AS A CHILD, Marisa Alo would always draw and paint in the hope of one day illustrating children\u2019s picture books.<\/p>\n
And now, after years of schooling, hard work and dedication, her dream has turned into reality.
\nMarisa, a former Leopold local, is a successful author and illustrator.<\/p>\n
In 2009, her book Gina the Dancing Queen was accepted and published by Windy Hollow Books.<\/p>\n
Since then, Marisa has continued to write and illustrate children\u2019s picture books as well as illustrate other author\u2019s books for a few different publishing companies.<\/p>\n
All of her books include stories that teach children an important lesson and the books are filled with bright, lively illustrations.<\/p>\n
However, at the back of her mind Marisa always wanted to self-publish and have the full control over her own books rather than continue working with publishers.<\/p>\n
By the end of 2020, Marisa self-published a picture book titled Who\u2019s in the Tub?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is so exciting to be able to write, illustrate, publish and market my own books,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was great to be able to choose what I wanted to publish as well as every aspect of the book from design, page layout, page numbers, book size, print numbers et cetera.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marisa said she was learning new ways to market her books and even though her latest title had been selling online worldwide on its own, she continued to learn new marketing strategies.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s in the Tub? is written in rhyme,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach time the reader turns the page, there is another animal in the big red bath tub. All the animals have their own special bath accessory\/water toy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marisa said she created the book to encourage children to think of the everyday routine of having a bath as being their own special fun time.<\/p>\n
The book is available in online stores across Australia, including Amazon, Booktopia, Dymocks, Fishpond and Rakuten Kobo, as well as online stores in the UK, America and Europe.<\/p>\n