Put your name (or your kids’) in my new kids book!

Help me publish my new picture book!

If you commit to buying two or more copies of Laura Wood’s and my new picture book I'll add your name (or your child or grandchild’s) to a thank you page. If you’re a bookshop, I’ll salute you if you commit to four or more copies on consignment at normal trade terms. The book will likely retail at approximately $30. Laura and I want to have it out in 2026! Final illustrations are complete. We are up to book designing and printing. It’s going to be a beautiful hardback.

It’s called ‘The Elephant in the Room’ and it’s about an elephant being ignored in each room of the house, until she isn’t!

It’s also about idioms, and there is an idiom drawn into each illustration (eg the one above is ‘put your foot in your mouth’)

Younger kids will love the story (2-6 years). Older kids will enjoy finding the idioms. My daughter Alice learned about idioms in Grade 5 when she was 10 years old. I think English teachers and librarians will find it a useful teaching aid.

I love this rhyming text, and I think you will too! Laura and I had previous successes with ‘The Cow Tripped Over the Moon’ and ‘Hickory Dickory Dash’. Each sold more than 50,000 copies and were National Simultaneous Storytime titles. We also did ‘Baa Baa Blue Sheep’ and ‘Humpty Dumpty Sat on the Slide’ together, all through Scholastic.

I have decided to release this one myself, because I’m tired of the structure of picture book contracts. Authors and Illustrators are lucky to get 5% of RRP, and often get as little as 2% when the title is discounted. We received less than 30c per paperback copy for many of the above mentioned 100,000 sales. This is my attempt at trying something different.

You don’t have to pay now. I’m collecting commitments on the form below. When the book with your name printed in it is ready to post, I’ll contact you for payment.

Many thanks!

Tony