Let’s make a book….. TOGETHER :)

Andrea, Children’s book illustrator

I was going to write this when I reached 2000 followers, but nobody has achieved anything by waiting till “the right moment”.
So, here we go!

I have close to 150 posts on my blog and most of them are illustrations.
The comments have been heart warming, so thank you all for that!
I am happy if I can put a smile on your face!

For a while I have been toying with the idea to make a book featuring them.
But… writing is not really my thing.
But it might be yours!

So if you have a look on my website and find one or more drawings that inspire you to write a short story or poem, please send it to me.
Once we have enough stories to fill a book (26 pages at least) I can self publish it on Amazon.
And then we can stare it with the world!

So, here are some ground rules to get you started:

  • The text should be in English.
    English is not my first language and I am not an editor, so please make sure there are no grammar or spelling errors.
  • The story or poem should not be longer than 2 pages
  • It should be suitable for children.
    I would like to stay away from any heavy topics.
  • It should be based on one of my drawings on my blog.
    You can request any smaller changes of course.
  • I don’t often draw humans, but if you choose a drawing with a human in it and would like to see a different race, I am happy to give it my best.
  • If it is not for you, but you know someone who would like to participate in this, they are more than welcome.
    Feel free to spread the word!
  • Self publishing most likely won’t make any of us rich, but if we end up with a significant profit, the money will be equally divided.
  • I will keep a log of the drawing that are already chosen here: Drawings already chosen

Too often I have encouraged people to take the step towards self publishing, but for some reason (probably a good reason) they never have.
So, let me take care of that entire process and you do what you are best at: WRITING! 🙂

And questions or comments, please send an email to:

skepticalvalentino@hotmail.com

P.s. if you send a mail about this and I don’t respond, please let me know I’m the comments! you never know with devices.

Thank you,

Andrea

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111 Comments

  1. That might be fun. Perhaps I will write a piece about a garden gnome 😉

    Seriously, I may take a look and send you something to see if you can stomach it. I think this is a great idea.

    Or, if there is any other way I might be able to help, please let me know.

    Liked by 2 people

  2. A story about mr. Gnome would be perfect! 😄
    I should be able to draw him!

    My biggest fear when writing this post was that nobody wanted to participate, hahah. Especially because most people seem to do more serious poems.
    If you want, you can spread the word.

    And if this ever happens, I’ll probably need someone to read it through and check the English and stuff.

    Liked by 3 people

  3. This is such a fabulous idea!! Can’t wait to find a drawing and write a story! I know you said “children”, but what reading level are you looking at? Are you thinking this might be something a parent reads to a child, or something a child would read for themselves?

    Liked by 1 person

  4. That is a great question and one I didn’t think about! 😅
    I like it to be something that a child can read for themselves. And I guess the younger audience might be entertained by the drawings.

    Excited to see what you come up with! But if there is anything specific you’d like, let me know too!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Don’t rush off yet with the gnome drawing. 🙂

    I’ll do a little broadcast, if that is okay with you. I think there might be some interested people in the various circles I work with. Many are the somber serious types, but some of us know there is value is less serious and more childlike approaches towards writing. I actually had a nebulous idea at one point, but it wasn’t solid enough to propose anything to you. I can help with the English checking too, but I may know a few people who are better at it than I am.

    I’ll send up a flare signal if you want me to. Just say the word.

    Like

  6. This whole undertaking is a thrilling idea, Andrea! All of your illustrations are very inspirational, so I plan to look through your entire gallery of artwork and ask about specific ones (just in case someone else decides to do the same one(s)). Can we choose more than one of your illustrations for this project? ^_^

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Ohh, I didn’t think about that, haha.
    I guess it’s first come, first go.
    But I probably can adjust the drawing a bit or use different characters, if it comes to that.

    Yes please! Use any you like. And if they don’t make it in the book, it can just be used on the blog!

    I am so excited to see what people will come up with! 😄

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. Yes please! I am so excited to get all these responses and see what everyone will come up with!
    Also thanks for reposting as I’d love reach a wide audience!
    And hopefully we can all make more of a name for ourselves after release!

    Like

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  14. Awesome choices and I think they suit you very well!
    In fact, I know, because I have already read them and replied to your email!
    I am going to keep a log of the drawings that already chosen and place a link in every upcoming post so that people are aware of it. 🙂
    I guess that is the best way to do it.

