"Lucy Goosey, Where Are You?" board book cover with dog driving a race car
Interior pages of board book. One spread with text and a painting of a dog swimming in a mountain lake and the other of a dog racing a car on a race track.
Close-up photo of "Lucy Goosey, Where Are You?" board book cover with dog driving a race car

When I first spoke with Stephanie Lancaster she showed interest in designing and formatting her own books, but wanted some guidance along the way. I absolutely love working with clients who have the desire to learn best practices so they can do more on their own. Especially when it comes to independent authors! There is so much cost that goes into self-publishing, so any work we can do ourselves helps to keep down overhead costs.

A few months went by after our initial conversation, but I was so delighted when Stephanie reached out again to say her book was written AND she had successfully started the design of her book! She wanted me to go through and give it the final, professional touches and tweaks, which I was more than happy to do. We were also able to do a call in the end where I spoke with her about what I changed and why, so that she had a leg up for her next book.

Stephanie was also working with a watercolor artist who was new to the world of children’s books and so I also gave feedback for best practices for a good initial setup with formatting and minimal art changes. (And props to Stephanie’s illustrator, Tracye, who had a great start initially – my feedback was minimal!)

“Lucy Goosey, Where Are You?” was truly a wonderful book to collaborate on. It’s a great example of an independent author who is taking initiative and working with a designer and illustrator in order to get the best outcome possible for a wonderful children’s story.

I’m beyond thrilled to have played a role in this beautiful board book and I cannot wait to see more from Stephanie and Tracye!

To purchase Stephanie’s board book, visit her website at LucyGooseyWhereAreYou.com.

If you’re interested in formatting or even learning how to do some formatting and design on your own, feel free to reach out! I’m always happy to do a free consultation call where you can pick my brain.