MY ADVENTURES IN SELF-PUBLISHING, #3

Use your social media channels to market your book.

Getting your book out to the world


In this last episode of my adventures in self-publishing I share all I have learned about ISBNs, IngramSpark, and marketing your book.

ISBNs
If you would like to sell your book, you will need an ISBN. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number, and it is a unique number that is assigned to each published book in the world. The ISBN can be identified by the bar code on the back of any book. If you plan to sell different versions of a book, such as a hardcover and a paperback, you will need an ISBN for each. You do not need to have an ISBN if you are not planning to sell your book.

There are two ways of getting an ISBN: Free from some printing companies or purchasing them directly from Bowker, the company that sells all the ISBNs. Visit Bowker.com for more information.

If you are looking for a quick and easy way of getting your book produced, using a printing company such as Blurb or Lulu might be your best option. Do keep in mind that while they provide a free ISBN, you might not be able to keep using the same number again if you need to make a change to your book. When I released Sun Night in 2018, I didn’t know this important fact. This means that every time you change or update something on your book, you will get a new ISBN and stores will have a hard time defining which ISBN is the most recent for your book, creating more work on your end. The ISBNs cannot be deleted once assigned.

Purchasing ISBNs from Bowker allows you to own the number and you can make as many edits as necessary to your book while keeping the same ISBN. More on this later.

In my situation, because I knew that I needed more than one ISBN, I decided to purchase 10 ISBNs at once. When I re-released Sun Night in December 2023, I assigned one ISBN for the hardcover version and another ISBN for the paperback edition. I also assigned one ISBN for the eBook, but this is not required if you only expect to sell your book on Amazon. I recommend assigning one to an eBook for easy referencing and to have the most available options for selling across all shops worldwide.

INGRAMSPARK
Once you have assigned the ISBN to your book, you can either go to a printer of your choice to get your book produced or use IngramSpark. I have used IngramSpark for my book production because Ingram is the company that distributes all books around the world and once you upload your data to Ingram using the IngramSpark website, your book will be pushed to all bookstores around the world within hours or days. 

Once you have your book files ready for production, create a free account with IngramSpark if you do not have one yet. You will need to know some important details about the book to set it up on their website. Those details include the ISBN, dimensions of your book, page count, cover type (hardcover, hardcover with dust jacket, paperback), interior paper type and color, book price, etc. You will need a PDF of the exterior cover and interior pages of your book to set it up.

To create the cover that includes the ISBN bar code on the back of the book, you can use a handy resource available for free on the IngramSpark site under Resources. To use this feature, simply include all the details of the book (book dimensions, page count, type of paper, ISBN, a price if you choose to show it as part of the ISBN bar code, etc.). You will then receive an email from IngramSpark within minutes with the file type you choose so that you can design your cover(s). When I define cover(s), some books such as a hardcover with dust jacket will require two art files, one for the interior hard cover itself and another one for the dust jacket. Some books could use the same artwork but do keep in mind that the specifications of each one will be different so you cannot use the same art file for both. Using the free tool to create your cover files will ensure they are designed to the appropriate dimensions.

Once you have set up all your book details, IngramSpark will go through an extensive review process of your files and the details you entered. The great thing about this process is that it is free (it used to cost $25 per book upload). The review process can take up to 5 days. Be patient. If 5 days have passed, I would suggest contacting Ingram to find out the status. I have encountered this issue before, and they were able to correct it right away. This process shouldn’t take more than 2 to 3 days but expect delays during busy seasons such as the months before Christmas.

Once the files are reviewed and approved, you will receive an email with a link to a PDF where you can review what your book will look like. Follow the steps carefully and ensure that the PDF looks the way you expected. If you encounter any issues, make the changes on your files and re-upload them again repeating the same process. When you are completely satisfied with the way your files look, then select the appropriate approval box. This will automatically make your book available for printing with IngramSpark.

Note that you can make as many edits as possible to your book files within 60 days of first uploading the file to Ingram. After 60 days, you will be charged $25 per update made, including changes to your book cover, interior pages, paper type, etc.

I recommend printing one copy of your book to make sure you are satisfied with the product you’ll be selling. Remember you only have 60 days after your book is uploaded to make any changes/updates to it for free. The printing process can take from 1 to 3 weeks depending on the number of books ordered.


