Danny in a Newfangled World

Children’s Chapter Book Reviews for Free via Trade

// January 8th, 2012 // No Comments » // Books

There are a lot of children’s authors out there in cyberspace and quite a few lurking in bookstores that could use a boost in sales. For lesser known authors and self published authors such as myself, obtaining decent book reviews to post on Amazon and Chapters-Indigo (for us Canadians) can be challenging. That’s why I would be happy to consider swapping book reviews for books similar to Danny in a Newfangled World. If you are an author of a children’s chapter book with a word count in the range of 15,000 to 40,000 and would like to increase your web presence through reviews, send me an email describing your book (and a link to your amazon page would be helpful). If it’s a good match, we can swap books via email and post reviews for free. Neither party is obligated to write a good review, however both parties can decide whether they wish the review to be posted after it is completed.

I would also consider swapping completed manuscripts of children’s chapter books for free objective critiques. I have a completed manuscript for the sequel to Danny in a Newfangled World that could benefit from some honest feedback to ensure it’s the best story it can be.

If either of these options interests you, email me at dani.leonard5(at)gmail(dot)com.

Back to Work on Danny in a Newfangled World’s Sequel

// January 10th, 2011 // No Comments » // Books

My new resolution to work diligently on the book’s sequel has hit a couple of snags.  The nasty flu bug attacked me during the holidays, and then hit me a double whammy the first week of January.  As a result, I’ve been drained of the energy needed to get those creative juices flowing. 

Although I still suffer the sniffles, the head is clearing up bit by bit, and I’m now back on track!  Last week, I managed to almost complete chapter 4 of the sequel, and had a lot of fun writing!  I know how much kids have enjoyed the video game action sequences of Danny in a Newfangled World (book #1), so there will be a few of those, again, in book#2.  Unfortunately, I have yet to think up a super cool title, so the not-so-thrilling working title will remain book#2, for now.

More good news… I am re-working the layout of the first book to make it more reader-friendly.  That new version should be available by the end of January.  Although the story will not change at all, I think kids will enjoy the more spacious layout — but don’t be too concerned with the increased page count.  The number of words is not changing.

Where to Buy the Book

// November 18th, 2010 // No Comments » // Books

More and more people are asking me where they can pick up a copy of Danny in a Newfangled World.  It is still not widely available at bookstores… But I’m working on that.

For now, the book can be purchased at Lollipop Art Lounge in downtown Oakville and a Different Drummer Bookstore in Burlington.  As well, it is available through Amazon.com and will soon be on the shelves at Chapters Oakville.

I am hitting the Christmas fairs in and around Oakville and Mississauga starting with the Hopedale Presbyterian Christmas Fair this Saturday.  Next week, I will be attending Chapters Oakville to do a reading from my book on Tuesday November 23 at 7pm.  On December 4, I’m selling at St. Christopher’s Elementary School Christmas Bazaar in Mississauga.  On December 9, I will be at the Sip & Shop event at the e-Spot in Oakville above Artisano Restaurant from 4 to 8pm. 

Better news is that I’m meeting with a distributor next week and hopefully will soon see my books in more local stores.  The biggest challenge to a self-published author is definitely distribution!  It doesn’t help that most bookstores across Canada are owned by one corporation.  Although Chapters is a fantastic bookstore that I love to shop at, they do not sell books by authors who do not have a distributor, except by consignment.  And, selling by consignment is proving quite difficult to do at this time of year since their shelves are full for the holiday season.  I’m thrilled, however,  that our own Oakville store is welcoming my book during the Christmas season.  Hopefully more Chapters and Coles will follow in the new year.