It’s hard to believe we signed a contract for this second book five months ago! We have exactly one month until all of our final submission materials are due to Schiffer Kids, and June 1 is fast approaching. Angie has been busy creating a fantastic world for the characters in this new book. I love how she has taken the story and developed a completely different look and feel from SOAR. Of course, the storyline is completely different and the characters are new, but instead of painting in a gouache style, she is using water colors which I love.
You may ask, “What have I been doing all this time since the manuscript is already written?” Good question! I have been busy formatting the manuscript along with filling out a large spreadsheet by responding to writing prompts for the people at Schiffer. For instance, I need to respond to the following questions.
- What is the main benefit of your book?
- What compelled you to write this book?
- What is your “elevator pitch” for this book?
In total, there are about 25 different questions, but they really make you think about the book as well as your goals for the book. 
I was also able to give the manuscript to two trusted resources so I could get a quote from them to use as a testimonial for the book. Both wrote extremely kind endorsements of the second book and I am so thankful I can reach out to them for this type of support. In fact, one of them actually helped me develop the conversation starters for the back of this book and I am so grateful for her insight.
The spreadsheet also includes information for review copies. A review copy is a free copy sent by the publisher to a book reviewer/blogger in exchange for their honest opinion of the book. Luckily I have been busy contacting bloggers through the process with SOAR and I have created quite a list! The other two tabs include media contacts and possible sales opportunities. It takes a long time to research the different types of media outlets that may be interested in your story along with unique places that may be interested in selling your book.
Along with all of this, I am still contacting new bloggers weekly to see if they are interested in reviewing SOAR and helping promote Ramone’s journey. It is very busy to say the least, considering I have another job and a family, but it’s important I give it my all and try to make SOAR as successful as possible. I am humbled by all of the positive feedback we have been receiving from people all over the world and so excited to have found this book-loving community that is extremely supportive of authors and illustrators. Even though we’ve never met, I love connecting with these people and I am thankful for their love of SOAR and their excitement for our second book.
I’ve sprinkled a few snapshots of Angie’s work on the second book throughout this blog. Best of luck guessing what our next story is all about!