What Really Happened to Humpty is Jeanie Franz Ransom’s first mystery, and her first collaboration with private investigator Joe Dumpty. Doesn’t that sound like a fun story? Let’s go talk with this picture book author who has 5 books in print.
Q. Jeanie, what got you started with the idea of writing a mystery about Humpty?
A lot of my ideas come from wondering “What if?.” In Humpty’s case, it was “What if Humpty Dumpty hadn’t fallen off that wall by accident? What if he was pushed?”
I’d never written a mystery before, so I really had no idea what I was getting into. What started out as a simple picture-book whodunit became more complex. A minor character wrote herself into a major role, and the plot had more twists and turns than I’d originally planned.
Q. You sold your first piece to Seventeen at age 17 which obviously means you had some talent! However, in your bio you mention that you didn’t seriously start writing for children until you had your own children. What was it that made you decide to go that direction?
I’d never thought about writing for children until I became a mom. I’d written for “grownup” magazines for years, and also was an advertising copywriter. But when I started reading to my first child, I thought how easy it would be to write picture books. They were nice and short, like the ad copy I wrote. I mean, how tough could it be, right? I soon learned that although it may be easy to write a picture book, to write a good one, and to get it published, is an entirely different story.
Q. What was the first book you sold? When did it come out? Can you tell us about how you chose that topic?
The first book that I sold was GRANDMA U. Three months later, I sold I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. However, the second book that I sold came out first (in 2000), and the first book came out second (in 2002). Are you still with me here?! That was my introduction to the picture-book publishing process.
I got the idea for GRANDMA U when one of my sons asked, “How does Grandma know so much about everything?” I thought about it. Maybe grandmas go to a special school to learn how to be grandmas. And that’s how GRANDMA U got its start.
I chose the topic of divorce for I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT because my sister was going through a divorce. My niece was quite young at the time, and I couldn’t find a book anywhere that wasn’t too long, too complicated, or too outdated, so I decided to write my own. Nine years after publication, I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT is still in print, and has been translated into several languages.
Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages you’ve found from working with multiple publishers?
From my experience, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. In fact, I am hard pressed to think of any disadvantages. The main advantage is related to the “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” philosophy. Having more than one publisher is job security. Even if one house is temporarily closed to submissions – or ends up closing its doors – you’ll still have another publisher who is open to your work. Having multiple publishers also increases your chances of making a sale.
Q. You said you are now working on a middle grade novel. What can you tell us about it?
I can tell you that it’s not done! (-: But I have several people in my life nudging me to finish it, so I imagine it will see the light of day sooner or later. The book is called WHAT I DIDN’T DO ON MY SUMMER VACATION, and it was inspired by my work as a school counselor. It seems that every kid has to start the school year writing about their summer vacation. But not every kid has a wonderful summer. Parents divorce, pets die, friends move. I had one student in particular in mind when I started this book – her father died over the summer and all the fun the family had planned went right out the window.
Q. Right now marketing books is tough. What advice would you give to other writers?
I think you have to get a little more creative. Every writer needs a website. Beyond that, the avenues for self-promotion abound, with more opening up all the time. The social networking sites can be useful, including having a Facebook page. Look for opportunities to guest blog, start your own blog, or both. Podcasts are another marketing tool, as are book trailers. Then there’s Twitter. If stuffed animals can have followers, you should be able to, too!
It’s also important to make person-to-person contact with potential buyers of your books, through book signings, school visits, library programs, or conference workshops. Giving away a clever promotional item which ties in with your book at signings and special events can help people remember you. Just make sure to include your name and website info. Bookmarks are great, but everyone does them. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, either. For example, in my latest book, WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO HUMPTY?, the main character, Joe Dumpty, is a private detective. I had some business cards made up for Joe, and attached a miniature plastic magnifying glass to each one. The business cards cost me next to nothing, and the little magnifying glasses were a whopping $4 for bag of 144.
Closing Comments: Wow, what a great idea for Joe Dumpty. Thanks for sharing with us, Jeanie!
Award winning author Jeanie Franz Ransom resides in St. Louis, Missouri. Here’s Jeanie’s website for more insight into her and her works: http://www.jeanieransom.com/index.html - you can check out her Ransom notes, too.
I love love David Catrow as well. I can spot a David Catrow illustration from across a room. Thanks for letting me know about this new book.
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