Free for a Limited Time

How the Clownfish Got its Nameis free for a limited time. Enjoy the story free from Sunday to Tuesday, and feel free to share with your friends!

Ebook or Traditional Print?

Recent figures suggest that the Ebook market is growing faster and faster every year. For those hoping to publish their books and reach a wide audience, it seems that Ebooks might be the perfect solution, but are they? Are writers better off producing Ebooks, print books, or a combination of both?

While it has always been difficult to be a published writer, these days it is almost impossible without a professional agent. This is particularly true in the children's book genre, where most publishers will not even consider a manuscript without the writer being represented by an agent. Hiring agents is not only expensive but time consuming, with no guarantee of a successful outcome. In addition, many publishers do not want to see illustration ideas with print, making it difficult for many authors to present their vision.

Ebooks allow writers complete control over their work and it's format. They also allow authors the opportunity to share their work without having to jump through numerous hoops put in place by publishers. Of course, one of the primary drawbacks of self-publishing is the lack of marketing and exposure. Independent writers need to work very hard to get their words out there, and even those that do may find that their voice is not powerful enough to rival those supported by big name publishers. The Ebook market has become extremely competitive since anyone can publish a book, and thus it is becoming increasingly more difficult to stand out from the crowd.

Personally, I love the opportunities that Ebooks present. With two young children I don't honestly have time to pursue professional publishers, and I am realistic enough to know that I may not be able to attract their attention anyway. I like the fact that I can format, illustrate and edit my own work, and that I can change it even after it's published as a result of feedback from readers.. I want to reach a large audience, but when I set out writing I told myself that if the only people who ever read my stories were my children, I'd be fine with that. Writing is a passion, and I want to continue to enjoy it in its simplest form, without the constraints that traditional print might place upon it.

Why Felt Illustrations?

When deciding how to illustrate How the Clownfish Got its Name, I knew that I wanted the pictures to be simple and childlike. I didn't want fancy illustrations that detracted from the message of the story, and wanted just a few colors to stand out. Since I knew that many children would be reading the kids ebook on their Kindles, I also realized that complicated images with many colors would not look good on that platform.

I actually landed on the felt idea one morning while playing with my daughter. She has a book that is made up of two scenes, upon which you can place different felt characters and objects. She adores this book and has a great time arranging the felt figures and talking about what they are doing. It really gets her imagination going. While she was playing with this book, I thought about creating my own felt scenes for the clownfish and his friends. I hoped that this would add an endearing element to the book and complement the story.

How the Clownfish Got its Name: Inspiration for the Book

I have had the idea for this children's ebook in my mind for a long time. In fact, I created a very simple version with my own illustrations many years ago. Unfortunately, aside from the fact that the illustrations were not too great, the book didn't survive my dog's puppy stage!

How the Clownfish Got its Name
The message of the story is simple but important. It reminds children to find their own strengths and to be proud of themselves as individuals.

After the birth of my first daughter, I realized just how important this message is. After her first birthday, I started thinking about the book again and felt compelled to create the story in honor of my beautiful girl.

My daughter is very unique in many ways, and in her very short time in this world she has taught me that "perfection" is not about being the fastest, strongest or smartest. It's about being exactly who you are, and finding your own strengths. The little orange fish in the story compares himself to everyone else, and feels so sad that he can't be like the other fish in the ocean. In the end, however, he realizes that he is special in his own right, and has so much to offer others. I know that my little girl has great things to bring to others around her, and I hope that I can help her find things in life that she is passionate about to give her confidence and joy.