Could You Create a Book App?

Have you written a Picture Book and wondered if you might want to turn it into an app? Here's a great resource to help you think through the possibilities. Karen Robertson just released her latest eBook "What is a Book App and Could YOU Create One? How 27 Writers Did!"

This eBook is a must read for any children's writer considering digital publishing for their book. You'll learn from children’s book app author, speaker and coach, Karen Robertson:

• What is a book app
• Why it’s such an exciting publishing option
• What you need to know about this opportunity
• How it's done, so you can decide if it’s right for you

After reading the stories of 27 writers who've turned their books into book apps, you'll see there are many ways to achieve this publishing dream and deliver your book to a worldwide audience. You're sure to identify a story or two that makes a book app happen in a way that meets your objectives and budget, even if you aren’t technically inclined.

Ah hem! Did you notice that yours truly is on the cover of this awesome eBook? Yes, I am one of the 27 writers featured in this book. Read my story and those of my brave fellow app developers in this valuable eBook.

Download What is a Book App and Could YOU Create One? How 27 Writers Did! for Kindle on Amazon.

If you don't have a Kindle reader, you can download the FREE Kindle app for iPad, iPhone and iTouch and for Android.

If you haven't already, download The Prisoner of Carrot Castle iPad book app.

Go on! Take the leap. Test the waters. Have you ever thought about creating an app of your book?

 

Celebrating a Birthday!

Today marks 1-year since we launched The Prisoner of Carrot Castle on the AppStore and we're gonna celebrate. All week you can download the storybook about Aiden and his imaginative adventures as he tries to escape the clutches of an angry king for $0.99.

"All this happening over carrots and broccoli." ~ Aiden

Hurray for SALES!

Author Interview: Chris Pedersen for The Next Big Thing

Tag... I'm it! As part of The NEXT Big Thing blog event to bring awareness to authors books, I'll be sharing about my next book release. I received my tag from author Karen Robertson and just as Karen did, at the end of the interview I'll tag a few of my friends so you can see what they have written when they blog NEXT week.

1) What is the working title of your next book?

The Prisoner of Carrot Castle, already an iPad app, is arriving in print January, 2013. In this first book of the Veggie Chronicles series, kids discover that eating vegetables is what heroes do, that is, if they want to eat their way out of a wicked King's clutches. The book is beautifully illustrated by Kate Jeong. With vivid colors and new discoveries at every turn, readers quickly become invested in Aiden's delimma and want to help him along in his adventure.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

A late-in-life discovery found me with cancer from a genetic condition. Believing that my healthy lifestyle had saved me from a more serious prognosis, I radically changed my diet, beat the odds and returned to a healthful state. Now I want to make others aware of healthy eating, especially at this time of alarming childhood obesity trends. I love crafting stories for kids. Out of that love I wrote the first in the adventure series The Veggie Chronicles, called The Prisoner of Carrot Castle.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

A children's picture book AND interactive digital iPad app.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I think the child actors Gattlin Griffith or Jake Vaughn look a lot like Aiden in the story.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book series?

Aiden's dislike for vegetables takes him on adventures to far away places across the globe and throughout history.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

All future books and apps are being published by Possibility Media Group and their collaborative partners.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I wrote the first draft of The Prisoner of Carrot Castle in about 20 hours over a two-month period.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Here are a few picture books that may inspire healthy eating in kids: Jody's Beans: Read and Wonder by Malachy Doyle, Pickin' Peas by Margaret Read MacDonald, Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White, The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin. Different from these books, The Prisoner of Carrot Castle is the first in a series about Aiden and his imaginative adventures involving vegetables that subliminally encourage kids to eat vegetables.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I desire to teach kids about the life-giving qualities of vegetables and fruits in a fun and engaging way that doesn't feel like teaching. After I wrote the story, my husband and son spurred me on to pursue publication of the book as an interactive iPad app.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

The book will include curriculum for teachers and parents emphasizing aspects of the story as well as the health benefits of the featured vegetables, which are carrots and broccoli in The Prisoner of Carrot Castle.

Now passing it on to the following authors for their Next Big Thing blog post.

