INDIE SUCCESS ®
Virus— was right on board: “Both of us have lived abroad
and traveled extensively,” Diller says. “We know how
travel stretches our thinking. We knew that if we could
give any gift to young kids it would be [to encourage
them to] be curious, travel, and get out of their comfort
zones.”
The first Pack-n-Go Girls book, The Mystery of the
Ballerina Ghost (2013), features a Native American
girl named Brooke who travels to Austria. Subsequent
titles in the series feature Jess, an African-American
girl who visits Thailand; Sofia, a Cuban-American
who visits Brazil; and Wendy, a Chinese-American
who travels to Australia. In the books, each nine-
year-old protagonist meets another nine-year-old
girl in the country that she visits and a mystery
unfolds. So far, there are nine chapter books, as well
as a coloring and activity book, with more on the way.
The authors planned to self-publish the series from
the beginning. Part of this decision had to do with
their desire to expand beyond the parameters of book
publishing: “We may be a book company, but we’re
so much more,” Travis says. In addition to the books
and supplemental tools, they are also developing
Pack-n-Go Girl toys—a merchandising venture that
they are modeling after companies such as American
Girl. They learned that many publishing companies
“didn’t want to deal with toys, and toy companies
didn’t want to deal with books,” Travis says.
Choosing to publish on their own terms gave them
more creative control and more responsibility—some-
thing they both take very seriously. When selecting
an illustrator for the series, they compiled a focus
group of second and third graders, having them look
at sample art from several different artists. “Adam
[Turner] was their clear favorite,” Diller says. “We
were glad, because he was our clear favorite, too.”
Travis and Diller have focused on creating quality
books that align with their mission while also ramp-
ing up their innovative marketing and outreach
efforts. They regularly attend signings at bookstores
and to do author visits at schools, libraries, and
special events. In order to broaden the classroom
appeal of the books, they have created an exploration
kit for each of the featured countries, with activities
in math, science, reading, writing, geography, and
art. They have been very active on social media,
drawing attention to the Pack-n-Go Girls books on
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. The
Pack-n-Go Girls website is also a way for readers to
find additional content relating to the travel destina-
tions and to connect with a community of fans.
Using social media has also allowed Diller and
Travis to better connect with writers, publishers,
librarians, and educators who share their desire for
more diversity in children’s books. When the We
Need Diverse Books campaign started a few years
ago, Diller and Travis began sharing the Pack-n-Go
Girls books through associated networks. They have
also been involved with the Multicultural Kid Blogs
community and for the past three years have been
sponsors of Multicultural Children’s Book Day.
Some Sanguine Advice
Their outreach has paid off. Though they didn’t start
out with money on their minds, Diller says, “we’ve
doubled our revenue every year—we’re quite pleased
with the trajectory.” The duo began selling on Amazon
and have added Ingram as a distributor to major and
indie bookstores. They have also paired up with Follett
and Mackin for the school and library distribution
markets. This year they have added hardcover books
to their paperback and e-book selections and intend
to move on to audio adaptations for next summer,
with the toys to follow.
Having found a successful business model that
allows them the freedom to market and expand their
franchise as they see fit, Diller and Travis have some
advice for potential self-publishers. First off, “a book
must be well written, well designed, and error-free,”
Travis says. “Professional editing, illustrating, and
designing gets you noticed,” she adds. “Hard work
and innovative marketing take you to the next level.”
Diller says passion—something they bring to each
new journey—is essential to a project’s success.
And they themselves seek out adventures. Diller
has visited more than 45 countries and lives on a
sailboat in Mexico with her husband each winter;
Travis has studied in Germany, traveled around the
U.S. in a Volkswagen camper, and lived in South
Korea. And, through the series, they and their read-
ers have “toured haunted castles in Austria, caught
thieves in Mexico, saved dolphins and turtles in
Brazil, searched for lost golden temples in Thailand,
and chased aliens in Australia,” Travis says. In addi-
tion to the adventures in the books, Travis adds,
they hope to “inspire readers to embrace adventure,
be curious, value what unites us, and celebrate the
differences that make us unique.”
“We’re lucky in that, even beyond a story to tell,
we have a mission behind our books,” Diller adds.
“We really do want to change the world one reader
at a time.” ■
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