publishing.  Stick around!