The thought of writing a children’s book first crossed my mind when I was pregnant with my second baby and was looking for “big brother” books with characters that looked like my son. At the time I couldn’t find any, so I had the fleeting idea of writing my own. In that moment the idea was much too daunting so nothing came of it.
It wasn’t until after the pandemic hit in 2020 and everyone was at home. In a conversation about the importance of diversity in children’s movies and books with my friends, one of them asked, “Well, why don’t you write one?” That one, simple question set me on the path of becoming an author. That week I sat down and wrote my first manuscript for, “André the Best Big Brother.” The book was based on real experiences with my children so the writing itself only took about 30 minutes. The actual creation of the book and the publishing process took much longer. I wrote the manuscript in July of 2020, and it was published in December of 2020.
How many rewrites did you do?
How many rewrites did you do?
For all my books I use a professional editor. She helps me with punctuation or moving sentences here and there, but I have never done a full rewrite.
Are you active in any writing critique groups?
No but I do use beta readers. I was able to reach out to other moms who volunteered to be beta readers for me from a couple Facebook groups I am in.
How did you go about finding an illustrator?
How did you go about finding an illustrator?
After I wrote my manuscript, I had no idea how to publish a book, so I took an online self-publishing course. The instructor had a handful of illustrators she recommended, and I chose an illustrator from her recommendations. Word to the wise, ALWAYS pay an illustrator to do a full color sample before hiring them (this is something I learned the hard way).
Before I found my current illustrator, I found one online and loved her sample sketches. When I saw her illustrations in color they looked completely different and unfortunately, I didn’t like them at all. I am so incredibly lucky to be working with my illustrator, Pardeep Mehra. He is crazy talented, and I love working with him and his team.
What was the hardest part of putting together your books?
The creative parts came easy for me, it’s all the other logistics that come with publishing a book that make it hard. Self-publishing involves quite a bit of back-end work such as choosing keywords and categories, filing copyrights, writing blurbs for ads, etc. Self-publishing is essentially like owning your own small business. I’m so grateful I found the online self-publishing course as I don’t know if I could have figured it all out on my own.
Besides the storyline, what other parts of the book did you do? What parts did you hire out?
Besides the storyline, what other parts of the book did you do? What parts did you hire out?
I personally do my own book designs. I use a website called Mixbook to design my “book dummies,” which is basically a mock-up of exactly how you want every page to look. I use clipart and have a corresponding document to send my illustrator with exactly what I’m envisioning for each page. My illustrator always does such a beautiful job of bringing my ideas to life. My amazing formatter, Praise Saflor, designs my covers as well as takes care of the interior font/text placements. I’ve gone through a few cover re-designs, but the latest ones are my favorite. I wanted something eye-catching and colorful yet simple.
What’s the best encouragement you’ve had from readers?
I’ve gotten numerous emails from parents who have reached out letting me know how much they appreciated reading a book featuring a multicultural family. It was extremely important to me for the characters to represent my own multicultural family. Getting the characters to look just right was crucial for me and is what took the longest in the illustration process for the first book. It makes me so happy to hear from readers that feel represented by my books.
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?
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?
The best marketing source is 100% Amazon Ads. I get 95% of my sales from Amazon. It’s hard to drive people to your own website when so many are already on Amazon. I took an online Amazon Ads Course and participated in a Facebook Amazon Ads Challenge to get comfortable with using Amazon Ads.
What do you know now about publishing you wished you had known sooner?
What do you know now about publishing you wished you had known sooner?
I wish I understood the differences between all the different Amazon platforms sooner. There is KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), Amazon Seller Central and Amazon Advantage. Each offer pros and cons and work as separate entities. Amazon is a beast and is constantly changing, so learning the ins and outs of each platform takes a while.
What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
My best advice would be to utilize beta readers. With my first 4-5 books I had a group of beta readers read my books and give feedback in exchange for a free eBook. The feedback I got from them was invaluable and helped me make last minute changes/improvements before publishing. Also, pay attention to reviews. With my first few books I got more than one review that said my books were too “wordy.” I took that to heart and started reducing the number of words in my books. Since doing that, I think my books flow much better.
Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
Are there any other points about writing you would like to add?
When it comes to writing children’s books, write books you would want to read. I know that sounds a bit silly, but I have read SO many books to my kids and there are certain types of books I love to read to them, and certain types I don’t like at all. If you enjoy reading a certain type of children’s book, try to write that way as well.
What is the next in line for your writing?
What is the next in line for your writing?
That will be box sets! I’m currently working on a holiday box set of 8 books. Here are some of the upcoming titles: André Plants a Tree, André and the Day of Love, Noelle and the Golden Egg, Noelle and the Haunted House. I have so many ideas and I hope to always have a new book coming out. 😊
That's all for today's interview. Don't you just love her covers! The illustrators did a great job. Check out her website to see how they used her family as the models for the characters. If you'd like to learn more about Mikaela's books, here are some links to get you started.
Website:https://www.mikaelawilsonbooks.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikaelawilsonbooks/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikaelawilsonbooks
And here's a bonus for my readers... Mikaela will be giving away one of her eBooks to one reader who adds a comment below. It can be as simple as, I'd like to win a book. Then on 2/27/23 at 8:00 pm. I'll put all the names of the posters in a box and pull out our winner. So leave a comment below now!
Hello would really love to win a book for my son. Thank you very much!
ReplyDeletePlease go back and edit your post to add your name. Otherwise, we have no idea who to send the book to if you win it.
ReplyDelete