Indie Kidlit Podcast

On today’s show Marti and Elena discuss how to embrace a growth mindset in order to help the indie author journey be more enjoyable and successful. Elena has twenty years experience working as a counseling psychologist and offers much advice and support around how you can embrace a positive mindset.

Lots of golden nuggets of advice and discussion with some of the main points covered including:

• Debunking the myth that it is impossible to be successful as an indie author writing for children!
• Who you surround yourself with can influence your own thinking and attitudes.
• The 100th monkey theory and the research of Rupert Sheldrake into morphic fields.
• Adopting positive expectations – when you genuinely expect to make a full time living as an author then you are moving towards creating this as your reality.
• Make conscious decisions about what you want your mindset to be rather than allowing your subconscious mind to choose for you.
• Actively use techniques and methods available to change your thoughts, beliefs, and emotions.
• Elena discusses her morning journaling routine.
• Don’t copy what you perceive to be positive mindsets of other successful people but instead find your own. Think, feel and believe the things that help you be an individual and that genuinely work for you.
• The importance of acknowledging your negative beliefs and thoughts when they arise, so you can move past them and adopt more positive beliefs instead. Recognising your shadow is important.
• Having a growth mindset means you challenge yourself; you take on the things that make you feel uncomfortable and are out of your comfort zone. You want your limiting beliefs to be revealed so you can change them.
• Elena shares Catherine Ponder’s 12 mind powers for success: Life, Imagination, Power, Judgment, Understanding, Zeal, Elimination, Faith, Love, Order, Will and Strength.
• Living the life you want now and using a vision board to help you identify what you really want.
• When working on improving your own mindset try a variety of things and then measure your success to see what works for you and what doesn’t. Keep doing the things that work for you and are sustainable long term.
• Improving your mindset is an ongoing thing because personal development is cyclical, not hierarchical. What this means is you don’t improve yourself once and it is done. Your old beliefs may appear to come up again and again because time is fractal, meaning things go around and around. So working on keeping your mindset growing means you commit to working on yourself regularly without judging your progress or comparing yourself to others.

Enjoy the show.

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Today’s interview is with author and illustrator Donovan Scherer.

Donovan creates worlds of adventure with a sense of humor and a little bit of dread that everything will go terribly, terribly wrong. His books include Fear and Sunshine (books 1-3), Breakfast Doodles (books 1-9), Monsters Around the Campfire, Lost Tomorrow, and The Color of Madness: A Coloring Book of Monsters, Mad Science and a Little Hippie Girl.

In this interview, Donovan covers the success he’s had selling his books live at comic conventions, and art and craft shows. He also gave some great advice for finding, hiring and working with illustrators.

• Do lots of research on what comic conventions and market stalls are local to you. Find out how they do things and what is involved to be a part of them, including costs and who attends them. After doing many over the past year Donovan has discovered that he does best at the events that draw families to attend. He hasn’t had much luck with collectible shows, so will avoid them in future.
• Be prepared when you attend an event. Make sure you have enough stock of books and some nice banners (possibly of your books). Make your display child-friendly to attract parents and kids to it.
• Give some thought to your sales process. Donovan hands people that approach his table a bookmark and asks them if they’ve read the books before. He also offers bundled books at a discount price. You need to get involved and actively participate to get sales.
• When it comes to finding a great illustrator make sure you get good character design from the onset. Get the illustrator to draw the main character/s walking, running, sitting, crouching etc.  It’s important to capture the characters personality. See the Batman Character Series Bible as a reference point.
• Get a good idea of an artist/illustrators style of work by following them on Instagram or where ever else they post their illustrations regularly.
• We also discuss Lexile reading level, and discussion guides and resources for teachers. A great website for ideas on creating educational resources is www.teacherspayteachers.com.

Enjoy the show.

You can find Donovan online at www.donovanscherer.com or at www.studiomoonfall.com,  follow him on AMAZON, get social with him on Facebook and Twitter.

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Today’s interview is with indie fiction and non-fiction author Scott King.

Scott was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Ocean City, Maryland. He received his undergraduate degree in film from Towson University, and his M.F.A. in film from American University. Until moving to Texas, to follow his wife’s career, King worked as a college professor teaching photography, digital arts, and writing related classes. He now works full time as a game photographer and author. His non-fiction books are The 5 Day Novel, Finish the Script, and the most recent Story Pitch. His fiction books for kids included The Zimmah Chronicles (Book 1 Cupcakes vs Brownies, Book 2 Mermaids vs Unicorns, and Book 3 Genies vs Djinn), The Eye of Hastur, and National Cthulhu Eats Spaghetti Day.

