This week I am very excited to welcome another very successful independently published author.? Who says independent publishers cannot be successful?? This week?s showcased author, Karen Robertson,? is yet another of my interviewed children?s authors who shows that it can be done, and done well. From Karen?s? book sales to-date, I know she has already sold more than some commercially published children?s authors. And the number of sales so far puts her close to best seller category, in terms of Australian book sales.
So without further ado -? a thunderous drum roll for author, Karen Robertson, author of? ?Treasure Kai? series whose Treasure Kai book app was voted Top 10 Most Original Book for iPad ? Digital Storytime, and her ?Treasure Kai? book was a Winner, Gold Mom?s Choice Award (US).
But just before we embark on Karen?s journey, please promise me that when you have finished reading, you will? click on the link to ?Our Series Trailer? ? Treasure Kai Book App for Kids Series Trailer ? at the end of this interview? It is sensational.
Go girl!
Welcome Karen. And before we start, please help yourself to some dark chocolate.
Karen, did you always want to be a writer?
No, I didn?t.? I had a passion for reading and writing growing up, especially in high school, and I got my degree in English at university, but I?d decided that I couldn?t make a living doing what I loved so went into advertising.
Coming from a family of engineers, I didn?t have any role models when I was young. I?d never met an author, editor or publisher. I didn?t know what I didn?t know when it came to the world of books, stories and writing.
That?s why I?m so passionate about doing author visits at schools. It?s amazing to see kids awaken to the possibilities of what they too can create when they see that real people create the stories they love.
What inspired you to start writing?
My sons did.
I was struggling to get them to read for fun. One night, I had a dream about a new kind of book where each time you turned the page, you had to physically do something to drive the story forward. I eventually worked out how to put toys in a book in an interactive and reusable way, using treasure chests. I knew I needed a treasure hunt adventure story so I sat down to write what would become ?Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island.?
My youngest son is severely dyslexic but loves to learn, especially about history. So I?m creating ?Treasure Kai? as a brand that helps kids learn through adventure.
In my second book, ?Treasure Kai? races Coronado to find the Seven Lost Cities of Gold in the 1500?s and in the third book, Kai treasure hunts with King Tut.
Do you think your writing style for your children?s books has been influenced by any particular writer/s?
Not really.
Why did you decide to set up your own publishing company, Treasure Bound Books?
?I knew nothing about publishing when I came up with a new book format and wrote my first book. I spent a lot of time researching the industry and soon realised that it would take years to get my book published the traditional way because the format was so alternative. So I decided to self publish to achieve speed to market.
I set up Treasure Bound Books to publish ?Treasure Kai.?? I?m so grateful that I made that decision because I kept my rights and had the flexibility to develop a book app when I saw what an amazing opportunity the format is to engage kids with reading in a whole new way.
Why and how did you get started with the independent publishing process?
I did a lot of research and found two resources that were a huge help to me. One was the Independent Book Publishers Association (www.ibpa-online.org) and the other was Dragon Pencil (www.dragonpencil.com), a company that specializes in helping people self publish children?s books.
I invested in education, visiting the U.S. twice in 2008 to attend courses on independent publishing, book marketing and Book Expo America.
I worked with Dragon Pencil to publish my first book, ?Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island.?
How did you find your illustrator, Victor Guiza? Do you work closely together?
Working with Vic is one of the best parts of being an author.
I met him through Dragon Pencil. He?s Mexican and lives in Mexico, but he spent a number of years in the U.S. so speaks fluent English.
We illustrated our first book entirely by email.
Now, we use Skype and sometimes we will work ?live? together ? with Vic illustrating live on screen as we discuss what he is creating. This technique was invaluable when we recently created Kate, Kai?s best friend.? I even took screen capture video of the process to make a ?behind the scenes? video for kids to see how Kate evolved from an illustration perspective.
How do you go about editing your work?
I work with professional, freelance editors in the U.S. and Australia.? I find working with an editor invaluable. I also am a big believer in sharing my stories with kids prior to publishing to get their feedback.
With your first book, Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island, how long did the independent publishing process take place, ie. from the beginning to the printing of your books?
The production process (from first draft to holding finished books) took about 18 months. It should have taken about nine months, but it took an extra nine months to get the little treasure chests working correctly.
What obstacles did you encounter during this process, if any?
My biggest obstacle then and now is one word, ?how!?
I find as an author and entrepreneur, I have a vision and I have to figure out HOW I?m going to do the things I want to do.? But I?m very determined and always find a way by networking, researching and keeping moving towards my goals.
