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You know the Piña Colada song, right? Getting caught in the rain?

Well, imagine that song in a picture book for kids (without the dunes of the cape, of course). Two besties have great times together, but they get stuck in a rut and go off to seek other adventures…only to rediscover each other.

That’s the premise of Tiffany Strelitz Haber‘s charming OLLIE AND CLAIRE. The light and cheery watercolors by Matthew Cordell feature sketchy lines that suggest fun and frolic. A delight to read aloud, your voice just skips along like the two friends do. Tiffany’s a master of rhyme and one of the two ladies behind The Meter Maids.

Besides having two successful picture books to her credit (the other is THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN), Tiffany has branched out into ebooks. She recently released HUNGRY HARRY with StoryPanda and MORE CHEESE, PLEASE with KiteReaders. I interviewed her to find out about the ebook process and this emerging opportunity for children’s book writers.

Tiffany, what attracted you to ebooks?

To me, ebooks are just another way for kids to experience reading. In some cases there are interactive aspects to the ebook that can really help them learn, and in other cases it might just be a nice opportunity for a more reluctant reader to enjoy stories and story time in general.

Did you write HARRY and CHEESE specifically for an ebook format, or were these traditional picture book manuscripts first?

I have this sort of arsenal of completed picture books. Some have been subbed out widely. Others to just a couple places, and others have never actually seen the light of day! I picked two stories that I liked a lot and just rolled with those. Not sure CHEESE was ever subbed out anywhere and HARRY went to one place, actually got to editorial, but didn’t make it through. Wait. Does that even answer your question? Kind of, right?!

How did you go about researching ebook publishers and in what format did you submit?

Oh, I googled the bejesus out of ebook publishers and chose to submit to ones that I felt the most comfortable with. There’s a lot of communication available with the actual publishers and marketing directors etc., so you can really get a feel for who you would be working with before you actually work with them.

I hired illustrators (after exhaustive searches on freelance websites) and submitted completed manuscripts (text and art) to the ebook publishers. The illustrators I chose were those willing to accept a flat fee for the work, and OK with the fact that I would retain the rights to the images as well. Hopefully it is some good publicity for them, and also additional work to add to their portfolio when searching for agents, etc. There are so many wonderful artists out there!

How was the ebook editorial process different from a traditional picture book process?

Um…it’s different in that it’s ALL YOU. Period.

Care to expand upon that?

It’s basically self-publishing your picture book online. You need to edit it, and make all the art decisions, and check the spelling and punctuation, etc. There isn’t an editor or an art director to do that with you—although with HARRY I did work with someone at StoryPanda to create the interactive elements of the story.

The sounds all the crazy stuff HARRY eats sure are fun!

What recommendations and cautions do you have for other picture book writers about delving into the world of ebooks?

I think it’s too soon for me to make any cautionary statements OR recommendations about ebooks yet. It’s something I am experimenting with, and really enjoying so far…but definitely too soon to say much more than that!

How have you gone about marketing your ebooks?

Well, again—this is all very new to me, but I’ve started sending them out for reviews and of course there’s social media. And on a larger scale, I am trying to work with schools to get the books on their computers, etc. Defintiely a very entrepeneurial endeavor; but I think if you’re up for the challenge, it’s also lots of fun with somewhat limitless possibilities!

So you’ve now published two traditional picture books and two ebooks. What’s next for you?

Hmmm…I’m working on a middle grade novel right now, which is taking up most of my writing time—but still juggling a bunch of picture book works in “progress”, although I use the term “progress” loosely, as they seem to be at a dead stop for the time being!

Well, jump back into it because you’re a perfect rhymer and the world needs more great rhyming books!

Thanks for stopping by to let us in on the ebook process!

Blog readers, don’t go yet. Tiffany has a copy of HUNGRY HARRY and MORE CHEESE, PLEASE to give away. Just leave a comment below to enter the giveaway. Two winners will be chosen one week from today. Good luck!

I am ridiculously far behind in picking winners. So without further ado, here they are!

WINNER of CRASHING EDEN by Michael Sussman:

MIKE ALLEGRA! (heylookawriterfellow)

WINNER of THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN by Tiffany Strelitz Haber:

LESLIE G!

Congratulations, guys! I’ll be emailing you shortly.

I’m sorry if you didn’t win, but everyone’s leaving with a consolation prize. No, not a lifetime supply of Turtle Wax. (Do they even make Turtle Wax anymore? If you ever won a lifetime supply on Let’s Make a Deal you’d be ripped off.) Instead, it’s a piece of picture book writing advice:

Think BIG and carry a SMALL manuscript.

