Authors: Resources for Formatting Books for Kindle

"How do I publish my book as an eBook?"
"How do I get my book into Amazon Kindle?"

These are two questions I've been asked, and I figure publishing an answer here might be helpful to you!

First, know that I have an illustrator, Carol Stevens, who takes care of all the formatting of our books (currently 10 children's picture books, in both eBook and softcover form). She preps the books for Kindle, which uses .mobi files, and for CreateSpace (for the softcover books). Yes, I know I am lucky.

That being said, Amazon wants authors to list books with them. So they've published a free eBook called Building Your Book for Kindle. This book explains how to format your book successfully as an eBook on Amazon. I hope it's helpful to you.

Another free eBook you might be interested in is, Publish on Amazon Kindle with Kindle Direct Publishing.

If you have a Mac, then Building Your Book for Kindle for Mac might be helpful.

If you want to build your eBook for Kindle in Microsoft Word, then these articles from Amazon can help.

Kindle Format 8 offers great features for children's picture book authors. Suggestions and guidelines from Amazon are here.

And...most importantly for authors of children's pictures books, there is a book written specifically for Formatting of Children's books and Comics for the Kindle. It costs 99 cents with that link. BUT, I was able to find a free downloadable file for the book on this community forum.


Best writing wishes,

~Valerie Harmon

Children's eBook review and Author/Illustrator Interview: Aunty Arty and the Disquieting Muses, by Rowena Wiseman, Illustrated by Norelda Joy

Illustrations: 5.0 Stars 
Cover: 5.0 Stars
Storyline: 4.0 Stars
Total: 4.5 Stars

My Review: 

Frieda is a quiet girl in a family of ten who she gets to spend the night with her sister Mona at Aunty Arty's house. Aunty Arty is no ordinary Aunt who would take them to the movies or to eat chocolate. Instead, Aunty Art takes Frieda on an adventure custom made for her curious and accepting nature. Whiny, frustrated Mona spends most of the story as bored and still as a statue. But Frieda ends up meeting unusual characters and saving the day for a new friend. 

Illustrations: Colorful, professional, eye-catching. With a story loosely based on one of Giorgio de Chirico's Metaphysical paintings, the illustrations are modern and unusual in a children's book.

Storyline: While I don't like the favoritism Aunty Arty shows Frieda over Mona, I believe this story to be like the fairy tales that awards gifts to the kindest, gentlest character, who Frieda proves herself to be, and "punishments" to the complaining critical character (like Mona). This story will especially appeal to children who feel forgotten or left out, either with friends or in their family dynamics.

Author Interview with Rowena Wiseman

Valerie Harmon: Why did you write a book based on a painting?
Author Rowena Wiseman: I work at an art gallery and I'm always interested in what the story is in a painting. Often the artist doesn't tell us explicitly, so I thought it would be fun
to make up what could happen if we were to meet some characters in a work of art.

VH: Who is your favorite artist?
RW: So many! At the moment I've been researching street artists for a young adult book that I'm writing, so I like artists like Ghost Patrol from Melbourne or New York conceptual artist Barbara Kruger. I’m a big fan of South African artist William Kentridge. I also adore Chinese contemporary art. Yue Minjun is a massive favourite of mine - with his big smiley faces. I just dare people to look at his work and not feel happy!

Author Rowena Wiseman

VH: How did you connect with your illustrator?
RW: I found Narelda Joy on the Illustrators Australia website. I was really impressed with the level of detail and variety of skill in her work. I contacted her and sent her the manuscript for Aunty Arty. I already had a publisher - Jet Black Publishing. Luckily she liked the story and it’s been full steam ahead since then!

VH: Why do you write?
RW: I've always had a natural compulsion to write. Lately I've been sharing my young adult stories on Wattpad and discovered just how much I love connecting with an audience. It makes my day when someone tells me they can relate to one of my characters.

VH: What advice do you have for authors who'd like to write children's books?
RW: Write what the child in you is curious about.

VH: What would you tell children who read your book?
RW: I'd like them to think about a work of art that they would like to enter! What would their story be?

VH: Do you have any funny stories of how you got to where you are?
RW: The idea for the Aunty Arty series came to me while I was changing my son's nappy. I have no idea what that means ...

VH: What are three favorite books?
RW: The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole and A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz.

