Reviewed in Book Reviews by Tima

Amazing Animals by Design has been featured in another review!

I read this to my six and four year old children. . . . My six year old said it was awesome and asked me to read it again.

--Tima

See the whole review at http://bookreviewsbytima.blogspot.com/2012/12/amazing-animals.html.

Merry Christmas!

Eleventh Day of Christmas Giveaway

If you haven't registered for your free copy yet from http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/animals-by-design-giveaway/, what are you waiting for?

Today Is The Day - Enter To Win!

Today is the day!  I told you that you wouldn't want to miss Day Eleven of The Schoolhouse Review Crew giveaways!

Go to http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/animals-by-design-giveaway/ to enter to win one of my books! 

On the eleventh day of Christmas Giveaways, ELEVEN winners will receive . . . Amazing Animals by Design by Debra Haagen!

To enter, go to http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/animals-by-design-giveaway/! Don’t forget to enter the other giveaways!

Why is a giraffe’s neck so tall? Why do zebras have stripes? Did all of these things happen by accident? When John and Sarah visit the zoo, they ask these questions and many more. Their parents and the zookeepers keep using the word design, but what does that mean? With its relevant message and exciting presentation, this is the perfect book to help introduce children to intelligent design. Come find out in Amazing Animals by Design by Debra Haagen!

Ten winners will receive this lovely children’s picture book in eBook form. But one winner (the first name drawn) will win a beautiful hardcover copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And Now For 2013!

http://debrahaagen.tateauthor.com/

A while back on my Note-able Scraps blog, I indicated that I had some exciting things coming up for the new year.  I am putting a few of my involvements on hold for about 6 months to a year - such as directing children's musicals at church and writing reviews for The Schoolhouse Review Crew - although I loved both of those activities very much.  Right now, though, I would like to concentrate on writing and homeschooling.  Some wonderful new opportunities have opened up to me, which I would like to pursue.

First of all, I am working on a follow up to my first book:  Amazing Plants by Design.  If you are a budding author, a wanna-be author, or have just always wondered what the writing/publishing process entails, please follow me here on this blog.  I will continue to give you a glimpse into the step-by-step process.  Join me in the journey, whether I succeed or fail!

Secondly - and I am very excited about this one - I have been working on my first lapbook unit study for Knowledge Box Central.  It is also on Intelligent Design, and I hope to have it released very soon.  When I do, all of my loyal followers on either blog or Facebook will be the first to know!

See my Note-able Scraps blog for information about The Schoolhouse Review Crew 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways.  You will want to be around for DAY ELEVEN!!!

Merry Christmas!

The Year 2012

I am getting ready to do some writing of a more personal nature, my annual Christmas letter.  As I reflect on the year 2012, it has, as for most people, been full of ups and downs. I will, however, remember 2012 as the year I got my first book published!  I hope 2013 will bring more exciting developments.

If you are looking for a last-minute gift for a child on your Christmas list, Amazing Animals by Design is currently being offered in several stores and retail outlets.  In addition to Tate Publishing, Christian Book Distributors (CBD) now offers both the paperback and PDF versions.  Amazon carries the paperback and the Kindle edition, and Barnes and Noble carries the paperback and the Nook edition.  As of this posting, they all appear to be in stock and available.

The audio version of Amazing Animals by Design is also now available.  It can be purchased by itself from Tate Publishing, but if you purchase a book, there will be a code in the back for a free download of the audio version.

I am continuing to do book-signings and book sales are going well.  Over the course of the past year, I have learned a number of things that could be helpful to other budding authors:

1) People keep asking me if my book is physically in any stores.  According to the old model of book sales, this would signify success and also be the easiest way to obtain a copy.  In the present times, though, things just work differently.  The answer to the question is "yes," it is in a few stores, but the likelihood of it being in a store near you if you do not live in an area where I have done book-signings is rather small.  Most of the time, it will have to be ordered.  I have found this to be the case with many books I've tried to obtain in recent years, but with present methods of distribution, it does not hinder sales.  Amazing Animals by Design is distributed by Ingram Distributors, from which almost any bookstore in the country orders books, and most any bookstore can order the book upon request and have it in a few days.

