Covid Life: In Which Tammy Writes Some Books

It all started when my sister wanted to create a book to help her developmentally disabled clients understand the Covid-world.  I provided the illustrations then agreed to tackle learning how to self-publish.  It was a steep learning curve that resulted in a cute little book!  Also, I ended up with some confidence to tackle a couple other projects that have been sitting on my mind for some time.

My first solo project is a collector’s book that provides an illustrated tour of New Mexico alphabetically – “A is for Albuquerque”, “Z is for Zia” and everything in between.  This one was a lot of fun and I really like the way it turned out. 

Next, I wanted to do a more affordable children’s book.  Since some of my favorite artwork features farm critters, so I settled on illustrating a version of “Old MacDonald”.

The most significant thing I learned about self-publishing is that, like printing fabric, it isn’t cheap.  For about a minute, I considered tooling up and learning how to bind my own books.  Handmade, right!  I quickly realized that paper and ink alone would cost me about $2 per page.  That doesn’t leave any room for the bandaids (lots of cutting with a sharp blade), aspirin (lots of delicate glueing) and materials that I would need for the DIY binding.  So,  my current plan is to try to get a couple more books done then approach an actual publisher with the collection.  Fingers crossed!

All three of these books are available for purchase on our website along with my 2021 Calendar.  (In our Shop under Stationary.)