Today, I have a great tour with me on the blog. The Adventures of Baby Jamie: Baby Jaimie Has A Crush by Jaimie Hope. I have a great guest post for you below.
I published for the first time in 2006. The first book that started my career was The Adventures of Baby Jaimie. Throughout the process of writing, hiring an illustrator and publishing my manuscript into book format I dreamed of the day I would be able to hold my book in my hands for the first time. The day I held my final proof was definitely one of the happiest days in my life, but I still couldn't wait to hold the finalized edition.
While I waited for it to arrive I was able to see my title go live on the internet. For those of you who don't know what that means, it is the moment an item is able to be ordered online. That was also a great moment, but it still didn't compare to holding my book.
At the time my first book was published I'd already begun hearing about e-books. Admittedly, I've never been one to accept change right away. In fact, I am usually the one who gets on board new technology just in time for the next new thing to come out. This is possibly the reason I didn't have my first e-book, Bless the Broken Road until 2010. Actually, the e-book date it listed the same as the print version, but it wasn't released until at least a year later. Around that time I had already announced two e-book exclusive releases for the fall of 2011. That's probably the longest I've ever held out before agreeing to switch to something that's popular. I should have seen what happened next coming, but I didn't.
In the summer of 2011 I agreed to take part in a Spina Bifida walk. Part of the event was to showcase my work. I also had an event I was attending in name only in Florida. Again, it was to showcase my work. I already had two books in the works, so I announced they would be available as e-book exclusives by the day of the event. I wound up working very hard to complete both books in time while trying to help promote and raise funds for the walk. It came down to the wire, but I got both books done by the day of the event.
I attended my event with copies of my autobiography, Roll With It and a few copies of my novels. I was also prepared to talk up my new e-book titles. At the end of the day I hadn't made a sale and when talking about my e-books I kept getting asked if they would ever be available in print edition. I never really planned to do that. My illustrations for my children's book The Adventures of Baby Jaimie: Baby Jaimie Gets Stage Fright were black and white. So were the illustrations for my first book, but at the time I published that book I'd already decided I preferred colored illustrations for my books. I was already in the process of coloring illustration for Baby Jaimie Gets Stage Fright due to the fact that Kindle Fire was also released around the same time as its release. So, I announced the books would be released in print in time for the holiday shopping season.
I had been working on coloring my illustrations since about August, but hadn't gotten too far along. Part of the reason for this is because I was doing it digitally for the first time and learning as I went. The other part of the reason is because I hate coloring and always have since I was a kid. It was already October by the time I made my promise, so that meant a lot of long hours. In the end I made my deadline as I usually do and was quite satisfied with the finish product. All that was left to do was to let the world know, which I did. Know what happened next? Absolutely nothing!
The increase in sales from the people who requested a print edition never happened. You'd think that would be enough to convinced me to stick to one format or another, but it hasn't. There will always be people who prefer print over e-book and vice versa. That's why now when I plan a release I plan to release in both formats. It will probably be this way throughout my career until another format is introduced.
Jaimie Hope was born November 3, 1976 in New York. It wasn't until high school, where she joined the newspaper staff, that she decided she wanted to be a writer. After graduation, writing was put aside for a while. The author went to college and received an Associates degree in 1999. Then she moved to Florida where she was an active volunteer in the local historical society and remained active in the arts. It wasn’t until 2005 that Jaimie wrote her first children's book, The Adventures of Baby Jaimie, published in 2006 and Who Says You Can"t Go Home? in 2008. The Adventures of Baby Jaimie: Baby Jaimie Goes to School in 2010. Her Autobiography, Roll With It followed by the third volume in her children's series, The Adventures of Baby Jaimie: Baby Jaimie Gets Stage Fright, and her first Paranormal Romance, When You Come Back To Me Again were released in 2011. Finally,The Adventures of Baby Jaimie: Baby Jaimie Has a Crush was released in 2012. What's next for this author? Currently, she has the fifth volume in the Baby Jaimie series under contract and a couple novels are also in the works.
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From the minute she met him everyone thought Baby Jaimie's first crush was Derek. Derek even thought so. That's why he asked her first grade teacher, Mrs. Smith if he could come visit her. The day of the visit didn't go as planned. While Derek was introducing himself a new student, Jack, entered the room and stole everyone's attention. Especially Baby Jaimie's. For
hat reason Derek took an instant disliking to the new kid. Baby Jaimie is forced to choose between Derek and Jack and she doesn't know what to do. Is there a way to combine old friends with new friends? Can't they all just get along? Find out in The Adventures of Baby Jaimie: Baby Jaimie Has A Crush.
