The Origin of the Idea - Part 4

This is where I enter the story, June Ogilvie the owner of Bookmakers Ltd., agent for Jodie McCallum.

When I purchased Bookmakers Ltd. from the late Gayle McNeil, the Agency came complete with a great and very talented group of Children's Book illustrators. They have all produced and continue to produce the best Children's Book illustrations out in the marketplace today.

However, there was a clear need to diversify into other areas, and one of those was the movement to a digital medium. We started to investigate and review the epublishing space, and through our social media efforts, came across an article on Lynette Mattke, CEO of Picpocket Books.

Once we were able to connect and speak to her in person our view of the world changed and the possibilities she discussed became boundless. Once she showed us one of the mobile picture book apps that her firm produced we knew this was the right publisher for us, it was amazing! She was gracious enough to agree to help out a couple of newbies and review any materials we could send her way.

We quickly drew upon the rich content that our own group of illustrators had amassed during their career and settled on a Christmas story, given the time of year and the work's editorial and illustrative  completeness.

Thus we submitted "THE FIRST CHRISTMAS" text and illustrations to Picpocket Books for review and the real journey began in earnest!

What a fun ride it has been so far and we hope to go on many more as others submit story ideas, completed illustrations, ideas and concepts.

Stay tuned for more stories from Bookmakers Ltd. and our partners because our talented artists all have great imagination, creativity and TALENT!!!

Next Post - stay tuned for the introduction of Donkey to our social media and marketing efforts

Challenges of Social Media Sites

I do not know about everyone else but it can be a tad overwhelming when trying to connect all of the sites you need to be visible on, in order to promote and market yourself and your services.

Everyone is just a little different and seems to require different levels of engagement and programming/verification to work properly.

We have tried to stick to those most relevant but time will tell if we have chosen wisely, but given the reach and potential exposure it is well worth the effort and sometimes frustration that these social media sites pose.

Donkey would like to announce that we are now part of the DIGG community and our followers can check out our profile and information there as well. That is assuming we have done everything correctly, please be patient, not easy to type with hooves.

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Waiting for Approval

I have made it to the final hurdle before I can become a full fledged mobile picture book app.

Me and the other characters from "THE FIRST CHRISTMAS" have been submitted along with the full story to the Apple itunes store for approval.

We owe big thanks to the great folks at Picpocket Books who are publishing my story.

Wish us LUCK!!!

Remember the coloring contest, enter soon!

The Origin of the Idea - Part 3

During the wait for the thunderstorm to pass, John noticed Jodie working at her drawing board in the McCallum Gallery, and mentioned that he had always wanted to write a children's book. 

He asked her if she would like to see some of his poetry and he stopped by the next day with a few pieces. It didn't take much direction, as John picked up on what Jodie wanted.

John turned out a wonderful lighthearted manuscript that really appeals to all kids young and young at heart. Jodie and I went to work on paginating the manuscript to conform to a standard 32 page children's book. Sketches followed that were turned into full color illustrations. 

To be continued....

Coloring Book Contest for Kids

Donkey's Coloring Contest to Win a Free Download APP of "THE FIRST CHRISTMAS"

The creative team behind "THE FIRST CHRISTMAS" mobile picture book app would like to invite children to color in Donkey and his friends for a chance to win a FREE download of the app "THE FIRST CHRISTMAS".

There will be two contests, one for children in grades K - 2 and the other for children in grades 3 - 5.

Our judge will be the talented illustrator behind the story and the characters for "THE FIRST CHRISTMAS", Jodie McCallum.

There are two ways to submit your work once completed:

Regular Mail - Jodie McCallum Fine Art Gallery, 724 W. Main Street, Marblehead, OH 43440


Email - Scan low res image 72 dpi, save as jpeg file, email to - jodiemccallum@hotmail.com


All entries please include name and email address. Deadline for submissions December 13, 2010. Winners will be announced on December 20, 2010 and notified via email along with a promo code to download the app free.

K - Grade 2 Image

Grades 3 - 5 Image

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS App Progress

The journey is now moving at break neck speed. Over the weekend our title page was completed, Author's text and copyright pages finished. A great collaboration between the author (John Wilkie), illustrator (Jodie McCallum) and Picpocket Books the App developer and publisher to come up with the App's synopsis:

"A charming rhyming storyline and beautiful full color illustrations combine to tell the story of the first Christmas from the perspective of Mary's donkey and the Magi's camels. A page of conversation starters for young readers and listeners adds even more opportunities for engagement with your child. This app will be a new classic to add to your family's collection."


"THE FIRST CHRISTMAS" is closer than ever to becoming a true mobile book app for all in the family to enjoy!

"The First Christmas" Ebook The origin of the idea for "The First Christmas" Children's book, soon to be a mobile picture book, brought to you by Picpocket Books.

Part 1 & 2

Jodie McCallum (illustrator and creator) was approached to create characters for a children's nativity set that could be designed and produced en masse.

From this request sprang the idea to create an entire children's story based on the well known journey, but told from the animal's perspective and to make it even more enjoyable for children, have it written in rhyme.

Once Grant and Jodie decided it should be written from the animals point of view and in rhyme, that is when FATE! entered the picture.

Enter John Wilkie! John and his wife Bonnie decided to take a short trip over to Kelleys Island but a violent thunderstorm was overhead, so they decided to stop in the McCallum Gallery and wait for it to pass.

To be continued....

"The First Christmas" Ebook - first blog post

This blog will follow the Characters in "The First Christmas" Donkey, Sheep and Camels. The mobile picture book tells the traditional story from a different perspective, that of the animals that transport all of the human characters to Bethlehem.

The adventures of Donkey, Sheep and the Camels started as an idea in the Artist's head (Jodie McCallum), to illustrated characters, than given voice by the author (John Wilkie) and edited for content.

It will follow them as they complete their journey to becoming a mobile picture book  in time for Christmas giving by Picpocket Books (www.picpocketbooks.com).

You can also follow their adventures on Twitter - www.twitter.com/the1stchristmas and you can become a fan of theirs on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/cDuGC0

Cheers
Reg Ogilvie
www.bookmakersltd.com
575-776-5435