Sharing My Clients' Success Stories
Teamwork makes the dream work, and this post highlights some of the success my clients have had. I can not take credit for their success, because success like this requires more than what I alone can do for my clients.
What I am responsible for, though, is educating each publisher on industry practices and designing a retail-ready children’s book that they can confidently take with them on their publishing journey.
Storyline Online®
Professor Nincompoop was selected by Storyline Online® for their YouTube channel and was narrated by Bryan Cranston (Walter White from “Breaking Bad).
Professor Nincompoop was the first fiction picture book release for author-publisher Jimmy Vee (Belly Laugh Books) and is a foolishly funny picture book about trusting your gut and not believing everything/everyone on the internet.
GRAMMY® Gift Bag
Bing Himself: The Story of Bing Crosby, the World’s First Multimedia Star is indie-publisher Amy Lane’s first title. It was selected to be in the 2026 GRAMMY® Gift Bag, exclusively curated by Distinctive Assets.
Bing Himself introduces readers to the legendary Bing Crosby, the world’s first multimedia star, whose remarkable career as a singer, actor, and influencer left an indelible mark on history. Written with a fact-driven narrative, the book shares authentic quotes from Bing himself, offering an accessible and inspiring look at his achievements. This book combines historical accuracy with stunning visuals, making it the perfect read for anyone who wants to explore the pioneers of entertainment.
Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Books
The Odd Dog: A Story about Finding Where You Belong won a Kirkus Star and was selected for the 2025 edition of Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Books. Of the one hundred books, only eight were picture books, and The Odd Dog was one of those eight.
This was the second title from author-publisher Leia Barrett (Stories by Leia). Illustrated by Shannon McKeon. The Odd Dog was inspired by Leia’s dog Layla.
Little Book’s Big Day Out: A Heartwarming Tale about Letting Others In received a Kirkus Star, which makes it eligible to be included in the 2026 edition of Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Books.
Little Book is the first picture book title for author-publisher Lacey Braziel (On The Page Publishing). When Addie’s mom accidentally puts Little Book in a book box, he has his own unexpected first day of school, complete with anxiety, making new friends, and learning that it’s okay to not be okay.
Main Stream Media
Patrick Picklebottom is a series that spans picture books and chapter books. The chapter book Patrick Picklebottom Everyday Mysteries was selected by Wolf Entertainment (the creators of Law & Order) for a scripted podcast series.
Author-publisher Jay Miletsky (New Paige Press, LLC) has published several titles. Patrick Picklebottom Everyday Mysteries is an extension of his picture book series Patrick Picklebottom. He is also known for his You Rock! series, which started with Ricky, the Rock Who Couldn’t Roll.
Jay already had an existing relationship with the illustrator Gary Wilkinson and with his editor. I was selected to typeset the cover and interior and prepare the production files using client-provided branding.
StorybookWalk™
StorybookWalk.com creates Ready-to-Use Laminated Storybook Walk® Editions for permanent literacy displays at schools, libraries, parks, educational space, author events, and more.
Kelly Donner works with publishers (all types: traditional, indie pub, and author-pub) to convert their high quality children’s book into a durable, laminated packet.
The book’s content is paired with activities and questions to keep the audience engaged as they move along their path.
The large (11×17 or 18×24) single-sided, multi-page Storybook Walks can be mounted on backerboards, placed inside book display boxes, or hung/taped/clipped to the wall (and any place you can get creative!).
Selected titles are featured in StorybookWalk.com’s online shop where they can be distributed by educators, librarians, and community literacy leaders around the country.
Look! There Are No Dinos Inside of This Book does NOT (nope, no way, no how, no sir!) have any dinos inside. But it does have Dangerous Dave the dinosaur wrangler—who is also convinced there are no dinos.
This is book one in the Look-No-See series. Next up? Unicorns!
Written by children’s book author-publisher and magician Jimmy Vee of Belly Laugh Books and illustrated by Mark Wilson, this book is full of fun—even if it ISN’T full of dinos.
Petey Perfectpants and the Silly Sock Puppet Problem is a laugh-out-loud friendship story that proves sometimes being perfect isn’t so perfect after all…
Written by children’s book author-publisher and magician Jimmy Vee of Belly Laugh Books and illustrated by Gary Wilkinson, this book will make you laugh out loud, blush with secondhand embarrassment, and warm your heart.
The Odd Dog: A Story about Finding Where You Belong is partially set in both a public park and a dog park (separate location). Just one more reason Odd makes a great addition to StorybookWalk.com’s library.
This was the second title from author-publisher Leia Barrett (Stories by Leia). Illustrated by Shannon McKeon. The Odd Dog was inspired by Leia’s dog Layla.
The Super Students: First Day of School is the first book in a fun new series from author-publisher Norse-Gael Books that blends picture books with graphic novels that are perfect for ages 4–9.
Written by husband-wife author-publisher duo Ariane and Todd Erickson and illustrated by animator-illustrator Emilee Dummer, the Super Students are a dynamic and diverse group of—you guessed it—students with unique abilities who spend their first day of school preventing Spikey the class pet from forming a naughty pet posse with the other school-bound critters.