The other challenge I found is the industry?s attitude towards self publishing. There is a real prejudice against self published books (for good reason as there is a LOT of poor quality work out there).? But not everything that is self published is trash.
I?m a bit of a maverick and believe that if a writer wants to share his or her story, he or she can find a way.? I won?t sit around and wait for someone else to tap me on the shoulder in order to fulfill my dreams.
How did you go about organising a printing company?
Because my book format is quite different (with three-dimensional plastic treasure chests on it, holding toys that are clues to finding a treasure), I worked with a toy manufacturer in Australia to manufacture the book.? His company in China manufactured and assembled the book.? He knew printers in China and one of those companies had printed a series of very reputable books and high quality books in the U.S., so I had him manage everything with them.
What was your print run??
I printed 5,000 books.? They arrived at the end of 2008, just as the GFC hit.? I?ve sold 4,000 of them, primarily through school author visits.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of publishing independently??
Advantages:? Maintaining my rights, having control over the creative product and timing of my book release.
Disadvantages:? The industry attitude toward self publishing, cost and difficulty getting distribution.? I?d never planned to sell via book stores, but if I had, it would have been very difficult to get distribution as an independent? publisher.
What was your biggest learning curve?? Is there anything that you now do differently since the publication of your first book?
Once I learned about the industry (which was very daunting starting from a zero knowledge base), the biggest learning curve has been figuring out how to market a book.
Everything about my business has changed now thanks to the changes in technology.? I was just about to reprint my first book and publish my second book in the series last June (2010) when I saw a storybook app on the iPad for the first time.? When I saw it, I knew I?d just seen a way to take my passion for interactive, tactile reading to a whole new level with touch,? sound and animation.
So I?ve now changed to a digital strategy ? producing book apps for the iPad,? iPod Touch and iPhone ? that will be fictional treasure hunt adventures through history,? supported by edutainment content online at www.treasurekai.com.? I now have a way to create the global brand I?d always envisaged for ?Treasure Kai? and I?ve never been more excited about the future.
Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island was awarded Gold ?Mom?s Choice Award? in the category of Children?s Picture Book Adventure, Adventurers and Heroes ? Honoring excellence in family friendly media, products and services.
Has this US award opened any more doors for you or did you just appreciate winning the award? Did it make you feel any differently as a writer?
I feel like I never really leveraged this award like I should have.? I didn?t even do a press release ?hmm, I should do that!? I learned of the award around the same time I started changing my strategy,? so my focus has changed.
I was very excited about winning the award because it is a ?Mom?s Choice.?
How did you market your first book in the Treasure Kai series?? Did you come across any obstacles when dealing with bookstores, etc?
This is a great question.? My background is in database and internet marketing.? So I originally thought that I would sell my book online.? But I soon found that doing so was much harder than I thought it would be.? And the cost of shipping my book is prohibitive in Australia.? (I have a warehouse in the U.S. that ships all U.S. and international orders).
So I started doing author visits in the Sydney area.? I offer my visits for free and then sell my books at the visits.? Now I do talks on how technology has changed my career as an author.? I absolutely love this sales strategy because, besides writing,? visiting schools and talking with kids is my favorite part of being an author.
I?ve done nearly 100 visits in the past two years and am grateful every time I enter a school and get to talk with the kids.
I?ve only tried selling my book through a few bookstores.? Berkelouw Books,? Balgowlah (my local store),? has been incredibly supportive.? I sell directly to them and they?ve sold about 200 of my books since they opened.? And I?ve sold a number of books through Lindfield Bookstore as well.
Other than that, I don?t actively pursue bookstores but do supply books when I get calls from stores.? It?s a lot of work to manage invoices for multiple stores, etc.? But I?ll do anything for Maria at Berkelouw.? Her store is amazing and she?s been so supportive of me and the other authors who live in our area.
You had a successful marketing career before becoming an author.? Does this assist you greatly in marketing your Treasure Kai series?
Yes and no.? It?s great from a strategy perspective because at least I know what I need to be doing.
But working for major ad agencies on major brands with big budgets and big-business suppliers is entirely different from implementing strategies as a small business.
In fact, it?s extremely frustrating because I know everything I WANT to do, but finding the resources to execute on a budget is a real challenge.
Remember the dreaded ?how? that I mentioned? That word rears its ugly head all the time with regards to marketing.
