Stories

Soft colours can work really well for children’s books. But I encourage everyone to break the rules. Adding graffiti can be fun too.

We strive so much for perfection, only to forget that jagged lines can bring raw power to a story.

Colour outside the lines. Break boundaries. See what kind of graffiti and craziness you can conceive.

A book doesn’t always need a trendy animal to appeal to kids (it is so tempting to include a kitten on every page). Sometimes a few squiggly lines are enough to let them know that they can break rules too. They should.

My goldfish died at a young age.
Then my hamster.
Then my second hamster.

I was done with pets after that second hamster. I couldn’t cope with it anymore. I never thought that I could be powerless until death happened in my childhood. I learned that shoe boxes could be used for more than just… shoes.

We are often surprised by the passing of our beloved house pets, and yet we are not taught how to cope.

I never knew that funerals were about celebration until my grandmother died. The funeral pamphlet exclaimed: “we are celebrating her today!”

We should be teaching celebration and reflection for our passing pets.

I thought the miserable feeling was part of it, but a celebration is better. A celebration is meaningful. We must celebrate the lives of those we lose. Those are the memories to share amongst each other.

Our children should be permitted to celebrate. It is never too young to start. A children’s story can ease a toddler into the inevitable realities of life. Better to celebrate now than to experience trauma and stifle life lessons.

This reflection is inspired by my children’s story about the passing of my second hamster, Miffy. You can read, watch and listen to it for free here.

Reading to kids is one of the most important developmental aspects of life. With rising numbers of families struggling today, quality education should be free or accessible for all.

I am Trevor Carss, children’s author and illustrator of more than 70 self-published stories for kids and grown-ups. My approach is unique from the publishing world in that all of these tales are free in eBook, audio and video narration. My decision to make everything free is driven by a mission and desire to brighten the world.

How are you going to compete with The Very Hungry Caterpillar today? If Eric Carle prices his story at $4.99, an author selling picture books can’t possibly stretch beyond that benchmark without having a certified masterpiece on their hands. Pricing competitively becomes a challenge when only so many books are being bought for kids now.

Constructing a masterpiece is not a clear-cut process, especially for new authors like me. Trials and errors are necessary to start that journey. It’s best not to seek perfection, but to seek uniqueness. What can be a story that takes a more indie, new-age approach? What is your true artistic style? Sometimes, copying what’s worked in the past might not work now (if it were true, we’d see more radio hosts popping up instead of podcasters).

Forget the noise. I’ve decided to construct a new path. You should consider it too. If people like my stories, they will contribute via donation. If not, it means I need to get better at the craft. This is like finding your 1,000 true fans. Those fans will buy anything for you. Find them.

Launching a book and charging for it is the same as every other author today. You have to stand out from the crowd by doing something different with your launch. Most authors simply shy away from giveaways. Good. That’s where others can shine.

My approach is to give away all of my books. For free. Right now, YouTube is doing this with video. You can watch a seemingly unlimited amount of video content there. Or, your podcast app gives you access to even more free content in the way of audio. Even on Amazon, subscriptions allow for unlimited free access to books. Same goes for video content on Netflix. Free content is becoming the norm. Most creatives are still not capitalizing on the approach to give value for free, while the big platforms capitalize.

By giving away free things, you increase your reach. You increase your potential for new readers. You eliminate payment gateways. You get straight to the story.

Loyal readers will start following you. The longer you wait to charge them, the more loyal they become. Find that line where your fans will do anything for you and buy anything from you.

It might be a dozen more books before I hit my stride. Maybe a few dozen. However, by giving away my books for free, I cut down on publishing times. I can launch and promote a new story in a day without gatekeepers getting in the way. I own the content creation and delivery. Isn’t it time that authors gain control of the publishing process?

One day, perhaps.