Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzan Johnson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always written as a child. I also enjoyed reading a variety of books. Growing up, I participated in several activities including softball and cheering. As an adult, I took my love of sports, reading, and writing together and created my first self-published book, “Sofie at Bat” in 2011.
A few years later, I did the follow- up book “Sofie at Dance”. My friends’ daughter Sofia was part of my inspiration in the first two books. As time went on the ideas began to flow. I am inspired by the children that I work with, my childhood experiences, family, and friends. Currently, I have thirteen self-published works, two workbooks, one journal, one poetry and nine storybooks. All are found on Amazon and all major book suppliers.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road had has not always been smooth being an independent author. My ideas, the craft comes easy to me. I am able to work through the plots, lessons, characters, settings, and more. I work with a wonderful book designer (Selina Ahnert) that helps me take my ideas to an illustrator and bring them to life.
The struggles for me come with marketing, promoting, and sales. Because I am doing this by myself, I spend time on different social media platforms, trying to get my name and books out there. I am still an educator therefore, I have a busy schedule. Unfortunately, it limits my time for the marketing and promoting side.
I have also had to come out of my shell and let people know who I am and what my books are about.
sHjStories – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My company is about my self-published children’s books, the character dolls, shirts, and any other materials that are associated with the books.
I am an author, storytellers, educator, and creative.
I am proud that my company inspires others through my stories. In addition, I motivate people to be creative and follow their own aspirations.
My ideas are my own, my goal is to create and inspire, and I am very proud of that.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
So far, my proudest moment has been when a young man read my book began to give me a critique face-to-face. He was very precise, and what he told me was exactly what I was thinking when I wrote the story (Little Red and the Crocodile). I was impressed by his insight and my ability to open that door for him.
Pricing:
- Price range of books: $6.99 -$19.99 retail
- Price range of characters: $25.00 -$30.00
- Shirts: $10.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shjstories.com/
- Phone: (954) 609-2230
- Email: shjstories@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shjstories/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sHjStories/?ref=bookmarks
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/shjstories
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