Christine Kapanga

I attribute my success to having a strong why, which for me was my children. My biggest inspiration was showing them that whatever they come up in their imagination can come to life in real form. They wanted to create a book about feeding different animals to show their friends, and that became my anchor throughout the entire process. Whenever I hit a roadblock or didn't know what to do next, I would come back to that why - I'm doing this for my kids, I want to show them this - and that kept me moving forward. My background at Amazon as a Senior Programmatic Solutions Consultant was also crucial because I already knew how to train people and understood the platform, so I was able to self-publish and launch the books myself. I had experience with targeting and marketing from working at Amazon and Disney, which helped me figure out what to target and how to market the books effectively. The creative collaboration with my sons has been essential too - they give me ideas and feedback throughout the process, from the initial concept to reviewing the illustrations, which ensures the books truly reflect a four or five-year-old's imagination and perspective. I also made sure to get feedback from children's counselors to ensure my messaging aligned with what would resonate with young readers and their emotional experiences. Working with my illustrator to create a multicultural character that my diverse children and other kids could see themselves in was really important to me. The success has been reflected in meaningful milestones like being featured on Fox 10 News Morning Show, having a book signing at Barnes & Noble where my sons could see the full circle of their idea coming to life, reaching number one in new releases for my first book, and having an upcoming billboard in Times Square.

The best career advice I received was from children's counselors who emphasized the importance of making sure my messaging aligned with what would truly resonate with young readers. I talked to a few children's counselors to ensure they agreed with my messaging, and the biggest thing they told me was to really focus on what jitters mean to children. They recommended that I have a clear definition that children understand, like explaining that jitters can be called gym jams, but jitters also means butterflies in your stomach. This feedback was so helpful that I actually updated and changed something in the book because of it. They helped me understand that while I was coming from a real mom's experience with a four-year-old, I needed to make sure the book resonated not just with my personal experience but also with what children's counselors would use with their patients. This guidance helped me create strategies in the book that are grounded in real emotional support techniques, like taking deep breaths and using words of affirmation when feeling anxious.

My advice to young women entering this industry is that you need to have a strong why. You need your why to anchor you because you are going to hit roadblocks, and that is going to be natural. Once you have that understanding that you're going to have these issues and roadblocks and not know what to do, you need a strong enough why to anchor you through it. For me, it was my kids and showing them that their ideas could become real, so anytime I hit a roadblock, I was able to really focus on that - I'm doing this for my kids, I want to show them this - and that anchored me through it. The biggest challenge, especially being a self-published author, is you don't know what you don't know. Not really knowing where to start and feeling like you have imposter syndrome as you're starting this journey is normal. I didn't know how to even start, like how do you find an illustrator, how do you find an editor. But there are so many resources out there in terms of e-courses, webinars, or classes that you can take to help you create a checklist and know who's a good editor and where to go for an illustrator. I just had the marketing background, so I was able to at least get it up and launched. But all of the pre-work requires learning and research. So my advice is to have a strong why, do your research, keep learning, and understand that you will face challenges but your purpose will carry you through them.

The biggest challenge in my field right now, especially being a self-published author, is that you don't know what you don't know. Not really knowing where to start and kind of feeling like you have imposter syndrome as you're starting this journey is a major hurdle. I didn't know how to even start - like how do you find an illustrator, how do you find an editor, how do you really launch it. I feel like the more you learn about something, the more you feel like you still don't know. It can feel overwhelming with all of the pre-work involved. However, the opportunity is that there are now so many resources available. Luckily, there are e-courses, webinars, and classes that you can take to help you create a checklist and figure out who's a good editor, where to go for an illustrator, and how to navigate the self-publishing process. Having a strong why is what helps you push through these challenges. For me, I just had the marketing background, so I was able to at least handle getting it up and launched, but all the other aspects required learning and seeking out resources. The key is understanding that you will face these challenges but having your purpose anchor you through the uncertainty.

The values most important to me in both my work and personal life center around my children and family. My biggest why for everything I do is my children - I wanted to show them that whatever they come up in their imagination can come to life in real form. It's incredibly important to me that they see the full circle of their ideas becoming reality, from thinking about a book concept to seeing it at Barnes & Noble and having book readings where other children engage with their stories. I value authenticity and staying true to real experiences, which is why I make sure my books stem from actual four or five-year-old imaginations and real-life experiences, not just what an adult thinks might be an issue for children. I also deeply value diversity and inclusion - because my children are Asian, Black, and white, I wanted to make sure the character in my books resembled them and was multicultural so that other kids can see themselves in the character too. Collaboration is essential to me, as I work closely with my sons throughout the entire creative process, getting their feedback and ensuring their voices are heard. I value community engagement and helping others, which is why I do book readings at schools and organizations, and why I wanted to create books that help families find new ways to discuss difficult topics like anxiety and jitters. Above all, I value showing my children that their ideas matter and can make a real impact, and I want to help other children understand that they're not alone in their experiences and feelings.