• Lori Mortensen http://lorimortensen.blogspot.com/
• Lance Pyle www.peterblueberry.blogspot.com/
• Linda Joy Singleton  www.lindajsingleton.livejournal.com/ 

Aiden Goes to School and Travels the World

Great Way to Launch a Book
Reading the newly released Prisoner of Carrot Castle to five classrooms of 1st and 2nd graders at the Arlene Hein Elementary School in Elk Grove, California was a great way to launch a book app. Local authors were invited to read during the school's annual Read-a-thon. The Prisoner of Carrot Castle wowed the kids being the only digital interactive book at the event.

The students and teachers loved it! Most had never seen an iPad storybook app before. Having a passion for storytelling and a heart for children, I enjoyed reading with enthusiasm—getting into each character of the story.

A red cape and an over-sized wooden fork served as a costume for one child to "become" Aiden as I read the story. What a perfect way to enjoy the story of a boy who loved to costume play. Everyone wanted to be Aiden.

At the end of each reading, I allowed the children to play the games included in the app. They really enjoyed the hands-on experience. I explained the “Read to Me” feature and showed the students how to use it.

After school, the authors convened in the multi-purpose room and signed and sold books. I signed and sent home colorful postcards of The Prisoner of Carrot Castle with details on the app and how to order it.

The children had many questions. (These are bright kids with a great future!) They wanted to know: How long does it take to build an app? How did you come up with the story? Is it a regular book, too? Are you making other story apps? Can I dress the knight next?


Aiden Travels to More Countries

Aiden's been busy showing up in more countries around the world. Add Ireland, France, Norway and Indonesia to the countries enjoying The Prisoner of Carrot Castle.

Would you like The Prisoner of Carrot Castle read at your school?

The World Enjoys The Prisoner of Carrot Castle

Great Zooks! The Prisoner of Carrot Castle is being purchased throughout the world. The world is so big, it boggles my mind. See all those little Aiden's dotting the world map?

In case you can't see all those countries where Aiden's adventure is being read to boys and girls, here's a list:

United States
Canada
Brazil
United Kingdom
Spain
Netherlands
Switzerland
Italy
Romania
Greece
Russia
Israel
Saudi Arabia
South Africa
Australia
New Zealand

Who do you know in another country that might want The Prisoner of Carrot Castle for their iPad?

The Prisoner of Carrot Castle on the App Store

The Prisoner of Carrot Castle is now available for the iPad on the App Store for only $2.99.

Grab your cape and join the fun! Aiden is just an ordinary kid—loves costume play, watching clouds pass by, seeing castles in the sky… and he doesn’t like vegetables.

In The Prisoner of Carrot Castle Aiden’s imagination transports him to a far away place where he finds himself a prisoner in a cell made of carrots. What will he do? Must he face the angry King? Will his hate for vegetables get him in trouble? Come along and help Aiden as he tries to escape from Carrot Castle.

When Aiden gets stuck, kids play a role in helping him move ahead in his adventure. The story comes alive as the text is read. Find silly animations and sound effects as the action unfolds.

Through creative storytelling, kids learn that eating vegetables is good—it can actually help them.

The Prisoner of Carrot Castle is an original story written and illustrated for the iPad. Targeted for kids 3 to 8-years-old, the story’s interaction and games help them develop fine motor skills.

Download your copy of The Prisoner of Carrot Castle, please tell your friends, rate it and write a review.

Fun Stuff at Purple Carrot Books

The Purple Carrot Books website now has Fun Stuff for kids to do—coloring sheets to print and color. Plus finger puppets of your favorite characters from The Prisoner of Carrot Castle kids iPad app.

Click on a coloring page at Fun Stuff. Then print it, get your color pencils or crayons and make the picture come alive! Don't miss the Finger Puppets of your soon to be favorite characters from The Prisoner of Carrot Castle. Color them, then cut them out and tape them around a finger. Create your own stories about the imaginative adventures of Aiden in The Prisoner of Carrot Castle.

