Galen has shot his artistic arrows in many directions. He would likely be quick to admit that few of them have hit any targets besides perhaps the hearts of a few young ladies :D (I have some of his static-y original me-and-my-guitar songwriting efforts collecting dust in the corners of my hard drive). On the other hand, perhaps all that 'artistic archery' was good exercise for the one field he wants to break out of the amateur ranks and become professional at--the art form closest to his heart--writing.
He's closer than ever to that goal with his latest book.
Meet Minion the Monster! is his largest, most comprehensive project yet. At first look, it's obvious that it will be difficult to not respect it as professional and marketable.
Galen began this project a year ago, and now is closer than ever to finishing.
Joseph:
Without giving too much away, what's the story?
Galen:
Meet Minion the Monster is a tale about a young boy named Michael who becomes old enough to walk to school alone. Unfortunately he gets lost along the way and ends up in 'The Land of Monsters.' Upon arriving, he sees a group of monsters doing a very 'monster-like thing.' As a result of being afraid that the monsters will find him and do something worse to him, Michael decides to disguise himself as one of them--he decides to become a monster. This decision works at first, but he then realizes he must do the actions of a monster.
Joseph:
What is left for the project?
Galen:
All that's left for the project is to find a printing company we like. Next month we'll print around a few hundred copies for marketing and for giving to friends and family.
Joseph:
Stuff like this is always a gamble, but what are your hopes and expectations for Meet Minion?
Galen:
I hope to find an actual publishing company to take over the printing, distributing and getting rich process. As Sean Puffy Combs put so eloquently: "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems."
If this process works, who knows when they'll release it, but if I don't find a publisher--
Joseph:
Kickstarter? (www.kickstarter.com)
Galen:
Maybe. If that happens, that could mean a U.S. release by the end of this year. But since my life is focused on doing volunteer work, I don’t know how much time I am able to put into a huge self-publishing venture.
Joseph:
I hope things do go the independent-publishing-route, because it means the book people are reading about in this interview can actually be in their hands sooner! :) I'm sure there will be a lot of friends out there that would be willing to support your project and even many more who are just curious to read the story itself and perhaps share it with their children. -- You've written a few books since I've known you. What does Meet Minion specifically mean to you?
Galen:
This book is very personal. I didn't grow up with monsters in a forest, but I was raised in an environment with thuggish, monsterlike kids. That's essentially what this book is about--how I dealt with those monsters.
Joseph:
It's definitely obvious that Meet Minion is very Where the Wild Things Are inspired. How much of an influence was there, and how does it differ?
Galen:
It's inspired and yet at the same time definitely not inspired by it at all. (Laughs) Where the Wild Things Are is my all-time favorite picture book. Even to this day as a 31 year old man, I have a copy of it in my room.
I'm sure Maurice Sendak's story at least subconsciously had a huge role in the way I imagine and write, but the moral of Meet Minion the Monster and the actual story itself are completely different. Whereas Sendak addresses the issue of a child's inability to express his pent-up rage, my story deals with a boy trying to keep his "humanity" in world that pressures him to lose it.
Joseph:
Did you write it to perhaps appeal to the more modern Pixar/PlantsvsZombies-era-child audience?
Galen:
The art style was definitely developed with that in mind, but the writing itself was done in a way that I hope will appeal to all audiences.
Joseph:
What do you think may be the biggest difference in publishing challenges for you as compared with those Maurice Sendak had in 1963?
Galen:
I think there are lots of similarities actually. Publishers don't look at what children like when deciding what to publish. They look at what grandparents, librarians, and mothers like. These are the ones who will actually buy and recommend these picture books. If the idea and the book itself doesn't match the publisher's idea for what will sell and what will resonate with that audience, my book wont be published. The late, great, Sendak had the same issues, which is why he originally self-published Where the Wild Things Are.
Joseph:
Nowadays, many parents and teachers prefer an iPad instead of a traditional paperbound storybook, and things seem to keep trending in that direction? How do you plan on factoring that in to your plans?
Galen:
I would love to make an iPad version! If I'm forced to try and self-publish, maybe I can enlist you as the narrator, Joe. I believe your voice was once described as "smoltry" (not a real word), but I think I would like that for the audio/iPad version.
Joseph:
(Laughs) I'm flattered I think. :) I do hope you put more emphasis on the digital aspect in the development of your book though. It would make it so much more accessible to an international audience, including those who are reading this article, and it will mean better business opportunities for you! -- Is your book better than Where the Wild Things Are? :)
Galen:
(Laughs) For those of you who have never read Where the Wild Things Are: Yes, it's 100 times better. For those of you that have--no comment. :)
Joseph:
You're primarily an elementary school teacher and an unpublished writer on the side. Do you think your years of experience with children has helped you to appeal to your target audience in a special way?
Galen:
I have definitely learned how to appeal to kids through my teaching. Although, like I previously mentioned, they aren't the ones that buy the books. If they were, I could easily make a book about a 'poop-monster' that hits men in their crotches and supports a gender-war between boys and girls. This would sell millions in a make-believe 'child-buyers' market. I have learned to appeal to kids but I'm still unable to capitalize on that fact…poop.
Joseph:
Always classy! :) -- I've personally had the privilege to look at the complete artwork from the story and have included a few watermarked versions here in this post. I think the drawings are amazing. How much of a role does your artist play in this book?
Galen:
The actual story idea was all me (self-high-five). The actual telling of the story--that's all him (humble-high-five). :)
Honestly, he took a good story and made it magnificent!
The story itself was like Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries: It's fun, cute, meaningful and clever.
When Fish (the artist) added his artwork and painted emotion into each detailed image, it became Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables: Amazingly epic, emotional--even spine-tingling and beautiful. Honestly, any success that comes from this book I owe to him.
Joseph:
(Laughs) I definitely find the Anne Hathaway analogy interesting and your description ambitious! I think the way you responded to the questions also may have given everyone a glimpse into the creative mind behind the book that could be destined to be your Magnum Opus.
--
Galen expressed thanks to me and I in turn express thanks to all who read this article.
When Meet Minion becomes easily accessible for the blog readers, I'll post again with more information.
If you're too impatient, and want more information or even want to try your chances at getting a personal copy of Meet Minion, Galen has invited you to contact him directly at imagine@cipherbooks.com.
