Trisha Fleming Reading Ella Minnow P. Photo from TrishaFleming.com
Trish Fleming had a common experience when practicing ABCs with her kindergartener. When they reached L-M-N-O-P, her daughter rushed the sequence as ellemenoP! At the pronunciation, an idea was born — a little girl named Ella Minnow P. “I thought of the name, and then the story came naturally,” Trisha says. “I was able to write it pretty quickly. Once I wrote the story, I then had to get it to rhyme, which required some tweaks.”
Who is Ella Minnow P.?
The children’s book has an overarching theme of kindness set to rhyming. Trisha shares that as a military family, her kids know what it is like to be a new kid, and the kindness that should be shown. “The book is about kindness and adapting to a new situation on the first day of school. Ella gets made fun of, then she chooses kindness. We are a military family, and we’ve moved so many times. I’ve witnessed kids who can be very kind, and then there are kids who aren’t kind, and it’s hard. Kids who move have to readapt all the time.”
While Trisha has always had a unique skill set, it never occurred to her to write a book. “I never thought about writing a children’s book. I have always loved making little rhymes and poems. Growing up, watching commercials, I loved the little jingles. Rhyming, to me, is easy, so that’s why I wanted this book to rhyme. Once I thought of the story, I was able to make it rhyme by word-smithing it around.”
The Publishing Process
The publishing process is a special kind of beast. Trisha started by hiring an editor who focused solely on the editing. Every word written on the page is Trisha’s. Next, she hired an illustrator, whom she had to part ways with. From there, there was a pause in the process, resulting in a three-year process from idea to a published concept. “When we found out we had to move from Coronado, I was like, ‘Okay, I have to get this book done,’” Trisha says. “I found a new illustrator, and we had been working on it for a year. Then, I asked them to prioritize it. So, we fast-tracked it the last three months. We got it done.”
While Trisha makes the writing sound easy, the publishing process is not as straightforward. “The process is complicated, and it’s interesting. The traditional way used to be that you write a story, and then you get a publisher. Nowadays, there are Amazon and IngramSpark, as well as publishing companies that can help you publish your book.” Trisha explains, “There are pros and cons to everything. I own all the rights to my book. I have control over it. Whereas, if I had a publisher, I wouldn’t. However, they would help market it more effectively. It’s a catch-22. I’ve been pitching my book a little bit to publishers, and then they’re like, ‘Oh, well, it’s already self-published. We don’t touch those books, but we love your story.’”
She explains why that feedback is tricky to hear. “If I didn’t self-publish it, then it wouldn’t have hit number one on Amazon. It’s a total chicken-and-egg situation. I’m really happy that I self-published it, and it did hit number one on Amazon in two categories: New Release in New Experiences Books and New Release in Children’s Short Story Collections.”
A School Book Tour with Ella Minnow P.
Trisha Fleming at the Coronado Library. Photo from @TrishaFelmingAuthor
After the writing and the publication comes the marketing, which has spread like wildfire. A special moment was when Trisha was able to return to her hometown of Brawley, California, and read Ella Minnow P. “My former teacher had me come to her fifth-grade class. She had me read the book, then talk about the book writing process and how to be an entrepreneur.”
Trisha was intentional about the age range of the book. On Amazon, it lists the ages for kids from one to eight years old. “The reason why I put eight is because I now have a third-grade daughter, a kindergarten daughter, and a TK son,” Trisha explains. “The book is perfect for my TK [Transitional Kindergartener], but also my kindergartner because she’s starting to learn to read. Then my third grader reads the book and learns some new vocabulary too.”
Inside the Classrooms
“I’ve been to 42 classrooms, I think nine schools, and over 900 students now. There’s been a lot of hard work. The book launched at the beginning of April, but I started reading to my son’s and daughters’ classes on March 15, right before spring break. I used a test copy of the book.”
From her time reading in the classroom, Trisha takes a conversational approach with the children. “The message that I send home with them is that you can be anything you want when you grow up. You need to learn, study, read, and respect all your teachers, but above all, you need to be a good person. You need to be kind. I don’t say you need to be likable. Everyone doesn’t need to like you. You just need to be a good person and be who you are.”
On how the book is being perceived by the audience, Trisha goes straight to the source. “Whenever I’m done reading the book, I say ‘The End,’ and then ‘How did you guys like it?’ ‘Did you like the book?’ And they always say yes. They’re very enthusiastic about the book. They love the ABC part. They love the character, even the little boy. I think that’s been the most rewarding thing. It’s been well received.”
A Thank You from Author Trisha Fleming
Trisha concludes the interview with gratitude to her incredible illustrator, Emanuela Mannello, who brought the vision to life. Trisha also extends her gratitude to Coronado. “I’m grateful for the community, and I hope to come back and read when subsequent books come out. Every class that I go to, I donate a couple of books and read to them. I’ve enjoyed giving back to the community, whether it’s donating a physical book or my time. I love that part of it. It’s fun being with the kids, and the teachers have all been amazing.”
Get your copy of Ella Minnow P. at Bay Books Coronado or the Trisha Fleming website. Trisha teases that she has ideas for another book, so follow her on Instagram for updates.