Lifting Up Children’s Book Authors Across the Military and Veteran Community: How You Can Help
- Samantha Sliney
- 5 minutes ago
- 3 min read
As an indie children’s book author, military spouse, and service member, I understand firsthand how difficult it can be to launch your journey as an author and how challenging it can be to keep that journey going.
Writing the book is only part of it. Getting your book in front of readers, finding opportunities to share your work, and simply helping people discover that your book exists can sometimes be the harder part.
Along the way, however, I have encountered organizations that are specifically interested in lifting up authors from the military and veteran community. And as I have become more engaged in this space, I’ve been asked a question more than once:
Do you have a list of children’s book authors who are military or veteran connected?
Until now, I haven’t.
So, I’m creating one.
Building a Resource to Lift Up Our Community
I’m compiling a list of children’s books written by service members, veterans, military spouses, veteran spouses, military kids, and veteran kids.
My goal is simple: when I engage with an organization looking for military- or veteran-connected authors to highlight, I want to have a resource I can hand them.
Organizations may be looking for authors and books for programming, events, reading lists, educational resources, celebrations, or other opportunities. Rather than trying to think of names on the spot, I want to be able to point them toward the incredible community of authors already doing this work.
This is my small effort to help lift up the military- and veteran-connected children’s book author community and hopefully create more opportunities for their work to be discovered.
Your Book Does Not Have to Be About the Military
This is important: the books do not need to be military-themed.
Military- and veteran-connected authors tell all kinds of stories. You may write about military life but you might also write about dinosaurs, friendship, adventure, science, history, careers, family, imagination, or anything else.
This list is about who is writing the books, not what they are writing about.
All publishing paths are welcome.
Whether a book is self, hybrid, or traditionally published, I want to know about it.
Anyone Can Submit a Book
You also do not need to be the author to submit a book.
If you know of a children’s book written by a service member, veteran, military spouse, veteran spouse, military kid, or veteran kid, please add it.
I’ve intentionally kept the form simple. All I need is the author’s name, their connection to the military or veteran community, the title of the book, and a link where the book can be found.
Submit a book here:
Help Me Build the List
I know firsthand there are talented authors throughout our community whose work deserves to be discovered. I also know there are organizations genuinely interested in finding and highlighting them.
Sometimes, the missing piece is simply connecting the two.
That’s what I hope this list can help do.
Submission does not guarantee that a book will be selected or featured by an organization. But the next time someone asks me, “Do you know any military- or veteran-connected children’s book authors?” I want my answer to be:
Yes. I have a whole list.
If you’ve written a children’s book or know someone in our community who has, please submit it and help me spread the word.
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