What To Do When You See Somebody Else Has Your Idea
Embracing Creative Overlap for Greater Impact by Lois Wickstrom
The Spark of an Idea
When I got the idea for Under the Bandage, my picture book about how human bodies heal, I thought, wow—I’ve got an idea that fills a market gap—nobody else has written a picture book about what happens inside the body to make it good as new after kids get hurt. And why do you have to keep the wound covered up? Wouldn’t it be cool if you could watch the repair process?
The artist I contacted loved the idea. He usually puts up with my ideas. He knows I pay promptly, but this time he was genuinely excited, and that enthusiasm shows in his artwork. I thought—this is going to be the book that lets me stand out from the crowd.
The Shock of Similarity
Silly me. If an idea is that obvious, I should know that I won’t be the only one who thinks of it. When I took a science fiction writing class, the teacher told our class, “If you think you have a unique idea, you probably don’t.” My book, which is aimed at 4-6-year-olds, had only been out a few months when I saw another book: Immune Heroes: Protectors of the Wound by Namita Gandhi. Her book takes the same battleground approach that my story does, but it uses far more biological terms that might appeal to an older child. Her book makes science accessible through storytelling, with a story arc that takes the child on an adventure, instead of listing out the facts. And then I found another book. The Secret Life of Boo-Boos by Mariona Tolosa Sisteré also crossed my radar. Her book treats the biology of healing as a story in its own right. I think her approach also appeals more to an older child. Each of these books has a different take on the same topic. Each of our books is unique.
Rethinking Competition
I found myself asking: since I don’t have the only book on what I previously thought was an exclusive subject, what’s the best way to promote my book? Clearly, these other authors saw the same market gap that got my attention. They must be kindred spirits. Maybe we could sell our books together. After all, parents and grandparents often buy several books on the same topic if their children are curious. I wrote to the other authors and asked if they were interested in doing joint publicity.
Finding Strength in Numbers
Both of the other authors loved the idea and gave me permission to mention them and their books about healing in this article. And we are looking for places where we can promote all three of our books to parents and grandparents whose children want to know more about healing the human body.
I was lucky to find such supportive authors. Some authors want to go it alone. If that works for them, I wish them well. But working together makes sense to me.
About the Author
Lois Wickstrom lives in a world where imaginary playmates are real. She doesn’t remember being born, so she finds unbirthdays are more exciting than the official once-a-year date on the calendar. She’s taken so many science classes that she believes science is the solution to almost every problem, including the dilemmas in fairy tales.
Explore More on Healing!
For young readers interested in understanding the wonders of healing, these three books offer distinct approaches, each turning science into an engaging story. Click on each cover to learn more or to add these unique books to your collection.
