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What was the hardest part of the whole project?

Finding an illustrator. I had a lot of text and a very clear idea of what I wanted the end product to look like but the illustration was beyond my capabilities. Several people had a go before I finally teamed up with Mark and together we brought the first book to completion.

Why did you choose to self-publish the book?

Books are meant to be read, so I needed it to be accessible and as cheap as possible. It’s my first serious foray into publishing so I didn’t want to tie up a lot of capital in stock either. The self-publishing route was a fair compromise, and appeals to my more entrepreneurial nature of course.

Why can’t I buy your book from mainstream retailers?

There is no retailer margin built into the sale price, which keeps the end cost of the book as low as possible, but makes it financially unattractive to retailers. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the interest to date however, and as a first step we’ll hopefully gain an ISBN number in the near future.

How do I get a signed copy?

You can buy a copy in person from me, and most early copies were signed and sold this way. At that time the joke was if you wanted a copy that might be worth something in a few years time then get an unsigned copy.

If you have an unsigned copy then come and find me at one of our Recreation Railways events, or at the East Somerset Railway where I am a volunteer most weekends.

Who bought the first book?

Hindsight! I wish I had recorded who bought the first copy, but I didn’t. To be fair I was otherwise engaged driving on the miniature railway at the time. It was sold, and signed, by Kitty herself to a lovely family visiting a Day’s Out with Thomas event at the East Somerset Railway.

Who is your favourite children’s author?

Julia Donaldson without a doubt, I’m a huge Gruffalo fan, I put this in the category of durable children’s books up there with Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I’m also partial to Benedict Blathwayt’s Little Red Train series of course, which inspired some of Mark’s illustrations.

So what’s next?

Well, Kitty’s Bicycle is actually the second book in the series, even though it was published first. Self publishing means a lot of work on my part for marketing, but Mark and I are also actively working on book one Jennifer's Eggs. There are another six or so books in various stages of completion.