By: Natakki Jones
My passion for children’s books was first fostered by reading to others. Whether it be through volunteering or reading to younger cousins growing up (and still to this day) I have always felt excited giving them new books, and seeing their excitement as I also read to them whenever I got the opportunity to. However, the inspiration to embark on my writer’s journey began during my time as an undergrad and graduate student. Here, I realized the positive impact and sincere joy children have whenever I read to them and how much this act fostered children's reading abilities. From these experiences came the inspiration to write three different manuscripts that I wanted to share with the world.
During my initial research, I discovered the world of self-publishing but was determined to become a traditionally published author. Unfortunately, my dream to be published fell short when none of my submitted offers were accepted by any of the publishing companies that I had submitted to. This honestly left me feeling discouraged to the point where I left my manuscripts untouched for about a year.
But a year later, in a new grade, new school, and with new journeys on the horizon, the motivation to share my stories resurfaced. And with newfound motivation came a bigger goal to self-publish my manuscripts. I determined that the stories I wanted to share were meaningful, and it didn’t matter how they were published, but only that kids could experience them. With the help of a self-publishing coach, I continued my journey forward by publishing Nia’s Wash Day: A Family Tradition, which is a story that is dear to my heart!
And wow, was it a journey! This process took about six months to go through, including editing, illustration, marketing, and a million-minute decisions, but it is finally finished, and I couldn’t be happier! Though the self-publishing route was not always the easiest, I am so proud of myself for not giving up on this dream, and I hope that my stories can touch many children's lives for years to come.
Please check out Nia’s Wash Day: A Family Tradition on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local bookstore. Thank you for supporting
me as an independent author, and I can’t wait to
share the next story!
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