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Jenny Van (Children’s Book Author)

@jennyvanwrites

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Creator of The Old and Lazy Fisherman
Embracing the chaos of indie publishing & real-life writing 📖
The Old and Lazy Fisherman is re-releasing Oct 15

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Everyone keeps asking why I talk about my $75k MBA, while writing a children’s book about a lazy fisherman.

This is why.

Yesterday I bought my own ISBNs for The Old and Lazy Fisherman (out Oct 15th). MBA lesson #1: Own your assets.

A free ISBN means Amazon is listed as the publisher. Your own ISBN means YOU are the publisher. One book, everywhere. You own everything.

I spent $75k to learn business. I spent $295 to actually become one.

My hands were literally shaking clicking “Checkout.”

If you’ve ever bet on yourself after the degree, tell me below. What was your scariest investment in yourself?

Comment BEAR and I’ll add you to my early reader list for a first look at Charlie the Bear 🐻

Thank you for being here for the scary parts too.

#childrensbookauthor #indieauthor #selfpublishingjourney #womeninbusiness by @jennyvanwrites

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4 days ago

$75,000 and somehow none of it covered the actual job. Save this for the next time you’re spiraling about numbers. What would you add to the list?

#bookstagram #indieauthor #selfpublishing #authorlife #childrensbook taken in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania by @jennyvanwrites

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7 days ago

The irony is not lost on me 🤣

Tag your fellow grad student turned struggling children’s book author

#writingcommunity #booktok #authorlife #childrensbookauthor #indieauthor taken in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania by @jennyvanwrites

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9 days ago

$75,000 and none of it prepared me to be a struggling children’s book author!
What’s missing from YOUR degree that you actually needed?
COMMENT below and share your friends who also have a fancy degree that didn’t prepare them for the real world.

#writingcommunity #booktok #authorlife #childrensbookauthor #indieauthor taken in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania by @jennyvanwrites

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11 days ago

If you know me, you know I’m not built for waiting. I’m built for naps, snacks, and a good night’s sleep. Patience was never in my river. But here we are, counting down to the day my very own children’s book swims out into the world for kids and cubs ages 2-8 (and their very tired grownups) to hold in their hands.

So here’s what we’re doing for the next 20 sleeps until book release day: I want to know what YOU’D do with 20 days left before something big. Tell me below 👇 — book launch, wedding, vacation, first day of school, doesn’t matter. I read every single one (between naps).

📌 Save this post so you don’t lose count with me.

🐾 Share it with the parent, teacher, or grandparent who’s always hunting for the next great read-aloud.

🔔 Turn on notifications! I will absolutely be back here every single sleep until release day.

#picturebooksofinstagram #childrensbookstagram #kidsbooksofinstagram #toddlerbooks #newbookrelease

20 days. One old, lazy, deeply anxious bear. Let’s do this together. taken in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania by @jennyvanwrites

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15 days ago

You have a MBA in marketing and still couldn’t find the chapter on “how to become Instagram and TikTok famous to sell your book”📚😅

I searched high and low in my marketing textbooks and not one page said “your book will only sell if you also become an influencer.” Yet here we are, authors turned content creators turned marketers turned... exhausted.

If you’re a writer, debut author, or aspiring novelist feeling the pressure to be a full-time social media manager on top of everything else, you are not alone. Let’s talk about it. 👇

📌 Save and like this for the next time someone tells you “just go viral” like it’s a marketing strategy.

#authortok #booktok #debutauthor #bookmarketing #writingcommunity taken in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania by @jennyvanwrites

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18 days ago

A quiet little milestone, but it means the absolute world to me!! 🥹

400 of you?! Pinch me!!

When I started sharing this creative journey, I honestly didn’t know if anyone outside of my immediate family would care about my stories. Hitting 400 followers might look like a small number to some, but to me, it’s a room full of wonderful humans cheering each other on.

A quiet little milestone, but it means the absolute world to me!! Whether you’re here for the children’s book journey, the behind-the-desk chaos, or just love supporting independent creators, thank you for being here!! I truly appreciate it!!

