All work and no play? Try a Kindle ebook!

I took some time off from screenwriting this past week to dig out an old project of mine. When my son was young, long before the Kindle existed, I wrote and illustrated a picture board book for his birthday. I even constructed a board book prototype so that we could read it any time he wanted to (I would have included photos of the prototype, but it’s buried somewhere in the house and I can’t find it.) I called it “Noah’s Noodles“. I was pretty proud of the accomplishment, and even sent it out to several publishing houses, all of which rejected the book. That didn’t come as a big surprise since I tempered my expectations with the knowledge that getting a book published by a publishing house is very difficult, even more so for a children’s picture board book. So ”Noah’s Noodles” remained in our home to be enjoyed time and time again.

Flash ahead a few years. Amazon’s Kindle was released and and ebooks were born. Suddenly there was a new and exciting way for authors to get their books published. And now the Kindle has progressed so far that some versions of the device (Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD) support color.

In hindsight, I don’t know why I waited so long to do this. I think part of me was either afraid of failing or imagined the process to be too complicated and time consuming to attempt. As I dug out my old Photoshop illustrations, I realized the most important thing of all: what I had was just as good as the thousands of picture books I’ve read to my son over the years.

I was finally ready to try out the process. I read the manuals, consulted the Kindle Direct Publishing forums for tips, and dived in. For the most part, it was a pretty painless task. I had all the original illustrations. Working them into a Kindle format was not difficult. Amazon provides sample books that you can modify for your own needs. Once I had the book completed and compiled, I uploaded it and within a day it was live and downloadable. ”Noah’s Noodles” was available for anyone to read.

When I shared the news with my family, my son immediately ran out of the room. I thought I had I upset him. Thankfully, I wasn’t left curious for very long. My son returned, presented me with one dollar of his own money and said, “I want to be the first to buy it!” His faith in me made my heart melt. I’m not going to spend that dollar. I may even have it framed.

“Noah’s Noodles“ will surely appeal to any new parents with children in their formative years. I have yet to see a kid turn their nose up at noodles. If you buy the book for your children, first of all, thank you! I appreciate your support. If you enjoy it, please spread the word. Be sure to rate the book and/or leave a comment.