Sign up to receive email updates on the app release. Start talking about The Prisoner of Carrot Castle on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

Developing an iPad App: Step Nine

You might be thinking by now that the steps to developing an iPad app never end. Well... it sometimes feels like that to us too. Since none of us have ever done an iPad app before, there's been a roller coaster learning curve and unforeseen setbacks in the schedule. Each of us on the team (Kate, Nur and myself) moved. Kate moved completely across the country last summer and I moved over Christmas.

Step Nine:

A. Beta Test
Now we're back on track and actually in beta. For those who think I'm referring to a vitamin, a beta test is when your product moves (look at that.. even the app moved) from in-house testing to actual user testing. I have volunteers with young children using the app to see if they encounter bugs or any speed/performance issues needing to be addressed before we go to launch.

Preliminary input from our testers look good on the bug front—no crashes or obvious errors. I few tweaks have been suggested to make the user experience more satisfying.

B. Fix and Upload to App Store
Based on input from our beta testers, we'll fix any problems that came up, adjust a few details in the presentation and tweak a few activities (I have a list). Then we upload it to the App Store for approval and launch.

C. Tell the World
Then I get to work contacting reviewers, telling everyone on Twitter, Facebook and Google+, notifying  newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and alerting my writer's network to spread the word to their contacts and on their blogs.

You can help by going to Purple Carrot Books and signing up to get an email when the launch happens.

Do you have experience at spreading the word about a good product?

What's your best technique to get something out there for the "world" to know about?

 

Presenting: Purple Carrot Books Website

Drum roll please! Announcing the website for Purple Carrot Books. The e-publisher for The Prisoner of Carrot Castle is on the web. Please go there and sign up for the email service so you can be notified when we launch and when we add more to the site, especially fun stuff.

Features and information on the website include:

• Buttons at the top to follow Purple Carrot Books on Twitter and Like it on Facebook.
• Plays the Book Trailer of The Prisoner of Carrot Castle.
• Sign up to be notified by email when the launch happens and anything new is posted.
• Post Purple Carrot Books to your Twitter feed.
• Like Purple Carrot Books on Facebook.
• Read about the app.
• Read the mission statement.
• Contact us with your comments and questions.
• Download a press release, logo, screen shots, and author headshot individually or the whole package as a zipped file.

Go to Purple Carrot Books and help us spread the word about The Prisoner of Carrot Castle by tweeting Purple Carrot Books on Twitter and Liking us on Facebook.

The Prisoner of Carrot Castle Book Trailer

Grab your cape and watch the excitement grow. I'm thrilled to present the book trailer for The Prisoner of Carrot Castle. The team is working diligently to finish the app.

Please share the video with your friends, colleagues and anyone owning an iPad. Follow @prplcarrotbooks on Twitter and watch for the website launch at www.purplecarrotbooks.com. LIKE us on Facebook at Purple Carrot Books fan page.

Developing an iPad App: Step Eight

Yikes, we have been busy! It may have been quiet on the blog, but it's far from quiet on the actual iPad app development front. Kate has been cranking out the final scenes and animation pieces. Nur has been coding like a mad man. I've been tweeting, facebooking, Google+ing, writing press releases, working to set up the website for Purple Carrot Books...blah, blah, blah. Are we there yet?

Step Eight:
A. Run to the Finish
We are technically in alpha test phase. Nur has been sending regular app builds and we have been putting it to the test trying to break it or find issues that need tweaking. Of course passing it off to our 3-year-old mini-testers is part of that too.

Not much else to say here except this is when it gets pretty exciting. We begin to see all our hard work coming to fruition as the app comes alive with all its fun animations and interactions. It puts a smile on our faces.

B. Get the Word Out
As with all products, it may be the greatest, but if no one knows about it, how can they buy it?

I've subscribed to HARO (Help A Reporter Out) to receive requests for queries from reporters needing qualified input for articles being developed. I've done one interview with Alice Walton, associate editor for TheDoctorWillSeeYouNow.com. She was fascinated by my story of beating genetic cancer with my diet.

The Purple Carrot Books website is under development with hopes of going live shortly.

Meanwhile, please go to the Purple Carrot Books Facebook fan page and LIKE it to get regular updates. And please tell your friends and family about The Prisoner of Carrot Castle iPad app coming soon. Published by Purple Carrot Books.

