Meet Sarina Siebenaler | Children’s Book Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarina Siebenaler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarina, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
I believe that success is subjective and multifaceted for each creator and business.

Here are several habits that I have found helpful for my publishing journey.

1. Regular writing and reading: I set aside dedicated writing time to help build momentum, stay focused, and maintain my creative flow. I also read many children’s books, within and outside my genre of writing, to stimulate my imagination and understand current market trends.

2. Setting goals: I target my writing projects to release books consistently each year, which helps me to stay motivated and maintain progress.

3. Discipline and persistence: Writing a children’s book limited to a few hundred words can be challenging. I push through edits even when I don’t feel inspired. I ask beta readers to help, which can change sections or the entire story. Sometimes having to start from scratch can feel overwhelming. If readers show interest and emotion and learn from my work, this is true mastery of the products I make available to them.

4. Continuous learning and time management: I actively seek opportunities through mentorship, writing workshops, and webinars to stay engaged with industry trends and marketing strategies. I keep myself on a dedicated timeline to ensure the management of my projects is within my delivered parameters.

5. Building an author platform: Building an online presence for engagement and reach is essential in today’s digital world. I have a website and a social media presence, and I interact with my audience through newsletters, author events, media acknowledgments, and new book releases.

The ultimate habit is to create a healthy balance of work, the meaningful people in your life, and self-care.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Creating silly stories for young readers brings me great joy as a writer. After all, laughter is the best medicine! I’m very proud of our team’s work, especially for those we have impacted through a smile with early literacy.

Employing playful language through wordplay, puns, and lyrical rhymes is fun. It’s a linguistic device to engage in an active and lively reading experience. The visual humor that Gabby Correia, illustrator, offers in each of our books – ties into the enhanced comedic effect through outlandish characters, exaggerated expressions, and absurd situations. This visual component marries well with the extra layer of humor that complements each story.

We create an original theme for each story in our series to bring in new characters and carry readers through an episodic feeling to new imaginations and childlike experiences. Unexpected twists, unexpected punchlines, or sudden reversals can catch readers off guard and elicit laughter. This surprise and anticipation can maximize the humor’s impact.

The children’s book market is fast-growing, saturated, and highly competitive. Your brand must be evaluated and evolve quickly to stay relevant and topical. In this digital age, marketing dollars must be analyzed to conform to your target niche and ensure that investments in advertising and collective marketing dollars are used efficiently for return on investment.

It has taken me three years to feel comfortable in creating books. I’m constantly pivoting to ensure that my time, efforts, and costs have a positive return and impact on my work. This is challenging, but the sense of achievement from the hard work can be incredibly fulfilling. I’m always learning and trust that every mistake I make is an opportunity to grow.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are so many wonderful places to enjoy in the beautiful desert landscape of sunny Arizona. Since I live in the town of Cave Creek – here are a few wonderful establishments and sights I would recommend!

Enjoying a delicious breakfast and a cup of coffee at the Grotto Cafe is a great start to your day.

Head to the Cave Creek Regional Park. Enjoy a hike on one of the scenic trails and take in the beautiful desert landscape.

Visit the Desert Foothills Marketplace, where you can browse through local shops and art galleries.
Have lunch at a local restaurant. El Encanto Mexican Restaurant is known for its delicious Mexican cuisine.

Drive to the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area. Explore the trails and take a guided tour to learn about the area’s rich history and archaeological sites.

Return to Cave Creek and have dinner at one of the western-themed restaurants. Try Buffalo Chip Saloon and Steakhouse for some hearty meals and live music.

Spend the evening enjoying the lively atmosphere of Cave Creek’s nightlife. You can visit a local bar or tavern like the Hideaway Grill or the Cave Creek Tap Haus.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I am filled with profound gratitude for the unwavering support of the readers who have enjoyed my work. They are the heartbeat of my business and have motivated me to continue the excellence of every written word of forthcoming books I create for them.

The genuine reviews, recommendations, and individuals who have shared my work (e.g., educators, parents, librarians, bloggers, YouTubers, fellow writers, and book enthusiasts) have been instrumental in propelling my vision and imagination to continue creating and gifting a love of reading and learning through early literacy.

The village and creative team who have provided their collective energy and talents (e.g., editor, illustrator, graphic designer) to transform my dreams into reality. Their presence in my life has enriched it professionally and personally, reminding me of the power of genuine connection through like-mindedness and the love of children’s books.

The many individuals that I have learned from (e.g., writer/author community, Facebook groups, successful author mentorships, and leaders in the industry). I cherish every interaction, every lesson learned, and every milestone achieved with you by my side. Your genuine belief in me, your power of knowledge, and your pioneering creativity have been integral to my journey.

Also, a big shoutout to the continued support of my family, friends, and beta readers, who deserve a reward of recognition for reading every draft I work on and always cheering me on to encourage growth and validation.

Website: https://www.sarinasiebenaler.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarina_siebenaler/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarina-siebenaler-48933631/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarinasieb

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sillybooksforkids/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcsPQB8UOi8, https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-pty-browser_wavebrowser&ei=UTF-8&hsimp=yhs-browser_wavebrowser&hspart=pty&param1=20220818&param2=9fd32ff2-1c60-46e4-8eea-565fd574af1e&param3=wav%7EUS%7Eappfocus1%7E&param4=d-cp12919082543-lp5-typ-bluehh2%3Aon-obem-wav-vuentp%3Aon-igZzQnBpTFUKEvlqNJasg-ab36-w64-veion-ineco1-brwsr-obx%7EUnknownDefault%7Edo+not+wish+for+a+pet+ostrich%7EB2D7D7656EB4E5153688637C8FBF7B49%7EUnknown&p=do+not+wish+for+a+pet+ostrich&type=A1-brwsr-%7E2022-34%7E#id=1&vid=dd8506d1cfd50197e1016dab8eb632df&action=click

Other: https://linktr.ee/SarinaSiebenaler