Mad in Pursuit Notebook
Making "The Story of Gink"
(How to produce a children's book)
Background. Jim probably wrote this story in about 1944, when he was twelve years old. We found it decades ago among his mother's mementos.
His words revealed a well-read young man, who still enjoyed the imagination and tender emotions of childhood.
In 1944, the world was at war. Living on Long Island, Jim knew about the enemy U-boats that haunted the coastline. His father was an air raid warden and mandatory blackouts were a regular event.
But if Jim’s sixth-grade assignment was to tell a tale of military heroism, he chose not to write about war. Instead, he sent seafaring cats on an adventure to South America.
Although we gave out copies to Jim's children and grandchildren over the years, after he died in July 2024 (now with 5 great-granchildren), converting the manuscript into a more accessible children's book format seemed like a fun way to honor him.
The story. House-cat Gink and his alley-cat pal Hot Stuff decide "seek their fortune" by joining the Catnip Navy, where they become hardworking Apprentice Seacats. Landing in Argentina, they have fun on shore leave. But they also discover a fish heist plot and they use their quick wits to foil the thieves. They arrive home heroes and friends forever.
Layout and Illustration
I studied the format of children's picture books. I learned that they are typically a cover and 32 pages (including front and back matter, like title and copyright pages). The logistics of dividing Jim's story into 28 pages broke my brain. But this exercise was necessary to reveal what illustrations were needed. In August 2024, I made a little mockup.
I can draw a bit, but book illustration is beyond me. When I made my mockup, AI-generated images were a new thing, with so much randomness that a conjuring a consistent character across many pages was nearly impossible. The project stalled.
This year, in September, Google released Nano Banana, its innovative image generator. Then Photoshop included Nano Banana as an option for its "generative fill" tool. I could create lovely character models and styles with the Midjourney AI app. Then, I could pull them into Photoshop/Nano Banana for editing and refining, I was back in business.
Following the advice in my children's book references, I tried to make the illustrations "dance" with the text. My friend Pat came to town as I finished my first draft. She dug in with me and was able to suggest some great changes.
Printing and Binding
DIY. I bought an Epson color duplex printer, thinking I would print the copies myself. The colors of home-printing on matte paper were softer and duller than I wanted—okay for drafts, but not beautiful. I figured I'd need to use a print service for the final copies.
My plan was to saddle-stitch the printed pages into a booklet. I dug out my book-binding guides. I practiced making hard covers—not rocket science, but does require precise fitting and gluing. So much time!
Staples. When I discovered that Staples could create stapled booklets, complete with covers, I changed my plan. At $16 each, the results were beautiful, with a couple of caveats. All saddle-stitched booklets over a certain number of pages tend to fall open at the center. I had to use my bone-folder to sharpen the center crease on every page, then store them under a heavy weight to flatten them.
Also, when you fold nine sheets of paper together down the middle, the edges are uneven. Professional bookbinders have guillotines to even up the edges of their books' signatures. I used a ruler and a sharp blade. Yes, it makes a difference. Even edges means you can flip through the pages. Untrimmed edges, no can do.
Amazon. After getting the first batch printed, I discovered that, with minimal revisions, I could get the booklet printed as an Amazon KDP publication, not saddle-stitched, but perfect-bound (glued). They are cheaper. I could order author's copies for $3.50 each or buy retail for less than half the Staples charge.
Success
I gave the book to Jim's children and grandchildren at Thanksgiving. I've also given it to friends and family as a reminder of Jim's smart, creative nature and our neverending love. In a season when everyone struggles against the dying of the light, this collaboration between my futuristic new skills and Jim's boyhood imagination kept my fire burning.
In addition to Gink being a sentimental keepsake, I hope it can also be an inspiration to others—to write our stories, to preserve and honor our departed loved ones, and to keep skillbuilding into the future.
Resources
Picturebook Makers by dPICTUS, 2022.
Children's Picturebooks: the Art of Visual Storytelling (Second Edition) by Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles
23 Dec 2025
All pages in this website by Susan Barrett Price are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.