    Liked by 1 person

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  18. No deadline, so take your time 😉

    My only requirement is that it should be child friendly, but doesn’t necessarily have to be a children’s story. So as long as you stay away from from, my personal favorite, Hannibal 2.0 stories, you should be fine 😅

    Depending on the stories that will be submitted, I might make 2 versions. One for children and one for adults/teens.
    Or maybe it will be divided in a book of poems and one with regular stories.

    As I often do, I took an impulsive approach with this post instead of thinking it through.
    But that could end up being beneficial for this particular project 😁

    Ps. I hope you’re ok and just positively busy with life! I noticed you spent less time one the blog lately.

    Liked by 1 person

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  20. Hannibal 2.0. Hahahahha.

    I have a couple of your drawings pulled up and will think more about them in the coming days and let you know which one I will pick.

    P.S. Thanks for checking… I’ve been busy but also doing so-so. I’m just tired of feeling that way.

    Like

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  22. I’m so thrilled to see such an enthusiastic response to this lovely idea! I would love to participate, it would be a bit of a challenge since my writing leans more to the serous side, but the more you know, the more you know 😀

    Is it based on illustrations you’ve already done? Or are you taking particular requests for doing illustrations? I can’t wait to see the outcomr

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Yes I finally did it! And the responses have been really wonderful!
    And I would really like you to participate.
    You can choose any drawing that is already on my site, or you can request something and I can try to draw it.

    I think we might end up with a book with typical children’s stories and one that is a bit more serious.

    So if you an idea, just drop me a note and I am sure we can make it work! 🙂

    Like

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  26. Hey, I tried to send you an email but there’s some problem with my email so never mind! Anyway, I’d love to participate 🙂 But I don’t get where the image choices are… just pick any picture from your blog?

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Oh no, sorry about that! I haven’t seen your email.
    I can try to send you an email if you want and see if that works.

    Yes, please participate 🙂
    You can choose any drawing from my website, it is pretty the only thing I post.
    Or you can request something specific and I can try to draw it 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  28. The email problem was from my side, I’ll try from another email address later 🙂 my wifi is sooo slow today! I can’t see which pictures are taken because they won’t download, but I’ll just choose one and write. If it was taken, maybe you can draw something else to suit the words 🙂

    Like

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  47. I’m not sure yet whether I’ll contribute a piece of writing – if the right picture comes along, then I will – but I’d be very happy to proof-read.

    Liked by 1 person

  52. Hi Andrea
    Thank you for visiting my blog, or I would never have found you! Absolutely loving your illustrations, you have a magical brush.

    Like

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  61. Hi there! This is a wonderful idea! Asking a question on here as it may benefit others too – what age range is your target audience?

    Like

  62. That is a very fair question and to be honest, not one I thought about before hand. 😅
    The submissions I have gotten so far, vary from very typical playful children’s stories to poems that make you go “aww that’s beautiful”

    I think it should be a book that an adult can read with a child, but it should be enjoyable for the adult as well. So nothing too basic.
    Hope that makes sense!

    But depending on how things go, I am also happy to make two version, one for children en one for adults.

    Like

  64. Cool idea! I would join, but I don’t have much practice writing like that 😀

    Like

  70. What a lovely idea! I’ll take a look (if I ever have any free time) and see what I can come up with. I do some beta reading/copy editing as well, and you’d me to look over any finished content for grammar/copy errors. 🙂

    Like

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  74. I would also like to try my skill at Under Construction. I have an idea for a story about the learning / growth processes for children being routinely ‘under construction’.

    Like

  75. I would also like to try my skill at Under Construction. I have an idea for a story about the learning / growth processes for children being routinely ‘under construction’.

    Like

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  82. Many thanks Andrea. The pressure is on now! But how much better for creating work! I just hope my employee Rambo will allow me time for this project!

    Like

  83. This sounds like an amazing idea! I would love to have a crack at this if it’s not too late.

    Like

  90. That would be great Andrea. Rambo is a more common cat name than you would believe! He is currently in sleep mode in a sunny spot on our bed! A big thank you for being so brave to take on such a big project.

    Like

  92. Yes, I have received the email! Many thanks Andrea. What a talented bunch of people we have and I love the way they bring your beautiful images to life with their words. Some delightful gems. Lynn

    Like

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  95. Hi, I am interested in this project. It sounds like a great idea. I would like to work on the octopus and hedgehog at the campfire illustration if it’s available. Let me know and i’ll proceed.

    Like

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