MARKETING YOUR BOOK
When I wrote Sun Night, I did it to honor my brother’s life and the moments we lived together. I wanted to share my book with others and to do that, I needed to market it. You might feel uncomfortable putting yourself out there, but it is necessary if you want others to know you have taken the time to write something worth reading. Be proud of your work by creating a well-rounded marketing campaign. There are a variety of ways to accomplish that. The traditional direction is working with publishers that could take your book and market it with their spending power, experience, and resources. This is a huge effort that might take a lot of time without any guarantees.

There are several ways you can accomplish this on your own:

  • Use the power of social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) to announce the book release and other news about the book. You can achieve this by creating a separate author social channel and building it by inviting your friends, family, and fans. Don’t forget to use related tags to expand the visibility of your post.

  • Enter book competitions. This helps spread the word and add face time to your book to others.

  • Create a website about your book with an author page, book details, a link to purchase your book, praise your book has received, fan photos, a blog, competition announcements, etc.

  • Create an Amazon account where you can personalize your book page with more details about it including graphics of praise, book photos, etc.

  • Print postcards or bookmarks with cover art and details including a link to your website or QR code. These are must-haves if you are doing a book signing or marketing in person at events.

  • Write a blog that could be part of your website. When visitors stop by your website, invite them to sign up for your blog. Every time you have a new entry, they receive an email about it.

  • Attend local and national book fairs where you can sell your book.

  • Reach out to local bookstores to do a book signing. Many bookstores can even help market the author signing while you also market on your social channels. Be prepared to bring signage and a healthy number of copies. The bookstore staff can give you an idea of how much inventory authors sell during the signing events.

  • Get a book review from a reputable source. Book reviews will help your book get noticed even more. A couple of those services include Kirkus Reviews or Booklist. There is a fee for these services.  You can also get a free review from Readers Favorite. Amazon book reviews are also helpful but hard to get. People who read a lot may be more comfortable writing a review than others, be patient with these. Unless you are a well-known author or celebrity, expect the reviews to come in slowly.

  • Run a Book Giveaway. These are a good way of marketing your book and Goodreads.com has an affordable way of doing this. You can give away hard copies or eBook versions. It is also a good idea to have an author account page created with Goodreads so that your audience sees you are a serious author.

  • Write articles about your book on LinkedIn. I’ve come to embrace this mode of marketing because it is free. I can include links to my website.

  • Create limited edition artwork inspired by your book as an additional way to market the book. You could give away the artwork or sell it on your book website.

 

MARKETING STRATEGIES

  • Create a social media release date countdown to build excitement about your book.

  • Advertise your book on magazines or websites related to the type of content you write. Some trade magazines such as Booklist or Publishers Weekly could help.

  • Every time your book earns an accolade, make news about it. Write it on your blog, include it in your social media channels, and talk about it to friends and family.

  • Make news every time you do a giveaway, a signing event, attend a book fair, or win a competition. The more people see your content the more top of mind it will be. Remember that people are being bombarded with all types of media on their phones, computers, emails, and social channels, so you need to find a way to stand out from all that noise.

  • With their permission, use photos of people reading your book, holding your book, opening the package of your book, at signing events, book fair traffic to your table, book shots, etc.

  • IngramSpark now offers a free shareable link for readers to buy your book directly from them. For example, you can use this feature for a pre-sale or to sell your book at a lower price for a special event you’ll be attending. All you need to do is get the shareable link from the IngramSpark eCommerce menu, create a QR code, and use that on your marketing for that particular marketing strategy.

This wraps up the three-part series of my adventures in self-publishing. I have learned quite a lot during the last five years, but I don’t know it all. If you have any tips or ideas about self-publishing, write me a note or leave a message on this article. I look forward to your thoughts. Thanks for accompanying me on this journey.

MY ADVENTURES IN SELF-PUBLISHING, #2

Dust jacket and book case design for the new release of Sun Night.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

You’ve written your first book, now what? In this article, we’ll focus on book and cover design.

BOOK DESIGN BASICS

A prose book’s traditional size is 5.5” x 8.5” but it can be 6” x 9” or smaller. The size is entirely your choice, however, keep in mind what your printer offers first before deciding to avoid having to reformat your work afterward. 

A children’s picture book can come in many sizes, 10” x 8” (landscape), 8” x 10” (portrait), 8” x 8”, and many other trims. Consider the width and height of the illustrations created for the picture book and how they will look on each layout before committing to the book dimensions, plus be mindful of printer offerings. Maybe you can even go into an oversized book trim provided printers can produce them.