But at least I know what I need to be doing and each day, I?m a step closer to having the resources in place that I need.
Could you tell me a little about the launch of your book app? Has this taken your marketing ideas and vision into a new direction?
Creating my book app has taken my vision to a whole new level. I always knew what I wanted to create with ?Treasure Kai?;? I just didn?t know how I would be able to create it using physical books.
My book was very expensive to produce so I was limited in the quantity I could produce and even geographically, because I had to focus on just the Australian market even though I?m originally from America and the book had proven global appeal.
With a book app, I have:
- Access to a global market, with people in over 20 countries buying the app in the first couple of months.
- There is no inventory to manage so I am not limited in how many book apps I sell.
- There is no warehouse to manage and no shipping costs.
- The production process is much faster and cheaper so I can produce stories faster.
- I can do more creatively (my books are about interactive reading so the iPad is perfect for that).
- I?ve kept my rights.
- And the financials are better ? Apple keeps 30% of the revenue and Treasure Bound Books gets the other 70%.
So from a business perspective, creating book apps makes a lot of sense.
My primary motivation to change formats though was creative.
My book works in a non linear way ? it?s a twist on the ?choose your adventure format?.
The iPad tapping technology lets me extend that concept in such an interesting way. We are getting a lot of interest in the market because we are one of the few book apps that really use the interactivity of the iPad in a way that goes beyond touch-triggered sounds and animations.? Interactivity is part of the storytelling.
In fact, ?Treasure Kai? was named in the ?Top 10 Most Original Book for iPad? and ?Top 10 Most Innovative use of Interactivity? by Digital Storytime.? We are very excited About this recognition.
And using my website, I can provide edutainment content that supports the stories.
We all know that kids are curious about the things they see in books.? We?ve created ?Fun Fact Videos? and ?Behind the Scenes? videos that are inspired by the story.
For example, we have several ?Fun Fact Videos? inspired by ?Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island? including:
-?????? A video on the ?Black Swan,? the real life sunken treasure ship that inspired me to write ?Treasure Kai,?
-?????? A video about edible bugs called ?Bugs for Dinner?
-?????? And a video about quicksand.
'Treasure Kai' app on iPad
Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island is the first in your series.? How many books have been written to date? And what projects are you working on now?
I?ve written two more ?Treasure Kai? books in the series.? The second one is 95% illustrated and we are in pre-production on the book app.
The third book is written and needs to be illustrated.
I have a number of other ideas for ?Treasure Kai? books, I just need to replicate myself so I can get them written in addition to doing everything else I?m doing.
Are you interested in writing in any other genres?
Not at this point.? My focus right now is on ?Treasure Kai? and helping other authors learn about the book app opportunity for themselves. I?ve been writing and speaking about book apps to writing and self publishing groups.
I?ve written a free report, ?The Top 5 Things you Must Know about Creating Book Apps for Kids? and an eBook, ?Author?s Guide to Book Apps ? a Guide for Children?s Authors, Writers and Illustrators Wanting to Turn Stories into Book Apps.? ?(www.digitalkidsauthor.com).
You have a great team behind you in regards to your illustrator, game designer, video producer, webmaster, etc.? Did this come together easily?
NO!!? Team has been an evolving challenge because I am a small business working with a very small budget.? I don?t have money for salaries, so hire by project.
I outsource a number of things to people overseas through the freelance sites, elance.com and odesk.com.
My illustrator has been a dream.
My producer is a friend of mine who shares my vision for the ?Treasure Kai? brand.? He?s helped me source the app developer and game developers.? It has not been easy and I?ve learned some hard lessons in this area which I share with other authors and writers when I speak about book apps.
Managing my website has been a soap opera in itself.
I?ve always looked at myself as an author and entrepreneur which is why I approach my business the way I do.
I think some writers look at the list of people on my team and think that they could never do what I?ve done.? But they can.
When it comes to producing a book app, all you really need is yourself and a developer (plus your usual book resources like editor and illustrator). And now there are companies popping up that specialise in producing book apps for children?s authors.? So things are much easier for children?s writers now than it was 9 months ago when I started.
Would you ever consider being published by a major publishing company?
I honestly don?t know.
My vision for ?Treasure Kai? goes so far beyond books that an entertainment company is a more likely suitor for me.
My stories are about interactivity (my son is a kinesthetic learner and inspiration for me) and my brand is about learning through adventure and fun with fictional treasure hunts through history,? so I would need to work with a company that shared that vision and wanted to take it cross platform.
