First Copy of My First Book

December 19, 2009. After several years of trial and error, a copy of my first book, a picture book titled The Twelve Dog Days of Christmas in NYC arrived from my publisher. What a thrill, but also a vivid realization that a book is a collaborative effort between writer, illustrator and publisher/editor each of whom imprints a book with their own vision, and in the case of the publisher/editor, with financial constraints--i.e., the number of pages to print, who to hire as an illustrator.

The cover is beautiful. Its vibrant blue and gold colors, poignant Dachshund with a drop of snow on his nose and the Statue of Liberty in the background, tells the story. If, as they say, shelf appeal is extremely important in selling a book, this one should go flying off the shelves. Many thanks to Shawn Bridges the illustrator and to the cover designer.

There were design ideas I suggested, such as larger print and pictures of the dogs on the dog history pages, that were not incorporated. I was disappointed, but I must let go of that because that realm belongs to the publisher, Rita Mills of Blue Bonnets, Boots and Books. Rita has been wonderful to work with.