2) Along a similar vein, I think most of us budding authors had the idea that once we got our book published, it would pop up in bookstores everywhere, be placed on the end-caps or center-aisle displays (after all, it is new and fabulous, right?), and the sales would just happen.  I have learned that once a book is published, the work has just begun!  Any given bookstore has thousands of new books from which to choose every month when they place their orders.  How do you get your book to stand out?  Well, it's a long and slow process.  Like anything worth doing, it requires patience and hard work.  Every time you do a book-signing, every time you sell another book, your name is a little bit more "out there."  Sales increase as your exposure increases.  Pursue every opportunity, stick with it, and don't get discouraged.  I've had a few book-signings where I only sold one book, but I haven't had any "zero" book-signings yet.  Get out there, talk to people, spread the word.

3)  As my mentors at Tate Publishing have been telling me, your book is your business.  Work on it like any small business you were starting up.  No one else wants you to make it quite as much as you do, so be prepared to do the work yourself.  I've had some book-signings where the people hosting the signing did a tremendous amount of publicity and helped me out a lot.  At others, they pointed to a table and I didn't see them again till I was done.  One guy had hung the poster I brought him in the back of his store next to the bathroom.  I hang posters (if allowed), decorate my table, hand out coloring pages to children, and talk to everyone walking by.  If I just sat quietly at the table and waited for people to come ask questions, I wouldn't sell much.

4)  Tate Publishing also talks a lot about finding your niche - marketing to the groups who would truly be interested in your book.  I have found that some of the easiest places to get into for book-signings are coffee shops.  They love to have artists, writers, and talents of all kinds, and they are generally very friendly and terrific to work with.  If your book is geared toward adult audiences, these are your best bet.  They do not, however, attract many children.  Their main clientele is young professional adults, working people who are on a break, and retirees.  After visiting a number of coffee shops, I have realized that I need to pursue avenues where I will be in contact with children and their parents.  These are always much more successful for me.

I hope some of what I have learned will be helpful to some of you who have been following my blog in hopes of publishing your own book.  Keep following me in 2013 for the next chapter in this journey.  Exciting things are in store!

Merry Christmas!

Amazing Animals by Design Available at CBD!

Amazing Animals by Design is now available at Christian Book Distributors!

Between my husband's books for ministry and my books for homeschool, we shop quite a bit at CBD.  It's very exciting to now see my name on their site!

eLIVE Experience

Tate Publishing offers a unique eLIVE feature for their books.  That's an acronym for:

L isten

I magine

V iew

E xperience.

Not only is an audio version of Amazing Animals by Design being made, but if you purchase a hardback or paperback book, you will receive a coupon code for a free copy of the audio download!  Complete with page-turn chimes, this is a great way for your little ones to be able to appreciate the story over and over for themselves, and to practice reading!  Andrew Steinly just completed the audio version, and I signed the authorization form.  The finishing touches will be done, and the audio version should be available shortly!  Each step of this experience has been so exciting for me.  Hearing my story read out loud on the audio version was a lot of fun!

The book signings this summer have gone really great.  I don't have any more planned in the immediate future, but I will be working on doing some more in the fall.

I'll keep you posted!

Have you downloaded the July issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine? See the product review of Amazing Animals by Design on page 150!

http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine-digital.com/thehomeschoolmagazine/201207/#pg153

The Homeschool Minute

Do you receive The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Minute newsletter in your email? During the month of July, you can register to win a free, signed copy of my book! Check out The Homeschool Minute!

Upcoming Events

There are more book-signings in the near future!  If you live in Virginia, I will be in three locations there next month:

Book Signing

Book Signing:
Port City Java, 323 Middle Street, New Bern, NC 28560
Saturday, June 2, 2012, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm

Come join us! :)

I Received A TOS Homeschool Crew Blue Ribbon Award!!!

