The old me would have published March Through the Zoo last year when I first put it all together.
The new me knows what I know! Since I decided to wait and get more eyes on the manuscript and the layout, I changed a lot of things. With every suggested change, I watched my book grow. I didn't implement all the suggestions exactly as they were provided to me, but with each, I saw a chance to improve.
All the changes listed below make the book a better read.
I replaced a few pictures with those of animals who's sounds worked better in the rhythmic scheme.
I reordered the appearance of the animals to make it a stronger progression
I did my best to remove words that were being "squished" into the pattern
For example, the red panda's name added too many syllables, so I just used panda. The reader can see from the image that it's a panda. But to ensure proper naming of the animals, i added a zoo map at the end that has the full name.
I changed my subtitle. A lovely young lady thought the hand clapping subtitle was good, but since the book is meant to be read or sung, she suggested i use "Sing-Along" instead. I was so focused on the fun hand clapping, I didn't realize how saying it's a hand clapping book, might deter readers from picking it up. I mean, who wants to teach a three year old a complicated hand clapping scheme? Good call on that one.
I haven't figured out how to do pre-orders on Amazon or Ingramspark, but if you want to pre-purchase a signed, paperback copy for $10.00, send me an email and I'll share my PayPal link and add you to the growing list of interested fans.