In this interview, Scott gives great advice and tips on how to structure your middle-grade novel. He covers:

• What you need to know to write middle-grade books – know the story you want to tell and the appropriate age group for your book.
• How writing a “story pitch” can help you write your novel.
• Every good book needs a protagonist that wants something and there needs to be something or someone who stands in their way of getting it.
• Every story will have a theme or themes – discover them early on and decide how you use them to tell a better story. A theme is what your story is ultimately about eg. loneliness, ambition, betrayal, coming of age, courage etc.
• Know WHY you’re writing. Recognize the difference between the CRAFT of story telling and the BUSINESS side of publishing. You need to write a great story that works and that readers want, but then you also need to market it effectively.
• The difference between writing a screenplay versus a novel.
• The differences between a middle-grade novel versus a young adult novel.
• How to write quickly but well.
• Finding and developing your AUTHOR VOICE.
• Developing confidence in your story telling ability.
• And more!

Enjoy the show.

You can find Scott online at www.ScottKing.info,  follow him on AMAZON, get social with him on Twitter, and tune into his podcast The Creators Cast.

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Today’s interview is with indie author and marketing expert Beau Blackwell.

Beau Blackwell is the author of four children’s books and the creator of the Let’s Make Kids Books Podcast, Online Course and Facebook Mastermind Group. His picture books include Natasha the Ninja, The Morning Grumbles, Christmas on the Farm, and The Knight Who Wouldn’t Sleep. Beau’s Online Course teaches newbies everything they need to know to publish their own children’s book in as little as 6 weeks.

In this interview Beau covers:

• How to write books for children on topics you genuinely care about and get them into the world.
• You CAN make money with children’s books, but you do need to have a marketing strategy. It’s important to treat your indie publishing as a business.
• It’s important to have a positive mindset and do slow and steady marketing.
• Aim your marketing at parents as they are mostly the ones buying the books for their children. If your book solves a problem that parents are having with their children (like getting them to sleep) then communicate that. You want parents to think “That’s something I’d like my children to read!”
• The benefit of using embedded subtitles to communicate to parents how your book fulfills their children’s needs.
• How to write a compelling book description. This description rather than being a summary of the book needs to tell kids why they will enjoy reading it again and again. And needs to tell parents why they would want to spend their money on it.
• How to place your book in the right categories to become a best-selling Amazon author – then you can use that tag and it will display on your book, getting you more sales.
• The benefits of joining supportive facebook groups with other authors.
• How to position yourself in the marketplace so that you can find your core readers. Choose a small group of people who would love to read your books and ask yourself “Who are they?” “What do they care about?” and “Where do they hang out?” Whether you realize it or not, your books are saying “Here is who I am. Here is what I write. Here is what I believe in.”

Great marketing advice and you will learn something new once again. Enjoy the show.

You can find Beau’s online course, podcast and facebook group at www.letsmakekidsbooks.com and find more about Beau’s expertise in marketing at www.beaublackwell.com.

You can follow Beau and buy his books on AMAZON, get social with him on TWITTER and join the Let’s Make Kids Book Facebook Mastermind group .

You can email Marti and Elena at theindiekidlitpodcast@gmail.com for show ideas or request being interviewed on the show.

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Today’s interview is with indie author Marc Remus.

Marc Remus is an award-winning German Neo Pop-Art painter, illustrator and author. His paintings are exhibited world-wide. His first book series Magora (a middle grade series) features six books, three of which have been published and three more which are coming. So far the books released in the series are The Gallery of Wonders, The Golden Maple Tree, and the Bridge in the Fog. 

Marc is one of those rare authors that has patience; he wrote the entire Magora series over a period of 20 years, perfecting it and is releasing one book every six months or so. He is also working on a new YA book about a tribe in Scotland that steals languages.

In this interview Marc covers:

• The merits of writing and completing an entire book series before releasing them.
• Learning how to write children’s books well at the Institute for Writers.
• Working with developmental editors to make your series strong and cohesive.
• The importance of a well written book, professional cover and layout.
• Gaining visibility and more sales through winning book awards. Marc mentions the Moonbeam, IPPY, Readers Favorite and Purple Dragonfly awards. Marc has won gold and silver on various book awards for his first and second Magora books.
• Translation of books and language considerations.
• How to get amazing, creative story ideas.
• The advantages of doing a joint book launch.