BOOK LAYOUT BASICS

Laying out the interior of the book: Before you even begin to lay out your book, it is very important to know the trim size and format you desire. Once you lay the book completely, you will need to know the page count of the interior of your book to create the cover art files for production.

TIP: Start with the interior of the book layout first before designing the cover.

Laying out the book can be done by a graphic designer. You could also lay out your book pages using Microsoft Word and create a PDF from it, which your printer will need. Be sure to have a finished approved manuscript checked for grammar and spelling errors. In the case of picture books, it is expected to have a mockup of your book for the designer to use as a guide. Laying out a picture book requires more collaboration between you and the designer to achieve your expected outcome.

The interior of the book should be laid out with full justification for a prose book (see example below). Traditionally, the book title and author name appear at the top of every page as a header. I have seen variations of this from one book to another. In Sun Night, the book title appears on the left side, and the author’s name in the right side of the spread. The page numbers appear on the bottom of each page, traditionally in the center of the page, however, they can also appear on the bottom outer corner of each page.

Layout of interior pages for Sun Night.

The typeface and color you choose for the interior pages are also important. Since there are many typefaces available, consider one that is going to be easy on the eyes. If you have a preference, share that with the person laying out your book. Classic serif typefaces are traditionally the typeface of choice for prose. I used Adobe Caslon Pro for Sun Night because it is easy on the eyes. Do remember that leading (spacing between lines) is also extremely important.

It is advisable to use a different typeface from the one used for the book content, perhaps a sans serif, for the header text of the title, author’s name, and page numbers.

Regarding papers, printers can offer a limited number of papers for your book. I have used a cream color paper that is also easy on the eyes rather than the stark white ground of some papers.


All about COVERS

Now, let’s focus on covers: The cover artwork, types of covers, and how to layout a cover.

Cover Art: You may have heard that covers sell books, and I believe it to be true. People shop with their eyes first; they connect to visual shapes and colors before words more reason to pay great attention to the cover design. Designing covers is an art and it should be left to the professional with an eye for detail and experience in book design. There are a variety of styles that could be used to design a cover. The cover should represent the essence of what your book is about. It can also be a photograph, an object, a work of art, something personal or relatable. It should have a visual connection to the written or illustration work on the interior pages. Make sure that you own full copyrights to any photograph, design, or illustration you use on your cover.

The typography used on the cover needs to be thoughtfully decided as well. It needs to be easy to read and stand out among other books. High contrast colors should be used. While not necessary, using a typeface that is related to the story in your book would help readers connect to the theme of your book more easily.

TIP: explore bookstores for book titles with similar themes to see what they look like. It is a great way to get inspired and get ideas. You may already have an idea in mind as well, discuss it with your designer.

When I released Sun Night in 2018, I thought of using key artwork from the story, a sun collage I had done in school as a child. I reproduced the collage in a portrait size large enough that I could resize it to fit well into many different trims. Then, chose a typeface that felt more freeform to give the cover a feeling of childish play. The typeface was also used for the author’s name.

In the 2023 Sun Night cover, I went further by visually describing an iconic moment of the close relationship I had with my brother, the moments we enjoyed at the beach in Santa Clara. I wanted to play tribute to the 2018 cover and used the collage as an extension of the sun rays above the children in the design, then used a new bolder, and more readable typeface for the book title. The title has been embellished with many light effects since it sits over the sunlight emanating from the center of the composition.

You may be wondering about the author’s name, size, and location on a book cover. It all has to do with the author’s popularity or title uniqueness. It is a much bigger selling point to move the author’s name to the top billing and size larger if the author is well-known and popular. There needs to be a visual hierarchy between the title and the author’s name. If the author is not well-known, the title is much larger than the author’s name and the latter is laid out at the bottom of the page.

When designing the cover, this also includes the back cover and flaps for dust jackets. What to put in them is up to you and there is really not a rule that I have found, but traditionally, the back cover would include a synopsis, book reviews (if available) plus the ISBN and bar code. The inside front flap can also be used for synopsis if your back cover is filled with other content. The back flap is normally reserved for the author’s biography. While the flaps are important, the back cover will help sell your book and therefore an important real estate.

