Yesterday, Ariane briefly mentioned her book with uTales and I said I had info on this to share with you. uTales is in Beta testing right now, but anyone who wants to go on can use this link: www.utales.com/invitation and use the password: kathy to get into their site. They will ask you to agree with their terms and agreement, but this is not giving any of your rights away.
This could be the answer to all you writers who would like to do something with your book, but can’t find an illustrator. Below are some questions you might have.
What is uTales?
uTales is a world of digital picture books for kids, driven by a worldwide community of passionate and professional writers and illustrators.
uTales is both a website and an app, but more importantly uTales is one big disruptive idea. We’re a global community aiming to innovate and improve the concept of books in every way we can. We’re making picture books more modern and engaging. We’re making a greater variety of picture books more accessible for kids everywhere. We’re eliminating boundaries for talented storytellers to get published. And we’re trying to make the world a little better for kids, one story at a time.
How does uTales insure the quality of the books?
Only books approved by uTales will be featured in the uTales store and apps. uTales is proud to have an internationally diverse editorial advisory panel in place to approve all books before they are published to insure and uphold the highest safety and quality standards for our readers. This panel is made up of award-winning professional editors, authors, illustrators, and educators.
Our UQEP panel is led by children’s book editor and consultant, Emma D. Dryden, who has, over the course of the past twenty-five years, edited and published hundreds of books for young readers in her work with Margaret K. McElderry Books and Atheneum Books for Young Readers, imprints of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. Emma oversees drydenbks, her own children’s book consultancy company, is a member of the American Library Association, and a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Board of Advisors.
How do I support charity by using uTales?
We are very proud to have a partnership with Pencils of Promise, and that we, together with our uTalers, help them build schools in developing countries. Our uTalers have the choice to give up to 100% of their earnings to support Pencils of Promise – so every time you read one of their books, you bring education to a child in need.
Beyond that, we create specific uTales books with 100% of the earnings going to Pencils of Promise – and we hope to be doing even more together with PoP in the future. We’re building uTales for the kids.
For more information on Pencils of Promise, check out their fantastic website: www.pencilsofpromise.org
Can I end my uTales subscription at any time?
Yes you can.
For how long will I keep books I have purchased on uTales?
For as long as you have an account registered with us.
How do I create books on uTales.com?
Simply start a new book in our create tool on the website.
Once your book is approved by our UQEP panel (a process that generally takes from a few days up to two weeks), it will be available globally on uTales.com and in the uTales apps.
Do I give away all my rights as a creator?
No, of course not! We are trying to offer the most transparent and simple setup on the market. You’ll find al
This sounds like it’s very innovative and a very good opportunity for authors and illustrators to get published. I’ve often seen Emma D. Dryden’s name over the years. Just look at her credentials and it seems a pretty safe bet it’ll be good!
Thanks for gathering the info, Kathy
Donna