Book Sales

So,  Mini and Me: Learning Healthy Habits is available for purchase…let the buying begin!  Right?!  We have had so many people respond to our blog and our Facebook group with such amazing encouragement.  They say what an awesome topic, how important this is, what an epidemic childhood obesity has become, how great the book looks, how cute the illustrations are, what a great story, how they love what Shelly and I have done, etc, etc, etc.  Now if all these people would just go ahead and buy a copy.  We did have a few days where our website was not working properly.  Mill City Press says they have corrected that now, but we do know a handful of people tried to purchase and could not. 

Our book has only been available a  few weeks, but it has been years that our anticipation has been growing!  And boy has it grown…we have thought about the day someone could buy this book, read it to their child and have it make a difference.  We have thought about the day that a parent could read the “Informative Guide for Adults” and realize they should do some things differently, that they need to make a healthy change for their family, that maybe they are using some words that hurt and should rethink how they speak to their kids about the sensitive topic of weight.  Like I said, it has only been a few weeks and we will not become frustrated because WE BELIEVE IN THIS BOOK!  We believe in the message and we KNOW it is an important topic.  It takes time to get the word out and we will prevail! 

We did get some great news… The Fort Worth Independent School District  ordered 85 copies for their Guidance and Counseling Department!  This is a huge step for our project and hopefully other local school districts will soon follow.  This is so exciting to know that our book will be in the hands of school counselors who can talk to children in need. 

So, if you’re reading this…say a little prayer for our book!  We are working on our marketing plan and making contacts every day.  Oh, and did I mention…we have the cutest letterhead you’ve ever seen! ;)

READY TO PRINT!

It’s so hard to believe…after all this time, after all this work, after all the up’s and down’s…we are finally READY TO PRINT!  Mini and Me will really be coming to you soon! 

We received the proof last week.  It wasn’t exactly what we were thinking it would be…we thought an actual book would come to us.  We were told because we choseoffset printing, we would not be getting a bound book to approve.  We did get to see the cover and it looked amazing!  The interior was not the actual paper that would be used and the print quality was not reflective of the actual process.  So, we used our imagination and envisioned what our actual book would like like…bound, on 80# gloss paper, beautifully printed illustrations and best of all our names listed as the authors.  And what we saw…was AWESOME! 

 We also submitted our website information to Mill City Press, who should start working on www.MiniAndMeTheBook.com which will have the all important “buy the book” button!  Feel free to check out our other website… www.MiniAndMe.com  for more information about Shelly and I, childhood obesity and more.

It’s all coming together nicely…don’tcha think?

Out go the galleys…

The galleys are in and we were told they look great!  We approved the pitch letter and the galley mailing list.  We only had one minor glitch during this process, which Mill City Press is rectifying by sending out 5 e-books for us.  Thank you Emily!  One more thing on the list completed.   Now, cross your fingers for some good reviews!

It’s time now to complete the copyright paperwork and start the MCP website.  Shelly and I already have www.miniandme.comwhich is partially complete.  Now we have to get a domain name for the MCP site which will have the “buy the book”  page.  Things are getting busy…thank goodness!

Making the Leap from Executive to Author

Two women manage the change — for a very worthy cause.

Best friends, Shelly Stockum and Sandi Stewart, both had long careers in management in the financial industry. They felt unappreciated, unchallenged and overall burnt out. They spent their lunch hours dreaming of new careers. Shelly and Sandi both craved a career that made them feel alive, a career they felt passionate about and a career that could make a difference in the world by helping others. Then one year, Shelly received an amazing birthday gift that would inspire these two women to follow their dreams. Together, they have brought to the world an inspirational story, the story of Mini and Me. Mini is an adorable, brown Chihuahua, whose big, round belly, stick legs and long tongue, allows us to recognize the beauty in being different, the importance of family and the significance of being healthy.

Like a lot of women, Shelly and Sandi have both struggled to have a healthy relationship with food in our diet-crazed society and had hopes that our children could avoid some of these same issues. However, after watching the news or picking up a newspaper it is clear to see that without significant changes the children of our country would face severe weight related issues. The number of obese children in our country has hit epidemic proportions. Sandi and Shelly know first hand the importance of an active lifestyle, healthy eating habits and most importantly, a supportive family.

As parents, it is imperative that we learn how to talk to our children about weight, nutrition, exercise and body image without diminishing the child’s self-worth or self-esteem. That is exactly what Shelly and Sandi hope to help with. They are providing adorable stories for our children, which promote health, nutrition and exercise and also offer a springboard for discussion for parents and caregivers. They also provide a “parent’s guide” in the book which gives tips and suggestions on how to address this sensitive topic. Shelly and Sandi are so serious about this issue they have left their jobs in the finance industry and are in the process of forming Mini’s Mark, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. They have also become certified Children’s Fitness Specialists and certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultants through the American Fitness Professionals and Associates.

The story of Mini and Me is based on true characters and delivers the important message both women are passionate about sharing with the world.

Authors