Amazing Animals by Design has received its very first award:  The TOS Homeschool Crew Blue Ribbon Award!


The Blue Ribbon is given to the vendor in each category chosen as the favorite by the TOS Homeschool Crew that year.


I received the Best Children's Book Award for 2011-2012 for Amazing Animals by Design!


You can see a list of all the winners by clicking here.

Copy of the Press Release

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

New Bern author releases children’s book nationwide

NEW BERN, N.C. – This week, New Bern author Debra Haagen celebrates the nationwide release of her new children’s book, “Amazing Animals by Design.”

In the story, when John and Sarah visit the zoo, they ask why a giraffe's neck is so tall, why zebras have stripes, if all of these things happened by accident, and many more questions. Their parents and the zookeepers keep using the word design, but what does that mean?

With its relevant message and exciting presentation, this is the perfect book to help introduce children to intelligent design.

Published by Tate Publishing and Enterprises, the book is available through bookstores nationwide, from the publisher at www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore, or by visiting barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com.

This is also an eLIVE title, meaning each book contains a code redeemable for a free audio book version from TatePublishing.com. eLIVE – Listen, Imagine, View, and Experience!

Haagen is a military wife and home-schooling mother who lives wherever the Navy sends her with her husband, Perry, and their four children. Presently, they reside in New Bern, North Carolina.

For more information, visit debrahaagen.tateauthor.com. For promotional inquiries, please contact Travis King, Marketing Representative, at (888) 361-9473 or send an email to tking@tatepublishing.com.

Book Signings Are On A Roll

Hello, friends! I will be signing copies of my newly-published children's book, Amazing Animals by Design, during the following children's class times this week at ATA Karate for Kids, 3515 Trent Rd, Ste 1, in New Bern!
Tuesday 4:45-6:00
Wednesday 4:45-5:15
Thursday 4:45-6:00

COME SEE ME THERE!

The national Press Release came out a few weeks ago, and we are now in the process of scheduling readings and book signings.  For more information and to follow my schedule, see

http://www.debrahaagen.tateauthor.com

If you would like to schedule a book signing, contact:

Travis King, Marketing Representative

Tate Publishing and Enterprises

Phone: (888) 361-9473

E-Mail: tking@tatepublishing.com

TOS Homeschool Reviews

All of the TOS Homeschool Reviews of Amazing Animals by Design are in!  There are 100 reviews of the book (actually, I believe there are 101, thanks to Kate deciding to give me an extra!).  Find them all at The TOS Homeschool Crew Blog.  Check the comments section, too.  A few people linked up late and left their links in the "Comments" instead of on Linky Tools.

I would like to send out a great big "Thank you" to everyone on the review team for taking the time to read this book and write a review!

If you are not absolutely convinced already that you NEED to buy this book, see what all these reviewers had to say!  Here is a taste of what you will find:

Simply one of the VERY BEST books I have read.  I HIGHLY recommend Amazing Animals by Design!!!!

- Our Country Road

Amazing Animals by Design is a wonderful, kid friendly book written by Debra Haagen. I reviewed this book via a PDF file and was completely blown away by the beautiful softly laden colorful graphics which house the brilliantly illustrated accompaniment of the story.

- Dana from  The Adams Family Apple Tree

This is the perfect book to read with your children just before visiting the zoo. It will spark interesting conversation while you wander through the park, watching for those wonderful ways God designed each animal.

- Marcy from Ben and Me

In my opinion, this book is an all-around good children’s book since it offers a total package of a story that teaches a quality lesson and also has captivating illustrations.

- Nikki from Joy in the Journey

I don’t know that there’s anything that I would change about Amazing Animals by Design, except to say that it should be made into a series.

- Cherie from  Learning Every Day

Find more at The Old Schoolhouse Crew Reviews

Amazing Animals by Design Has Been Released!

