I have the pleasure of interviewing Ma. Teresa Gumap-as Dumadag, author and breastfeeding advocate, about her new children's book, Mommy Loves You Just the Same. She shares with us her recommended books for parents to read aloud to their kids and the books that inspired her to become a better mom. Her thoughts on the pros and cons of self publishing lend insight for other authors out there who contemplate on taking this route.
Mommy Loves You Just the Same is an ebook published by Full Life Cube and will have a launching online on May 19, 2016.
Mommy Loves You Just the Same is your first children's book. Congratulations! You have written non-fiction books for adult readers. What was the experience like for you to move from this genre and into children's story writing?
I was more comfortable writing for adults because I was used to speaking and teaching adults in my line of work as a Consultant for management, human resources and training solutions, as a Career Coach and Counselor and a Speaker. But as I grew more confident in caring for my children and raising them, I entertained the thought of publishing my own children’s book more and more.
It has been my dream to write for children since I became a parent. I loved reading to my kids. It’s one of my favorite bonding moments with them. I have read countless books for them in the past years. These wonderful books that we found inspired me to write my own story about our family life. These books also inspired me to create stories that carry the lessons I want them to learn. Stories
Many Filipino writers are experimenting and migrating into self-publishing online. What are the pros and cons of this business model?
The pros of this business model are the following:
- It’s easier and faster to have your book published because you don’t need to wait for traditional publishers to like your work or to wait for publishers to include your book in their publishing schedule.
- You can earn more if you know how to reach a wider audience or a bigger number of people.
- You have more freedom on how your book would look like or how it would be marketed.
The cons are:
- All costs would be
you. on - You need to do all the work or you need to find a good and reliable team who will help you achieve your goals for your book.
- You don’t have the connections or network that the traditional or established publishers have.
What are your top 5 recommended picture books or story books for parents to read aloud to their kids?
Oh, there are so many wonderful books for children! It’s hard to choose only 5. It also depends on what lessons you’d like them to learn from the books you’ll read.
- My top of mind picks are I’d Choose You by John Trent, PhD and Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
- For babies and very young children, my favorites are the books written by Sandra Boynton like The Going to Bed Book and Hey! Wake Up! My kids love these books so much that they were able to memorize these books right away after reading these to them daily for 1 week when we first bought these books.
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is also one of our favorites. The kids love this simple story with colorful illustrations.
- We also love the Oh Mateo series of books, especially Book 5: The Growling Tummy.
What are the top 3 books that shaped who you are as a mother?
- Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
- The Power of a Praying Mom and The Power of a Praying Parent both by Stormie Omartian
- The Parent Map by Dr. Harold Sala
If you were to leave your kids a book to read for the rest of their lives, what is it?
The Holy Bible would be that book.
No comments:
Post a Comment