Monday, June 15, 2015

Book Expo America 2015: Follow-up


Book Expo America gave Daryl plenty to think about
as Tails of Whimsy considers publishing options
Getting a book published is not for the faint of heart. Daryl has authored and illustrated three children’s storybook properties to date: Scooter and Boots to the Rescue,” “The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens,” and “Book Mytes,which is about 90% complete. Even with our wonderful agent Jeanette Smith of All Art Licensing, response from major publishers is excruciatingly slow on Scooter and Boots as are our pitches for the others. With additional publishing options now available, digital and print on demand, Daryl and I set out to find out if newer (and faster) opportunities exist to get our books to their target audience.

Therefore, this year, we put our characters and stories on display at Book Expo America, perhaps the largest of all publishing shows. Louise worked with our children’s book editor Joe Rhatigan to get lots of appointments with publishers and editors. And Joe, with his valuable industry experience, accompanied us to NYC to meet with publishing company contacts. We are grateful to him for serving as tour guide so that we can better understand how independent and digital publishing is impacting traditional print. Also, we gained insight into how Tails of Whimsy might restructure to include independent publishing onto our business mix.

Joe Rhatigan helped us meet, greet and pitch
at Book Expo in New York
We introduced ourselves as a full-service studio, so you may hear more about Tails of Whimsy Storybook Studio. With Joe on our team, we are also available to help other writers develop their content and graphics as well as edit and package their books for print and distribution.

And, we introduced attendees to our new plush dolls of Scooter and Boots. They were shipped to us from our factory in Hong Kong, arriving at our hotel in NYC just as we did.


If you wonder what “independent” publishing means, it now extends to being a self-publisher, author-publisher, do-it-yourself publisher, or “traditional” publisher. Needless to say, Tails of Whimsy has lots to think about as we look to the future.
Scooter and Boots kept their eyes out for visitors
to the Tails of Whimsy booth.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Tails of Whimsy Attends Licensing Expo 2015

The Tails of Whimsy Storybook Studio is excited to be attending Licensing Expo '15! We're here to connect with people, publishers, and licensing agencies about three of our great properties:
Book Mytes
The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens
and 
Scooter & Boots 

If you're here at Licensing Expo 15, we'd love to meet you. Come visit us at our Art and Design Booth G21 and shake Scooter's paw--he's been practicing his tricks.


Here's a bit more about the Tails of Whimsy Storybook Studio properties:
Book Mytes
Imagine whimsical, cuddly critters that roam bookstores come twilight. They feast on good stories and play havoc with words through the magical world of artist/illustrator Daryl Slaton at Tails of Whimsy Storybook Studio.
Using delightful illustrations and playful fonts, seven adorable costumed characters jump off bookshelves and into books, as they gather words and pictures throughout the store to create their own stories. Though words are few, readers see how one well-chosen word can make a world of difference, and how one sentence can change the adventuresome world of the Book Mytes!

The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens
Mackie Mckeens is a cuddly, industrious bear in green overalls. In his massive high-tech workshop he builds remarkable “mighty” machines for any use. Appealing to inquisitive children with imagination and whimsy, Mackie gets kids thinking early with his high-tech machines that solve problems with such efficiency that your immediate response is, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Helping him construct machines for land, sea and sky is his daredevil pilot Mika (his sister) and a crew of zany mini-robots.

Scooter & Boots 
Scooter the dog and Boots the cat are dedicated to helping homeless pets find forever homes. The Scooter and Boots brand was born in the licensing arena, and the engaging characters have already been warmly received by production studios as pilots for TV. Check out the Scooter News Network (SNN) for news segments on cooking, reading, animal rescue, crafts, and more!
And join Scooter and Boots on Facebook, where they shine a light on pet rescue, reading, and the awesome community of pet-lovers worldwide.

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Make Handmade DIY Heart Stamps with Scooter!

Have you ever used celery (yep, celery!) to make handmade heart stamps? It's as easy as it sounds, and handmade stamps are an easy way to make all kinds of paper products fun. Join Scooter in his newest Scooter News Network video as he stamps paper plates and napkins for a party he's throwing for his friend Boots.


Friday, June 5, 2015

Get to know the Scooter News Network

So what is our Scooter News Network? Scooter News Network (SNN) is a series of children's television pilots featuring our beloved character, Scooter D. Pup.
.
.
the light gray puppet of Scooter from Scooter & Boots, wearing a red collar
"Hi! I'm Scooter (of Scooter & Boots)!"
What began as a lark at the 2014 Licensing Expo has turned into a pilot for children’s TV, and we've been gaining momentum for the past year! Scooter News Network (SNN) will be presented for the first time at Licensing Expo 2015 through a partnership between Tails of Whimsy and SaviRanch Studios. The TV pilot provides fun and factual content with puppet Scooter D. Pup as a news anchor presenting features and stories relating to animal rescue and care worldwide.


SNN’s format would be considered a cross between a nightly news cast combined with interview segments such as seen on the Today Show. Regular features include: Health, Sports, Celebrity Animal and Book Reports as well as cooking and crafts features, all with Scooter the puppet as news broadcaster and Roshelle Baier as co-anchor.

Check out a collection of some of our Scooter News Network pilots:

An Introduction to Scooter News Network



Book Report: Louise Loves Art by Kelly Light



Cook's Corner: Scooter Makes Hot Pink Hummus



Celebrity Repor: Cosmo the Dog Runs for President



Crafts Report: Scooter Makes DIY Heart Stamps


And if you'll be attending Licensing Expo 15, come find us at Booth G21. Scooter will be there, and he's eager to wag his tail with you!