Below is an example of the dust jacket cover I designed for my book. It shows the marks and locations where everything should fit. Note that this is from a template provided for free by Ingram through their website ingramspark.com. Details below.

Dust jacket layout design using Ingramspark book cover.

Type of Book Covers: The most popular book formats are: hardback with dust jacket, paperback, and paper-over-board. Traditionally first edition books are released as a hardback (or hardcover) with a dust jacket. After the book has been on sale for some time (usually a year), the book is then released as a paperback (or softcover). Books with smaller page counts can be produced in a saddle-stitched (where the sheets are stapled together in the center of the book) or perfect-bound formats (where the sheets may either be stapled or glued together but the staples are covered by a cover sheet and the edges are straightened for a higher quality finish). This again depends entirely on your book and budget. One important thing to note here is that books also have page count restrictions, in particular those with smaller page counts. Inquire with your printer before deciding which cover size to use.

For the 2023 release of Sun Night, I created two book versions (actually 3 if we count the eBook). The hardcover version with dust jacket with a specially designed hardback. See the top image of this article for the finished piece.

For the paperback, the cover is similar to the dust jacket however since we do not have flaps on the paperback, the back of the book cover contains a synopsis, award recognition, and some family photos to help make more emotional connections to the story and front cover. Do remember that if you decide to create a paperback version of your book, you should also include an author’s biography section on the last page of the book. You could also pay a little more and have the author’s biography printed on the interior of the back cover.

Laying out the book Cover: Once the interior pages are created and you have decided what your cover will look like, you can begin laying out the cover. This requires skills in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Consider hiring a designer to help you with this process, especially one with experience with book cover design and page layout.

TIP: Ingram has made it easy to lay out the book cover with book templates. Visit Ingramspark.com under the Resources section for details. Once you know your book’s dimensions and the type of cover for your book, enter those details on the cover template generator. If you haven’t already, create an account with Ingramspark to accomplish this task. Their system will email you the template in the version you need. I highly recommend using InDesign to lay out your book cover and interior pages. The template would be sent to you as an InDesign file or PDF.

To ensure full ownership of my work, I decided to manage the whole creative and production process using Ingramspark.com. If you do not know a designer who could help you with your project, I’d recommend finding one at Fiverr.com where you can safely review portfolios of hundreds of artists that specialize in book and cover design. They have specific pricing based on their experience. I’ve used Fiverr to connect with artists before and it has been quite an easy and safe experience.

In the next article, we’ll go over getting your ISBN and setting your book in Ingram.

Sun Night Receives Five-Star Review

Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews has given Sun Night a Five-Star review.

“Sun Night by E.H. de la Espriella is a memoir that follows Sebastian and Santiago, young brothers in Panama, growing up with their parents Michelle and Esteban. Sebastian's introversion contrasts with Santiago's outgoing nature, yet they share a strong bond. In fact, they share almost everything. Their lives swing between highs and lows, from arguments between their parents and household mishaps, to the string of stories that Sebastian tells that both boys adore, and the memories that connect them. Their father Esteban has an escalating drinking problem and a penchant for infidelity, but stability comes from their steadfast mother and their grandmother, Blanche. Sebastian and Santiago have their own rhythm, enjoying parties, friends, stories, bumps and bruises, and moments of pure love. However, as the year unfolds, tragedy strikes that forces the family together in hope and faith, praying for a miracle bigger than anything in Sebastian's stories.

I'm still kind of processing Sun Night by E.H. de la Espriella, which wouldn't feel as personal if it wasn't a memoir. This is a lived experience, and that makes it so much more beautiful, and heartbreaking. My favorite parts are when the family is happy together. There is a scene where they are at a supermarket, shopping for a lengthy vacation, and there's a massive storm that traps them inside, and another when they are on vacation and their father grills a huge meal of their catch, and everyone is just so happy. Unfortunately, it's short-lived because the underlying problems are always there right below the surface. The writing bends toward the literary and de la Espriella is skilled at developing atmosphere. Santiago and Sebastian experience a solar eclipse, describing the "blaze of fire," the "thrusting waves of light and fire," and the subsequent transition from darkness to light. Overall, this is an emotionally resonant and deeply touching memoir. Very highly recommended.”

Review by Asher Syed for Readers’ Favorite - March 25, 2024

MY ADVENTURES IN SELF-PUBLISHING

In 2018 I embarked on a new journey with my creative career by writing my first book titled Sun Night. Five years later, and several awards to its name, I decided to update the book with new passages to improve the closing chapters and update the cover with an iconic moment in my relationship with my brother.

