Help Us Publish "Hannah’s Big Heart"
My name is Larry Spain, and my eight year old
daughter (Hannah) was diagnosed with Arterial Septal Defect (a hole in her
heart) in November 2016 and had open heart surgery in December 2016. Now
she and I are co-writing a children’s book about Hannah’s open heart surgery
experience. The book is titled “Hannah’s Big Heart” for two reasons; first because
Hannah is a very loving and selfless person, and secondly because Hannah’s
heart is enlarged due ASD.
Why Write The Book?
The idea
to write the book came about when Hannah was first diagnosed. I searched for a
children’s book to help me explain the surgery to her, but there are not any
children’s books on the market that covers open heart surgery. So I went ahead
and I research Atrial Septal Defects and open heart surgery, hospital stays,
etc. and then I broke it down into easy to understand terms, and began
explaining to Hannah what I thought her surgery would be like. However the
information that I found was more like misinformation and it was difficult for
me to help Hannah prepare for her open heart surgery. During that period of
time I had other parents reach out to me seeking advice on how to best prep
their children for heart surgery. So after Hannah’s surgery was completed she and
I began writing “Hannah’s Big Heart” to help other children who are facing
heart surgery. “Hannah’s Big Heart” will offer a very (age appropriate)
descriptive account of what a child (and their parents) can expect, and is
written to help reduce the anxiety and stress that a surgical procedure can
cause.
Why Us?
The reason why I feel that Hannah and I are qualified
to write this book is because we lived it and experienced it first hand, and because
we are very passionate about sharing Hannah’s story and the importance of early
CHD detection. “Hannah’s Big Heart” is written by Hannah herself, as her father
and the book’s co-writer I am simply putting her words on paper. I have conducted
several series of interview sessions asking Hannah about her open heart surgery
experience. These questions included; questions about the doctor’s visits, the
tests leading up to her surgery, the surgery itself, and her recovery phase. Hannah
answered those questions in great detail and I wrote her words down on paper.
Hannah is working with a wonderful local art teacher Nancy Maxwell who is
helping Hannah illustrate Hannah’s Big Heart. Hannah has established the cover,
the back of the book, as well as multiple images for several of the pages. Even
though the story is by Hannah, I feel qualified to put the words on paper for
her. I have studied creative writing in the past and have successfully completed
both screenplays and short stories.
The Book Details:
Hannah’s Big Heart will most likely be self-published.
The book will be 30 pages long, it will have between 1,500 and 2,000 words, and
it will be written for children from ages 5 to 9 years old. The book will
measure 8.5” (vertical) by 8.5” (horizontal). To date we have the book about
half way completed and we hope to have it self-published by the end of
February.
Rewards :
Donations of $100.00 or more will receive an autographed copy of our book with the donor's name printed in the book (Financial Contributor).
Donations of $100.00 or more will receive an autographed copy of our book with the donor's name printed in the book (Financial Contributor).
We are also seeking sponsors to help us self-publish and distribute our
book.
As a sponsor your corporation or organization will have the
option of have its name and logo; in our printed book, in our eBook, on our
website, on our social media sites, as well as being recognition at book
signings, public functions and (television and radio) media broadcasting. The
best part is we will be distributing the first 10,000 copies of our book free
of charge to public libraries, public and private schools, and will also be
distributed by heart organizations, foundations, and advocates. This means that
each of these books will be read by multiple people, assuring that all of our
sponsors receive direct marketing exposure to tens of thousands of prospective
clients, patients, or supporter.
The name of our book is “Hannah’s Big Heart”. We named it
this for two reasons; first because Hannah is a very loving and selfless person
with a big loving heart, and secondly because Hannah’s heart is enlarged due
ASD. Our book will offer an age appropriate descriptive account of what a child
(and their parents) can expect going into surgery, and is written to help
reduce the anxiety and stress that a surgical procedure can cause.
$10,000.000 Sponsorship:
1) Book
signing event at their place of business.
2) A
descriptive paragraph in our printed book profiling their corporation or
organization.
3) A
descriptive paragraph in our eBook profiling their corporation or organization.
4) A
descriptive paragraph profiling their corporation or organization (including
name, logo, and a link) on our website.
5) Their name,
logo and a link on our social media sites (with name & logo) and a link on
our social media sites.
6) Public
recognition at book signings, public functions and (television and radio) media
broadcasting.
$5,000.00 Sponsorship:
1) Their
corporation or organization’s name & logo printed on the sponsorship page
of our book.
2) A
descriptive paragraph in our eBook profiling their corporation or organization.
3) Recognition
on our social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, and blog).
4) Their
name, logo and a link on our website.
$2,500.00 Sponsorship:
1) Their
corporation or organization’s name & logo printed in (the sponsorship page
of) our book.
2) Their
corporation or organization’s name & logo in our eBook.
3) Their
name, logo and a link on our website.
NOTE: At the bottom of each page readers will be directed to
view the sponsorship page, “This book was made possible by our sponsors – see
page 29.”
The Book Details: Hannah’s Big Heart will most
likely be self-published. The book will be 30 pages long, it will have between
1,500 and 2,000 words, and it will be written for children from ages 5 to 9
years old. 
