Alana Ford
About Alana
Where you live: Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Tell us about yourself:
I am an Australian IVF Mum to two beautiful children Arthur and Evie.
I love baking, singing, writing, spending time with my kids and husband and currently loving reformer pilates.
Business: Mischief and Mellow
The Magic Baby Lab
About the book
The Magic Baby Lab is a quirky story that playfully describes how IVF babies are “made”.
A gorgeous keepsake for the IVF baby in your life.
What inspired you to publish your first book?
I struggled with PND after the birth of my second child, Evelyn. I started writing for enjoyment and ended up writing a children’s book!
"I haven’t yet needed to return to work as I can work from home at my own pace. This is also great as I have two young children and it means I have flexibility for them to be my priority"
Self Publishing Journey
How long did it take you to complete the Self Publishing a Children’s Book Course?
Not long at all, maybe a week or two weeks tops!
How did the course help with your journey to becoming an Author?
I had come to a road block with my book and wasn’t sure how to move forward.
The course broke it down in simple, doable steps and I made more progress in that week or two than I had in the months prior.
How do you think your journey to self publishing would have been if you didn’t do the course?
I probably would have splashed thousands and thousands of dollars at one of the companies that apparently “help” you to self-publish which was really not feasible. The outlay for the course was so much more sensible by comparison and meant I made profit sooner.
How soon after you completed the course did you release your book?
I had to wait for illustrations to complete and then await the test copies, probably about 2 months.
What has been the best thing about publishing your book?
I’ve enjoyed the entire process but especially working with the illustrator. It has also been fantastic to connect with other IVF mums and I’ve even been a guest on a podcast as a result with more in the works.
Starting a business
Did you already have a business or did you start one from scratch for your book?
I started from scratch including building the website etc!
Tell us a little about your experience with starting your business:
This has been an enjoyable process. I must say one of the best investments I got was a label printer for shipping books.
Life as an author
Tell us about any exciting milestones you have achieved since releasing your book
So many milestones!
I was featured in a podcast, I was featured in the local newspaper, I have had a number of wholesale stockists and even repeat stockists, I’ve sold about 700 copies in 6 months which exceeded my expectations.
How have things changed for you since releasing your first book?
I haven’t yet needed to return to work as I can work from home at my own pace. This is also great as I have two young children and it means I have flexibility for them to be my priority.
What is next for you? Any more books coming?
I have more book ideas that I need to knuckle down and progress on, but I’ll definitely be referring back to the course again to make the process smoother!
What would you say to anyone who is thinking about publishing a book?
Do the course!!!
Everyone who reaches out to me for advice I recommend this course. It just makes everything so achievable instead of overwhelming.