VH: What are three favorite children's books?
RW: I love, love, love:

Iggy Peck the Architect by Andrea Beaty, such great rhyming text and the illustrations are sublime. It's a book that I genuinely enjoy reading with my kids. 

As a child I loved Enid Blyton. 

Shaun Tan is an amazing storyteller and artist, I have a small collection of his books; The Lost Thing and

The Arrival are my favourites.







VH: Who influences your writing?
RW: I love Tatyana Tolstaya for her creative style of writing, Emile Zola for his insight into human behaviour and Raymond Carver for his well-crafted simplicity.

VH: What do you do if you get writer's block?
RW: I've recently discovered the joy of wholefood cooking. I spend a lot of time on a computer, either at work, or at home in the early mornings or late evenings writing, so I find cooking is a good way to clear my mind! Good thoughts come when I’m least expecting it, like when I’m grating carrots or washing dishes. If I'm at my desk and I've got writer's block, I'll probably start watching some School of Life videos on YouTube. Love this new-age way of exploring meaning in our lives.

For more information on author Rowena Wiseman, check out her author website, Twitter account and Wattpad account, on Facebook, Aunty Arty on Goodreads, and the Aunty Arty website.

Illustrator Interview with Narelda Joy

VH: Narelda, who is your favorite artist?
NJ: Do I have to choose just one artist? There’s Claude Monet, Gustav Kilmt, William Turner, Pierre-August Renoir

VH: How did you get into illustration?
NJ: I have always been artistic and experimented with many creative areas since I was a young girl, however a number of years ago I was feeling unfulfilled in my job, and made the brave decision to leave work and return to full time study. I chose to pursue a career in Design and Illustration and I have never looked back! I have always loved Children’s Books and collect them for my own enjoyment. I can often be found sitting in the children’s section at the local library or bookstore! There is something magical about a book – being transported into another world through words and pictures. It is pure escapism.

VH: What else do you create?
NJ: Apart from my unique textural illustrations and collage, I produce 3D illustrations and bespoke 3D constructions such as scenes, characters, models, theatrical hats and puppets, in textiles, paper and other mediums. I love sculpting anything but I particularly enjoy using textiles. 

VH: What advice do you have for kids who want to be illustrators?
NJ: My advice to aspiring illustrators is to keep practising your art, draw everyday, and pay attention to the wonderful things around you, large and small – inspiration is everywhere. Always carry a sketchbook and camera. Follow your heart and soul and believe in your ability to create. Studying is a great way to meet like minded creative people who will support you on your journey.

VH: What are three favorite books?
NJ: Some of my favorites are:

A Journey of the Imagination by James Christensen,  

Lost and Found by Shaun Tan, 

 

Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book by Brian Froud and Terry Jones

VH: What are three favorite children's books?
NJ: Three favorites are:

 Her Mother’s Face by Roddy Doyle and Freya Blackwood,

                              Remember Me by Margaret Wild and Dee Huxley

 

and The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett

VH: What do you do if you aren't feeling creative?

NJ: If I’m not feeling creative then I know I’m too stressed! The cure for this is to meditate, go for a walk surrounded by beautiful nature, visit the dog park which always makes me smile, go for a drive to somewhere new, look through my favourite books in my bookcase, or talk to a creative friend.

For more information on illustrator Narelda Joy, check out her website. 

~written by Valerie Harmon

Children's eBook Review: A Brand New Day, by A.S. Chung, illustrated by Paula Bossio

Illustrations: 5 Stars 

Cover: 5 Stars
Storyline: 4.5 Stars

Total: 5 Stars

Summary: A little girl enjoys time with both her Dad and her Mom, even though they are divorced and live in different houses. Most importantly, she knows they love her! A cozy, warm picture book.

Illustrations: The illustrations are so adorable, I want to squeeze them. Definitely 5 stars.

Storyline: With all the children in divorced families these days, it is a good theme for those children to remember: focus on the positive, like the girl in this story, and remember that their parents love them even though they live in different homes. The short text is perfect for young children. 4.5 stars

Author A.S. Chung was kind enough to answer some questions:

VH: How do you decide what to write about?
ASC: My writing stems from what I staunchly believe in and from personal experiences. I am all about preaching positive messages and the importance of love and family.

VH: How did you find your illustrator?
ASC: An advertisement in the paper, looking for an illustrator! By gosh we found a gem! Not only is she talented, she has an uncanny knack of interpreting my words beautifully.

