SALT LAKE CITY - Aug. 22, 2018 - PRLog -- When author Karl Beckstrand wrote "Great Cape o' Colors – Capa de colores," he didn't plan on it becoming a model of multiplying products that manufacturers could emulate. "I just wanted a bilingual picture book to teach colors in Spanish or English," he said.
"Great Cape o' Colors" is Beckstrand's 20th book and sixth bilingual title. Because some buyers (parents, educators) prefer single language kid's books to teach children a foreign language, he also created Spanish-only and English-only versions, "as I've done with my other bilingual books," he said. Each version comes with a language pronunciation guide.
Since librarians and teachers prefer children's books that last, Beckstrand made all three language versions available in hard cover as well as the more affordable soft cover format. "So the three language versions in hard and soft cover — along with ebook versions of each — make a total of nine formats," he said.
John Collado, the illustrator, liked Beckstrand's idea of making a coloring book version (it is about colors after all) using John's original line art. Of course, there is no hardback or ebook version of the coloring book.
"So, from one story, I have ten versions of the book," said Beckstrand. While ten versions of the story didn't need to be written, there were other commercial product design steps beyond writing and editing it in Spanish, namely cover creation for the various iterations. All versions of the new book were released this year.
"If it weren't a picture book, I could do an audio version which would make an 11th incarnation," said Beckstrand. He is in the process of making his award-winning western novel, "To Swallow the Earth" into an audio book.
"Great Cape o' Colors" is also the fourth book in Beckstrand's Careers for Kids series. Product bundling or "a series is another excellent way to increase a product's reach," he said. Other titles in this jobs/money book series are: "Ma MacDonald Flees the Farm" (about a woman-owned business), "Bright Star Night Star" (for aspiring astronomers), and "The Bridge of the Golden Wood: A Parable on How to Earn a Living" — which was selected by the State of Vermont for financial literacy curriculum. Utah's Granite School District has ordered a large quantity of Great Cape o' Colors. All four multicultural children's books link to a site with job and business ideas plus money management tips for kids and teens: ChildrenEarn.com.
"A 12th incarnation of the book could be a film or animated version," adds Beckstrand, who also mentioned internet, television, game and toy options. Whether or not someone does product development for kids, adults or corporations, Beckstrand's ideas may inspire creative ways for manufacturers to multiply product offerings. "Never let a good product go underutilized," he said.
Besides language learning, cultures and career ideas, kids can enjoy activities like coloring or trying on the costumes portrayed in Great Cape o' Colors (which has black and Hispanic superheroes and is free for Kindle Unlimited readers) available through PremioBooks.com, Amazon, Baker & Taylor, Barnes & Noble/Nook, Brodart, Ingram, Follett, iBooks, and Walmart.com. Beckstrand may be found on Goodreads, Bookbub, Youtube, Smashwords, FB, Pinterest, Google, Instagram, and Twitter (search Multicultural Children's Books by Premio Publishing). ISBN: 978-1732069619. See the book trailer here.
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