I have written a children's book for African American children. My dream is to be a writer, however, it's hard to stay focused and continue to write, when my source of income depends on a job in which it gets harder everyday to even feel passion with life's daily struggles.
I wrote the book for my neice when she was 7 years old. I knew once she entered the school system, she would be taught only negative things about her ancestors or learn ignorant beliefs from other children and her self-estem would be snatched right from under her. I tried to teach her the positive and unique things about herself, her hair and her skin at a younger age, but her mom dismissed it and told me that she doesn't need to know all of that.
Well at the age of 7 we took her to the book store and she didn't want to read anything with pictures of black kids. Her mouth was all tooted up everytime we picked out something and we didn't understand at first until all the books she picked had pictures of every kid, but black kids. Then my sister got mad at her and fussed at her about it. So my niece just "went along to get along." After that I wrote a story for my niece and she loved it. She's 12 now and still asks me to read it to her from time to time and she even laid in my lap to hear it.
Everyone who's read it loves it, however, being that I'm considered a "new author" Dorrance Publishing wanted to charge me $11,000 dollars to publish it. I've sent it out here and there, but I hear most people don't even read it the first time.
Any advice?
I wrote the book for my neice when she was 7 years old. I knew once she entered the school system, she would be taught only negative things about her ancestors or learn ignorant beliefs from other children and her self-estem would be snatched right from under her. I tried to teach her the positive and unique things about herself, her hair and her skin at a younger age, but her mom dismissed it and told me that she doesn't need to know all of that.
Well at the age of 7 we took her to the book store and she didn't want to read anything with pictures of black kids. Her mouth was all tooted up everytime we picked out something and we didn't understand at first until all the books she picked had pictures of every kid, but black kids. Then my sister got mad at her and fussed at her about it. So my niece just "went along to get along." After that I wrote a story for my niece and she loved it. She's 12 now and still asks me to read it to her from time to time and she even laid in my lap to hear it.
Everyone who's read it loves it, however, being that I'm considered a "new author" Dorrance Publishing wanted to charge me $11,000 dollars to publish it. I've sent it out here and there, but I hear most people don't even read it the first time.
Any advice?