VH: Did you create your own publishing company, how and why?ASC: Yes I did! Pigeonhole Books is a project very close to my heart. Dealing with important subjects such as divorce as well as same-sex, blended and multiracial families, I really wanted to have complete control of the book.

As for how, a lot of research and finding the medium that would suit me from a creative and financial
point of view. Print on Demand distribution was perfect for me.

VH: What are your favorite books (children's books and otherwise)?
ASC: I grew up reading Enid Blyton (see Blyton's adventure series collection and a mysteries series collection here). Despite all the revelations about her writing styles in present day, I saw none of her racism and sexism when I was reading them. She always managed to immerse me into a world of pure imagination. It is no wonder that I then progressed onto Roald Dahl (see Dahl's Matilda and James and the Giant Peach here). I love that I am now reading these books to my daughter, allowing me to re-live my childhood!

As an adult, my all-time favourite genre is fantasy. Books that allow me to escape out of the real world as I immerse myself into a makeshift bubble of silence! David Eddings was my first true love (see Eddings' Pawn of Prophecy, first book in the Belgariad series), with Raymond E. Feist not very far behind (see Feist's Shadow of a Dark Queen, first book in the SerpantWar Saga, and Flight of the Nighthawks, first book in the Darkwar Saga).

I read all the classics too. I have a bookshelf about to burst at the seams filled with books of all kinds of genres. I can sometimes have four books on the go, depending on my mood!

VH: What advice do you have for people who want to write children's books?ASC: Just do it! The writing part is easy. If you had the inclination to do in the first place, you have already formulated a manuscript in your head. The hard part is getting it out there, the dos and don’ts and the right and wrong way to go about it. But in the end, just give it a go. If anything, allow it to satisfy your inner desire to put words on paper. It’s incredibly exciting!

VH: What's your favorite part of being a writer?
ASC: My favourite part is seeing my message being interpreted by readers exactly as I had intended. My book is only 800 words. I had to find a way to express my message succinctly.

You can connect with A.S. Chung and see her books on Pigeonhole Publishing, her author website, on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Thank you A.S. Chung,

~Valerie Harmon

Children's eBook Review: Ingrid Williams' Bing and Nero

Bing and Nero, by Ingrid Williams

Bing and Nero, by Ingrid Williams
My Rating: 4.5 enthusiastic stars
Just won a Top Shelf Book award!

Book summary: 

Bing is a boy without a dog. So what does he do? He creates a robot friend instead!

Storyline: 4 stars

4 stars for an adorable storyline. I like how Bing innovates and creates a solution when he's denied his wish to have a dog. So positive! 

Illustrations: 5 stars

5 stars for these illustrations. They are colorful, crisp and professionally done. 

This eBook deserves a hardback version. And I'd like to see it be a little bit longer. Williams assures me that the next book in the series will be longer--and we don't have long to wait. Book 2 should be out in October/November of 2014. 

Williams created this adorable animation of Bing and Nero:

          

Bing & Nero just won a Top Shelf Book Award  which explained: "Why[did] it [win]? For its ingenuity and creativity! Because the main character is smart, creative, and takes action to create. He's a thinker and a doer!"

Author Ingrid Williams was kind enough to answer some of my questions:

Q.  What would the story of your life be entitled?

A. We Knew This Chick Was Trouble or Life Is What Happens While You´re Making Other Plans I think it would depend on who you asked!

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

A. That is impossible to say, but Ian McEwan´s Amsterdam and Frank Conroy´s Body & Soul have me mesmerized every time I re-read them.

Q.  Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A. Probably Winnie the Pooh –just replace the honey with chocolate.

Q.  What character from all of your books are you most like?

A. Probably Minxie the cat in Bing & Nero. Minxie hops into all the fun, but is prepared to dive back under the bed in a second if the robot starts to act dodgy.

Q.  Which book would you love to take a weekend vacation inside of?

 A. Definitely not any of the Game of Thrones books! Maybe Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! I think I could very much enjoy a weekend in a chocolate factory...

Q.  What inspires your writing?

 A. My children´s book writing is inspired entirely by my 5 year-old son and his interests. I make up stories for him. I make a note of the ones he wants to hear again and again.

 Q.  What is your favorite thing about being an author?

 A. Seeing something that has been invented in your head come to life. And seeing little kids fall in love with your book. 

