Year in Review: How One Picture Book Turned Into a Whole Press

How It Started

I started with one simple goal. Publish a weaning book for toddlers and their families. See It was a board book... until it wasn't for details.  

Then people started asking questions about what I was doing, and somehow that launched an entirely different project. With Lauren’s help, Shelved came into the world. After that, things escalated in the best possible way. 

What was meant to be one book somehow turned into an astonishing shelf of them.

Books Published This Year

Here is everything that made it into the real world from our fantastic team.

Shelved
A practical reference guide for authors who want to understand libraries, metadata, PLR, and how books end up on actual shelves. Co-authored with Lauren Hoste. This book was accepted into the Indie Author Project, which was one of the biggest surprises of the year and we are both honoured to be included in that curated collection.

Bye Bye, Boobies - the original poem version
Released in multiple editions for families: keepsake hardcovers, softcovers, and later a prose version. Lauren added some content to some, and even adapted two of the editions for our American families.

In only a few short months, this book has started appearing in library catalogues and finding the families who need it, which is exactly why it exists.

Weird Laws
A nonfiction trivia book filled with real Canadian laws that sound made up. Readers enjoyed it, and it began showing up in eBook libraries through distribution.

Clever Creations
The second trivia title. More Canadian oddities, more strange facts, and a lot of fun to put together.

Familiar Phrases

The third in our trivia series. This one had a lot of input from friends and family as we discovered how Canadian we really are.

The Fox and The Crow
A mixed media adaptation of an old fable. Clay pieces, textured elements and digital refinements all worked together for this one. The book is available in keepsake hardcover and softcover and set the foundation for the illustration style of the series.

The Camel’s Nose
Another mixed media fable. The keepsake hardcover arrived first, with more editions on the way in 2026. Each book in this series helped refine my workflow and build the world one illustration at a time.

Bye Bye, Boobies - the story version
A narrative retelling of the original poem. A different tone and pace for families who prefer storytelling over rhyme. This one arrived right at the end of the year in keepsake form and more formats are on their way for 2026.

What I Learned This Year

This year surprised me in every possible way. Here are a few things that stood out.

• Libraries feel like real magic when a book appears in one.

• eBook distribution goes further and faster than expected.

• Mixed media illustration is equal parts creativity and problem solving.

• Trivia books are very fun to write between bigger projects.

• Some titles take off quietly. Some take off immediately. Some just wander until they find the right readers.

• The book with “boobies” in the title is, in fact, the bestseller and, interestingly, has also been the hardest to find translators comfortable with this topic to work on!

• Proof copies matter, and giving yourself at least 1 full month to receive them during the busy season is a must!

A Look Behind the Scenes

I am not sharing exact numbers, but here is the truth. Nothing about this year was predictable. Some books sold before I talked about them or shared them on social media (as I was waiting for them to be available on Indigo thinking it was automatic - see our blog about how do get your print books onto their site). Some found their first readers through libraries. Some were slow burns that kept going. All of it added up.

One of the best moments of the year was discovering more than one title in library catalogues. That made the long nights, the file fixes, and the endless metadata tinkering worth it because libraries are how books become accessible for all.

Be sure to read Libraries Help Indie Authors and Their Communities for more details on how important libraries are and how you can help authors and illustrators get their creations into your community.

Why I’m Not Sharing Sales Numbers

I've seen a lot of authors sharing sales numbers this year and debated doing the same, but in the end, I’m not including specific sales data in this post for a simple reason: it’s almost entirely out of my control. I’m not running ads, I don’t chase trends, and I’m publishing in a niche corner of children’s books (hello breastfeeding book for toddlers) where comparisons don’t make sense anyway. 

What matters to me isn’t the number itself but the fact that the books exist, that I’m proud of them, and that they’ve found their way to readers in their own slow, steady way all over the world.

My goal has never been to hit targets or compete with anyone, my first goal was to finish a book and hold it in my hands (see how that felt here). It’s to make books I love and hope they resonate with the right people. When a parent or grandparent shares one of my books with a child, or when someone recommends it to a friend, that means far more than any spreadsheet or random sales data. 

What I can say is that when that real connection happens, the sales take care of themselves.

Free Education Resources

A few of this year’s releases come with free colouring pages, and even downloadable guides for parents, teachers, and library programs. These include discussion prompts, activity ideas, and ways to use the books in group settings or one-on-one.

You can grab them all here: www.littlegoodbyes.ca/resources

Looking Ahead

Next year will focus on growing the backlist with more mixed media fables, more trivia titles, and new translations of books we published this year. The plan is to keep building slowly and steadily, keep improving the workflow, and keep creating books that I love and I hope are enjoyable for families to read.

I am also hoping to expand the library presence one listing at a time and continue exploring the mix of nonfiction, picture books, and practical guides that this press is becoming known for.

Thank You

If you bought a book, borrowed one from your library, shared a link, or even found your way to our website, thank you. Every bit of support made a difference. This small press grew because real people just like you showed up for it and we are all grateful.

Don't forget, you can always find updates, new releases, and future projects at
www.littlegoodbyes.ca