If you have been following me since the beginning, this is a great moment!  I invited you to follow my journey of getting a book published from the day I signed the contract, till the day it was released.  And here we are!

So is this the end?  Heavens, no!  Yes, I consider this journey a success, since my dream was to be a published author, and now that dream is a reality.  Now, however, we proceed to the next step.  A new author is generally considered a success if she sells 5,000 copies.  At this point, I have 130 down - 4,870 to go!  (That only includes what I have sold personally.  I will not know how many have been sold by the publisher or bookstores until I get a report next quarter.  Hopefully, that sales number is much higher!)

And then?  Well, I want to publish more books!!!

But wait, you say, I went down to my local bookstore and couldn't find your book on the shelf today!  Sadly, that may be true.  I am not rich and famous enough yet for every bookstore to scramble to buy my new book and put it on the "New Releases" shelf out front with Nicholas Sparks's latest.  I'm working on that!  The job right now is to do book-signings and other events around the area to try to get the word out, so that bookstores and readers will want to buy my book.  Ask your local bookstore to order some copies, or order your own copy directly from Tate Publishing here.  Meanwhile, I'll be doing my best to get the word out so that some day you can take pride in saying, "I was one of her first blog followers, way back when no one had ever heard of her!"

We're off to a good start.  Here are a few current and upcoming events:

The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew Reviews - posted online March 30-April 6, 2012.  More than half of these have been posted already.  Have fun visiting all the blogs!

Book signing at ATA Karate for Kids, New Bern, NC – April 14, 2012, 12-3 pm, 3515 Trent Rd Suite 1, New Bern, NC 28562

See Amazing Animals by Design at the Christian Military Fellowship booth, Michigan Christian Convention - Lansing, MI, April 20-21, with Mark Powell from Christian Military Fellowship (author will not be present)

Book signing at Port City Java, New Bern, NC - June 2, 2012, 1-3 pm, 323 Middle Street, New Bern, NC 28560

Guest appearance on Encouragement from the Heart, Blog Radio with Dana Adams - Date TBA

Continue to follow me in the journey of becoming a successful author!  What about you?  Have any of you decided to begin your own journey to becoming published?  Or any other "walk on water" dreams in which you took a step to get out of the boat?  Let me hear from you!

In the meantime, enjoy your time with friends, family, and your church this weekend and have a happy Resurrection Sunday!  :)

The Old Schoolhouse Crew Reviews

Don't take my word for it!  Take a look at the reviews of Amazing Animals by Design by The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew!

There are twelve reviews up now, and more will be added throughout the week!

http://homeschoolcrew.com/784804/

The Radio Interview

If you missed the radio interview, you listen to it on my new website!

http://debrahaagen.tateauthor.com/

The Website Is Live!

Regrettably, I have not done as many book signings as I would have liked to during the month of March.  Part of that has to do with needing to get busy and make more contacts and follow up on the ones I already have.  Part of it - yes, I shall make an excuse for myself here - is that my grandmother died this month and my attention has been directed elsewhere.  Since, however, my grandmother had 90 wonderful years on this earth and is now in a better place, and she did get to see my published book before she left us, I will be very thankful as I get back into my regularly scheduled life.

There are exciting things coming up in this little book adventure:

1) My website is live!  Please check it out at http://debrahaagen.tateauthor.com/!  Adrian Rodriguez over at Tate has done a fabulous job setting it up for me, and I will be adding more content soon.  You can find fun things there, such as photographs of the animals in the book like my giraffe friend here, and my first radio interview!

2) The TOS Homeschool Review Crew will be reviewing Amazing Animals by Design, starting this coming Friday and posting throughout next week.  You will find a Linky Tools list of all of those reviews on Friday at http://homeschoolcrew.com/.

3) My official release date is fast approaching on April 3!  After that, I will begin doing book signings in bookstores.  Right now, though, you can already order the book with no wait directly from Tate Publishing.

The fun is just getting ready to begin!

