It’s not about the idea, it’s about the people

When I heard successful author Gregg Hurwitz speak around a year ago, he made one comment that surprised me. I used to think of a successful author as someone who sits in front of a computer and types all day. Almost magically, I pictured the perfect story just pop out of the computer. All the writer had to do was hit print and the perfect story appeared — typed, printed, and bound. But I was wrong.

Gregg writes one book each year. He’s kept that pace for 20 years. Here’s what he said that surprised me.

He said that he can only produce as much great content as he does, because he has built an incredible team of people to help him. Editors. Publisher. Agent. Lawyer. Publicity.

I used to think of writing as a completely solitary experience. Now one of my favorite authors was telling me I was wrong.

When I heard Gregg, I had written a first draft of my own book. It was a children’s book. But I didn’t have a team. I was the solitary writer, who was hoping something great would appear as soon as I had typed a few words. Now, as my first children’s book has been released, I realize that Gregg was right.

Steve Jobs said something similar, when asked about Pixar and its success. Pixar, he said, “depends on collaboration.” Each successful movie was not the work of a single person.

My book started with an idea: what if Cinderella actually picked up her slipper instead of losing it, and left something else for the prince to find instead? What if she tooted, and all the prince had to find his true love was the smell of her toot? That was the idea that I had one night when I was telling my kids stories before bed. The kids loved the story and wanted to hear it every night for months. CinderToot was born.

There’s a huge difference, though, between having an idea for a story and creating a children’s book that is available for purchase. The main difference is the team of people I needed to help me. Each person had a unique role that could not be replaced. Here’s the team that I built to bring my book CinderToot to life.

The Kids

There is almost no greater sense of joy than when children laugh. The idea for CinderToot struck me suddenly, as I was making up a story to tell my kids. It was a moment when a funny idea strikes and I just happened to be in front of people who would laugh at it.

For me, my four kids are the only reason I created CinderToot. My kids are the best part of life. I love spending time with them. There’s certainly frustration and challenges, but also so much joy and fun.

The kids were an essential part of the team. I created the story for them. But more than that, I needed a reason to turn the story into a published book. I made a decision to treat the book as a different type of project. CinderToot changed from a fun story to a way to teach my kids about starting a business, executing an idea, and following a passion. Plus, we could do it together.

I made my children part of the team.

They heard every draft. They helped pick every other person I list below. We brainstormed ideas together. My daughter Ella noticed when I changed a single word. The kids started to draw their own pictures, even before we hired an illustrator. They told me which parts were funny and which parts dragged. We talked about how much to charge. We decided — together — to donate some of the proceeds from the book. And we will donate the money together as well, so they can witness how to give.

The kids are the secret weapon. They are the part of the team that made me want to write the book. In short, I wrote a book so I could spend more time with them.

The Advisor: Eevi

If my kids were the inspiration, then Eevi Jones was the catalyst that gave me the first glimpse of confidence that I could create a children’s book. She has been an incredible advisor, and I know I could not have published CinderToot without her. I met her online a number of years ago. She was launching her own book, How to Self-Publish a Children’s Book. I bought a copy to support her launch efforts.

At the time, I had no desire to publish a children’s book. For years, the book sat on my shelf. But when the idea of publishing CinderToot came alive, Eevi’s book was the first book I reviewed. The book was so helpful that I reached out to Eevi to hire her.

Eevi has been an incredible advisor throughout the entire process. She reviewed my first draft and gave helpful edits. She urged me to make the story lighter and more joy-filled. She was right. Eevi is the type of person that is both a shortcut and a coach that makes creating something new so much easier.

The Editor: Brooke

As suggested by Eevi, I needed to hire an editor. I reviewed a number of profiles, but my kids and I eventually selected Brooke, who did a phenomenal job. She used to work for Disney’s publishing division. I needed someone like her to sharpen the story.

She forced me to make the book shorter, which was challenging. But she also added so much to the humor and fun. She made great big picture story suggestions, many of which are in the book. She also made deep line edits, where every word was scrutinized. I never thought that I would put so much time into evaluating a single word in a sentence, but Brooke pushed me to make the book better with every editing pass. She even helped me create art descriptions that added to the humor.

Overall, I went through 13 different drafts for a simple story. I could not have created CinderToot with Brooke’s amazing assistance.

The Illustrator: Kate (and Her Team)

How do you find an illustrator for a book about a tooting Cinderella? I was worried initially because I had no idea how to take this idea and turn it into something beautiful. Even though the book has a silly premise, it is a full story and not a one-joke book. I needed someone to take the story seriously.

As I showed my team (my wife and kids) some options that I found for illustrations, my wife vetoed all of them, except one. There was only one artist that she liked. So I called her.

I had to talk to her. This could not be a relationship that started through email only. I had to know that the artist enjoyed the story. I needed someone who would understand the joy that I was trying to bring to the world through the book. It wasn’t about the crude aspects. I wanted it to be a fun princess story with an unexpected twist.