It’s been wonderful hearing the individual journey of different authors and knowing there are many pathways to success. Enjoy Marc’s interview.

You can find Marc and purchase his books at www.marcremus.com, find the Magora series at www.magora.net (worth checking out for the special effects and how your cursor turns into a paint brush!)

You can follow Marc on AMAZON, get social with him on TWITTER and FACEBOOK.

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Today’s interview is with indie author Karen Inglis.

Karen has sold over 10,000 books during her author career. Her stand alone book titles are proof that you don’t have to write a series in order to make it as an indie author. Her books include The Secret Lake, Ferdinand Fox’s Big Sleep, Henry Hanes and the Great Escape, Walter Brown and the Magician’s Hat and Eeek The Runaway Alien. All fabulous sounding titles and clearly well researched and written books.

In this interview Karen covers:

• Her top tips for children’s book authors just starting out.
• The importance of beta readers and/or critique services to make sure your book is appropriate and well written for your target age group. She mentions the Writers Advice Centre for Children’s Books. Reedsy also has great professional editors familiar with the children book market in particular.
• Visiting your local libraries and finding beta readers to hear your story and offer their feedback.
• Make contact with local libraries, school and bookstores to get your books out there. It’s always helpful to offer your services free when starting out with schools to build familiarity and good will.
• Have a good website that also brands you well, so that when schools, libraries and bookstores look you up they see from the get go that you are a professional author, and it’s easy to identify your book titles and know where to order them from.
• The importance of using both Createspace and Ingram Spark for book production and distribution. You can also supply books directly to your local book stores.
• How to design your order form effectively for schools to use when doing school visits. And more great school visits advice.
• Apps for children’s books and enhanced ebooks.
• How to gain email subscribers and fans when you DON’T have a series and DON’T have a permafree book.
• The benefits of networking with other authors and organisations.
• The vital role your self belief, perserverance and ability to fail have, in ensuring a long indie career as a children’s book author. It can feel challenging to approach schools and libraries and it won’t always go well, but you need to be able to keep at it.

A wonderful interview full of sage advice. Enjoy the show.

You can find Karen and purchase her books at www.kareninglisauthor.com , follow her on AMAZON, and get social with her on FACEBOOK.

You can find Karen’s incredibly information rich ‘info blog’ at www.selfpublishingadventures.com. Karen gives an overview of the process she went through to get her books to market on a modest budget and offers high level and very detailed publishing information and links to various resources.

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Today’s interview is with author Bobbie Hinman.

Bobbie Hinman is the author and creator of the award-winning best fairy book series which includes The Knot Fairy, The Sock Fairy, The Fart Fairy, The Freckle Fairy, and The Belly Button Fairy.  Bobbie’s fairy books have sold more than 50,000 copies and received 25 children’s book awards. Bobbie recently published the book HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK to help other authors navigate the process and get it right from the beginning.

In this interview Bobbie covers:

• The importance of getting your story right for the age group you are targeting. With children’s books especially, writing a story that children respond to depending on their age group is very important. When you know the age you are aiming your story at, this will influence how you write the story. Bobbie also suggests testing your story with a kids focus group. Read your book to a group of children that are the target age, and get their feedback. When you ask children for help and feedback they will definitely give it. Take it on board and make the book even better. This also gives you confidence that you have written a great book for your target market.
• Definitely get your picture book edited. Lots of people think they don’t need an editor for a children’s book, but the words are even more important when there are less of them. You need to get them right as they can change the meaning of the story!
• How to find and work with an illustrator. The pictures are vitally important and need to enhance the story not just imitate the words.
• How to sell your books in person at fairs/events and through school visits. Bobbie covers what she charges for school visits and how to make them successful. Lots of opportunities for children’s book authors available through face to face sales. She then takes photos at live events which can be used to indirectly promote the books on social media. Very clever!
• Her book production process. Rather than using print on demand, Bobbie does large print runs of her books and includes a CD with each book. She walks us through the process she uses. The printer she uses is Amica Inc and is based in the US.
• The more credibility you have as an author the easier it becomes to sell your books – book awards can be very useful for this. Bobbie mentions a few of the more reputable ones including Mom’s Choice, Benjamin Franklin Award, IPPY, and Moonbeam.
• Owning your ISBN and Copyright are essential as an independent author. 

