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Feature

Sweet Dreams of Publishing Success

The Junior League of Houston takes on a Children's Book Project

by Julia Collier Humphreys

Sweet Dreams of Publishing Success The Junior League of Houston's Children's Book Project Junior League groups around the nation are known for creating and publishing wonderful cookbooks that capture the flavors and personalities of their regions. These books become excellent vehicles for fund raising and objects of community pride. But what would happen if such a group, having already mastered the art of the cookbook, decided to publish a more mainstream project? Here is the story of how the Junior League of Houston decided to embark on a unique publishing adventure...

The Concept
In the spring of 2001, the Junior League of Houston's then-president Franny Gray expressed an interest in publishing a children's book. The Junior League had already enjoyed success with its cookbooks -- Junior League of Houston Cookbook (1968), The Star of Texas Cookbook (1983) and Stop and Smell the Rosemary, Recipes and Traditions to Remember (1996). Stop and Smell The Rosemary has sold over 140,000 copies and has garnered eight national awards including the Tabasco Hall of Fame Award for Outstanding Community Cookbook, the 1997 Benjamin Franklin Award, the 1997 Small Press Best Cookbook Award (now know as the Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Award), and The Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Award for Best Cookbook.

"Franny thought a children's book would fit perfectly with the League's mission because it would address literacy, a top focus area of our organization," explains Roni Atnipp, publishing director for the children's book. "The motivation behind the book's creation was the hope that it would make a difference in the lives of children. Our marketing of the book would tie in with literacy initiatives, and the funds generated by the book's sale would be put to use improving the Houston community."

A steering committee of ten volunteers was assembled, and the League brought on Chris Hill of HILL Strategic Brand Solutions as the concept, design and art director. Hill had been involved in the same capacity for Stop and Smell the Rosemary. The group read volumes of children's books and spent weeks on research. They found that picture books aimed at young children were the most profitable sellers in the children's market, and women, usually the mothers of small children, were the biggest buyers of these books. Additionally, successful books needed to contain a universal theme in order to appeal to this audience. Based on the research, the committee determined this children's book would be a picture book, aimed at three to seven year olds, hardbound with a dust jacket, contain attractive illustrations and minimal text, and would retail for $16.95.

Business Plan
The committee agreed that they couldn't afford to put the Junior League's non-profit dollars at risk when breaking into the children's book market. They needed to find a way to pay for the book as the project developed. First, they decided to raise initial money through the creation of a children's book club. Prospects were invited to pay $100 or $500 for membership for their kids and friends, and they would receive name listing in the new book, exclusive sneak peaks of the process through a bi-monthly newsletter, a t-shirt, and an invitation to the children's publishing party celebrating the debut of the book. Over 450 young people joined the book club, and these funds did indeed cover the initials expenses.

Second, the committee needed to raise funds to pay for the first printing (20,000 copies). As the League had with Stop and Smell the Rosemary, the committee planned a pre-publication sales campaign which offered cases of six books for sale at a significant discount off the retail price. The pre-sales campaign was to be launched in the early summer before the September 2002 publication date, with the discount decreasing as the debut drew closer. 5,000 books were sold during this campaign.

The Storyline
Once it was determined that they would produce a picture book aimed at children ages three to seven, they needed the idea for the story. During a brainstorming session, a committee member shared that her daughter claimed she didn't dream. This led to lively, then serious discussion about the possibilities dreams would present, and how a tale about a child who thought he didn't dream would work as the book's premise. "We sought to create a fun book with a 'soft message,'" explains children's book chairman Kathy Abib. "We did not want the dream theme to be too preachy, but we liked that the story could be encouraging to young people to set goals and to dream about possibilities, big and small."

The next step was to get the organization involved in the process. The Junior League of Houston is the third-largest Junior League in the country and is comprised of over 4,800 members. "In order for the project to succeed, the membership needed to buy into the idea," notes Atnipp. "For the cookbooks, members submitted, tasted and judged recipes, so they felt pride and ownership in the project." There wasn't an obvious replicable activity for a children's book, but the committee came up with the idea to pose a question to children: What Do Critters Dream? Questionnaires asking, "What does a spider dream? What does a frog dream? What does a bunny dream?" were made available to the League membership's children, their friends, and classmates, and by August of 2001, over 800 questionnaires had been returned. "The children's responses truly provided the inspiration for the book," notes Abib. "After pouring over every questionnaire, the committee, in essence, had the general concept in hand."

