Writing a Children’s Book
I always wanted to write a children’s book and the funny thing was writing it was the most fun part! What was hard was finding the perfect partner to illustrate and help me make it go from a Google doc to a book that could be in the hands of children around the world!
I had a chocolate story inside of me for many years and actually completed writing this children’s book several years ago. Unfortunately, it sat as printed text on a white paper on my desk in the bottom of my inbox (which I never got to the bottom of) for years.
Initially after writing it, I had gone on a search to find the right fit illustrator and pitched it to publishers to no success. And so, I got discouraged and pushed it to the side.
At the end of 2024, I told myself that 2025 would be the year that I picked up that unfinished project and dream and start again. A tedious search for the right illustrator began again simultaneously while self-publishing and researching the ins and outs of selling on Amazon, the printing costs, the royalties, etc.
I am happy to share the final edits to the text and drawings are now completed and the first sample author’s copy is in my hands. There are several more steps to go, but I’m taking a pause to celebrate this milestone moment!
Finding my illustrator began by researching countless illustrators and designers from afar, narrowing it down and reaching out to 12, narrowing it down further to 7, then continuing to refine the work with 4, and finally go through rigorous rounds of edits with 2. After several months, I found the illustrator who not only captured my vision and brought it to life, but who shared the same values and wanted to share the message in this book. Who loves the character and what she stands for as much as I do, and who poured her heart and soul into the work. I can’t wait for you to see the beautiful job she has done!
This process has taught me so much because it was all very new and so there was a lot of trial and error. Though I thought writing a children’s book wouldn’t be too bad, it was everything else that made it a slog at times. I’ve worked with designers for years for our packaging at Choco le`a, but this was very different. In addition, the illustrator I selected lives in a different country and English is her second language, so working remotely could be challenging. We used a lot of photos, videos, sketches and descriptions sent back and forth but in the end, it was worth it!
So if you have a dream project on your heart that is still sitting at the bottom of your inbox, I hope this encourages you to pick it up and try again. The person who wants to help you bring this to life is out there!
You may not even realize it, but because of you pursuing your dream again, you’ve made someone else’s dreams come true in the process too! (Love you Bruna and can’t wait to launch my first children’s book with you to bring peace to our world!)
"All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.” -Isaiah 54:13
The final edits are done with more sneak peeks in July and our pre-launch book party in August for all of our loyal Choco le`a kids getting to be a part of it first. If you are interested, connect with me here!