Meet EmailOctopus’s youngest creator and entrepreneur: creator, designer and artist Bodhi Biddle Schneider. During the pandemic, nine-year-old Bodhi mixed his love of cats, artwork and tales to launch a quarterly journal, Cats Jumping on the Couch. We caught up with him to listen to a bit extra.
Hi, Bodhi! First up, inform us a bit about your self.
Hi, I’m the creator of Cats Jumping on the Couch. I additionally create books and have a podcast. I like to jot down and code – I do know HTML, Javascript, CSS, Scratch, and need to study extra about Python. I additionally wish to play sports activities, like tennis and handball, and typically soccer. Oh and I’m 9 years previous and I stay in California.
Sounds such as you’re fairly busy with faculty, hobbies and inventive initiatives. Not many fourth graders can say they publish books and magazines. How did you get began with all this?
I began creating books with my dad. My first one was a easy image e book with speech bubbles, primarily targeted on my pet cat who was considering or saying issues. I took a number of footage of my cat with my iPad after which I photo-edited them. When I used to be carried out, my dad did some analysis and located a superb publishing platform known as Blurb. Before I knew it, I used to be working on a number of books and publishing them.
And how did that lead into Cats Jumping on the Couch?
I had the concept for {a magazine} at the begin of the pandemic when I discovered that the publishing software program we have been utilizing had {a magazine} possibility. I printed my first situation in spring 2020. I obtained pals to do some paintings and I did all the layouts and most of the writing. I requested my mother and father to proofread and assist with some manufacturing stuff. I printed a brand new version each season for one yr. The journal has tales and artwork, and in addition puzzles and video games.
Where do you get your concepts from? What evokes you?
To reply straight and to the level: my cat! His identify is Max Frederick. I’ve at all times cherished my cat, and he appeared like an ideal essential character to have in my tales.
Who buys your books and magazines, and the way do you utilize email to keep up a correspondence with them?
My readers are primarily my household; I’ve many kin on the East Coast. My pals purchase them, too. Having an everyday email e-newsletter is a good way to let all of them know when I’ve one thing new to share. I inform little tales about what’s going on in my life and I give them a behind-the-scenes look of what it’s like to provide the journal and books. For enjoyable, I typically put a hyperlink to a Google ballot to make it interactive. Once I did one about folks’s favorite dessert. My favorite is crème brûlée.
Crème brûlée is considered one of my favourites, too. Finding the proper software program has clearly been vital to getting your books and magazines off the floor. Why do you utilize EmailOctopus as your email platform?
I take advantage of EmailOctopus as a result of the free plan is nice for somebody who’s simply beginning out. It’s additionally enjoyable and simple to make use of.
What recommendation would you give to different individuals who need to begin their very own artistic initiatives like yours?
My essential recommendation is don’t overthink it. You can get twisted up. If you need to make {a magazine}, don’t attempt to make it good. Just get began. People will at all times respect it whether it is enjoyable. Making an overview of what you need to cowl in the journal is at all times a good suggestion to start out. It could be overwhelming should you don’t know the place you’re going, however an overview is sort of a map that may enable you.
What are you working on subsequent?
My dad and I are collaborating on a e book known as The Cat’s Castle. It’s a fantasy journey. We every take turns writing chapters. At the second, we’re about 79% by means of. The greatest a part of writing the e book is that we by no means know the place it’s going subsequent.
Thanks, Bodhi!
Find out extra about Bodhi and his work, purchase again problems with the journal, or signal as much as the e-newsletter at bodhifun.com.