Diane Alber, an Arizona author and illustrator who has self-published dozens of children’s books that use humor to ignite kids’ interest in making art and to help them develop life skills, has partnered with Sourcebooks on a multi-pronged publishing deal.
Starting this fall, the publisher will release new editions of backlist titles of Alber’s Never Let A and Untold Fairies series, as well as all-new books in those lines. Additionally, Sourcebooks will publish new novelty and book-plus products tying into Alber’s two series, A Little SPOT and Scribble, while the author will continue to publish picture books and other titles in those series under her own Diane Alber Art imprint.
Since releasing her first books in 2018, the author has self-published approximately 75 titles through this imprint, which have sold five million copies, primarily via Amazon.
The genesis—and growth—of Alber’s career has been unequivocally homegrown. Passionate about art since childhood, she earned a B.A. in fine arts from Arizona State University, married, and had two children, Ryan, now 11, and Anna, nine. Her first picture book—quite literally—began with a squiggle dashed off by Ryan at the age “of three and a half or four,” Alber recalled.
“Watching Ryan scribbling one day, I asked him what he was drawing, and he said, ‘It’s a scribble, Mom.’ And he stuck some googly eyes on his scribble, and to his scribbles I added some of my own—and then I wrote a story based on those scribbles.”
That story evolved into I’m NOT Just a Scribble… A Story About Kindness and Inclusion, which Alber published in 2018; a sequel, Invisible Scribble came out in 2019. Other books encouraging kids’ creativity, including Snippets: A Story About Paper, and Shapes followed.
Alber’s children continue to provide her with book ideas—on a regular basis. “Everything I create has a direct correlation to my kids,” she explained. “My books come from a very genuine place that way—if I try to force it, it just doesn’t work. Ryan comes from a place of logic and Anna is all about the imagination.”
As an example, Alber noted that she wrote Never Let a Unicorn Wear a Tutu!, one of her top-selling books, during a time when Anna “was obsessed with unicorns. She wore a tutu constantly, along with jewelry and hair bows, and would sit beside me as I worked on the book.”
Charting a New Course
Sourcebooks kicks off its Diane Alber publishing program on September 2 with eight books in her Never Let A series, presenting life lessons about creativity, confidence, and embracing individuality (other titles include Never Let a Unicorn Scribble! and Never Let a Princess Paint with Her Unicorn!). Due the same day is An Untold Story of the Christmas Fairy, the publisher’s first release in Alber’s Untold Stories series spotlighting the origin stories of magical holiday fairies. Sourcebooks plans to issue four to 10 books by Alber annually.
The author-illustrator welcomes this new chapter in her publishing life and the opportunity to partner with Sourcebooks, with which she feels compatible.
“I am a unique individual, which is probably why publishers turned me down at the beginning,” she said. “They told me I couldn’t publish five books in the same month—it was as though I wanted to interrupt the ecosystem of publishing. I move very quickly, and it is great to have a publisher that moves at a similar pace. Everyone at Sourcebooks is so flexible and encourages my creativity. I am excited to see where things will go, with my connections in the teacher market and Sourcebooks’ reach. I feel as though we have the same drive and purpose.”
Senior editor Meg Gibbons, who edits Alber’s books, agreed that the author and Sourcebooks are very much in sync philosophically. “In her books, Diane offers subtle messages and comes at things sideways,” Gibbons said. “She doesn’t approach things traditionally, and we at Sourcebooks also think with agility and creativity. We pride ourselves in being entrepreneurial—and that is what Diane is all about. We are in it for the long haul with Diane and wanted to invest not just in where she is now with these works, but where we can grow it together.”
According to SVP and president Jennifer Gonzalez, Alber exemplifies Sourcebooks’s mission of forming successful partnerships with self-published, entrepreneurial children’s authors and helping to amplify their voices and expand their reach, including picture book creator Marianne Richmond (10 million copies sold) and Chris Ferrie, author of science books for babies (4.4 million copies sold).
“Our longstanding focus on innovation, agility, and author empowerment is rooted in a distinctive author- and reader-first approach, which creates new opportunities for authors to connect with their audiences and grow their fandoms,” Gonzalez said. “As an author who has built a thriving business and has a deep understanding of what children want to read, Diane represents the spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship we champion. Together, we look forward to bringing her books to an even wider audience and inspiring a new generation of readers.”
