How to become a children's book author (with Valerie Doherty)

On episode 98 of the “De Facto Leaders” podcast,  I had the opportunity to interview children’s book author and veteran SLP, Valerie Doherty. Valerie has over 30 years of experience as an SLP, and in 2011 her passion for language and literacy inspired her to start writing children’s books. Readers need physical books they can actually hold in their hands, which is why many authors want to go back to the basics and give young readers good quality books they can interact with. If you’ve ever aspired to be a part of that process through writing your own books, you may know there are a lot of stages to making that happen; especially if you want to go the traditional publishing route. That’s why I thought Val would be a great guest to bring on the show because she’s gone through the entire publishing process, from idea to publication. In this conversation, we discussed: ✅What aspiring authors need to know about copyright, trademark, and intellectual property (and where to go for help navigating the process).  ✅Tips for working with illustrators, editors, publishers, and literary agents, and how these professionals can help you get your best quality work in to the world. ✅Insights on the creative process and marketing, plus the best places to go for support along the way. You can find Valerie’s work on her website here and connect with her on LinkedIN here. The follow resources were mentioned in this episode for support with the writing process, legal assistance, publishing, and marketing: The Author’s Guild Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators SLP by Day, Author by Night In this episode, I mentioned my Executive Functions Implementation guide that shares how school therapists can lead their IEP teams in providing mental health, behavioral, and social skills support for K-12 kids . You can download this free resource here. Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL and Renaissance:Learn more about Renaissance:As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers’ timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.