A new Chapter for Wee Bookworms
2021, another year of ups and downs! In the last few days, I often thought of the quote by Hal Borland: "Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instil in us." I've learned so much in the past 12 months: About books (of course) but also about the sometimes unexpected challenges of running a business. As we all know, the business-threatening pandemic is still ongoing. 2021 was a time of sad goodbyes but also new beginnings for many people around the world. One thing became very clear: Especially small businesses had to become more and more creative to survive. And you can see it everywhere; business owners are coming up with the most exciting new ideas! Now it was time for a bit of fresh paint for my own business.
Fabulous Illustrations & New Business Partners
First of all, Wee Bookworms underwent a makeover! Of course, in a lot of ways, the new website marked a new beginning. The beautiful illustrations by Saraja's Drawer finally found their deserving space not only on our website but also on our bookmark, certificate, and letterhead for our unbelievably popular Book Subscriptions for Kids. I & Fairy Belle Bookworm (perhaps you don't know her yet, but she is a vital Wee Bookworms Team Member), also welcomed two new business partners into the WBW team. I couldn't imagine a WBW world without Natasha and Lana now!
What happened next? After the new website had gone live, it was time to think about further expansion....and after a lot of brainstorming sessions about how an online bookshop could become reality.....with thousands of different books....with all of my favourite titles..... it became clear that it wouldn't be an easy job and definitely not one that I could do without getting more support.
This is when an entire team of computer wizards came into play. After many late nights, countless of obstacles and nightmarish moments the First Independent Online Children's Bookshop was finally live! Yes, we were a little bit late for Christmas (the book subscription boxes flew off the shelves) but it was live, all shiny and pretty!
Selecting books has been a joyous journey through time as it reminded me of WBW's humble beginnings. One of my favourite corners of this online shop is definitely the "Our Favourites" section which is, to be honest, the place where you will find all of my personal favourites. I'm also very fond of the ever-growing "New Releases" category with all of my favourite new titles. Yes, it's like another "My Favourites" section, to be honest. Every single book on this website has been hand-picked.
I absolutely love selecting books; the different categories in our online shop should make it slightly easier to pick a good read for bookworms but also for reluctant readers. And of course, our Book Subscriptions continue to be a vital part of Wee Bookworms. Every day we update and expand our online bookshop with fantastic new books and classic titles. It feels like creating a massive Wee Bookworms Library and couldn't be more fun!
It's Time to say: "Thank you!"
Perhaps you haven't heard of our January Competition yet! To win a 3 month Book Subscription, ask your bookworm to colour in our Fairy Team Member Belle Bookworm and send us a photo of your creations with your bookworm's name & age by the 28.01.2022 via email: hello@weebookworms.co.uk or on Wee Bookworms Facebook messenger. You can download the colouring page here:
Our Team Member Fairy Belle Bookworm will select two winners on the 30.01.2022. The winners will be announced on our Facebook Page.
Another Chapter: My Very Own Picture Book
Fairy Belle Bookworm is also the protagonist of my very own picture book. I was working on the manuscript for a very, very, very long time....With all of the events from last year, I had quite a few struggles with the writing process. Let me tell you, it isn't easy! Often it is assumed that writing a picture book is incredibly straightforward, but it most certainly isn't! When you only have a limited word count, things can get quite tricky (and very frustrating) at times. You have bad days and good ones, creative days and moments when you just want to give up.... Yes, writing my very own picture book (the first useable one, that potentially & hopefully could be enjoyed by children) was a magical journey on its own that I most definitely want to repeat. I started writing the first couple of drafts in January 2021 and now, after a whole year, I have finally reached the illustration stage. The manuscript is finished, edited, and polished. Even Belle Bookworm has approved of my story. I teamed up with a new illustrator and I will reveal the first finished illustrations by her in my next blog post.
Happy New Year to all Bookworms across the world!
xx Madeleine