Kate Cosgrove got it right away. She laughed when I told her the idea. That’s a good sign, I remember thinking. Her prior illustrations were beautiful, and now she liked my story. But she said something that really sold me: she said that she always wanted to be a children’s book illustrator. And now she was one. That told me everything I needed to know. She wasn’t just an incredible artist — she was a person who wanted to bring joy to children, through her art. And she was committed to doing it as a career.

Kate rocks. She made CinderToot beautiful, even funnier than before, and something that I hope she’s proud of. Even more, Kate’s agent Janet was a tremendous help, along with Alissa who did the layout.

The Friend Who Convinced Me to Do It

You always need one person to believe in you, right? Of course, it really helps if you believe in yourself first. But if not, then it becomes necessary to have someone else believe in you first.

My friend Jerome believed in the idea of a CinderToot book before I did. I was actually writing a book on reinvention when he told me I should write this silly book first.

I thought he was crazy. But he wasn’t.

“You want me to write a Cinderella fart book right now?”

“Yes,” he said.

He reminded me that I only write 15 minutes a day. My reinvention book would have taken years at that pace. But I could write a shorter story. I could publish a children’s book in the next year much easier than a full-fledged nonfiction book about reinventing yourself.

My friend Jerome was right. You always need the one person who believes in the idea first. If it’s not you, then you need someone close to you who can push and prod to make you realize that the next, right thing is not always what you think it is.

The Lawyer: Me!

My first hurdle, even before I started typing, was whether I could even write a Cinderella book. I had seen the Disney movie as a child. What was protected intellectual property and what was available for me to use? I am an intellectual property attorney, so the question was not trivial to me.

I was actually worried for a bit, until I remembered reading my kids a book about Cinderella stories from around the world. Apparently, the Cinderella story has been told for a few hundred years. I also found a copy of Cinderella from the early-1800s. I made sure to only include elements of the story that could be traced back to a 200-year old version.

Once I satisfied my legal anxiety about writing about Cinderella, I still had other legal issues. Copyright. Contracts. I needed a lawyer. Fortunately, I had enough experience that I could serve in the role.

The Support Group

I can’t begin to describe the fear that I had when I started to tell people about my book. I made the decision to write the book and wasn’t planning to change my mind. But I was impressionable. One harsh critique could have really challenged my resolve. I am a practicing attorney. I work at a big firm. I represent large businesses and multi-millionaire entrepreneurs. And now I was writing a Cinderella fart book. It was fun to share that I was writing a book — even writing a children’s book. It was embarrassing to be writing a book that seemed crude.

I had to acknowledge that writing this book was not the normal path for a lawyer. But was I crazy? I needed people around me who understood why I was writing this book. It was more than a crude story. It was fun. It would bring joy to parents and kids. It was meant to be beautiful and uplifting. But that wasn’t easy to describe, especially when all I had was an idea.

Fortunately, I am part of a writers group that is extremely supportive. During a conference call, I brought up my newest project. There was much laughter. I’m sure some of them thought I was crazy. Maybe they still do. But I’ve received such incredible support from those same people. They’re all writers and artists. They understand that sometimes you let a topic consume you. They know what it’s like to have uncertainty about a project. The support and encouragement from the group has been amazing.

I can’t fail to mention my close friends and family who became early fans. Yes, they probably thought I was crazy, but they still laughed. When I sent out an email asking if anyone wanted to help with the book, over 100 people responded and formed the early launch team. They are all amazing, and if you’re one of those people, I am so grateful for you.

My Wife

This book could not have happened without the support of my wife. She reads more children’s books than anyone I know. She has checked out 20 children’s books from the library each week for years. When she goes to the library, all of the librarians know her. She loves good children’s books. But my wife deserves a formal apology. The first time I told her about CinderToot, she didn’t laugh. She shrugged it off as one of the crazy stories that I told the kids. But once we decided to move forward, she had a little anxiety. Yes, it was funny. But I was also ruining her favorite fairy tale.

Nichole, I’m sorry.

I know people will still love the story of Cinderella. But every good story needs updating, right?

Even though I “ruined” her favorite story, she is proud of the final project. And she would want me to tell you that it was her idea to have the guard wear different masks on every page at the end of the book. (It is one of the best jokes in the book.) 

So thank you, Nichole, for being part of the team on CinderToot, but also for being on my team for everything else as well.

It’s Not the Idea — It’s the People

Steve Jobs said that Pixar depended on collaboration. Ed Catmull, one of the co-founders of Pixar, confirmed the truth of that statement. After Pixar finished Toy Story 2, Ed Catmull was asked what he learned from the experience.

Here is his answer: 

“Toy Story 2 was the pivotal moment in this company. It’s when we actually defined who we were. From that we learned the important thing is not the idea. The important thing is the people. It’s how they work together, who they are, that matters more than anything else.”

For my own book, Ed Catmull’s answer has been true. I could not have released a children’s book without an incredible team. We had to work together. And it became more about the people than the actual idea itself.

There would be no book if not for the team.

And there wouldn’t be a second book either (SantaToot, coming this November… )

…

Learn the one lesson that has changed my life more than any other.