Elly the Reindeer APP - book 2

As I type, and await sales figures for ELLY BOOK 1, I am finding that to get the thing reviewed on one of the myriad of app review sites is a challenge indeed. I do get replies, mostly saying that we may get round to reviewing your app, but if you part with some readies then we'll review it more quickly (but they stress that the handing over of money does NOT guarantee a necessarily favorable review). But after much perseverance and emailing, iphonemom emailed me saying she found Elly a delight and will review the app in early April. What's interesting here is that she has an angle, that the iphone is not just a boy's toy, or adult toy for that matter. In fact in my researches I found that the Americans have embraced the childrens based app far more readily than over here, with an ever growing list of educational apps, childrens books etc etc. The french too, especially AVE! Comics have thrown themselves into the graphic novel app big time, with well over 100 titles - I find it surprising that some of the big names in childrens publishing here in the UK are not up there yet - Dr Seuss has been launched too on itunes with a fanfare and advertising banners - so are UK childrens publishers rabbits caught in headlights , or, are they about to launch big time ? Perhaps someone in the know out there can tell me....Oh, the picture is Elly Book 2 (goes to school), which is nearly ready to go - Book 3 is under way and I'm looking at getting french versions out soon.

Elly the Reindeer APP

As I type, apple itunes has launched my first APP/digital childrens book - Elly the Reindeer. (ELLY BOOK 1) But how did this all come about ? Well, talk to just about anyone with a kids book idea about how easy it is to get publishers to view, let alone take a punt on a book these days (or for that matter ask a literary agent) and most of the time you'll hear tales of 'they never got back", 'they're not accepting any more submissions' - or in the case of two literary agents I wrote to, "the markets way too difficult right now". Fed up with emailing, posting and begging people to take a look, I took things into my own hands and found an APP developer in Mubai, Dipali Vaidya of phonetesting.mobi. Her enthusiasm and dedication helped propel this book onto the APP store in no time.

It's very exciting to be in total control, and of course it's a gamble, but not an very expensive one, and we're now on a mission to bring 4 or 5 Elly books to the store together with Big Red Barn, (featured earlier in this blog), the latter with animal sounds hopefully.

I started back in the 1970's drawing comics to entertain my little sister, even trying to construct an elaborate printer once, I had a masthead and I tried to produce one a week...it feels like it's all gone full circle now that I'm back in control again, a digital publisher, I shall certainly enjoy the process, I may even make some money - I'll keep you posted ! Now to get that marketing underway....