I worked with Tim Lerwill on two of his self-published picture books, The Snow Sheep and The Vegetable Patch. I've been impressed with his success in marketing the books, and the quality of the final product, including illustrations. Here's more about his self-publishing story.

LA: The Farmer Tim books are based on your childhood. What made you decide to turn those memories into books?

TLL: I was telling my children stories about how it was growing up on a North Devon farm. They liked the stories very much so I thought I should share them with other children and created Farmer Tim Stories.

LA: How did you approach the process of writing, illustrating and publishing the books?

TLL: I wanted to do things properly and to produce a product that wouldn't look out of place on the shelves of major bookshops. My children's books are only 30 pages or so long but it took two to three months to write and make sure the words were right for the audience. Laura Atkins reviewed and provided fantastic guidance. I used an agency in London to find an illustrator and Kelly Dyson has been great.

LA: You made the decision to self publish. Can you say what drew you to that publishing route? And can you pass along any tips to people who are considering the same thing?

TLL: I had heard that it may take three to four years for a publisher to maybe take on your manuscript. By self publishing, I went from the idea to my first Waterstone's book signing in six months. My books are now on sale online with Waterstone's, WHSmith, Blackwell's and Amazon. For other budding authors, they should consider whether the self publishing route is right for them and not discount this option. I was very lucky that Waterstone's liked my self-published books and were prepared to help me by selling online and in some of their stores.

LA: Through your Facebook page I have seen that you have done quite a few events and spoken at festivals to promote your books. Marketing is so crucial when you self publish. Can you talk about how you have gone about the whole promotional process?

TLL: To be a published or self-published author it is important that you are prepared to spend time promoting your book(s). If you do readings, you need to connect with your audience and gain some feedback on your books. I made some promotional mistakes which weren't good value and so for me the simple 'free' ideas created the greatest reward in terms of books sales. Social networking with Facebook and Twitter are playing a greater part in book promotion.

LA: What's next?

TLL: I'm looking to do ten books in the series over a number of years. It would be great if Farmer Tim Stories managed to get on children's TV.

Thanks to Tim Lerwill for taking the time to answer my questions. You can see more and buy the books on his website. And if you want to find out more about my critique services, have a look at my website.