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In this Picture Book Panel discussion, we hear from five recently published authors who navigated various routes to publication including traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing to get their stories into print. They very generously share those journeys with us here—everything from the decision about which route to go, to the editing process, how they found their illustrators, what their distribution looks like, the percentage return they receive on book sales, special military/aviation-related considerations about depicting specific ‘brand’ images, to book promotion and lessons learned along the way. If you’re not writing with the specific niche of women in aviation in mind, the information here will still be of tremendous value as you contemplate your options.

00:00 – 02:49 Intro

02:50 – 06:58 Author Intros

07:00 – 15:08 Manuscript Prep/Edit

15:10 – 18:22 Finding an Artist

18:23 – 24:47 Why did you choose your pub route/timeline to publication

24:48 – 30:33 Distribution

30:34 – 36:04 Promotion and sales

36:05 – 43:05 Percent earnings on sales

43:06 – 47:24 Activity books

47:25 – 53:58 Book Promotion

53:59 – 58:59 Special military and branding image considerations

59:00 – 1:00:05 Lessons learned/advice

If you have a great picture book idea to help inspire the next generation of women in aviation, I hope you’ll pursue it, and I hope this panel discussion helps you on your journey!

A big takeaway from this panel is the importance of community. If you’re writing books featuring women in aviation, I hope you’ll consider the Literary Aviatrix community as yours along your journey, and if you’re not, find your people! The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is an awesome starting point.

Check out my full interviews with several of these authors and many more in the Aviatrix Writers' Room: https://literaryaviatrix.com/writers-room2/

Show some love for the authors: visit their websites, follow them and share their content on social media, buy their books, and drop a review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Kodey Bogart @helogirlsbook – Helo Girls series – https://www.helogirls.com

Darcy Guya

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Thanks so much for listening!

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Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker