My name is Ainsley Bloomfield and I am a student in the Illustrating Children’s Books Course. I’d like to share my adventures over the summer, publishing and marketing my book, The Story of Marlin, the Cat.
I published Marlin off the proceeds of a used car. I hired a graphic designer separately from my small-town printer who had produced my greeting cards since 2018. Her artistry transformed my portfolio and manuscripts into a PDF (almost) seamlessly. One challenge was getting the text to line up with the pictures in an engaging way. When I began the project years ago, I wasn’t familiar with storyboards or dummies.
POD services like KDP and Ingram cannot even come close to the quality of offset printing. It was well worth the extra cost. I have been able to price my books higher and sell to more appreciative audiences because of the quality. Sadly, my local printer closed in June – Marlin was one of their last projects. I wish them a peaceful and fulfilling retirement, while I transfer production to a larger, more affordable offset printer in Michigan.
Generally, local bookstores have been excited to welcome a new author to their shelves. As the semester begins, I have contacted many schools (mostly private), and have been invited to give several book readings. I even spoke to a group at our local library on “World Building in Young Children’s Books.” But my best reception has been at local, in-person events such as craft shows. I have sold nearly 50 copies of Marlin since its debut on May 23rd, which I understand is above average for self-published children’s books. I once sold nine copies to Grandpas in two hours at a high-school reunion pop-up event.
My latest step has been to build a social media presence. As one who values in-person, intentional relationships, I had never been on social media until September 2025. I find it to be a time-consuming, inscrutable, and nearly omnipotent marketing tool. Harleigh Rose has a helpful YouTube channel on selling children’s books using social media. I prioritize building connections with people doing similar things and strive to keep distracting and depressing content off my feed. You can find my little space on Instagram @ainsleybloomfield. I will expanding onto other platforms soon. Alternately, you can visit my website at illustrationsbyacb.com.
My goal is to be a self-employed author and illustrator in two years. I hope this post encourages those following a similar path. You can, in fact, do it!
Ainsley
