“Can I have another free Microsoft Word children’s book template, please?”

Ooh, I thought you’d never ask. I’ve been offering a free 8.5” x 8.5” children’s book template for a while and it’s very, very popular.  No wonder.  When I wanted to find a free template to give me some idea of how to format my kids’ books, I couldn’t find one anywhere.  So I made one, and then shared it with you. Now, 8.5” x 8.5”...

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5 illustrated ways to overcome the “self-published” curse (and make your picture book look great).

Are you cursed? Lots of writers would swear they are. It’s sort of true.  There’s a “self-published” curse that makes many, many independent, print-on-demand and Kindle books look… bad.  Stinky.  Rotten. Is yours one of them? I don’t believe in curses, I believe in bootstraps.  I hope you do, too. I believe that today every writer...

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One-star review?!? What to do when it happens to you.

Did you ever fall totally in love with your own book? I sure hope so. But as all the romance novels suggest, love makes us vulnerable.  In this case, vulnerable to… our readers. Like that one reader in however-many who comes along and absolutely hates your book. Ouch. It happened to me two days ago, and I’m still reeling. Let me tell you a little...

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RIP Crad Kilodney

Who’s your biggest influence as a writer? Sometime way too long ago to admit, a friend told me about a guy who stood out on the streets of Toronto selling his books.  A crazy guy, with a crazy name:  Crad Kilodney. In an era before self-publishing (think 1972), he typed his own stories and printed them off himself.  Then stood outside,...

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Should you crowdfund your next book (on Kickstarter, GoFundMe, or PubSlush)? 3 reasons why not.

Should you crowdfund your next book (on Kickstarter, GoFundMe, or PubSlush or whatever tomorrow’s Next Big Crowdfunding Site happens to be)? No. Well, that was easy, wasn’t it? Now we can all go home. What?  You want me to defend that statement? Well, okay.  Here are three reasons. #1 Your crowdfunding project makes me feel spiteful. I’m...

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KDP Kids: a first look at Amazon’s new Kindle Kids’ Book Creator software.

Spoiler alert:  I like it.  VERY much. So much, on a first trial pass, that I’m planning to redo all my Kindle books to make them even more true to the print originals. Okay, let me back up for a second.  Amazon has just released a new program designed to make creating beautiful kids’ books a total no-brainer.  This is huge news,...

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How I ended up writing a Bible story (and why you might, too).

Excerpt from Writing the Bible for Children:  How to write blazing Biblical stories and picture books for kids. I never write a story I don’t love. But sometimes, it’s possible to write a story you don’t like very much, at least at first.  Stories can grow on you surprisingly quickly. The scrawny chicken baby Years ago, I wrote...

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Elijah and the Priests of Baal, covers, interior, and the secret back story.

Know what’s awesome? Getting proof copies in the mail. There may be more wonderful feelings, but not that are reasonably cheap and legal in all 50-some-odd states. This book is called Elijah and the Priests of Baal. It’s an approachable Biblical narrative for slightly older kids. Illustrated by a super-talented artist who was a pleasure to work with....

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