If you have ever thought of writing a book or have even tried it, you know that storytelling is not an easy task. This journey started a little over 40 years ago when my brother was killed in a tragic accident. My brother could have survived the accident if it wasn’t that the woman who ran him over tried to escape the scene and dragged him under her car. This incident destroyed my family, it further broke the already inadequate relationship I had with my father due to his alcoholism and unacceptance of my brother’s death. My brother was taken away from us too soon, he had just turned 11 years old.

As I got older and found my passion in the creative arts, I kept the memory of my brother close to me and tried to find a way to let his memory prevail forever. I decided to start writing passages about us growing up together the last year of his life. It wasn’t easy. I had put away so many of those painful memories for so many years. But remarkably, as I began to uncover them, I also comprehended so many other things about our special relationship and this helped me embark on that journey of celebrating my brother’s short life.

In the new version of Sun Night, the hardcover has been updated to better fit the story. The dust jacket depicts the two brothers at the beach. The composition shows them running toward the sun as it shines in an almost dreamlike scenery over them, representing the essence of the book. The sun rays above the children, which was coincidentally the artwork used in the original release of Sun Night, reflect out toward the edges of the book cover, an iconic element of the story. The back of the dust jacket includes pictures of our youth, a selection of reviews, and award recognition.

To further embellish the book, I also created a bookcase that protects the interior of the book. The background is deep black with an image of the title with sun rays fanning out in gold foil. The back of the bookcase has a description of the book and an “about the author” section.

Self-publishing Sun Night was much more of an adventure for me. Having never published a book, I searched the internet for resources and quick tips. After reviewing all my options, I decided to produce the book myself, a job that was not only fulfilling but also very educational. One thing is for sure, it is a true example of perseverance to go through releasing a book and exposing myself as an author sharing such personal emotions and events of my past.

In my next blog entry, I’ll share my self-publishing adventure with tips and things I learned the hard way.

UNBOXING SUN NIGHT

The gift of hard work finally arrived in a heavy brown box. As I opened it, I got to see the books for the first time. The shiny dust jackets reflected the light of the room in the same way that the light around the title was meant to encourage. I pulled one of the books from the box to investigate the finish and to confirm that everything looked as good as I had designed it. It gave me chills to experience the quality of the book finish and flipping through the pages that took so much of me.

When I started this journey of writing Sun Night, I wasn’t aware how difficult it was to write a book, and even more difficult to get it published. As a first-time author back in 2018, I was concerned that no one would want to read or publish my book, so instead of dealing with the timing element and possible rejection, I learned all about the self-publishing tools available to authors. The publishing process became quite enjoyable for me, and I am now pleased to finally release the second edition of Sun Night with a brand-new cover and extended ending.

Unboxing the product of this difficult story to write was overwhelming. After I finished writing the additional pages for the ending, I did a major clean-up of the original narrative. I took the time to lay out the book appropriately with full justification and a new serif typeface. The new cover reflects a special moment in my life with my brother. There was nothing better than playing at the Santa Clara beach during our vacations. For this edition, the back cover now includes a set of photos of my family’s past, awards, and praise for Sun Night.

THE NEW SUN NIGHT COVER REVEAL

I am happy to announce the re-release of Sun Night and reveal the new cover. A little over 5 years ago I released my first book Sun Night, a huge effort that I had dreamed of taking on for many years to celebrate and honor the life of my brother Luchi who was killed in a freak car accident when he was only 11 years old. I was overwhelmed by the recognition the book received, but nothing surprised me more than the words of encouragement from so many who read the book.

During these 5 years, I’ve had time to think about what I wrote and find ways to tell a more complete story. Even though Sun Night centers around the relationship between my brother and me during the last year of his life, I also felt it was important to highlight how my father’s alcoholism and philandering affected everyone at our home. In Reflections, the last chapter of the book, I share deeper impressions about the degradation of my relationship with my father, and how it has affected me as an adult.

With the re-release of the book, I found an opportunity to update the cover and jacket design. Several concepts were considered. The book title was updated with a more flowing typeface. The new cover represents one of the happiest moments that my brother and I ever experienced together. Going to the beach was a highlight for us and something I still remember vividly. I was able to recreate that moment with a still of two children playing on a beach and running toward the sun. To make a stronger personal connection, I share personal photographs of our family on the jacket's back cover. Finally, I have worked hard to reset the overall book layout, font size, and line spacing in this edition to make for a better reading experience.