Follow @prplcarrotbooks on Twitter to get news about the launch and watch for and tweet #CarrotCastle.

Developing an iPad App: Step Seven

Things are going warp speed now. I worked on a detailed schedule for development, illustration and project management/marketing—there is a lot to accomplish to get the app out by mid fall. What do you think of our final title page? It still needs the buttons for music, read to me, etc., but here it is.

Step Seven:
A. Illustration Tasks to Complete
Settling into her new home outside Vancouver (BC, Canada), Kate is working on completing the scenes with animation elements that go with each scene—there are three types of animation in the app:

• Happening with the narration
• Activated by touching the screen
• Triggered by some aspect of a game

Four scenes have now been completed with their animation elements. Way to go, Kate! Right on schedule.

B. App Development
Nur completed a draft build of the app using the rough colored scenes, built the games readers can enjoy at the end of the book, and developed a unique page turning style (passed by our 3-year-old app testers). He is putting the final touches on the accelerometer game for the tunnel scene and building the final scenes with their animations, sound, text and narration as Kate completes the scenes.

C. Project Management/Marketing
Our small yet determined and dedicated team is working hard, making my job as manager easy.

My most challenging job has been doing the sound effects. Besides knowing there are lots of websites offering sound effects, I knew very little. Finding an open-source editing program called Audacity, I was able to poke around and learn to use it effectively. I purchased sound files (.wav) from:

• Soundsnap
• Audio Jungle
• Sound Dogs

About half the files were perfect as purchased. Others I edited to get the right length or combined to achieve the perfect sound effect.

I even recorded my own files with my iPod—a fountain and a branch dropping. Finding just the right owl "hoot" became a difficult search until my husband, Bob, came home and performed an awesome impression of an owl. I got my owl. Thanks, Honey!

I would love to insert the owl for you to hear, but no easy way to do it. You'll just have to wait until the app comes out.

This week I'm creating the narration files. Yes, yours truly will be narrating the story.

I also put up a fan page for Purple Carrot Books on Facebook. Please go to the page and Like it. I'm connecting with people on Google+—writers, reviewers, app developers, teachers, and other interesting people.

If you haven't been following the series, you might want to check out the previous steps for developing an iPad app: Step One, Step Two, Step Three, Step Four, Step Five and Step Six.

How To Find The Best Rated Apps For Kids

In preparation for marketing The Prisoner of Carrot Castle, I did some research to find app reviewers and discovered some great sites I want to pass on to busy mom's. If you're an iPad, iPhone or iPad Touch user looking for great apps to make your busy mom's life a bit easier, read on.

First up, Apps for Children With Special Needs:

a4cwsn is committed to helping the families of children with special needs and the community of educators and therapists who support them. By producing videos that demonstrate how products educate children, a4cwsn provides a way for users to see how an app works before they buy—great concept. Choose apps to review by various categories (e.g., colors, creative play, etc.), iTunes category or developer. There are apps for motor skill development, autistic kids and if you're a special needs family, they currently have a campaign to give away iPads. Check it out.

Digital Story Time creates Top 10 reviews of kid's apps in various categories (e.g., most educational, most original, best extras, etc.). You can also find ideas, such as how to have a successful digital bedtime experience with your kids.

Digital Story Time (blog titled The Digital Media Diet) is one mom's take on kids, technology and the world of apps. This site also provides a rich resource of links to other sites for parents.

Appcheese is a straight forward review site for kids' apps. Each app reviewed receives a cheese wedge rating and lists Platform, Price, Age Group and Publisher.

Pictured with each review is the app's icon for the iTunes store along with screen shots and the book trailer (if available). An iTunes button below the icon allows you to order the app. Scan the sidebar to see a list of recently reviewed apps. Lots to love about this clean review site.

Apps for Kids~kids learning (disguised as fun) is a review site by a mom in Silicon Valley. Primarily doing reviews, she dispenses some wisdom on how to balance your kid's time on technology. Providing parents a short cut to finding some real gems, is her intent, plus giving an honest opinion on a few of the popular apps that may be stinkers. Apps for Kids is focussed on making it easy for parents to find an app for a particular purpose. By the way, contributors to the site include Dad and 5-year-old son Sal.

