Great question! I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book ever since I was little. I didn’t take this goal any further until the pandemic happened and, like so many other individuals, I lost my job. With time on my hands, I decided to make my dream a reality.
My photography website had just gone live and my friend thought it would be a funny idea to Photoshop my dog, Winston, into my travel photos. I took that idea and ran with it and now here we are, two books later! I do hope to have a coffee table book of my photographs someday but for now my attention is focused on Winston and his books.
Have you actually done the traveling shown in the books with your dog?
All of the photos I use in Winston’s books are my personal photographs from my travels. Winston doesn’t actually come with me on these trips, though. He poses for the photos at home (with cheese as a treat, afterwards) and then I edit him into my travel photos.
What's one of the most unique events you remember most about your travels?
One special event I remember from my travels is seeing the pyramids in Egypt for the first time. There’s nothing quite like seeing something in person that you’ve only seen in textbooks, photographs, or on TV. It took my breath away and it’s a feeling I’ll never forget.
What was the hardest part of putting together this book?
The hardest part of putting together this book is probably taking the photos of Winston. For the most part, he’s an amazing model. He sees the camera and starts smiling and posing. There are definitely some days, though, when he won’t cooperate. I have to put the progress of the book on hold until he’s ready to take the photos. I usually just try again another day and he’s more than happy to do his job! He loves working.
Did you personally design the full book or hire on others for the work?
Have you actually done the traveling shown in the books with your dog?
All of the photos I use in Winston’s books are my personal photographs from my travels. Winston doesn’t actually come with me on these trips, though. He poses for the photos at home (with cheese as a treat, afterwards) and then I edit him into my travel photos.
What's one of the most unique events you remember most about your travels?
One special event I remember from my travels is seeing the pyramids in Egypt for the first time. There’s nothing quite like seeing something in person that you’ve only seen in textbooks, photographs, or on TV. It took my breath away and it’s a feeling I’ll never forget.
What was the hardest part of putting together this book?
The hardest part of putting together this book is probably taking the photos of Winston. For the most part, he’s an amazing model. He sees the camera and starts smiling and posing. There are definitely some days, though, when he won’t cooperate. I have to put the progress of the book on hold until he’s ready to take the photos. I usually just try again another day and he’s more than happy to do his job! He loves working.
Did you personally design the full book or hire on others for the work?
I hired a book designer to create the cover, do the formatting, and add the graphics you see in the book. She lives in the UK and is great! I found her on Fiverr.
What’s the best encouragement you’ve had from readers?
The best encouragement I’ve had from readers is hearing that Winston’s books have sparked conversations between caregivers and their children about the places Winston visits. This was my main goal in publishing these books. I wanted to introduce children to other parts of the world and hopefully spark their interest to learn more about these places and, even better, travel there someday themselves when they're older. With traveling comes learning, not only about others but yourself as well!
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?
Visiting schools as an author has been my best source for marketing in the US. Winston’s Instagram has been great for reaching an audience outside of the US. He’s sold books in Germany, Poland, Amsterdam, Australia, and New Zealand thanks to his amazing Instagram followers! His instagram is @WinstonTravels_
What do you know now about publishing you wished you had known sooner?
There’s a TON of learning involved with self-publishing a book. Something I wish I had known about sooner was Kickstarter Campaigns. Publishing a book is expensive and this would have helped a lot. I plan on running a Kickstarter for Winston’s third book.
What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
The best advice I can give is don't compare yourself to others. We are all on our own journey and sometimes success can take longer than somebody else’s.
What is the next book coming out? Can you give me some details?
Winston’s third book will hopefully be released in the summer of 2023. I won’t say which countries he’s going to so there’s an element of surprise left, but I will say he’s going to South America! We are also working on a Christmas book, as well.
Winston's books are available through Target, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble. You can find them on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Cynthia-Anne-Finefrock/author/B094YV7PV2
What’s the best encouragement you’ve had from readers?
The best encouragement I’ve had from readers is hearing that Winston’s books have sparked conversations between caregivers and their children about the places Winston visits. This was my main goal in publishing these books. I wanted to introduce children to other parts of the world and hopefully spark their interest to learn more about these places and, even better, travel there someday themselves when they're older. With traveling comes learning, not only about others but yourself as well!
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?
Visiting schools as an author has been my best source for marketing in the US. Winston’s Instagram has been great for reaching an audience outside of the US. He’s sold books in Germany, Poland, Amsterdam, Australia, and New Zealand thanks to his amazing Instagram followers! His instagram is @WinstonTravels_
What do you know now about publishing you wished you had known sooner?
There’s a TON of learning involved with self-publishing a book. Something I wish I had known about sooner was Kickstarter Campaigns. Publishing a book is expensive and this would have helped a lot. I plan on running a Kickstarter for Winston’s third book.
What is the best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
The best advice I can give is don't compare yourself to others. We are all on our own journey and sometimes success can take longer than somebody else’s.
Winston’s third book will hopefully be released in the summer of 2023. I won’t say which countries he’s going to so there’s an element of surprise left, but I will say he’s going to South America! We are also working on a Christmas book, as well.
Winston's books are available through Target, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble. You can find them on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Cynthia-Anne-Finefrock/author/B094YV7PV2
You can also purchase them on Cynthia Anne's website.https://cynthiaanne.com/publications Winston signs (pawtographs) those books and 10% of the sales go to various animal rescue efforts.
And here's a bonus for my readers. If you leave a comment on this post before 8:00 p.m. on 2/20/23, you'll be entered to win your choice of one of Winston's eBooks. So do that now!
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