Once the questionnaires were submitted, the Dream Readers Book Club was launched. Striking the Deal
By October 2001, it was time to find an author and illustrator to bring the story to life. The committee considered seeking talent from within the League membership to take on this project, but ultimately decided to hire a professional. Chris Hill discovered Regan Dunnick, who had illustrated for many magazines and corporate clients, but had also illustrated and had even written a book for young people. Dunnick was game for the project, not off put by working for a committee of ten women, and his early drawings seemed to capture the spirit of the vision for the book. The contract between author/illustrator and client stated that the Junior League would retain the rights to the story and the characters. "We pay no royalty to Regan, although he was paid well upfront," notes Atnipp." Dunnick was hired in December 2001, began reviewing the "What Do Critters Dream?" forms, and working on the storyline and characters right away.

"In our earliest meetings, we had speculated whether the main character of the book should be a boy or girl," recalls Atnipp. "Our research indicated that most young boys did not relate as well to a female character, but that young girls would identify with either. Regan solved that dilemma, though, by imagining our main character as a dog. With a dog as the star of our book, the question over cultural or gender distinctions virtually disappeared. " Thus, Douglas the dog was born!

Dunnick shared his drafts and drawings with the committee all along. "Regan was ever the professional during what could've been a painful process," recalls Atnipp. "It couldn't have been easy for him to have a committee of ten women nitpicking his every word and illustration!" "Regan was very flexible," agrees Abib, "but there were times when he took a firm stand about his vision for Douglas and the other characters. We weren't shy either, though, when we felt a certain point needed to be made. There was a lot of give and take, but since we all shared a common goal-- a successful product-- the overall experience was pleasant." Dunnick finished Sweet Dreams Douglas in mid-March 2002.

Production and Marketing
With the book complete, the focus shifted to sales and marketing efforts. The committee sent the finished manuscript to a Japanese printer, Dai Nippon, and the books were produced in China. The pre-publication sales campaign was launched in May. And with only a limited marketing budget, the committee began to seek collaborations with other literacy organizations to promote Sweet Dreams Douglas.

Examples of Creative Partnerships
Children's Book Drive: The League sponsored a membership-wide book drive held in conjunction with Sweet Dreams Douglas's debut. Hundreds of books were donated and are being distributed to agencies supported by the League's charitable endeavors.

Reach Out and Read - Texas Partnership: Through the Reach Out and Read program, doctors and nurses provide children from six months to five years "prescriptions" to read and new, developmentally appropriate books to take home. All Sweet Dreams Douglas order forms include a section to donate a copy of the book to these children who would probably otherwise never own a brand new book. To date, Reach Out and Read has received over 500 donations of Sweet Dreams Douglas

Sweet Dreams Douglas Coloring Contest: Foleys, the Houston Chronicle, and KHMX 96.5 FM partnered with the Junior League to sponsor a coloring contest in November. The ad ran four times during November, hundreds of local children submitted entries, and the winner will receive a $500 "dream" children's shopping spree donated by Foley's. Radio partner KHMX conducted on-air promotions and gave away copies of Sweet Dreams Douglas.

First Book Citywide Storytime: Sweet Dreams Douglas was a featured book at the First Book Citywide Storytime for children, at 65 locations throughout Houston in November. First Book is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. In 2001 First Book distributed 7 million books to hundreds of thousands of children in more than 700 communities nationwide.

The Future
Spanish language and paperback versions are being considered so the League can get Sweet Dreams Douglas into the hands of as many children as possible. "The Junior League gave a mobile pediatric unit to the city of Houston in 2000 to serve the children whose families do not have access to healthcare," notes Abib. "We would love to give every child who is treated in that medical facility a copy of Sweet Dreams Douglas." The League "dreams" of a series of books, with future adventures for Douglas -- Regan Dunnick says he is interested.

It appears that the Junior League of Houston's foray into the world of publishing will continue to thrive, continue to produce top-quality books, and to enrich all the readers - young, old, rich & poor - that those books touch.

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Sweet Dreams Douglas
by Regan Dunnick and The Junior League of Houston, Inc.
(Retail price $16.95/ISBN 0-9632421-3-X)
The first printing produced 20,000 books.
Over 7,000 copies have been sold to date.

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