Coming Full Circle with eBooks and Audio

Within days of losing my house in the 2008 Tea Fire, a friend approached and asked: "If you could do anything to start fresh, what would you do?" I immediately knew my answer. I wanted to self-publish one of my children's books.

I had tried the traditional route through agents and New York publishing companies, and came close a number of times. When I evacuated, I happened to grab six illustrations by an artist named Ben Cicciati, who, as fate would have it, also lost his house and all of his artwork in the same fire. I worked with Andrew Duncan for a year to publish a hardcover edition of our book, Pablito and the Speckled Bear. In December of 2009, we held a book signing at the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel. Using some of the proceeds from my homeowner's insurance, I was able to print 100 copies which was all I could afford at the time.

Then the iPad was released in March 2010, and I had an idea: start my own publishing company for other authors, offering eBooks with audio. From 2010 to 2015, we published over three dozen books until I pivoted again, this time to write books about the national parks. Back to print we went, first with CreateSpace and later with Kindle Direct Publishing's print-on-demand model. Over the last ten years, we've published more than a dozen children's books celebrating nature and the national parks.

Now, with fresh encouragement from a friend who suggested audio recordings through Fiverr, we've come full circle. Our national park books are now available in softcover, PDF eBook, and audio recordings. Three titles are complete: Rascal's Year of Adventures, Hope Soars over Yellowstone, and DeeDee's Year of Adventure.

If you'd like a free eBook and audio recording, reach out to us at melissa@luckypennypress.com. We'd love to share them with you.

Here's to believing in your dreams. What will you do to make yours a reality?