Drop a 👋 or your favorite coffee/tea emoji in the comments so I can properly say hello to you! 👇

#picturebook #bookstagram #indieauthor #authorlife #booktok taken in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania by @jennyvanwrites

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23 days ago

30 sleeps until Charlie the Bear officially sets sail again! 🐻🎣✨

If your weekend plans look suspiciously similar to an old and lazy fisherman’s nap schedule, drop a 😴 in the comments. (No judgment here—Charlie approves.)

The freshly polished, newly re-released paperback version of The Old and Lazy Fisherman officially arrives on October 15th! We’ve got dad jokes, cozy artwork, and just the right amount of laziness headed your way

📌 SAVE this post to keep track of the countdown, SHARE this with your favorite nap-enthusiast, and FOLLOW along so you don’t miss the launch day magic!

Don’t forget to drop the word “Fish” in the COMMENTS so I can send you a link to the countdown calendar, so you can countdown the days until The Old and Lazy Fisherman is released into the wild again on October 15th

#TheOldAndLazyFisherman #ChildrensBooks #CozyReads #BookCountdown #IndieAuthor taken in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania by @jennyvanwrites

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24 days ago

The secret is finally out! 🎣✨

After a lot of behind-the-scenes formatting, polish, and a serious character glow-up, The Old and Lazy Fisherman is officially re-releasing on October 15th!

If you followed the messy first launch back in April, thank you for sticking around. This updated paperback is everything I hoped it would be, and I am so excited to share Charlie the Bear’s new look with you all.

To help us count down the days, we created something special! Head over to @theoldandlazyfisherman right now to grab the link for our official “30 Sleeps Until Launch” countdown calendar. 🗓️💤

Hit share to let a fellow parent or book lover know, and save this post so you don’t forget the date! 👇📖

#childrensbooks #indieauthor #childrensbookauthor #booktok #selfpublishing taken in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania by @jennyvanwrites

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25 days ago

30 more sleeps until Charlie wakes up! 🐻💤🎣

Exactly one month from today—on October 15th—the newly updated, freshly illustrated paperback edition of The Old and Lazy Fisherman officially drops!!

To celebrate, I’ve put together a cute little printable October countdown calendar featuring everyone’s favorite lazy bear so you and your cubs and grandcubs can track the days until we’re back at the lake with our coffee and cookies ☕️ 🎣

Want the free calendar sent straight to your DMs? Comment the word “FISH” below, and I’ll slide the link right over to you! 👇✨

#TheOldAndLazyFisherman #ChildrensBooks #PictureBookArt #IndieAuthor #cozyreads taken in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania by @jennyvanwrites

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25 days ago

Trust the process, right? 😅 Even when you’ve done through a million tiny edits of your book, because you’re a perfectionist!

I’ve been quietly working behind the scenes on a massive refresh for The Old and Lazy Fisherman, and I am so excited to finally share it with you all. Charlie the Bear is getting the comeback he deserves!!

The official re-release date drops tomorrow morning, and you’re going to want to be here for it.

Drop a 🎣 in the comments if you’re ready!

#ChildrensBooks #IndieAuthor #TheOldAndLazyFisherman #ChildrensBookAuthor #bookstagram taken in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania by @jennyvanwrites

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a month ago

Move over, traditional publishing deals. My true target audience consists of automated accounts that apparently love my content so much, their only programming instruction is to command me to “send me this post.”

Like, okay, bot. I’ll make sure to slide into your automated DMs and pitch my children’s book to the cloud. I’m sure you’ll want to publish my book to whatever server farm is hosting you.

To all the actual, breathing humans and fellow authors out there: please ignore the robots. Drop a comment about your bot struggle or wave hello so I know you aren’t waiting for me to text you this graphic! 👇

#AuthorLife #WritingCommunity #IndieAuthor #ChildrensBookAuthor #booktok taken in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania by @jennyvanwrites

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a month ago