Q.  What is the toughest part of being an author?

 A. That would be the fact that nothing gets done by itself. The creative part is all play, but that is only the beginning. If a story is going to become a book, then you have to embrace the serious work of making something out of nothing.

Q.  If you could not be author, what would you do/be?

 A. At this point, I think I would probably be a publisher and spend my time hunting for good writers to bring to the world.

Q.  What inspired your book cover?

A. The cover is supposed to capture the feeling of fun and friendship and freedom that is so much at the heart of the story. You have a boy and the robot he created sharing a shining moment of fun together.

Q.  What is your favorite season?

 A. Fall. Because the days are still bright and beautiful, but the nights have the promise of things to come in the air.

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A. I have written the second Bing & Nero book and am sketching out the third

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A.  I hope that if they have a small boy or girl who is mad about robots that they will have a peep at Bing & Nero because it is guaranteed to be a story they will love. Even kids that don´t read a word of English just lose themselves in the illustrations. And satisfied kids is what any children´s book exists for! 

Want more information on author Ingrid Williams or her book Bing and Nero? Check out her Author page on Amazon and GoodReads, her website, her Twitter account at @bingandnero, her Facebook page, and the GoodReads and Amazon link of Bing and Nero.

Author Interview: Lynda Carter and her Cedric the Shark series

This Author Interview is with Kay Carter who wrote and illustrated two books in the Cedric series: Cedric the Shark Gets A Toothache, and Cedric the Shark Has His First Day At School.

Valerie Harmon interviews Kay Carter:

Valerie:   What is the toughest part of being an author?

Kay: Too many ideas and not enough time.

Valerie:   What is your favorite book ever?

Kay: Very difficult question - probably Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez or We Of The Never-Never by Jeannie Gunn.

Valerie:   Which book would you love to take a weekend vacation inside of?

Kay: The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Oliver Sacks

  

Valerie:   What inspired your book cover for Cedric the Shark Has His First Day at School? 

Kay: Children love colour and silly ideas. The idea of riding to school in a seashell, pulled by a seahorse and driven by an octopus tickled me. 

Valerie:  Are you working on anything new?

Kay: All the time. I am in the middle of another Cedric experience (coming very soon) and am attempting my first romance novel.

Valerie:  Anything you want to say to people reading this post?

Kay:  If you have a hankering to write (I believe we all have an unwritten novel within us) do not feel afraid to put pen to paper and express yourself. Amazon Kindle is the ideal platform to test your ability and I still believe today that your cover and title are probably the major items that help sell your book so take some time and choose carefully.  

Click here for the Facebook page for Cedric's books.

Thank you Kay and dear readers. Happy reading and writing,

~Valerie Harmon

(Disclaimer: Valerie Harmon received a free copy of the these books in exchange for a fair and honest review)

Children's Picture e-Book Review: The Smartest Princess by Mary Lee

Today's Children's Picture e-Book Review is the The Smartest Princess, written and illustrated by Mary Lee.  Ages 3-8.

My Ratings: 
Overall: 5.0 Stars
Cover and Illustrations: 5 Stars
Story: 5 Stars 

This is a princess book that emphasizes brains AND hearts. Three smart princesses compete in the annual princess intelligence contest (WPIC-World Princess Intelligence Challenge) and they learn from a fourth princess that kindness is a smart too.

I read this book with my 8 year old daughter. She enjoyed the pink and purple illustrations, the adorable princesses, and how the littlest was the wisest. 

I liked how this story emphasizes that real princesses have smart brains and caring ways.

The illustrations are darling, colorful and so appealing to girls. For example, the floor to ceiling books in the library were all color coordinated, a detail that I thought cute. 

The storyline is uplifting and fun to read, with an ending that I didn't predict. Kindness rules! I highly recommend this book.

~Valerie Harmon, The Kindle Book Review

(Disclaimer: Valerie Harmon received a free copy of the this book in exchange for a fair and honest review)

Our fourth Best Seller!

 Announcing our fourth book, The Peacock Who Wanted To Be A Pig, just hit #1 Best Seller in Category on Amazon yesterday. So....we get to change the cover from this...

To this.....

See the shiny gold seal? Yep! We now have four published books in the WantsToBe series, and all four of them have hit #1 Best Seller in Category. Have you read them yet? Here are the first three in the series:

The Snake Who Wanted To Be A Horse

The Elephant Who Wanted To Be A Bee

The Alligator Who Wanted To Be A Dog