Leveraging Your Writing and Marketing: Author Interview with Julie Landon

What inspired you to write picture books? 

I had been telling my son a story for what became the first book “The Little Voice”. I knew a picture book was the way to go for this children’s story. After publishing the first book with my son as the character, I knew I’d need to write another for my daughter at some point.

How long did it take to write? 

I probably told the story to my son for a few weeks before deciding to write it down. It took much longer to get the illustrations than it did to write the story.

How many revisions did you do? 

I did one major revision when I changed the setting from a castle to a cabin in the woods.

How did you go about finding an illustrator? 

I  asked an artist I had known for years first, but after creative differences, we parted ways. The first time I asked Amanda she wasn’t interested. It wasn’t the right time. Then our paths crossed again and the timing was right.

How much input did you give Amanda as to what you wanted or did she make more of the decisions on her own for your approval? She ran everything by me. I did give her pictures of my children for the characters and pictures of the setting. We staged pictures of my daughter looking under the bed, hugging my parents, for “Mystery on the Farm”. We did the same for “ The Little Voice” as well. Pretty much every illustration was planned by me and she brought it to life. She did suggest the grandfather put the squirrel in his overall pocket at the end of one book. That was a loving memory she had of her own father.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? 
The hardest part for me is advancing the story to get to the conclusion and not losing the reader along the way. I didn’t start writing either story until I had it in my head and had told it to my kids at story time a few times.

What’s the best encouragement you’ve had in your writing? 

Parent feedback is amazing. Once a parent tell me how their child wanted to read the book each night and when the mom tried to skip a page, because it was getting late, her daughter knew she had skipped it because she had read it so much.

Marketing is the biggest key to getting sales. What is the best marketing source you've used that has produces more sales rather than just clicks? 

I mainly make sales in person at local marketplaces and book readings. I’d love to get more online sales.

What do you know now about writing you wished you had known sooner? 

 Just write it down! It’s ok if it’s not perfect the first time and it’s ok to make big changes.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give? 

Keep a journal of ideas to create great stories, great dialogue, setting ideas, etc. Don’t be afraid of change directions if something isn’t working in the story; be flexible.

Are there any other points about writing you would like to add? 

Be sure to get many pairs of eyes on your story for different reasons. I once found I had too many “l”s in my daughters name. Easy mistakes happen when you’ve read it so many times. Read it out loud; ask friends and family to read; get a beta reader as well.

What is the next book coming out? Can you give me a short synopsis? 

I am working on developing a story about my nephew who has Down Syndrome. It’s in the very early stages. The other picture books I have published include Mystery on the Farm and The Little Voice. You can find both of them on my Amazon Author Page at 

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Julie-E.-Landon/author/B01M0KIOMW

Besides these books, you can find my journals and notebooks where you can write down your thoughts and ideas. The cover above is one of them You can find them at 

https://funfamilypicks.com/journals

That's all for today's interview. Do check out her website as she also has links to many educational products for kids, a self-publishing guide, and tips for making money online.  And you can get a FREE eBook on making money with affiliated marketing! GO there now.