Christine Reynebeau, Founder/CEO – Dreambuilt Books
What do you do?
In 2017 I took my children’s book publishing into my own hands and started Dreambuilt Books, an indie publishing company. I produce inclusive children’s books that highlight moral and life lessons. I also work with other aspiring authors to help them find the right path for their own publishing journey.
What education, classes or training were helpful to you?
For content, my experiences working with teens has inspired all of my books. I learned a lot observing and supporting a variety of young people, seeing that there were common struggles and gaps in what they knew.
For publishing, I have done a lot of learning through trial and error, Facebook groups, and a few author specific classes. There is so much to learn, so it is always a moving target to find the next best thing to know.
Why did you choose this sort of work?
Books are powerful. And most parents take time to read bedtime stories, so I thought, if I could start powerful conversations and learning that young of an age, maybe we could collectively raise a stronger generation. It’s fun to see the spark ignite as a young person is reading one of my books and they start to understand the lesson.
What do you like best about your work?
I love writing the stories and producing them, which is a big piece, but it is magical to have an idea in your head and see it become a visual story others can enjoy. I get giddy as I see illustrations come through and they are exactly what was in my head. I mean, imagine visualizing a story in your mind and having someone else read it, then translate your words into your images, correctly. That’s when you know you told a story right.
What advice would you give girls who want to get into your field?
Chase every goal you have with everything you have. Be unrelenting in the pursuit. But in publishing, that means getting tough too. You are your only advocate for what you want from the industry, but you need to be open to feedback and vulnerability. You need people in your corner, editing your work & looking at it critically. You need to balance your advocacy and your openness to criticism.
What is an example of something you’ve had to overcome to get to where you are now?
Imposter Complex. It took me a long time to own my role as a children’s book author, which is more common in the industry that you’d think. It wasn’t until my 4th book that I started telling people about my publishing casually in conversations.
I kept waiting for a qualification to achieve the title of published author, or a number of books that would validate my spot in the industry. I felt like an imposter in the industry. But the moment you publish that first book, you’re a published author. That’s it; that’s the qualifier.
And I can say that with confidence as I prepare to release my 8th book. (Click here for a sneak peek!)
Anything else we should know?
I am always here to bounce your publishing ideas off of, with support and feedback. Reach out on Facebook, Instagram, or email and I love to connect with people:
On Facebook, Instagram, or at dreambuiltbooks@gmail.com
We are always building our Launch Team for new books, so if you are ever interested in getting involved on a publishing team, we’d love to have you: https://www.subscribepage.com/dreambuiltbookslaunchteam
Thank you Christine Reynebeau!
To read more interviews with local wonder women, check out the Wunderfrauen Archive.