The Sun Night re-release edition goes on sale on December 15 wherever books are sold online. Pre-order now! The paperback version will be available later in the summer of 2024.

FALL 2023 UPDATE

I just realized that I have not made an update in over a year. After the world began to open again after the pandemic, my family and I began to travel and work on other projects that had been put on hold. Here are a few that I am happy to share with you.

In the last year, I designed and produced a cookbook titled Recipes for Entertaining Panamanian Style for my mother, Sonia Ortiz, who authored the book. Along with a personal introduction I wrote, the book contains beautiful photography by James Peshek and a thorough section of ingredients typical of the Panamanian kitchen, in addition to the menu staples and many international dishes favored by my family. The book was released last fall and has received a very positive reception. This past August, the book even won the President’s Book Award gold medal for best cookbook by the Florida Association of Publishers and Authors. The book is also available in Spanish and is on sale everywhere books are sold online.

When I released Sun Night, I never thought that it would be so well received, including being recognized with various awards. Since its launch back in January 2018, I have been wanting to update the book. This summer, I began the process of writing supplementary prose to provide a more thorough picture of how my family dealt with grief. From the feedback of many readers, Sun Night will be re-released in November and will include an extended ending as well as a more in-depth closing chapter that digs deeper into my soul.

I am excited about the update to this book for many reasons. Not only is the interior getting a major overhaul of its layout and size, but the book will also come with a brand-new cover introducing the best moments that my brother and I ever experienced together at the beach in Santa Clara. The back cover will introduce readers to real photos of us growing up in Panama along with praise for the book. I will be making a cover reveal announcement soon followed by details of the book on sale date. If you haven’t read Sun Night yet, wait until this new version comes out, you will not be disappointed.

Be sure to check out my website for the latest news on the Sun Night re-release. Until next time! 

CREATING MY FIRST PICTURE BOOK

Orlando, Florida - July 13, 2022.

Last year, after looking back at the success of my first book Sun Night, I had an aha moment. What if I could illustrate the stories my brother and I used to tell each other at night, those in the book, and more. That is exactly what I set to do since then. This summer, I am finally releasing the first in a series of picture books called When The Sun Came Out At Night.

Getting the book produced was more difficult and extensive than I thought it would be. As a self-published author, I do not have the means that well-known authors and publishers have, so this meant doing a lot of research and learning, on top of all of the work myself. One of the first steps was formalizing the story to fit in a single book format. Once the story was edited and concrete, I began the arduous process of simplifying it to be easily read by children. This was harder than I thought. What do I keep, or take out? There were so many moments that I wanted to highlight but I stayed focused on the story and the main idea of a fantasy world where children can create anything in their minds. This informed my next steps.

Since the stories in Sun Night are so visual, it was difficult to select which scenes to illustrate, but once I had defined the sections to keep in the story, I was able to separate those ideas into individual book spreads. My vision for the book was to fill the page spreads with beautiful scenes depicting the actions described in the story. I created a storyboard document where every page had an area assigned for the copy and the rest for the illustration.

THE ILLUSTRATIONS
I began to research illustrators from around the world while I was laying out the book to save time. I had just come out of designing the Disney enterprise look for the 2021 Hispanic Heritage Month celebration and this inspired me to focus my attention on Latin American artists. I was quickly captivated by Sergio Guillén, an amazing artist from Costa Rica. His illustration work was stellar and very unique. He dominates color and has a very personal aesthetic for building characters and illustrations. One of the reasons I ended up hiring him was his ability to create captivating illustrations that appear as if coming out of the page, as well as his level of detail.

Character Development Drawings and with colors by Sergio Guillén.

The illustration process took many months. Starting with the creation of character models, scene concepts, storyboards, reviews, changes, and final set-ups for each spread and cover art. It was refreshing to collaborate with a talented and experienced illustrator because he really understood the process and the need to relate that this was a work of fantasy. Even though the story has a fantasy element, I wanted the characters to appear real and in a natural environment that would align with where they came from. For that purpose, we focused heavily on documenting specifics about each of the characters. For example, Koa and Elio both have tattoos on their chests, arms, and legs. These tattoos were carefully designed to represent both the infinite love for the family on Koa’s chest and the volcano story on Elio’s chest.

