I Hate To Go To Bed! was my second book published, back 1999. It was very popular and kept selling well for about a decade. But sadly, it went out of print about a year or so ago. I own the digital rights, so I am now in the process of using my 2012 vow to unplug in the mornings to write. I have been revising what I call my “weird” book, Chickpea. It’s a funny and heart rending (I hope) retelling of a Korean folktale which is all but unrecognizable in the yiddishkeit way I’m doing it.
I read email while I’m eating, I try to catch up on comments, or business that needs attending, I finish up, and head back to the studio…where the email is closed and my iPhone is on mute.
Then in the afternoon, I create all new art for the iPad version of I Hate To Go To Bed! While I work, I listen to my latest raw podcast interview, stop to edit if necessary, and continue rolling as I switch back to I Hate To Go To Bed! I’m using Illustrator to do the art, which I then save as a jpeg or png file, upload to Dropbox, and then in my iPad, bring into a very affordable app called Book Creator. If you want to create a digital book for an iPad, I highly recommend it whether you’re an author or a teacher or parent who wants to get kids writing and making art. The immediate gratification of this app is stunning! You can look at your books in iBooks instantly! I makes me want to finish so it is a very compelling way to get kids writing.
PS I tried to get the guy who is behind this bit of genius on the show, but he’s the only one working on the app updates…which I want. However, I wonder if lots of people started asking him to go on the show…(not that I’m suggesting anyone start an uprising or anything).
6 Comments
Joanna
I’m happy to send of a gentle request 🙂
Another person possibly to interview is Nils von Heijne, who has recently set up uTales for eBooks… I would like to get more into eBooks, but when you only write the picture book and don’t illustrate, it’s not easy to find an artist to collaborate with and then know legally
and financially what that collaboration should look like!
Good luck with Chickpea’s revision!
Beth Stilborn
Thanks for this glimpse into your day! I admire your resolve at turning off the email and iPhone. Although I’m trying to set aside “at work” time morning and afternoon for writing, I’m having a bit of a struggle keeping myself off the social part of the computer while keeping the internet available for research.
Looking forward to the new versions of the books — will they only be available on iPad?
katie
I do the social stuff in the morning – I get up about 6 or 6:30, and “socialize” over my coffee, answering email and tweeting for about an hour. So I do get to scratch that itch before turning off! Sometimes I’ll do some work, writing a blog post or whatever, then exercise, then hit the studio at the latest by 10am. I’ll Work Work til about 1pm, eat, then get back to other, non brain type stuff, like the art and editing I described.
Penny Klostermann
I loved how you gave us a look at how you schedule your time. I’m with Beth…this whole social networking thing can eat up my time! I need to just write it down. I just fly by the seat of my pants…and that’s never good.
I am loving your podcasts! In fact, I hate to go to bed because I could be listening to Katie Davis podcasts 🙂 My first one was Julie Hedlund. I have listened to several more and plan to just work my way through them. I’ll put it on my schedule.
Julie Hedlund
I can already tell the book is going to be awesome because I LOVE the image you shared! As a kid, I totally thought my parents were partying down after I went to bed. Of course, sometimes they were, proven by the shouts of Yahtzee! that would sometimes filter into my room. 🙂
katie
Thanks, Julie! It’s so nice to get encouragement especially after I MESSED UP BIGTIME! Post on Friday about that!