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photo by Michael Poehlman |
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Brianne Farley Answers Questions About Worms, Sandwiches, and Art for STEM
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Everything I’ve Learned So Far About Independent Publishing by Todd Burleson
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Coming Soon! |
I should begin with a confession: I am no expert on independent publishing. I’m very much a beginner. My earlier publishing experience was with a major publisher, and that book was nonfiction. It wasn’t the book I most wanted to write—in fact, I would have loved for it to have been the story I’m working on now. But when a publisher approaches you and asks you to write a book, and you are a struggling teacher, you say yes. It turned out to be a tremendous experience. I earned a little income from it—not much—but what I gained was an inside look at the publishing process. It was an opportunity I’ll always be grateful for.
This time is different. When I chose to publish independently, the reasons went deeper. I wanted control. I didn’t want someone I would never meet deciding on my cover. I didn’t want someone else to have the final say over my story. And after working on this book for more than thirteen years, I wanted it to move into the world at a pace that felt right to me.
“Independent publishing feels like managing a project as much as writing a book.”
What I didn’t fully anticipate was how much independent publishing feels like managing a project as much as writing a book. I knew it would be hard work—anything worth doing usually is—but I wasn’t prepared for the cost.
I learned quickly that in publishing, you get what you pay for. Early on, I decided my priority was to work with a professional editor. Through Reedsy, a platform that connects writers with editors, designers, and illustrators, I found someone with national recognition and a strong track record. She was expensive, but I knew this was where I wanted to invest.
To help cover the cost, I launched a Kickstarter campaign. Asking for help does not come easily to me. But Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing platform—if you don’t meet your goal, you don’t receive a dime. That reality pushed me to research every aspect of how to run a successful campaign. I studied other authors’ projects, learned how to structure levels and rewards, and spent hours figuring out shipping, pricing, and what kinds of extras would make sense. At times it felt overwhelming, like nonsense piled on top of the actual work of writing a book.
There were moments I doubted myself, moments I wondered if anyone would care enough to pledge. It was stressful to put my vision out in public and risk failure. But slowly, support came in.
“In the end, more than $4,000 was pledged by people who believed in the story. That support feels like success already, even before a single reader has turned a page.”
Now I am anxiously waiting for the return of my developmental edit—the kind that digs into the big picture, the characters, and the heart of the story. I feel nervous, excited, and overwhelmed all at once. And part of me wonders how I will balance this next stage with my life as a school librarian heading into a new year. Independent publishing doesn’t happen in isolation—it presses into every part of your time and energy.
If another writer asked me what I’ve learned so far, I would say this: independent publishing is not for the faint of heart. Writers want to write, but this path asks for much more—fundraising, websites, community-building, marketing, design, layout, typesetting, printing, platforms, and even decisions about audiobooks. The list feels endless. But none of it is wasted.
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Reedsy has hundreds of free resources. They are also an incredible place where you can be connected with some of the leading editors, designers, and artists to help make your book come to fruition. |
My best advice is to find a community. For me, Reedsy has been a lifeline. I stumbled onto it by accident—a friend who isn’t even a writer mentioned it to me. That makes me think there may be many other writers out there who simply don’t know it exists.
Reedsy isn’t just a place to connect with professional editors, designers, and illustrators. They also offer a wide array of free resources for writers, self-publishers, and independent authors. A few highlights I’ve found especially helpful:
Reedsy Studio Book Editor – a free online tool where you can write, organize, format, and export your manuscript for print or ebook platforms. It even lets you collaborate with others in real time.
Free Learning Courses – over fifty 10-day email courses on everything from plotting a novel to marketing, distribution, editing, and design. These bite-sized lessons are practical and easy to fit into daily life.
Articles, Guides, and Webinars – their blog is constantly updated with industry trends and advice, and there’s also a library of webinars with expert talks on publishing and craft.
Weekly Writing Prompts & Contests – if you’re looking for accountability or a spark of inspiration, they provide prompts and even cash-prize contests with the chance of publication.
Community Support – forums, newsletters, and ways to connect with other writers who are also figuring out the indie path.
All of this is free once you create an account. It’s one of those rare places online where the depth and quality of resources genuinely surprised me.
“Independent publishing has democratized the industry. It’s simply another way to get your story into the hands of readers.”
I also believe the old stigma around independent publishing has faded. Many indie authors have found great success, some even moving into traditional publishing. More importantly, independent publishing has democratized the industry. It’s simply another way to get your story into the hands of readers. And isn’t that what all of us are really after?
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My main characters: Jamie and Ken. |
This book is written for readers ages ten to fourteen, but I hope it speaks to anyone. With only three more years left to work with students in that age group, I want them to have this story in their hands. It’s not just a story I believe in, it’s an invitation to see our nation’s history and reflect on it in light of today.
That’s why I chose this path. And while I am still learning, I can already say: it has been worth it.
And this is only the beginning. As I move through the next stages—final edits, layout, printing, and beyond—I’ll continue to share what I learn. I hope that by documenting the process, I can encourage and equip other writers who may be considering the same path.