Scene Development drawing by Sergio Guillén shows a lush and dimensional space that creates cinematic depth and interest.

The book setup was important as well. My approach was that it would start at night, with dark pages and as the story progressed, the pages would get filled with more and more bright colors as a way to emphasize the story.

Once the book was ready to get produced, I worked on creating several options, a hardcover 8 x 10 version, a softcover 8 x 8 version, and a set of read-aloud cards. These are to be available only in limited numbers for the original pre-order release of the book. Once the book is released in late July 2022, it will be available in book stores and online in an open edition 8 x 10 hardcover version only.

I would like to thank you for supporting self-published Latino authors and artists. I would also like to thank Sergio and Jim for believing in my dream to help make it a reality.

FIRST LOOK - MEET KOA AND HIS FAMILY

I am thrilled to introduce four characters that will appear in the first story in a series of picture books I have been working on since last year. In the book titled When the Sun Came Out At Night, Koa lives on a small island with his wife Hana and their children Elio and Aolani.

Very soon, you will be able to pre-order signed copies of When the Sun Came Out At Night. These picture books are inspired directly by my award-winning book Sun Night. The sun is an important character in each story in the series set in different scenarios around the world. The children’s book audience is 5- to 8-year old.

THE STORY
When the Sun Came Out At Night takes us to a quiet night on an island far away from our realities, perhaps in a different time in the past or the future. The only inhabitants, Koa and his family are neighbors of a massive and mysterious volcano. Okay, I won’t spoil the story, you’ll have to wait and see what happens. 

THE ILLUSTRATIONS
I have felt so driven and inspired to support, highlight, and elevate the incredible talent of our Latino artists, and was lucky to come across Costa Rican artist Sergio Gillén. I discovered an immediate connection to Sergio’s work when thinking about the styling and visual direction for this children’s book project. Through his conceptual portfolio, you can quickly make sense of his level of artistic intuition when illustrating scenes and landscapes in a very unique style. For me, it is such a special gift and opportunity to collaborate with another Latino artist and to see how the story comes to life through this partnership. Follow Sergio on Instagram @sergioguillenillustration or his fine arts personal page @sergioguillenberrocal.

After the arduous work of character development, we moved on to illustrate the pages of the book, then worked on the layout and typesetting. The finished product is inspired by light and color, something that I hope also elevates storytelling to new heights.

SUN NIGHT IS A FINALIST IN THE 2020 LATINO BOOKS INTO MOVIES AWARDS

I am thrilled to share that Sun Night has received honorable mention merit in the drama category of the 2020 Latino Books into Movies Awards. The awards program is presented by Empowering Latino Futures (ELF) for the purpose of celebrating books and screenplays by and about Latinos that are potentially suitable for future television shows or films.

The ELF press release emphasizes that the winning books and scripts will be shared with key studios, networks, and production companies that have expressed an interest in increasing the diversity of the content they present. The finalists were asked to prepare a promotional sheet about the book and how it would translate into a film. While it will be up to the studios to decide which of the works they’d consider for production, it is electrifying to think that Sun Night could someday become a feature film.

The promotional sheet for Sun Night describes the story, audience, and character descriptions as detailed below:

STORY
Sun Night is a dramatic and visually stimulating tale of two brothers growing up in 1976 Panama and follows the events that would transform their young lives forever. The brothers, Sebastian and Santiago are very close and highly protective of each other and rely on their shared love and creative storytelling to manage through the adversity of their lives. Told from the perspective of the young brothers, the story takes the reader on a magical journey through the imaginative stories they share with each other at nighttime. Coming to life on the ceiling of their bedroom, these stories, influenced by the beauty and vibrancy of the Panamanian city life, countryside, and beaches, transform their raw world of reality into a realm of colorful visions and exciting adventures helping the children to escape from their deepest worries and fears.

AUDIENCE
While this story is set in Panama, the message is common to all cultures and demographics. The central target audience is adults 25 and older, as well as families with children that enjoy dramatic stories portraying facts of life events in an expressive and empathetic manner. Because of the magical realism elements of the tales told by the children and the relationship between reality and fantasy, Sun Night may also attract Indie drama cinephiles looking for similar films such as “The Fall” and “Pan’s Labyrinth”.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
Sebastian – The protagonist, 12-year old Sebastian, is quiet, inquisitive, and scared of everything. He is the artist and storyteller. He sees clouds and other weather phenomena in the ceiling of the bedroom which plays an important part in the story. At night, Sebastian tells his brother imaginative stories about the sun; fantasies that take them away from their realities. 

