Childhood Dream Yields Trilogy of Illustrated Books
For many writers, the dream of becoming a published author is planted during childhood and grows over time. We grow up reading our favorite writers and honing our skills in hopes that one day we will place our own masterpiece next to the others on the shelf. Since the day she could first hold a pencil, Judi Eastwood remembers spending her days reading the classics, writing on an antique desk and playing in the fantasy world of her imagination. What began as a creative childhood habit has led Eastwood on the lifelong journey of becoming a published author.
Eastwood’s childhood love of reading and writing led her to a 30 year career as a school teacher in Virginia. But even as she retired from teaching to live on a farm with her husband, Eastwood was determined to continue to entertain and educate children of all ages. Inspired by fond memories of watching her own daughters play, she set out to fulfill her dream of writing a children’s book.
Searching for an Illustrator and Publisher
Once Eastwood had put the finishing touches on the manuscript for her first book, Dragon, she set out to find an illustrator for her project. After reviewing several portfolios of local artists and college students, she came across the work of freelance artist Carl Kocich, who had previously illustrated several children’s books. The two quickly developed a successful creative partnership. “Carl is incredible at interpreting text,” she said. “He was able to understand just what I had in mind and communicate those ideas beautifully. We’re really on an adventure together.” With Kocich's inspiring illustrations, what began as a single picture book developed into an epic trilogy of illustrated chapter books.
When Eastwood originally set out to find a publisher for the Dragon trilogy she was excited at the prospect of being traditionally published. She sent out copies of her illustrated manuscript and kept meticulous records of her correspondence. “One publisher originally showed interest in the book, but after eighteen months of keeping the project tied up, they sent me out a standard rejection letter,” Eastwood said. With three years of work devoted to the project, Eastwood was determined to see her project published.
Personal Attention and Professional Design
When Eastwood learned about the self-publishing option, she thoroughly researched the industry and began corresponding with an author advocate at AuthorHouse. “My author services representative, Tom, was so personable with me, and treated me like a real person,” Eastwood said. “He had such an interest in my manuscript that he took it home over the weekend and read it to his kids. When they all agreed they enjoyed the story, I knew it was time to publish it myself.”
When Eastwood began discussing the layout of her books with her design team, she decided to leave the layout of the inside up to her book designer. “I wanted the dialogue fonts to change with every character, so I let my designer make those decisions on her own,” said Eastwood. When she saw what the designer had in mind, Eastwood was more than satisfied. “The first galley was really something else. It brought me to tears.” Eastwood had written the text and Kocich provided the illustrations, and when she saw the design she knew the fairy tale was complete.
Making the Investment Pay Dividends
Once the book was in print and ready for sale, Eastwood realized her work had just begun. On the advice of her author advocates, she set out on a local grassroots campaign to market her story and generate book sales. Eastwood setup a website for her books, communicated with local bookstores and spread the word to friends and family. Once she had put the dominoes in place, they began to fall one after another. Readers and retailers who had seen her website began sending e-mails and calling to order the book and setup events. After a successful event at a local store, Walden Books asked Eastwood to travel to Florida to hold events at several other locations. Eastwood, with her potent imagination, created a life-sized Dragon mascot to accompany her to signings and always followed up with each store up by sending photos of the event along with a thank-you note.
All of Eastwood’s effort and determination in making her dream a reality has certainly paid off. In 2006, she was recognized with the Bronze Award in the Juvenile Fiction category of ForeWord magazine’s Book of the Year competition. ForeWord has since displayed her book at international book fairs across the globe. Most Recently, Eastwood has been contacted by an international publisher interested in purchasing the foreign language rights for Dragon.
Eastwood remains down-to-earth even with the success of her book and remains eager to offer advice to other writers who aspire to publish their work. “I’ve been contacted by people from all across the world. I tell each of them that if you believe in your work, have a story to tell, and understand it will require hard work, you can fulfill the dream,” said Eastwood, who is also quick to defend the self-publishing model. “AuthorHouse has published the book and placed it on the market. I realized this project was an investment, and I had to hold up my end for it to pay off.” At the end of the day, it is Eastwood’s vivid imagination, her love of writing and the desire to entertain children that has fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming an author. It is this inspiring dream that is instilled into the young readers who turn the pages of Eastwood’s work, who themselves may dream of authoring a story of their own one day.