If you would like to take a look behind the scenes of my book, I've built a comprehensive website that will delight anyone who is interested in history, storytelling, photography, and aviation. I still love exploring it! HERE is the link.
If you’ve walked the independent publishing path yourself, what’s one lesson you wish you had known at the beginning?
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
"Back to Cool (School)" Picture Books & Ideas to Create a Positive Classroom Climate - by Kathy Halsey
Back to school? How about back to cool? Let’s make the re-entry to school fun and memorable with new books and interactive activities. These ideas promote thoughtful ways to create a positive, inclusive, and engaging environment for all. I hope you find some intersectionality between your books and their usefulness in back to school units, or you get ideas for new projects that fit the back to school theme!
Books for Everybody to Pair & Share
As a former teacher and librarian, I remember scrolling over student lists, making diacritical marks in order to pronounce everyone's name correctly and noting who had nicknames or wanted to be called something different. Students of all ages know the feeling of people stumbling over their names.
Book: The Power of Your Name
Author, Jyoti Gopal knows this feeling herself, and has a wonderful lyrical picture book hot off the presses August 26, that helps start a great conversation about names and how aspirational they can be. (Illustrator Olivia Sua's cut paper illustrations create vibrant worlds.)
Classroom Activities/Ideas
Share Jyoti’s words from her interview with John Schu Have you ever wondered where your name came from? Maybe you asked your grown-ups or maybe you took your name for granted and didn’t even think about it. In The Power of Your Name, we learn that names have stories, that each name is a feast of sounds, a gift, filled with promise, that it holds your family's heritage, hopes and dreams. Through the ABCs, this book celebrates the beauty of names and the fact that every name—including yours—is special. Whether your name is long, short, easy to pronounce, or often misheard like mine frequently is, this book will make you think about the story your name tells.
Students can create a poster with markers or in Canva sharing what their name means along with the correct pronunciation. Students can then swap their posters with someone else .
Together each pair introduces the other to the rest of the class. Finally, add the posters to the classroom bulletin board where all can see them and practice pronunciation.
Book: A Season for Fishin’: A Fish Fry Tradition
Author Pamela Courtney has cooked up a book that centers family, learning a new skill, and contributing to the family tradition - cane fishing - as she catches her first bream. The prize? Her feeling of pride being part of her community and her own red fish fry apron. I’ve shared her debut book on the GROG before, but in this context the back matter with pronunciations from varied parishes in Louisiana fits the topic of identity and the importance of pronunciation. As Pam’s tante Lula says, “Folks been crisscrossin’, speakin’, and livin’ like the otherin’ for forever”. The spice of the vernacular of Louisiana is fascinating and fun to say aloud. (Illustrator Toni D. Chambers serves up delicious views of Ol Cane River country.)
Classroom Activities/Ideas
After reading this engaging, lyrical book about the culture of Natchitoches, Louisiana, give students the option to choose one of the following options:
Share a family tradition orally, in writing or as a “how-to” demonstration (if it’s a recipe or game).
Create a short slide show that shares unique family background and traditions, or share a travelogue of family members who live in or outside the US including pronunciation for terms specific to the region.
PreK -Second Grade
Books pairs are fun to share and these two winners have great activities built into them. For K-2 students, matching and grouping are core skills for classification, a key scientific process. These action-packed picture books highlight skills in observation and comparing and contrasting characteristics, core skills for both math and science. Both books include themes of classroom climate, SEL, and diversity.
Book: We Match
Author: Chris Barton knows intuitively that kids notice when things match. Think about school spirit days when kids delight in matching outfits. Take that idea to the dog park where Button, a gray terrier, announces the commentary as dogs play ball and chase squirrels. Button observes that some like wet food, others prefer kibble; some wear sweaters; others destroy them. Button discovers more subtle ways the dogs match that also encourages readers to find for connections with their classmates. (Illustrator Sharon Glick creates the most "fetching" dogs.)
Book: Batter Up for the First Day of School
Author Bethany Hegudus, a bonafide baseball fan, creates a tried-and-true back to school picture book that hooks readers with baseball lingo, punny fun, and shares the schedule of a typical school day for young students The Twins, Hank and Erin, begin the day with some nerves, but excitement builds, and at the end of the day, the twins announce that, “Today was a home run!”(Illustrator Nomar Perez creates ballpark joy with his images.)
Classroom Activities/Ideas
Lucky for us, Bethany and Chris have hit a home run with their ready-made activities students will enjoy.
Look at these adorable “We Match” playing cards from illustrator Nomar Perez! Students can create their own cards and compare their connections with other students.
Here’s an example of Chris and Sharon’s match session.
Bethany has a baseball card activity as a way the new classroom team can announce and share this year’s roster. Celebrate your MVPs here.
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Check out Bethany's MVP and his vital stats as an example to model! Readers, what books, book matches and activities do you recommend for a great back-to-cool? Let us know in the comments! |