As I sit in my office on a Saturday morning, it’s snowing, and I am having one of many cups of coffee:)

One of my goals, in 2023, was to frontload the year with writing, editing, and setting up the small mountain of publishing details necessary to launch a book. In this case it’s three books. The focus right now is preparing for a rapid-release launch of the first two books in the Adventures with Grandma Biker series. Both books are scheduled to launch in May. This series will be a collection of early reader chapter books targeted for ages 9-11. This, of course, could vary depending on a child’s reading level.

In February, I had the priviledge of presenting to Luverne Elementary, in Luverne, MN. What an absolutely fun day that was! The staff and community were very welcoming and the students were amazing! I would love to present to schools more often . . . maybe in retirement?

The Spring vendor season has also began with a two-day event in Mason City, IA. My husband and I enjoyed getting out to a new area and meeting some great people along the way. In a neighboring town, Clear Lake, IA, we met Ralphene, owner of Ralphene’s home and gift store. She is now stocking Tall Girl Publishing books and puzzles in her store! Yes, puzzles! I am now working with a wooden puzzle making company, Bugga Doo Puzzles, from Pocahontas, IA. The goal is to create the characters from the Adventures on Apple Orchard Farm series. So far, three characters have been created: George, Orville, and Simon.

As I look forward to Spring, gardening, and motorcycle weather, I am trying to keep my head down and focus on doing the work required to meet my goals. This is difficult for me because it is in my nature to procrastinate. However, there are too many moving pieces, with reliances on others, for me to give in to that selfish habit. It’s time for another cup of coffee and get back to work.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

What a year 2022 has been!

First of all, I want to thank everyone who has supported me in this great adventure called Tall Girl Publishing. 2022 was more productive than I expected, and I learned SO MUCH!

If I knew what my start-up costs were going to look like I probably would have panicked a bit more, but I just kept my head down and concentrated on the work. My goal was to break even, and I believe I ended up pretty close to it.

It wasn’t until the middle of December that I started thinking about my 2023 goals, but before I could really do that, I needed to reflect on what was accomplished in 2022.

2022 Accomplishments:

• Wrote 5 books
• Published 7 books – The Snail That Wanted To Hop!, El caracol que queria saltar!, Lemonade Lilli, Limonada Lilli, Millie Mammoth, Finding George, and Carl Corn Have You Heard?
• Built a website
• Learned to expand my social media
• Hired two illustrators
• Consistently published quality monthly Author Group Newsletters
• Purchased a mountain of start-up supplies
• Visited over 40 Public Libraries to let them know I exist
• Presented as a guest author at 5 Public Libraries
• Participated as a vendor for 6 vendor shows
• Participated as a guest author for 2 local business’ Holiday Open Houses

I’m sure there are more accomplishments, but those were the big ones.

I’ll save the 2023 goals until later, but for now, thanks again for being a part of this journey with me.

Here’s me raising a glass to all of you. Enjoy celebrating with those you care about most.

Sincerely,

Tall Girl

Eyeball Deep in Vendor Shows and Guest Author Events, Oh My!

I am very excited to see my Event Calendar filled with vendor shows and guest author events.  Please select the 'Event' tab in the menu bar to see the long list of events scheduled.  This is what I had hopped and wished for! (I also see myself filling up my calendar with these types of events when I retire.....not for a few years)

The primary purpose for doing these events is to let people and businesses know that Tall Girl Publishing exists.  It is up to me to market my brand. The great thing about it is that I absolutely love it!  It's like a grown-up version of 'Show & Tell'.

What is the best thing you can do to help?  Well, there are two things:  tell everyone you know, and leave a review on Amazon if you purchase a book.  The way to leave a review is after you have made a purchase, pull up your order via your account, and select the product to leave a review.  This way it will be considered a 'verified review' and carries more weight in Amazon's promotion algorithm.

On October 31, 2022, my next book, FINDING GEORGE, will launch.  It is currently available for pre-order now (on Amazon).  I am so excited for this publication of Book One in the series Adventures On Apple Orchard Farm.  The goal is to publish one book a year in this series.  CANDACE'S BIG AUDITION will launch in the Fall of 2023.

A second series I'm working on is called Adventures With Grandma Biker. MEMORIAL DAY PARADE, which is Book One in that series, is scheduled to launch by May 1, 2023.

While the series' are developing I plan to continue to write and publish individual stories for young children 0-8.  Thank you for touching base with my journey, and I hope you continue to to be a fan of Tall Girl Publishing.

2022 will be the year I will finally see a few books published. I was waiting for the perfect illustrator to come along, and then needed to wait six months for her to become available. It was worth the wait because my illustrator, Abra Shirley, is a perfect fit for my stories. She is currently working on character development for the Adventures On Apple Orchard Farm series (21 characters). My goal is to publish the first two books in that series before Christmas.

I started the new year by writing the second book in the Adventures With Grandma Biker series. It is called ”Memorial Day Parade,” and touches on playing an instrument, helping someone in need, and honoring our veterans.

You never know when ideas or creativity present themselves, and I have learned to play around with it and give new opportunities a try. In January, I challenged some of my 8th-Grade students to write and illustrate their own children’s book. After a few blank stares I realized they needed some guidance in what that process would look like. Leading by example seemed to be the best ’next step’. The result was ”The Snail That Wanted To Hop.” Since I am not someone who draws well, I decided to illustrate it by using pre-made graphic images. I am fortunate enough to work with kids ages 6-8, and they gave the story a ‘two thumbs up’ before they even knew I was the author. I appreciated the positive feedback from my target audience, and decided that I would use this little book as my very first publication.

To self-publish is to invest in yourself. The financial investment to set up a new business has been an interesting process for me, and I’ve learned how to do many new things. Some of these include purchasing a domain, building a website, hiring an illustrator, registering a new business with the state, purchasing ISBN numbers, filing and paying for copyright claims, and registering works with the Library of Congress. The next step in my education will be to upload and publish my first hard cover book with IngramSpark, and have it available for purchase by May, 2022.

The official beginning of Tall Girl Publishing was the summer of 2021. While I was trying to find an illustrator, I decided to teach myself how to self-publish on Amazon, using their KDP platform. To do this, I decided to create non-content record books. They are all available for purchase on Amazon. Just type my name in the search engine. I’ve included them on this website, too.

Thanks for visiting my website and showing an interest in my new business venture!

Until next time,

Tall Girl