The Greasy Screen (don't you love the title?) discusses ebooks for kids, reading habits and stuff. Crystal, from the Chicago suburbs, blogs here and covers all things picture books—right up my alley.

Besides ebooks, you'll find library books reviewed. Each app review shows a screen shot with app title, publisher, format (iPad, iPhone), number system rating, synopsis, current price, features (e.g., interactivity, sound effects) and a brief written review.

Last, but not least The iPhone Mom reviews all things for kids and parenting for the iPhone and iPad. She will hunt down little known apps hidden in the deep recesses of the iTunes store (and they are deep).

Reviews are categorized for moms, toddlers, pre-schoolers, elementary school and beyond, plus a category just for iPad. Every week a special is posted that might be an interview with a developer, navigating in the App Store/iTunes or a step by step "how to," for example, submit an app review.

I hope this gives you lots of places to find great apps for your family fun and learning.

Developing an iPad App: Step Six

The Prisoner of Carrot Castle © 2011

Haven't heard from me in a while about the app progress, but rest assured things are moving ahead like gang busters. The work has been heavily concentrated on the illustrations, Kate working hard at painting each scene. And next month my uber illustrator is moving to Vancouver where her husband works. Kate and the boys are very excited to be together as a family again.

Step Six:
A. Illustrate Each Scene
All the scenes for the book and the title page have been colored. What do you think of the title page? Some of the scenes were adjusted as Kate moved through the story scenes. You saw some of the gorgeous scenes in Developing an iPad App: Step Five.

B. Build the App Pages and Functions
Plugging all the colored scenes from Kate's work into a build of the app, Nur has provided a web location for us to download the progressive builds onto our iPads. That allows us to test things and give him feedback. He's experimenting with page turning styles, built and debugged one of the games and laid-out the extended scene where the accelerometer will be used. Are those teasers enough for you?

C. Begin Foley Work & Plan for Marketing

I have my hands full as I figure out how to put the sound together. There's narration for each scene, music that plays throughout the story (with an off/on button) and sound affects that happen either as a one-off (happening once during narration) event, or when a spot on the screen is touched usually involving animation.

Nur's job is to make it all work, but I need to get all the sound files for him to insert. A good friend has offered his professional sound studio to do the sound work. Sound a bit overwhelming?

Then there's marketing. I need to create a marketing program to introduce and get the market buzz going about the app. I'm convinced the app will sell itself, but the rub is people need to know its out there in the sea of millions of iPad apps.

Just a few things I'll be doing:

• Set-up Fan Page on Facebook
• Look into targeted Facebook ads
• Send out app to reviewers
• Send out press kits to media

Marketing gurus out there, what else do I need to do?

BTW, the production company for The Prisoner of Carrot Castle is called Purple Carrot Books. Did you know that carrots were originally purple? The dark-colored carrots are making a comeback. Give them a try if you see them in your local market.

It's getting exciting, isn't it?

What is it you'd like to know about building an iPad app? Scroll down and leave a comment.

Developing an iPad App: Step Five

The Prisoner of Carrot Castle © 2011

Wow! It's been a month since I posted Developing an iPad App: Step Four. Plenty has been happening. Kate has been doing color studies to determine the coloring for scenes and characters. Nur has been using the roughs and color studies to start to build the app.

Step Five: Aiden In Color
Here is our little hero straight from medieval knight play-acting. What do you think?

After a few color studies for scene one, here's how it turns out. The squiggly lines represent the narration. Notice the knight's helmet, sword and shield.

Can you see how beautiful and fun this app will turn out for the iPad. And with the even more brilliant display of the new iPad2. Yeow!

Deep into the story, scene 13 finds our hero trying to escape capture in a narrow courtyard of the castle.

I love the colors, don't you?

One more sneak peek. The Carrot Castle royal family (since this is a week with eyes on royals).

You can see why we're so excited about this project. We have lots of fun things in store for the app, such as reader participation to help Aiden in his quest.

Look for a Facebook Fan page coming soon! 

Please leave your comments below.