| Cape Town based Terri Lailvaux had an important | | | | the market for children's books is very complicated |
| message to get out, so when she realised traditional | | | | and at that time, they didn't think they would work |
| publishing methods take too long, she decided to get | | | | with my story. |
| a loan and self-publish her children's book, THE | | | | Why did you choose to self-publish? |
| GREATEST GIFT. | | | | Out of pure desperation. I have quite a large circle of |
| THE GREATEST GIFT is a story about a Mother and | | | | friends with adopted kids and they all needed a book |
| Dad bear who want a baby but can't have one and a | | | | like this. |
| Lioness who is alone and carrying a baby that she | | | | I work full time and study part time and I just didn't |
| can not care for.They all end up at wise Mrs Cow's | | | | have much time to keep on phoning and writing only |
| house to seek advice. Mrs Cow suggests the Bears | | | | to be told "no" every time. So I took a loan and just |
| adopt and raise the Lioness's baby for her. | | | | got on with it. |
| Terri is a wife, mother, tourism lecturer at a private | | | | Please talk a bit about the process of lining up a big |
| tertiary education institution and a part-time student | | | | distributor, attracting media coverage for your book, |
| doing a National Diploma in Tourism. Contact her at | | | | and getting copies into book stores when you |
| mwterril at mweb dot co dot za | | | | self-publish. Did you attempt these activities and to |
| When did you know you wanted to become a | | | | what success? |
| writer? | | | | Once the books were printed, I emailed all my friends |
| I didn't really ever know that. I went to look for a | | | | and family with the details and they in turn |
| book that would explain to small children why and | | | | forwarded the email to their contacts. Out of that, I |
| how adoption takes place and I couldn't find one. I | | | | sold a hundred books immediately. |
| searched websites and eventually decided to try and | | | | Some of my friends bought my book for their school |
| write a few words down and see if I could create | | | | library and the adoption agency that we used has |
| my own story. | | | | also taken a few copies on consignment to see if |
| What did you do about it? | | | | they can sell them. That's as far as I've got. |
| I started writing the story for my own son and his | | | | I have no idea what to do to get the books |
| friends. I thought about the things they like and the | | | | distributed and partly because I feel quite |
| things that excite them and came up with the animal | | | | brow-beaten after struggling for two years to get it |
| theme. I wrote the true story of our adoption | | | | all done on my own. |
| process but I changed all the humans into animals so | | | | I have no contacts in the media world and I haven't |
| make it appealing to kids. | | | | yet come up with any great plan. I would LOVE to |
| What inspired you to write this book? What is the | | | | get the printing and distribution of the book taken |
| message that you most want to communicate | | | | over by someone as I feel it is so important for |
| through the book? | | | | people out there to have access to it. Adoption |
| I decided to write this book after my husband and I | | | | affects a much bigger piece of the population than |
| adopted our son, Alex. It's a story that we can read | | | | most people imagine. |
| to him and that our friends with biological children can | | | | Have you established contact with some of the child |
| read to them. My hope is that Alex and his friends | | | | welfare networks and advocacy organisations that |
| will understand how and why adoption takes place | | | | support/facilitate child adoption in this country? What |
| and see the process as an incredible act of love from | | | | was the result of your interaction? Do you speak at |
| both sides. | | | | parenting groups? |
| Adopting a child is a very special process and I | | | | So far, I have only sent the book to Procare in |
| wanted to make sure that as my son grows up, he | | | | Wellington (South Africa) as they are the agency |
| sees it as something positive and also that he can | | | | that we used. |
| explain to other kids why and how he was adopted. I | | | | I plan to make contact with schools, other adoption |
| also want his friends to know about it and | | | | agencies, parenting groups and clinics. I haven't yet |
| understand it from when they are very young. | | | | due to time constraints. Procare were very positive |
| What were the credentials that most qualified you to | | | | about selling it for me. |
| write the book? | | | | What are some of the marketing activities that you |
| Purely experience. I have no other writing credentials. | | | | are doing to make people, especially parents, aware |
| What were the two most important problems you | | | | that the book/resource is available? |
| encountered during the writing process? How did you | | | | At the moment, I rely on word-of-mouth marketing |
| deal with them? | | | | and have two posters up at local swimming schools. |
| I worried that the story was too simple but I looked | | | | I have also sent quite a few books overseas to |
| at so many children's books and they are, for the | | | | friends in the hope that the more widely the books |
| most part, really simple. The biggest hurdle by far | | | | are spread the more chance there is that someone |
| was illustrating the book. | | | | will want to publish or distribute for me. There are |
| I can't even draw a stick man so I needed help and | | | | books with friends in UK, USA, Dubai, Hong Kong and |
| on a zero budget, no one leapt forward to do the | | | | Canada. |
| job! Eventually after trying for over a year, my | | | | If you had to do this book again, would you |
| neighbour who is a designer suggested manipulating | | | | self-publish again? What were the rewards? |
| digital photos and doing it that way. | | | | I wouldn't self-publish by choice because of the |
| Did you initially submit the manuscript to traditional | | | | expenses involved. But if it was the only way to get |
| publishers? What was their response? | | | | the book out there, then definitely, yes, I would. |
| Yes...well, I tried. Most wouldn't even read the | | | | The reward is seeing the vision I had, being |
| manuscript. They just said that their budget for the | | | | transformed into reality. I'm also rewarded by seeing |
| year was used up and they couldn't help me. | | | | the incredibly positive reaction of my son and his |
| I did get one publisher to read my work. Three | | | | friends and their parents to the book. |
| months later, I got a very short letter to say that | | | | |