Laura Feldman
Lockdown Baby
About the book
Lockdown Baby is a little keepsake book for our beautiful babies who were born during the covid-19 pandemic. The story is told in rhyme and paints a picture of what things were like when we welcomed our babies.
What inspired you to publish your first book?
I wanted to create a keepsake for my daughter, Winnie, to help show her what things were like when she was born.
The book was as much for me as it was for her.
Winnie was born right at the beginning of the strict Victorian lockdowns and was struggling with depression. I was on maternity leave from my day job and my business (a wedding and events business) was hanging on by a thread.
I organise the local wedding expo here in Ballarat and I had just had to cancel the event for the third time in a row due to the lockdowns and restrictions.
I remember saying out of the blue “Stuff it! I am writing that book!” and my husband looking at me with a confused look.
It became my “therapy” and something I could get excited about during a very difficult time.
"It became my "therapy" and something I could get excited about..."
Self Publishing Journey
Explain the process. How long did it take?
I had already written the poem for Winnie and when I decided I wanted to turn it into a book for her, I tweaked it a little so that I could give a copy to my niece as well.
I had no idea where to start in terms of getting this story into an actual book so I spent a LOT of time researching.
I had a lot of time on my hands, so I watched hours and hours of YouTube clips, read a heap of articles, joined a bunch of Facebook groups, I spoke to different Authors and printers and finally figured out the direction I wanted to go.
The book was in my hand less than 60 days after I decided I wanted to create the book.
What was the hardest part about publishing your book?
Figuring out how to do it all!
There is so much information available on the internet and so many different ways to do it. It was very overwhelming and I just wished there was someone who could just tell me what to do (that is what inspired me to create my course).
What was something surprising about publishing your book?
How easy it actually is once you know what you are doing.
Starting a business
Did you already have a business or did you start one from scratch for your book?
I already had a business called Ivory Haus. It is about wedding planning so had nothing to do with baby books!
How did you adapt your business to include your book?
In the beginning, I just had a hidden link on my wedding planner website for the book and shared it to my socials as I didn’t expect it to become a “thing”.
I realised pretty quickly that the book was going to be successful so I registered a new business name and created a new website.
I had to work quickly so it was far from perfect.
Life as an author
Tell us about any exciting milestones you have achieved since releasing your book
I have celebrated so many milestones!
The first big one was selling 1000 books in the first 5 weeks. It was a real pinch me moment.
How have things changed for you since releasing your first book?
I returned to work from maternity leave shortly after I released my first book and I resigned to work on Little Ivory Haus after just 3 months.
It has given me the freedom and flexibility to work for myself, spend more time with my kids and have more time to create.
What opportunities have followed since then?
I have written more books, including another best seller, “I Have An Angel, which is a comforting children’s picture book on grief and loss.
I have also created an online course that teaches how to self publish a children’s picture book and I mentor hundreds of aspiring authors so that they can bring their dreams to reality too.
What would you say to anyone who is thinking about publishing a book?
Do it!
Whichever way you decide to go about it, just do it.
It is such an exhilarating experience publishing a book and sharing your story with the world.