Book Signings

We have done the radio interview and two book signings, and they all have gone great.  There were people waiting for me when I arrived at Cups-N-Cones to sign books last Saturday!  I took a couple weekends off the book signings after just having gotten started, because my grandmother is very ill and I went to see her.  I need to jump back in and get some more scheduled, however.

The whole family has been very supportive.  My kids loaned some stuffed animals to decorate my table, and there is my dear husband with me.  :)

Watch the blog here for more information on:
--upcoming book signings
--my new website
--a recording of my radio interview
--upcoming book reviews.

In the meantime, have a great weekend!

Amazing Animals by Design Blog Review

Check out the very first blog review of Amazing Animals by Design!

http://brendashandmade.blogspot.com/2012/02/amazing-animals-by-design-book-review.html

Hear Me On the Radio!

Tomorrow morning, Wednesday, February 29, 2012, I will be interviewed for a few minutes on the radio about Amazing Animals by Design and my upcoming Book Signing.  My children will be with me, and you never know, they may even get to say a few words!

Listen to the Coastal Daybreak show with Ben Ball on The Talk Station.  I will be on at 7:15 am, EST.  You may tune in at 107.1 FM or 1240 AM.  You may also listen to the live stream on the website here.  Turn on the web stream a few minutes early, as there will be some advertisements first.

I hope you are listening in, and if you are local, I hope to see you at Cups-N-Cones in Havelock, NC, from 10-2 on Saturday, March 3!

Book Signing Open House & Homeschool Writers' Seminar

Last Saturday, as a warm-up to my public book-signings, I held an Open House at my home and invited local friends, church members, and my homeschool group.  It seems that most people, when they find out I've had a book published, do not say, "Oh, I'd love to read your book!" Many of them instead say, "Really?  How did you do that?  I'd like to publish a book!"  And so I decided it would be a good idea to offer a Homeschool Writers' Seminar that afternoon for the homeschool group, sharing what I've learned over the past few months in this process.

I'd have to say it went well.  I had some wonderful friends come for moral support, and a few new people.  I sold a few books.  The real success came, however, in the number of people who said, "I can't attend your open house, but I would really love to buy a book."  Those people may not have known the books were for sale otherwise (unless they read my relentless self-promotion on Facebook!).   I do not want to push anyone to buy my book because they know me and they feel like they should, or I have put them on the spot.  I do, however, want to make sure that everyone who knows me knows the book is available, because you never know who might like it as a gift for grandchildren or as an addition to their personal library.  I like to find ways of marketing that effectively get the word out without being a "pushy" salesperson.  I believe this one worked well.  Hopefully no one reading this will say, "Um, no, she was pretty pushy!"  :)

When my husband and I placed our first order for some of these books to sell on our own, I considered ordering 100.  It seemed like a lot to me and I was afraid I may be stuck with some inventory.  Then the publishing company suggested we start with 300.  Three hundred books!!  Are you kidding me?  That's a lot!  But we decided to believe that I would be successful and ordered the 300.

It's a good thing, because after 3 weeks, I have already sold 101.  That original hundred would not have lasted me long!  I still haven't had an official Book Signing, so that is all friends, family, my Facebook & blog, and the Open House from Saturday.  This coming Saturday, as I may have mentioned (smirk :), I will have my first public Book Signing at Cups & Cones in Havelock, NC.  The press release has gone out, and tomorrow morning I will be interviewed on the local talk radio station!

Stay tuned!  :)

My First Book-Signing

Just to reiterate, my first public book-signing will be on Saturday, March 3, 2012, at Cups-N-Cones in Havelock, NC, from 10am-2pm.  If you're local, come on out and meet me.  I'd love to sign a book for you!

Now Comes the Hard Work!

So you've been writing a book along with me; you've gotten it published and survived editing, illustrations, and layout (yeah, someone else was doing all that work!)  Yay, you think, now my book is published and we're done!  But that would be where you and I were wrong!

