It isn't easy going from a writer to a published author. I wrote the text of Getting to the Heart of Complimenting (GttHoC) four years ago. It was tricky because the book is written in rhyme. My rhyming dictionary is one of my best friends. I use the Merriam-Webster's Rhyming Dictionary... and it's never far from me when I'm writing. I love to rhyme... I do it all the time. In the kitchen... or in the car... whether I'm traveling near or far... (sorry).
Anyway... I wrote the words. I shared to words with friends. Lots of friends. I didn't receive one ounce of negative feedback. Everyone loved the words, loved the rhyme, and loved the message. A few (okay, just two) even cried. I knew that I wanted my words to be published. But where to begin... I hadn't a clue.
I joined The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). In the welcome packet, I received details on all the publishers of children's books. I chose 15 of the best ones, printed my manuscript and sent them out. Then I waited... and waited. One by one letters were received. No. No. No. Then, 12 more no's. Some cited reasons... the book was written in rhyme (impossible to translate into different languages), it was part of a series, and it was non-fiction (morals/virtues are usually presented in a nice, fictional storybook).
I could have given up. Maybe, these publishers know what they're talking about. But I really didn't care. I had a goal. Too many people had faith in me, and my work. It was different, unlike anything out there. I remembered something that Oprah once said, "The best decision I ever made was the decision to own myself." I was a MOM! I didn't want anyone telling me what to do. I wanted control of my project. No big publishing houses for me! I'd do it on my own (or with silent shareholders). And that's just what I did...
To Be Continued...
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