Lots of you will remember Kami Kinard from the workshops she conducted at the June conference.  She has a middle-grade novel, “The Boy Project (Notes and Observations of Kara McAllister)”, that was published by Scholastic in January 2012, and it’s a funny, fun read with some important, appropriately understated messages.

Susan Brody over on her blog at The Art of Not Getting Published has a very good interview of Kami and her book, which I have been told by people who have read it, is very good.  Besides that, Susan is giving away a copy of the book for the person who leaves the most interesting comment (Darn, I just left a comment, but it was very exciting). You only have until midnight, July 20th, Eastern Standard Time to go for a win. Come on! You know you want this book! http://theartofnotgettingpublished.blogspot.com/ 

Another writer you probably remember from speaking the June Conference is Tiffany Strelitz Haber. Her Debut book THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN hits the bookstores this coming week.

Tffany is having her Book Launch Party at Bellies and Booties in West Windsor, NJ (near Princeton) on July 27th between 3 pm and 7 pm. Everyone is welcome!

Everyone knows that the M in “monster” stands for MEAN. But what happens when a monster can’t be mean any more? Is he still a monster at all?

One young monster’s attempts to live up to his name go hilariously awry as he discovers—with a little help from new friends—that it’s not what you’re called but who you are that counts.

Looking at Tiffany’s book made me curious about the book’s illustrator, Kristi Edmonds. I contacted her and she will be featured on Illustrator Saturday soon.

This should turn as light on for a smart published picture book author. Getting your book’s illustrator featured on Illustrator Saturday is a great way to drum up more publicity for your book.

You can visit Tiffany at: http://www.itsrhymetime.com/Books.html

Master watercolor illustrator is forming a Watercolor Class for Illustrators at her 150-year-old gristmill home on the banks of the Musconetcong River near Hampton, NJ (12 minutes north of Clinton).

The class is for published and unpublished illustrators. We will meet on Monday mornings, 10 – noon, starting July 30th. This is an on-going class. $25 per session. I will give demos, offer technical help on illustration projects, and serve coffee. The group as a whole can offer feedback on individuals’ work.

Illustrators (and Writers and Parents) are VERY busy people with many demands on their time. I understand that artists can’t commit to coming every week. With that in mind I would like to have a roster of at least 8 people.

This is a wonderful opportunity to study under a extremely talented illustrator. Doris was featured on Illustrator Saturday back in July 2010. http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/illustrator-saturday-doris-ettlinger/  You can even see a picture of her gristmill house using this link. Her is Doris’

OK, so you know that I love monsters. Can’t get enough of them. Well, my friend Tiffany Strelitz Haber is here today with a monster of a story—her debut picture book, THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN!

Some of you may know Tiffany as one of the two rhyming geniuses behind The Meter Maids (with Corey Rosen Schwartz). If you don’t, you have to check out her site, which is all about writing in rhyme. Don’t make me slap you with a citation!

Before we get riffing with Tiffing (yeah I can call her that, it rhymes), you MUST take a look at the extraordinary trailer for her new book. The music, the animation—it’s all so monstrous and so much fun!

TL: THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN is about a monster who loses his ‘M’. You know I host Picture Book Idea Month every November so I’m obsessed with the origin of ideas. Where did this idea come from?

TSH: I have always been a very visual person when it comes to words. Even as a kid, I loved the concept of homonyms, acrostics, acronyms, spelling words backwards, and even looking at them upside down. One day I started thinking about the letters in the word MONSTER, and what they might actually stand for if the word MONSTER was an acronym. From there the concept just grew and evolved, and “The Onster” was born!

TL: We’re also all about characters names on this blog. Did “The Onster” have a name before he lost his M?

TSH: Ya know…that’s a great question. I like to think that he only really found any identity at all after he lost his M. Before that he was just…well… generic, nameless, and not nearly as cool—Monster. Bleh.

TL: The Onster cooks brunch at one point in the book. I’m a foodie like you, so what’s your favorite brunch food?

TSH: Hmm…for me, picking a favorite food is kind of like bending a spoon into a perfect figure eight using just my toes (almost impossible). But in the interest of quasi-decisiveness…I’ll go with a tie. EITHER: Perfectly toasted onion bagels slathered in whipped cream cheese, lox and just a few rounds of raw, red onion…OR…a dim sum extravaganza.

So…What’s YOUR favorite brunch food? Tell us and be entered to win a signed ARC of THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN!

You get one entry for commenting and then one entry for every place you share—blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Just let us know where you ONSTER’ed!

Tiffany Strelitz Haber is the author of two rhyming picture books:  THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, July 17, 2012) and OLLIE AND CLAIRE (Philomel/Penguin, 2013).  She will eat any food she is served, be it fried witchetty grubs on a stick or calf’s brain ravioli, and loves to be high in the air or deep in the sea.  T