The story of publishing my children's book 'Imagine a World'

THE STORY OF PUBLISHING MY CHILDREN’S BOOK 'IMAGINE A WORLD'

I had the idea for Imagine a World years ago, and wrote most of it when I was living on the coast in Morocco, just before I got locked down out there in 2020.

I’ve always thought about how there are so many beautiful bamboozling things in the world that already exist that you’d think could have been made up or in Avatar or a cartoon - but they’re REALLY REAL! Like volcanoes, aurora borealis and australis, honeybees, jellyfish and so so much more.

I was then very lucky to find Katie O'Rourke A.K.A By Bells on Instagram, who had never illustrated a children’s book before but decided to give it a go! I sent her my quite terrible stick man drawings, and how she managed to create the beautiful drawings she did from that I do not know... We met for a walk in the park and a drink in London and I can confirm she’s lovely.

And then I just sat on it for a year or two, worried that it wasn’t perfect and ready to send to publishers yet, thinking I’d get round to polishing it… but decided one day to get over myself and just get it out there.

I emailed a few publishers, and the lovely Award Books came back to me within a few days! I couldn’t believe it, it was really going to happen! A few weeks later we signed the contract.

Fast forward a year of adding more pages and illustrations, creating nature connection activities for the back pages, adding the cover and starting a partnership with the charity Rewilding Britain, donating to their work with every copy sold in the UK, and it’s here!

I’ve only wanted to be a writer since I was about, oooh I don’t know, 4 years old?! so it’s just so lovely that it actually finally exists in the world.

The main characters are called Emily, after my best friend, and Freya the mermaid, after my little niece. The mermaid originally had another name, but then when Freya was born last year she then became Freya! Here’s me and my brother reading it to her while she was trying to eat it...

I received this one advance copy in the post a couple of weeks ago and have taken it into a few independent shops in the UK and Australia to try and get it stocked there!

Pre-orders have started on my website and lots of other online sites… 3000 copies have been printed to start with, and almost 100 have been ordered via my website (I have no idea how many on Amazon or other sites!) 

My hope is to share the wonder of our beautiful planet through this book, connecting children and adults to nature. 

The release date is Earth Day, April 22nd 2025, and we’ll be celebrating with a launch event the day before on Easter Monday, April 21st, at the beautiful Palais de Vaches in the New Forest, Hampshire, right by the sea. Come down for a book reading, to make some wildflower seed bombs and there may even be an Easter egg hunt... tickets available soon!

WAYS TO HELP THIS GALS CHILDHOOD DREAM OF BECOMING AN AUTHOR: 

1. Pre-order the book! From me (to be in with a chance of winning a £250 Wild Times voucher) or from Bookshop.org, Amazon, Waterstones, W H Smith, Foyles and more…
   
   
2. Go into your local independent bookshop or lovely gift shop and ask them to stock it
   
   
3. Let me know about schools I should do readings at and shops it should be stocked in
   
   
4. Come to the book launch on Easter Monday!
   
   
5. Spread the word - tag someone, tell someone, share this

Wishing you wonder and wild times, and thank you for helping my dream come true, from 4 year old me, love Jen xx