Now comes the fun part.  I am working with a fantastic marketing representative, who will help me navigate the waters for the coming months.  It is estimated that the average new book sells 200 copies or less.  (see Ten Things All New Authors Should Know About Publishing by Terry Cordingley).  A new book by an unknown author is generally considered a success if it sells 5,000 copies.  There is a big disparity between those numbers!  I don't know about you, but I am shooting for the 5,000!  So out of the thousands of new books being published this year, how do I get people to notice mine?  What is special about it?

Half of the battle is writing a decent book.  The other half is getting it into the right hands.  There are many good books sitting unsold in bookstores.  You may have never considered yourself a sales person (I haven't), but now marketing your book is your full-time job.

I have gotten a good start.  I have already sent emails to my entire Christmas card email list; invited my church, homeschool group, and local friends to an Open House at my home; and started setting up book signings.  I have one concrete book signing set up and several more in the works.  I have information on both of my blogs and all over my personal Facebook page and my business Facebook page.  I have given away a few free books as promotions.  I have arranged to have some people review my book on their blogs.  I hope my family and friends aren't getting sick of hearing about my book, and I have no desire to push any of them to buy it or to make them my main market because they feel like they have to help me out.  At the same time, I want to make sure they all know every last bit of information about how and where to purchase it in case they do want it!  I would hate for a good friend or a cousin to say down the road, "I didn't know you were doing a book-signing.  I wish I could have gotten one!"  So, I think that part of the market is pretty much saturated.  They know!

Now I will begin reaching out.  I am having a homeschool seminar in my area, where I will talk to the students about writing and publishing a book.  As I said, I am pursuing contacts for book-signings.  I will keep this blog updated as to my schedule.  The official release date for Amazing Animals by Design will be April 3, 2012.  After that, the marketing group will be setting up book-signings in bookstores and other venues.  Until then, pre-release marketing is key to getting the word out.  The book can be purchased directly from the publisher, and I will be signing and selling books from my personal inventory.

My first public book-signing will be on Saturday, March 3, 2012, at Cups-N-Cones in Havelock, NC, from 10am-2pm.  If you're local, come on out and meet me.  I'd love to sign a book for you!

The Book Is Here!

And now, Ladies & Gentlemen, is the moment we have all been waiting for!  Well, you may not have been waiting as anxiously as I have, but I have been waiting, anxiously, on the edge of my seat, with great anticipation.  Amazing Animals by Design is available for purchase!

The road to this moment has been fun, and I hope to repeat it with other books in the future.  If you have thought about writing a book or getting one published and are curious about the process, please read back through this blog.  For those of you who have followed me from the beginning, THANK YOU!

Amazing Animals by Design is available now in paperback at Tate Publishing for $8.99.  The official release date for national retailers is April 3.  After the official release, it will be available from Amazon and national retailers like Books-A-Million and Barnes & Noble.  I will be doing book signings at those places then.  Until then, I will be doing local book-signings and pre-release events, getting the word out!  The audio book and official website will be ready closer to the release date.  I will be posting a schedule of book signings here on the blog!

I will give away one free PDF version of the book from this blog.  If you are interested, please leave a comment below to enter the drawing!  I will draw one name on Friday, February 3.

The Final Stages

Here it is, folks!  I have permission to share the cover and a few of the characters from Amazing Animals By Design!  I have proof-read the final draft, exchanged forms back and forth with the editors, and am turning it in for the last time.  Everything is final: the text, the font, the illustrations, and the cover.  Next, it will be going to print, and I will be talking to a publicist about setting up book-signings.  I already have permission to do book-signings and get reviews in several places.  Stay posted; I'll be putting a schedule up on the blog.  The excitement is mounting.  I can hardly stand it!

 

Meet John, Sarah, and the caracal.  A bit better than my doodling that I had on here before, don't you think?!  What?  You've never heard of a caracal?  Then I guess you'll be waiting on the edge of your seat until you can buy my book!