Find Clarity, Gain Confidence, and Achieve Success in your book.
Find Confidence
After writing your first manuscript, you may be asking yourself . . .
- Who am I to be writing a book?
- Who on earth is going to want to read my story?
- How can I know for sure my book will sell?
I believe you have a story to tell! And because I have confidence in your story, I want to give you a copy of the introduction chapter from the book I'm about to release for children's authors. The goal of this book is to help you gain clarity and confidence as you begin the journey of an indie author, and walk you through the entire process by introducing you to the trusted publishing team that you will build.
Gain Clarity
Define Your Audience
If you try to sell to everyone, you'll sell to no one. One of the most important things you can do as an author is narrow your focus by describing a specific group of people most likely to enjoy your book.
Some call this your niche or target audience . . . I take it a step further and call it Your Bullseye Audience™. Learn more about defining your bullseye audience using my free guide.
Refine your story
Once your manuscript is written and you've polished it the best you can on your own, you should run a beta test before hiring a professional editor.
The mistake many authors make, however, is just asking for general feedback with no real direction for their beta readers.
To help you, I've created a checklist with over 40 questions based on my PRIMER Formula™ that you can use to maximize your beta test feedback.
Outline your action plan
With your audience defined and manuscript refined, it's now time to create a plan of action!
Using my PRIMER Formula™, I'll guide you through six categories—or buckets as I like to call them!
By analyzing your book's Plot, Readability, Imagery, Message, Edutainment Value, & Representation, we'll plan the best route for you to take to become a published author.
Achieve Success
Once you have your plan in place, it's time to start taking action. As your book designer, I'll make sure your book has the professional appearance it deserves.
I like to say that my job as your designer is much like a baker. I take all of the "raw" ingredients—your manuscript, illustrations, and all additional information—and mix it all together to create a beautiful book ready for printing.
How I can help you
Let's create a book together that you can be proud of.
Contact me today, and we'll discuss how we can launch your book into the atmosphere!
Primer Formula™ book audit
Not sure if your books is ready to shine?
This isn’t your typical editing service.
The PRIMER Formula™ Book Audit is a holistic, big-picture evaluation that helps you see where your book shines and where there’s room for growth. Based on the proven PRIMER Formula™ (featured in my upcoming book for authors), this book audit is designed specifically for children’s books to ensure they connect, inspire, and succeed.
Strategy Sessions
The most common question I hear from first-time children's book authors is, "I've written my manuscript! Now what?"
You can either spend months reinventing the wheel and figuring it out yourself, or in a matter of hours I can help you chart the best course of action for your book baby.
Schedule a one-on-one call with me to discuss your next step . . . and the steps after that!
Book Design & Art Direction
Designing a book from cover to cover is more than an artform—it's a science. After spending so much time on your book, why not make sure it looks and feels professional?
While many illustrators can design, it doesn't mean they should. It's best to add a designer to your team at the same time as the artist or even before to get the best results.
About Me
My name is Travis D. Peterson, and I'm a graphic designer with a degree from Purdue University and over 20 years of experience both in-house and as a freelancer. A great deal of my work was in designing magazines and marketing materials for Christian organizations.
However, after writing my first book, Ada and the Helpers, in 2019, I began helping my fellow authors create uplifting, lifegiving, successful books that kids live and adults cherish—many of them have gone on to be award-winning and bestselling books!
The truth is, books are judged by their cover. But it doesn't stop there. To really produce an exceptional children's book, it requires a plan from start to finish. In my years of designing children's books, I found myself teaching as much as designing. That's why I'm now coaching my fellow children's book authors. I want to help you publish uplifting, lifegiving books you can be proud of.
As a first-time author, I was lost and needed guidance, and knew I needed to find a confident person who saw my vision and could execute it to my standards.
Travis was able to show his depth of knowledge in book design and the publishing business in general, explaining the process from the very beginning. Drawing from his own publishing experience, he was able to make suggestions that helped create a smoother journey for my book.
Travis helped me bring my dream to life! Now I have the confidence and knowledge to create a book that will reach many kids and families. I’m thankful to have found and learned so much from him.
I was so apprehensive about the idea of trying to figure out how a book gets formatted. Not being able to understand industry jargon like RGB vs. CMYK color profiles and offset vs. print-on-demand had me worried that I wouldn’t ever be able to publish my book.
When I found Travis, I wanted to make sure he had experience designing children’s books because they’re uniquely different from other types of books. He was able to provide me with references to a number of fellow authors for books he designed, including his own. In addition to helping me understand the language, he designed a book that has won multiple awards!
Thanks to his hard work and expertise, I’m able to use my books to advocate for and empower deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals while also promoting deaf awareness, kindness, and celebration of differences.
Before hiring Travis, I didn’t fully understand the process of designing and formatting books. But for my Young Change Makers series, I knew I needed to find someone who had extensive knowledge and experience with a more complex layout.
I wasn’t quite sure how it would be to collaborate with creators across time zones. It can be a challenge having to wait and be respectful of others’ time and boundaries. Travis proved to be worth that wait. He was available—but more than that, he was proficient in his work and able to help me better understand the publishing world.
Now, my series is not only best-selling and award-winning . . . it’s also acquired! The originally self-published Young Change Makers series was recently bought by Sourcebooks—an independent, woman-led publisher. Together, we’ll continue the series featuring young people who are changing their communities in positive ways.
I was faced with navigating the complexities of self-publishing in an already saturated market. I spent so much time scouring online videos and content trying to teach myself about the process. I was gripped by fear and the horrible ‘imposter syndrome’!
That’s when an editor and acquaintance recommended Travis. I took a courageous leap and found someone I could trust as a friend! He was clear, prepared, and kind in his approach as I continued to second-guess my decisions. His attention to detail related to the layout and formatting of my books.
God put a creative spirit in my heart, and now with confidence and freedom, I’m able to fulfill the passion He’s given me—to write purposeful books for teachers, librarians, parents, and especially emerging young readers so that they would learn to love reading!