Lots of valuable information from Bobbie who has been super successful with her book series as an independent author.

You can find Bobbie and purchase her books at www.thebestfairybooks.com, follow her on AMAZON, and get social with her on FACEBOOK.

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Today’s interview is with indie kid lit authors Austin J. Bailey, Nathaniel Gold and Yolanda King.

Austin J. Bailey is the author of THE MAGEMOTHER TRILOGY: The Mage and the Magpie (book 1),  The Paradise Twin (book 2), The Bridge to Nowhere (book 3). Plus The Empty Throne – a Magemother novella. You can find out more about him and his awesome books at www.austinjbailey.com or follow him on AMAZON.

Nathaniel Gold is the award-winning author and illustrator of the Chimpman series which includes From the Forest to the Zoo (book 1), Not Your Average Space Monkey (book 2), Chimps Family Friends and Fish (book 3), and Chimps in Love (book 4). You can read more about him and find his books at www.nathanielgold.blogspot.com.au or find him on AMAZON.

Yolanda King is the author of Curlilocks and the Three Pink Pandas, Curlilocks and the Big Bad Hairbrush and the Story Bird Dance: The Haunted Studio (book 1) and The Snowbird Ballet (book 2). You can her books at www.tangledpress.com and follow her on AMAZON.

In today’s interview you will hear from these authors how they use Instafreebie. This is the third of a three-part Instafreebie based interview, which we chose to do given it’s such an important way for authors to get subscribers and build their mailing lists right now. Listen on for practical advice for how you can get the most out of using Instafreebie too. Enjoy the show.

Today’s interview is with Instafreebie’s Director of Business Development, Ashley Durrer.

InstaFreebie was created in 2014 with a mission to accelerate great stories and big ideas. As the book world’s leading platform for exclusive access to sneak peeks, advance previews, and special giveaways, we live our mission every day and give readers a chance to SEE IT FIRST™.

In this interview Ashley covers Instafreebie extensively including:

• How to use Instafreebie to gain new readers and email subscribers. There are different levels for authors to join (basic plan, plus plan, and pro plan) each offering different features. The whole concept is that you give away a free book, partial book or sneak peek and readers opt-in to your mailing list in order to receive their free content.
• With Instafreebie you basically:
  • Upload your ebook file to their secure server
  • Set the number of copies and expiration date
  • Generate a link and share the link with your fans
  • Readers choose a file type and opt-in to your list
• Load your book as an epub document and Instafreebie will convert it to a mobi (for kindle) and pdf file. Ashley mentions that an equal amount of people (roughly) are downloading pdf’s and epub files combined, compared with mobi kindle versions of books. This is good news for authors wanting to sell across all platforms (rather than be exclusive to Amazon) as there are readers on Instafreebie that are not just from Amazon.
• Instfreebie subscribers tend to be avid readers (not just freebie hunters) and are therefore much more engaged subscribers.
• It can be difficult for children’s book authors to load larger files on Instafreebie if they have lots of illustrations, so you can contact support for help at support@instafreebie.com and they will work with you to get your book up.
• Instafreebie has been particularly great at facilitating joint author promotions. The main reason for this is that authors can create a page where all the giveaways are listed and promote this one page. When readers arrive at the page, they click the books they genuinely want to download, subscribing through Instafreebie to YOUR list (if they picked your book). Instafreebie then delivers the free book to your new reader and adds this person to your list. If you are with Mailchimp Instafreebie can automatically add the readers to your list (and thereby your automated sequence). If you are not using Mailchimp, you can manually move your list from Instafreebie into your email provider list. In terms of promoting the author giveaway page, you can use the hashtag #instfreebie to help spread the word, post it on social media and get more attention to your giveaway. You can also let Instafreebie know you are running a joint promotion and they will often help by promoting it through their emails too, really boosting reader eyes on your promotion page and book. You can email production@instafreebie.com to let them know if you are running a joint author promotion.
• Instafreebie also loves hosting EXCLUSIVE book giveaways that are not available for sale or download anywhere else. This could increase your book download rate.
• Instafreebie also host a forum where you can find group giveaways to be a part of. You need to be signed up and logged in to access it at www.instafreebie.com/forum.

You can read all about Instafreebie’s features and sign up for your FREE PLAN at www.Instafreebie.com. Overall a really informative interview!