Illustrating my first children's book & selling my first 40+ copies

[@chantalleonhardt]

Create your Bio Site for free today using this link: www.biosites.com/chantal (I've been using them all year now and find them a incredably easy and creative platform to use xx)

[@TheBenevolent]

SISTAH YOU DID IT I CANT BELIEVE HOW QUICKLY YOU ARE ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS CAN'T STOP ROOTING FOR YOUUU

[@chantalleonhardt]

@@TheBenevolent AHHH THANK YOU 💓😫 I illustrated this book a year ago and I finally get to see it live!!

[@ChantelleArts]

As a fellow watercolour gal, it's so lovely to see traditional watercolour in a book like this 🥰

[@chantalleonhardt]

eeee thank you 🥰

[@buttercupsandlegobricks]

Look at that gold lettering! Ahhh beautiful ❤

[@chantalleonhardt]

Thank you!!

[@AnggiSahamCantik]

I don't expect your book publish so fast! Congratz! ❤🎉

[@chantalleonhardt]

This isn’t mine 😅 I illustrated this book last year for an author 🫶

[@cindys4374]

Congratulations on publishing your book! It’s beautiful!

[@chantalleonhardt]

thank you so much love🥰

[@Grandventuretime]

Such a beautiful soul and artist. I love your enthusiasm and openess about the process involved. I have been watching you create your own book from the beginning 🎉

[@chantalleonhardt]

@@Grandventuretime thank you 🫶🥹 also page four is coming next week I’m so excited to show you 👀

[@Grandventuretime]

Super excited to see your next page 😊

[@playfulwriter9796]

Congrats on your first 40! I just know this will be a best seller!

[@chantalleonhardt]

Thank you so much 🙏🫶 One Day! Also have a good sleep!!!

[@motlalepulelekholoa3766]

The book looks amazing and magical Chantal, congratulations!!! Can't wait to see page four of yours .🥰💟💟

[@chantalleonhardt]

@@motlalepulelekholoa3766 Thank you 💗 you have no idea page four is draaggging me through hell and back, but it will be finished tomorrow 👀 and up on YT early next week 🙌💓

[@nedavius]

11:11 where i am, praying for 40,000 copies to get sold one day! 🧿

[@chantalleonhardt]

😭💓🫶ahhhh thank you! Manifesting this, I have the goal of selling 10,000 pre-orders 👀 one day!!

[@emohtadi]

this is huge!! congratulations love

[@chantalleonhardt]

@@emohtadi thank you 🙏 💗

[@dubleffler9451]

Hi Chantal, congrats on your book. I have to correct something you mention in this video -You don't just get paid Royalties when you are published with a Publishing House - there are 5 avenues where you can make money - 1)You get paid an Advance when you sign a Book Contract. 2) Royalties- you start to receive royalties once you've sold enough books to pay out your Advance. 3) Public Lending Rights & Electric Lending Rights(PLR & ELR) These are payments when people borrow your book from Educational Institutions-Libraries & Universities etc-You receive 2 payments in June. 4) Copyright Agency-also pays one payment in June-these payments are from 3rd parties licensing your work. and lastly 5) School Visits & Public appearances- including Book Week,Literary festivals, online events etc. THIS is when the 'heavy bread' is ie- where we make most of our money. Working in Schools is very important when it comes to Picture books- it's where your market is. For example- Book Week (our version of the Olympics!) This is where you can make a substantial amount of money - School visits & tours (the Australian Society of Authors-which I'm a Director on the Board of) the base rate for School visits alone is $352.00 ph-hello! Check out The Australian Society of Authors & Illustrators for more info. We're here to help. Your illustrations are good- I'm happy to show them to a few Publishers if you like. Good luck with your book. 🙂Dub Leffler

[@dubleffler9451]

Further adding - being published by mainstream Publishers means your books will get distributed in all good Bookstores nationwide as well as getting entered into Book Awards on your behalf and have the chance of being included in recommended reading booklists for School curriculums- which is important.

[@chantalleonhardt]

@@dubleffler9451 Woah thank you so so much for your comment Dub! I have another video on my channel that goes into more depth about the avenues of illustrating, and quote a few other KZbinrs who have a completely different journey to my own. But this is much appreciated for anyone watching my video and wanting to more info 🙏 My own children’s book (which I am writing and illustrating at the present) is set to publish early 2026. I’m set on being self published at least for the first print run, but who knows from there on! I’m very open to new opportunities and see where this book takes me. I will definitely have to check out the Australian Society of Authors in depth, Chantal

[@estherwillson2152]

Such a beautiful achievement Chantal. 🌟 Wonder how you managed to fit them all on your bike…😄

[@chantalleonhardt]

@@estherwillson2152 haha I struggled about 1/2 there and then a lady took them in her car and dropped them off for me 😅💓

[@tianaraine6591]

🎉Congratulations🎉

[@chantalleonhardt]

Thank you ❤

[@tuiva6207]

Love it❤

[@chantalleonhardt]

@@tuiva6207 thank you so so so much to the moon and back 💓

[@paisleybeck6995]

what is the long paper you used to do the illustrations? I would love something like that for when i do my book!

[@chantalleonhardt]

@@paisleybeck6995 it’s big sheets of arches 300gsm! Canson and aquarelle also sell big sheets of watercolour paper!

[@paisleybeck6995]

@@chantalleonhardt Oh thank you so much! And do you just cut them to the rectangle size?

[@chantalleonhardt]

@@paisleybeck6995 yep I cut them all different sizes to whatever I need!!

[@davidhillmanillustrator5089]

👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻

[@MsBlulucky]

Just wanted to let you know that you have a typo in the description of the book on your website. It says Kimberly instead of KimberlEy three times. And I think there's a "that" missing from "... is a magical book [that?] explores the beauty of...", but I'm not a native english speaker, so I'm not sure 😅

[@chantalleonhardt]

@@MsBlulucky omg thank you!! Kimberly is actually the correct English spelling but the place of the KIMBERLEY does have that extra e (google was just autocorrecting it) 🙏🫶💓

[@MsBlulucky]

@@chantalleonhardt glad I could help :) (it's still Kimberly in the product title though 🙈) Congratulations by the way for publishing your first book 🎉, I totally forgot to say that earlier

[@chantalleonhardt]

@@MsBluluckythank you ❤ omg they’re slipping through 😅