Picture from oddbirdbooks
In today’s article, we interview one of our clients, Roxy from the United States, to uncover the secrets behind why she created tattoo-themed board books, learn about how she self-published a series of tattoo board books and achieved such great success.
Board books are designed for young children. Therefore, it must be made of durable materials and safe inks, making it can withstand the exploration of small hands and is harmless to the health of young children. Its sturdy board book binding construction ensures durability, making it an ideal choice for authors and publishers who want to produce books for children aged 0-4 years.
For artist and graphic designer Roxy Prima, there is a clear link between the discussions around the tattoos and her debut board book-ABC’s of Tattoos. Roxy as a professional designer over 15 years of experience, and she had been help many authors bring their dream to life through her unique hand-painted design skills.
The opportunity for her to create her first tattoo-themed board book came from her daughter. When her daughter was 8 months old and started to get excited about the colors of her tattoos, she wanted to find a children’s tattoo book for her daughter, but couldn’t find the right one. So she decided to make a tattoo board book for her daughter.
Her book takes children on a fascinating journey by combining simple letters, numbers or words with the timeless tradition of tattooing. For example, her first board book, The ABCs of Tattoos, is 6” x 6”, making it easy for children to hold and read. The whole book with 22 beautifully illustrated pages, each letter comes to life in a captivating tattoo style, making it the perfect addition to the little one’s early learning adventures.
Unlike the traditional ABC board book, Roxy brings readers a series of artistic expressions using meticulous hand-drawings, making learning the ABCs a delightful and visually stimulating experience. The exquisite hand-drawn illustrations are printed with the highest quality to make them more vibrant and eye-catching, bringing a wonderful reading experience to parents and children.
Picture from oddbirdbooks
We talk to Roxy to uncover the process of creating and printing her board book.
Why did you want to create a tattoo-themed board book for kids?
When my daughter was about 8 months old, she started pointing out my tattoos and getting excited by the colors. This made me want to get a kids tattoo book for her, but I couldn’t find any! I am an artist and graphic designer, so I decided to make one myself. I had no idea what I was doing, but I drew it up and reached out to Book Printing China and they were so helpful in getting it printed!
Talk us about your creating process: from writing to design and editing for your first board book-what were easy and hard?
This was actually very easy for me–once I get an idea, I get very obsessed and have to see it through. Since it was my first book, I wanted it to be very simple so that I wouldn’t get overwhelmed and give up. I decided to do an ABC book and thought of traditional tattoo designs to go with each letter. It took me about a week to draw all the illustrations that went with each letter and then I laid it out as a book with a template from Book Printing China for the size book that I wanted to make.
Did you hire a professional designer to assist you for cover designing and interior illustration?
Luckily, I’ve been a professional designer for about 15 years, so getting to create something like this was very exciting and full of passion. I typically work with clients to bring their vision to life, so getting to have full creative freedom was really exciting and special for me. I love drawing so all of my books were hand drawn by me. I wanted them to have a hand done look so I created them all on my iPad and then brought them into InDesign on my computer to create the full book layout.
Why did you decide to print your artwork rather than just showcase online?
There is something really special about having tangible artwork. I’ve been a designer for 15 years, and anytime I can see my work in print, it’s a lot more special than just being on screen. When I got the sample of my book and was able to share it with my daughter, she loved it! I wanted other tattooed moms and dads to get to have that experience with their kids, so I initially started by only printing 1,000 of my ABC book.
Picture by BookPrintingChina
How to decide your board book printer and why choose BookPrintingChina?
I had a hard time finding printers that did board books. I was initially looking for a printer in the United States, but could not find anything that was affordable or had a lower bulk order size. After a lot of searching I found BookPrintingChina and they responded right away with the information I was looking for. They also offered to create a sample for me and once I got that, I knew I would work with them to get all my books printed!
How did you feel when the printed board book was received?
I was so impressed when I got the original sample. The quality of the board books from BookPrintingChina is really amazing! It turned out even better than I could have ever imagined and I got so excited to share it with other people.
When your first board book was published, what was the feedback from the public?
The feedback from the public has been amazing! I actually put my book on Tiktok shop and had a video go viral to 1 million views and I was able to sell all 1,000 of my original order in just 3 days! I think it was so popular because there are not many books for kids about tattoos.
What made you decide to create other tattoo-themed board books and choose to print them with BookPrintingChina again?
Because the first book was so popular, it showed me that there is a demand for tattoo art in kids books. So I got the idea for 3 more tattoo books: “123’s of Tattoos”, “Colors of Tattoos”, and a story book called “My Mom Has a Tattoo”. I wanted to maximize my re-order of my ABC book so I created those books as well.
How to marketing and selling your board book?
I market and sell my books mostly through social media. Tiktok Shop has been a really great place to showcase and sell my books. I also sell on Etsy, Instagram, my own website, and through a wholesale website called Faire. I have my books in 60 shops across the United States. Social media is a great way to share video of your work and find new customers.
Go for it! So many people tell me they want to make a kids board book, but very few actually do it. There is so much opportunity in the market of kids books. Whether you are looking for a side hustle, or just want to bring your idea to life, it’s worth it. Working with BookPrintingChina has made the process so much easier! They are always available to answer any questions and respond right away.
To learn more about Roxy Prima and her work, visit her Instagram, Tiktok, website, facebook, Etsy. If you are ready to print your next board book project, contact us or send a message to sales@bookprintingchina.com, our very nice expert team is here to help, answer your any question and assist you in preparing your print-ready file. Our target is make your printing is easy, affordable and professional, never waste your time and money.
