Ever wondered what it takes to self-publish a children’s book? Well, Girls that Scuba founder, Sarah, did exactly that to launch her new book, My Mum’s a Scuba Diver.
Here’s the full story in Sarah’s words – from the initial idea, the highs and the lows, all the way to publication!
The Idea
I remember exactly where I was when I had the idea for this kids book. It was late 2021. I was in a taxi in Istanbul, having had an incredible few months of travelling with Girls that Scuba on trips and research. This was following a previous tough patch, with that C word nearly closing down the group travel side of Girls that Scuba.
Despite not having my own child yet (fast forward to today – I have a 2 year old son), I had almost a maternal feeling of wanting to pass on the empowerment I felt being a female scuba diver on to the next generation. I wanted kids to see their Mums, or other female figures, doing what we do.
I guess I also really wanted to find a way to introduce Girls that Scuba to a new generation, and a book felt like a very organic way to do that.
With no idea how to publish or create a book, I did what all of us do. I went down a search engine rabbit hole, which led me to pitching to publishers.
The Pitch
My first pitch went a little something like this:
“In Girls that Scuba’s recent pregnancy survey, 51.4% of female divers said childcare was the reason they couldn’t get back to diving after having kids, and recently, new statistics of the ratio of male to female divers have taken a drop with a ratio of 35% women to 65% men.
What’s more, of most divers we know, if it was their parents who encouraged or helped them to dive, it was their Dad who did that.
At GTS we feel that the pressure of childcare and raising kids means female divers take a back seat. For us, showing scuba diver Mums is super important. That starts from birth, having positive role models to look up to.
My new kids book idea, ‘My Mum’s a Scuba Diver’, would be a visual book with a short poem-story highlighting the amazement a kid sees watching their mum go scuba diving.”
I got one reply.
It was positive, but with feedback that it’s likely not going to be a hit.
However, I didn’t ever need it to be “a hit”. It was more about creating a positive image of a Mum following her passion as her kid watched on. Even so, I can’t deny that it knocked my confidence. I actually gave up on the idea altogether for nearly 2 years.
But this year – 2024 – I was inspired by my own son, who loved me reading books to him.
I decided to try again, and take a different route by self-publishing. This meant I didn’t need to get my idea approved by agents or publishers. I knew while I may not get the national or global audience they had access to, I did already have access to our target audience, which is us – Girls that Scuba.
The Process
So now my internet searches changed. I started looking for a company who could connect me with designers and illustrators and help me with the self-publishing route. At first, this seemed liked an absolute minefield.
It took a while to find the right illustrator. I really wanted a female scuba diver illustrator, but I could not find one (message me if that’s you!). However, I was lucky to eventually find Elisa Varetti. She loves the ocean, and you could tell with her illustrations.
When working on scuba-specific projects, it’s always challenging working with professionals who aren’t scuba divers themselves. Lots of edits are needed to make sure drawings are accurate, because we all know what scuba divers are like! However, as it’s a kid’s book and not a book for experienced divers, we found a nice middle ground. I love how the Mum character came out.
The child character also took a while to get to the final one we see now. I wanted them to have no obvious gender. It wasn’t necessary for them to have a gender, just that they were a kid looking up to their mother. We did this by having a mid-length hair cut and a shortie wetsuit.
From there it took around 3 months to work on the pages and put the words in. I actually got the first draft through and didn’t connect with the front cover at all, so it was re-done. This put the project back by a few weeks, but was SO worth it!
The Outcome
In October 2024 we were officially ready to go, with two versions of the same book, ‘Mom’ and ‘Mum’. I knew this would be super important for our international community to really connect with the book. So here we are – over 2 years, set backs, investments, and curations, and my first ever kids book has been launched.
This book – which you may think would be dedicated to my own child – is actually dedicated to you:
This book is dedicated to the community of Girls that Scuba.
Here’s to strong women: may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.
Spot the Girls that Scuba logo? As a nod to our GTS community there are 5 GTS logos subtly scattered around the book, can you find them?
Want to know more about ‘My Mum’s a Scuba Diver’?
Girls that Scuba, the world’s largest scuba diving community for women, is thrilled to announce the release of a new children’s book, My Mum’s a Scuba Diver/My Mom’s a Scuba Diver written by Founder Sarah Richard.
This vibrant and inspiring picture book is designed to captivate young readers and introduce them to the ocean’s wonders while celebrating the role of strong, adventurous women in marine exploration. My Mum’s a Scuba Diver is available now through the Girls that Scuba online store and via Amazon Worldwide with the spelling as ‘Mum’ or Mom’.
Written to empower children and inspire curiosity, My Mum’s a Scuba Diver takes readers on an unforgettable underwater journey led by a fearless mother who dives into the ocean as a hobby.
The book invites young readers to explore the underwater world with engaging illustrations, sparking an early interest in scuba diving and marine life.
The book is part of Girls that Scuba’s larger mission to promote diversity and inclusion in scuba diving, aiming to introduce a new generation to underwater exploration. Through books like My Mum’s a Scuba Diver, the community hopes to inspire young children to dream big and see that they, too, can become stewards of the ocean.
My Mum’s a Scuba Diver is perfect for children ages 0-8 and serves as an ideal gift for young ocean lovers and future divers. The book is currently available for purchase through the Girls that Scuba online store (the best way to support us!), as well as Amazon.com