Santiago – 10-year old Santiago is Sebastian’s brother. He is a complete contrast to his brother; brave, friendly, playful, and full of energy. He loves sports and learning to play the guitar. Santiago protects his brother from the dark and from the tensions they experience at home. Santiago symbolizes hope and pure love. 

Michelle – Mother to the boys, a beautiful woman in her 30s, is an English teacher at the same school attended by her children. Michelle takes on the role of both parents while trying to keep her marriage alive for her children’s sake. Michelle symbolizes strength and conviction. 

Esteban – Father to the boys, is a stocky man with Italian features, also in his 30s. He is an alcoholic, philanderer, and the cause of tensions in the home. His absence from home, fights with Michelle, and distant behavior toward his family causes the children great stress. Esteban symbolizes selfishness, instability, and hatred. 

The Sun – Sebastian uses the sun as a protagonist in the stories he tells his brother. The sun represents the loving force found in the brother’s relationship. 

SUN NIGHT AUDIOBOOK RELEASED

To remain creative during the pandemic and all the crazy of 2020, I finally got around to recording the audiobook of my award-winning book, Sun Night. Creating the audiobook was incredibly overwhelming having never done anything like this before. YouTube and Google search became my best sources for finding how-to videos, articles for best microphones and recording software, the best home studio setups, and strict file requirements. It was a lot of information that took some time to digest, especially all the requirements needed for audio files.

I set up the master bedroom closet as the studio space since it had perfect soundproofing with all the hanging clothes around the room. I added a thick winter coverlet on the floor, a small folding table where I could attach the mic, plus the computer, a full glass of water, and the iPad with the book file to read from. After a few test recordings, I began the long journey of recording the unabridged version of Sun Night. It was actually much harder than I thought but I got more comfortable as I went through the chapters. I recorded after work hours or on the weekends, and the project took several weeks to complete. It became obvious very quickly that this was not a process that could be rushed.

Listen to a 5-minute sample of the audiobook for free.

After the chapter recordings were completed, the files needed to be cleaned up to pass a strict audit by ACX. Since I had never recorded an audiobook before, I was quite hesitant about the audit and prepared myself for a decline. To my surprise, less than 20 days later, the audiobook was approved for sale and uploaded to the different audiobook websites: Audible, iTunes, and Amazon.

I must say, this was a lengthy but rewarding process. It gave me the time to recollect the images of my past from the pages of the book. This process also helped me focus on other things after the bad year we had in 2020 and the beginning of 2021. By the way, the Spanish version of the audiobook is in the works, expect it in the coming months.

THE SUN NIGHT REVIEW VIDEOS

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In the last two years since Sun Night was released, the book has received numerous reviews that I felt were important to share with my audience. While the full reviews are available on the web site at sunnightbook.com, I also wanted to share the reviews in a short video format using imagery inspired by the book. I partnered with award-winning filmmaker Iain Carson to put these three book review videos together. I knew that Iain would take my storyboard ideas to a higher level of quality than I could ever imagine in film. After all, he is an expert in film storytelling.

Each video starts the way Sun Night begins. There is a background of gray clouds and the first words of the book appear on the screen: “When I was a child, I saw clouds in the bedroom ceiling. I saw them. I did.”

The next scene is of two boys running on a beach while award recognition laurels appear below them. That scene in particular is very special to me because it represents my brother and I playing at the beach in Santa Clara, Panama, where we would go on summer vacations, and part of the story in the book. Next, comes the individual review which appears next to the book cover art which is then followed by the call to action. While all the videos start the same way, each one shows a different book review in the second half.

My wish was for the videos to feel like a preview for an upcoming film accompanied with an uplifting score appropriately called “Sunset Hues” by Swan Productions. The magic is in the details and Iain enhanced the moving visuals with unique and special touches that included fade transitions, breeze, seagulls and ocean wave sound effects, and magic dust visual effects as seen on the second half of the video. As you can imagine, I was thrilled to see the videos put together at last, a dream I had since the book was released in 2018. I have deployed the videos on social media platforms as a way to bring awareness of the book availability in different languages and online stores globally. Enjoy.