A Load of Success for Author Jeanne Morrison Cook

Jeanne Morrison Cook is a mother of four who tries to keep the tornado that is her home tamed to a minor storm. And now she's doing such as a successful author with her recently released children's book, The Laundry Monster. The concept for The Laundry Monster came after she tripped over a pile of laundry and felt like she was going to be consumed into the abyss.  After that incident she decided it was time for her children to learn in a whimsical manner how to help with household chores.

This adorable book for children was created with an energetic romping, rhyming vocabulary. As the first in  The I Can Help! series developed by Jeanne Morrison Cook, it takes aim at teaching children valuable lessons about helping out with a common household chore. 

Jeanne's success with her book has earned her a place in the Book Bridge Press Author Spotlight. When we talked with Jeanne about her experience creating The Laundry Monster, we asked her to tell us about her initial vision for her story as it related to the production of her book, and here's what she said:

Book Bridge Press coached me and helped me move forward. They were meticulous, and helped me see the areas of my story that were essential to its success and which parts could be cut.  When I first met with BBP, they asked me about my goals.  My number one goal was to produce the best book possible.  Through their expert editing, publishing illustration support and graphic design expertise, I exceeded my own expectations.  BBP also encouraged me to be my own boss and start my own publishing company instead of working through a self-publishing third party.

We appreciate Jeanne's kind words, and her dedication to making certain that all aspects of her book exemplified quality production and creative vision. We think Jeanne and her book is a wonderful example for all indepedent authors. You can read more about her and The Laundry Monster in The Author Spotlight.

Publishing View: The ISBN. Why It Should Belong to You!

Obtaining an ISBN is one of the most important steps in successful book publication. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. The ISBN is a specially assigned book identification number used by booksellers, librarians and others to track the entity responsible for publication of the book. This number, once properly registered and assigned, is printed on the copyright page. This makes your book part of a universal book database, and if your hope is for your book to be sold in bookstores, retail stores or with online retailers, you must have an ISBN in order to do so.

In summary, the ISBN uniquely identifies your book and helps retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and other potential vendors find you as the publisher/author so they may inquire about ordering the book, request an appearance or speaking engagement, or more.

So what does this mean to you, the independent author?

We believe that as an independent author, it is most beneficial if the ISBN belongs to you. It can be registered directly in your name, or through a name you've established as your own publishing company. Many competing services will claim that you, the independent author will receive 100% control of your book, but yet they do not register the ISBN to you. We believe this is not the optimum way for an author to benefit from their book, and let's examine why.

As an independent author, you are also a small business. You have invested in proper editorial, professional design and printing, and have a quality product in every detail. Don't you deserve to glean every opportunity available to you? Shouldn't your book be directly linked to you in every possible way? We think so.

If the ISBN does not belong to you and instead belongs to another party, that party becomes the representative for your book in the eyes of the inquirer. That might not be all bad, but what happens when an interested vendor contacts that party to inquire about your book?  Will that party respond with the same knowledge, passion, professionalism and energy that you would? Will they ask questions that help seek out further opportunities on your behalf? Will they leave the same positive impression that you know you would try to make? We believe that cultivating relationships is the cornerstone to building a successful following as an independent author. You should have every chance to connect with those inquiring about your book so that you can establish a longterm relationship with them. In short, if the ISBN does not belong to you and you do not get the chance to connect with inquiries, you are short-circuiting your opportunity to build a customer base one phone call, one inquiry, one opportunity at a time.

With Book Bridge Press, you own your book in every way. You will own every opportunity that comes to you. You receive 100% control, and 100% profits from your book. When we register the ISBN for you, we have the ISBN assigned to you so that you are directly connected to your book and its opportunities.

The ISBN is a critical step in successful book publishing. As you consider your next book and all the ways to benefit from it professionally, make sure you ask your publishing service if the ISBN will be registered to you. If they say no, you may want to consider all the valuable reasons why it should be.

How Many Pages in a Children's Picture Book?

While word count is an important element in children's publishing, one topic that prompts great interest is the actual printed length of a book for children.

If you spend time at a local bookstore or library, you will find that most hardcover picture books for children are 32 or 48 pages. Books are printed in terms of "signatures" and each signature is 16 pages. This is why most often you will see picture books printed in those intervals. While the 48 page picture book is popular, most picture books for children ages 4-8 are 32 pages. It's important to note that of these 32 pages, it's common that only 28 are used for the story. Several pages are reserved for  title and dedication page, copyright and author biography page. So be concise and powerful with your words and your storyline as you progress through the editorial process, for you may only have 14 page turns to capture and hold the attention of a young reader or listener.