What advice would you give other authors who are thinking about self-publishing/publishing independently or setting up their own company?
I?d say ?go for it!?
I?ll never forget the first writing industry event I went to.? There were so many writers and illustrators there who had dreams of sharing their stories with kids, but they were quite dejected because they felt their fate was in someone else?s hands.? They felt helpless as they waited for a magic tap on the shoulder from a publisher saying their story would be published.
At this same event, there were publishers talking about 6-month slush piles and how unlikely it is that new writers would be found.
In today?s world, writers can test the market with self published books, eBooks and book apps.? They can have a go at marketing their own work. (Authors do most of the marketing of their work anyway).? And if they can show proof of concept and want to be published by a traditional publisher, then they?ll have a platform to pitch from.
It?s not easy though.? Marketing a book is tough.? There are so many books out there.
But it?s possible, and that?s all I?ve ever needed to know!
What attributes do you feel are necessary to be a successful independent publisher, eg. determination, patience, organisation, sales and marketing experience, self-belief ??
All of the above! The most important one I believe is self belief.? Because the traditional publishing industry has a negative attitude towards independent publishing and it?s not always easy to deal with it.
Although I have to say that attitudes in the eBook and book app world are entirely different from the traditional publishing world.
What does successful independent publishing mean to you?
Three things:
- Creating innovative work that kids love.
- Having fun each day (or at least most days!)
- And making a living doing what you love.
Where would you like to be in five year?s time, writing wise?
That?s easy and became crystal clear to me this morning. Victor sent through a new illustration for my second book and it was magic.? I was so excited and felt a strong urge to spend far more time writing and working with him to bring this character to life.
So five years from now, I?ll be spending a lot more of my time writing.
Your website/blog showcases your vision and the work involved in the success of the Treasure Kai series.? How do you juggle this and your family life?
It?s not easy. I call it, ?harnessing the tornadoes.?
I?m grateful for the work I do and the flexibility I have working from home because I can take my kids to tutoring, sport, attend school events, etc.
But now that I have my own business, I find it really hard to switch off.
I absolutely love what I do and have so much fun. I?m probably one of the few people in the world who love Monday morning because everyone leaves the house and I get to work!
It?s especially hard when I?m writing because I just want to write and not be interrupted. I?m sure a lot of other writers can relate to this.
I?ve been working on shutting my office door and focusing on my kids?when they are home.? Sometimes it works.? Sometimes it doesn?t.
If you see a tornado fly by, it?s probably one of mine!
What words best describe you?
Optimistic, determined, inspiring and a bit of a maverick.
Have you any other words of advice?
Don?t wait for someone else to hand you your dream, go out and grab it!
It?s just as easy to dream a big dream as a small one.
Reach out to others when you don?t know or have an answer.
And Karen, just to finish up, could you please complete the following?:
At school I was ? the successful, good girl.
When I was a child I wanted to be ? ?Don?t laugh?but I wanted to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. I?m not kidding. And that was before we moved to Texas when I was 14.
I relax by ? Reading fiction, going for walks by the beach, meditating and eating dark chocolate.
For more information about Karen and her books:
My website address:? http://treasurekai.com/ and http://www.digitalkidsauthor.com
My blog: This will be changing but for now, go to http://treasurekai.com/blog/
See our app demo here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1zyYrTP9Xc
Our?Series Trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC4sFd0b6W8? YOU DID PROMISE TO CLICK ON THIS LINK. IT IS SENSATIONAL.
Link to the ?Treasure Kai? book app:? http://itunes.apple.com/app/treasure-kai-lost-gold-shark/id418289114?mt=8
Treasure Kai book:? www.treasurekai.com/book
Author ? ?Treasure Kai? series ? www.treasurekai.com
Treasure Kai book?app:? Top 10 Most Original Book for iPad ? Digital Storytime
Treasure Kai book: Winner, Gold Mom?s Choice Award
Author of ?Author?s Guide to Book Apps? ? www.digitalkidsauthor.com
Wow! What an inspirational story. And if you think you can?t make it as an independently published author, I would like you to think again.
Well that unfortunately concludes my interview with Karen Robertson.
But if you are inspired to take charge of your own writing/publishing journey,? grab your knapsack, fresh water and supplies, sunhat, rope, your laptop, along with plenty of pads and pens, and map out? your own adventure.? Just watch out for sharks!
Helen interviews author Karen Robertson Copyright Helen Ross 29 May 2011
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