What if there was a rocket ship that flew all the way to Heaven and we could see what God really looks like? What if we could eat a billion zillion ice cream cones and never get a tummy ache? What if I could build the fastest train ever? These are all questions that come from the minds of children I have taught over the years. Children’s thoughts have no limits, and as an early childhood and elementary school teacher I have had first hand experience living in my children’s worlds of imagination.
My question is, what if children could rule the world with their imagination? What kind of things would they create in real life that would inspire innovation, positive thinking, and kindness towards one another? What kind of stories would they tell?
I had the privilege of interviewing a mother and daughter publishing team that helps children do just that. Their company has helped dozens of Black kids bring their creative stories to life by helping them to self publish their very own children’s picture books. The company is called Lauren Simone Publishing House.
WP: I didn’t’ realize how many children authors there were until I decided to get into the publishing business. How do you find your clients, and how do they find you?
LSP: First let me say thank you so much for this interview. I didn’t set out to be a publisher. My daughters inspired me to write children’s books with diverse characters. After publishing 5 books, people contacted me and asked me how I self-published. I was willing to share but they asked me to help their child become an author. And that is how Lauren Simone Pubs was born. All of my clients have been through referrals.
WP: What’s the youngest writer you’ve partnered with?
LSP: The youngest author was 5. Elijah and his sister Madison were always making up stories and his mother recorded them. We had their stories edited and illustrated and the Madison and Elijah series took off.
WP: How many young authors can you say you’ve helped since you started your business?
LSP: So far we have published 11 youth authors (Alyssa Simone, Olivia Lauren, Dowe Twins, Madison, Elijah, Kiya, Jordan, Imani, Amari, and Aaron) and 5 youth illustrators (Michael-Zachary, Simonne-Anais, Zoe, Clara-Jane, and Ciara).
WP: This might not be a fair question, but do you have a favorite title that you have helped publish so far?
LSP: I know we shouldn’t have a favorite. But Olivia’s favorite is Olivia Travels and mine is Things We Wear. Olivia Travels is a personal story because the illustrations were done from family photos and our family is the main characters. Things We Wear shows a cultural take on clothes and I am an immigrant and I love to travel so that is my favorite. In terms of the books I did not publish, I will let the customers tell you. They love the title called Disco Balls of the Universe to describe the planets in the solar system. Both boys and girls are attracted to it.
WP: The children who write for you seem to have an advanced knowledgeable about life and educational topics. For example, I’ve read Lala and Henry Wingo by Ayana Bando. On the surface it’s about a magical unicorn’s adventure traveling from her planet to earth. But really, it’s shedding light on the environmental tragedy of oil spills. And the book you published, written by Imani Ariana Grant, entitled Disco Balls of the Universe, shows advanced age level knowledge of science and the planets in our solar system.
WP (for young authors Jordan and Imani): What inspired you to write on these topics?
Jordan: I love unicorns! My sister, Kiya and I love animals. We have 2 dogs and 2 tortoises and love everything about animals. We learned a lot about global warming and how humans impact the Earth. It is really sad. We wrote our book on unicorns and saving the earth. My mom loves to learn about space and space travel and so she supplied that part of our story.
Imani: My younger brother, Nathaniel watched cartoon on the solar system every day. He was obsessed with the planets, so I learned about so much about them. One summer I told her mom I was bored. My mom told me to write a poem. I chose to write a poem on the solar system for my brother. And we sent it to Dr. John, who had it edited and illustrated. Simonne and Zachary, two kids a little older than me, created the art.
WP (to LSP): So you started this company with your daughters. What’s it like working with them?
LSP: My younger daughter, Olivia Lauren, is smart, hardworking, and very creative. Between the ages of 7 and 11, she loved the spotlight. This made working together so much fun because she would read at events and talk to customers. Now that she is a teenager (14 y.o.), she isn’t as extroverted, but she is a wiz at managing the checkouts through square. She set up the catalog and has held it down all by herself. My older daughter, Alyssa Simone, is more like me. She prefers the behind the scenes. She critiques, edits, and makes suggestions for art, text, and branding. She is currently away at college and is majoring in Communications and Sociology. I love working with both. They keep me updated with trends and technology.
WP: (for Olivia Lauren) What’s it like working with your mom?
Olivia: I like working with my mom. We work well together. She talks to the customers, and I take the payments. I get to use my creative side by decorating the table. One thing for sure it is WORK! We have to lift tables, chairs, boxes of books, and stand in the different temperatures during fairs. I have a better understanding of the value of money being a business owner. It also helped me with my work ethic and made me more mature than other children my age.
WP: What is your ultimate goal? And what are your future plans for your company?
LSP: I have one main goal- to get incorporated into the schools nationally. First, I hope to create programs in schools where all children can write and publish their story if they so desire. Second, I hope that all children will have access to the books already published to empower students in believing they can achieve any of their dreams at any age.
It was pleasure being able to connect with these two. Our visions for the publishing industry align and I definitely see myself partnering with them in the future.
As adults we can sometimes let our dreams and goals get buried under disappointments, setbacks, and the busyness of life, but it would do us some good to look to our children as examples when dreaming about our futures. This anonymous quote pretty much sums it up. “If we all could see the world through the eyes of a child, we would see the magic in everything”!
2 Comments
Great work! Well done.
Thanks for your support!