Wow. It's Free.

I have good news. A Valentine Disaster is free today. Just click on the button the sidebar for easy ordering.

I joined Kindle Select and it gives me the opportunity to promote my book by giving away free downloads once in a while. Since I want to test the process, I'm giving away my book today.

If you don't own a kindle, don't worry. You can get a free kindle app to use on your phone or your computer. I just got mine and it was easy. Click here to download your kindle app today, and then click on the button to get your first e-book, all for free.

Free. It's my favorite price.

Linda Garner

That's the Way the Publishing Cookie Crumbles

I've had a lot of disappointments in publishing this year. Picture books are a hard sale at the moment. They are expensive and time consuming to produce. Editors are hesitant to take on picture book projects and agents are wary. I get the nicest rejection letters from agents.

Earlier this year, two different publishers changed their minds on picture books they had promised to publish. I was surprised and sad, but I moved on quickly. No sense in wallowing in it. I sent a new manuscript right away. Back to the waiting game.

The biggest loss when publishers change their mind is the loss of time. It takes a long time to get that manuscript through the acceptance process, and another long time to get the book illustrated. If the process gets short-circuited along the way, the time loss is huge.

It was this level of disappointment and frustration that led me to take a serious look at publishing an e-picture book. E-publishing for picture books is in its infancy. There are some commercially produced e-picture books available, but only a handful of indivually produced e-picture books. There is not a lot of accessable info about the process, and the tools that commercial publishers use to produce an e-picture book aren't available to Joe Author.

Still with a little bit of help (okay, a lot of help), I was able to get A Valentine Disaster up on kindle. It was a rush job, because we wanted it out before Valentine's Day. It went live on Kindle some time last Friday. We've had a few sales already.

It will make a great Valentine Surprise for someone you love. Ordering is one click away on the sidebar of this blog. If you don't have a kindle, you can get a free kindle app for your computer or phone. Click here to download.

We will also have the pdf version available on our website soon. We're still under construction. Check back in a couple of days. http://www.picturebooksrock.com/

I love picture books. I love the kind you can hold and touch. If you're like me, you can almost smell the flowers and taste the cookies. E-books have a different feel, but they have some advantages. They take up less room. They are less expensive. They are not limited by publisher's imagination.

I have more e-picture books on the way. Hang on for the ride.

Linda Garner

Picture Books Rock

Meet Amy. She is my new e-friend and she is part of my new e-picture book, A Valentine Disaster. You should be able to buy it by the end of the week. It will be available in the Kindle Store and a PDF version will be available on a new website called Picture Books Rock.



The talented Lilly Johnson created the illustrations for the book, and she and I are working on getting more picture books out. Look for us at picturebooksrock.com early next week.


E-books are changing the way we read,and they are changing the way we publish.


Amy has a list for everything, including getting ready for Valentine's Day. She planned for everything. Well, almost everything. She didn't plan on a Valentine disaster, and she didn't plan on starting over.

A fun book to share for Valentine's Day. Don't forget to get yours.

Linda Garner

The E-Revolution...I Need to Know

Everyone is talking about e-books. They are changing the way we think about publishing. They are changing the way we buy books. What’s next we wonder. Will book stores survive? Will publishers?

As a picture book writer, I didn’t think the e-book revolution would affect me much. I couldn’t imagine that e-books would ever replace picture books, but things are changing. Publishers are reluctant to take on picture books. Agents are hesitant to invest their time on picture books. Picture books are not selling like they used to.

Parents are stressed. Overextended. Most are not reading to their kids as much. They are encouraging their kids to read earlier and are more interested in easy readers than picture books. They want a short bedtime read, so they can get to bed. Many are ignoring the meatier, richly illustrated, meaningful picture books I love.

Richly layered picture books are being cast aside. I mourn their passing. Is there a place for picture books on e-readers? I didn’t think so, but I noticed that Barnes and Noble has six new e-board books for $3.99 each, and I have heard that more parents ae buying e-readers with kids in mind.

Is this true? Are parents reading to their kids from e-readers? E-readers are expensive. Are parents letting toddlers use their e-readers? Are they buying e-readers for kids?

I want to know what you think of the e-book revolution. Will it become a vehicle for picture books? Have you bought an e-reader for your child? Do you share your e-reader with children? Have you purchased any picture books for your e-reader?

I need to know.

Linda Garner