Award-Winning Dine Author Self-Publishes Second Book in Honor of the Voiceless Daniel Vandever

Award-Winning Diné Author Self-Publishes Second Book in Honor of The Voiceless

Award-winning author Daniel Vandever has self-published his second book, Herizon, three years after his debut, Fall in Line, Holden!, was recognized by the American Indian Library Association (AILA) as an honor book for the American Indian Youth Literature Award. Herizon is a wordless children’s picture book that details the journey of a Diné (Navajo) girl as she helps retrieve her grandmother’s flock of sheep with the aid of a magical scarf.

Vandever collaborated with artist Corey Begay of Cedar Springs, AZ to create Herizon based on their experience of getting Fall in Line, Holden! published with Salina Bookshelf in 2017. Begay’s illustrations for Herizon were commissioned to better drive the story’s narrative, and to allow Vandever’s vision of keeping the wordless book intact.

“Having the book wordless was important to me, because it was written for the voiceless, the overlooked, and the forgotten,” explained Vandever, 34, of Haystack, NM. “That includes those without a voice in the classroom, at home, and within the community.”

Wordless books allow readers to connect with stories in a personal way and develop reading comprehension skills through illustrations. The use of no words allow children to share their own interpretations because there is no biased language to interfere with the telling of the story. Parents and teachers get a glimpse into what a storyteller values, where they are from, and how they interpret the world around them.

Self-publishing allows authors to maintain full control of their story, but it also presents challenges as compared to traditional publishing. Self-publishers

must handle printing, pricing, and fulfillment, and carrying out administrative tasks such as acquiring ISBN numbers and filing with the Library of Congress. Self-publishing also requires a financial investment to cover upfront printing costs.

“It’s an intricate process to publish a book, but to me, it was necessary,” stated Vandever, who represents less than 1% of Native/First Nations publishers. “In the age of diverse voices, it is important to me to take control of the entire publication process, ensuring my community-based purpose would not be compromised for alternative motives.”

Fall in Line, Holden! was a commercial success for Vandever and Salina Bookshelf. The book received positive reviews from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal along with honor recognition by the AILA. Vandever gave over 45 readings to K-12 schools, colleges, and bookstores, and traveled the country raising awareness about boarding school era education, identity, and early literacy.

“The time for taking ownership of our voice is now,” said Vandever. “Larger publishers are developing imprints to publish more Native American stories, which is great given only one percent of children’s picture books published in 2018 represented a Native or First Nations character. If I can be an example for others to be heard, I think my experience would be worth the effort. The horizon is bright for inclusive voices.”

Vandever is sharing his perspective on self-publishing in 2022 and has committed to speaking engagements with the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Libraries in February and the Southern Breeze region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in May. Herizon is published under Vandever’s company South of Sunrise Creative and is being sold exclusively from the book’s website. The website includes resources for parents and educators, including a discussion guide, activities guide, and a guide to selfpublishing.

For more information about Herizon, visit www.southofsunrisecreative.com/ herizon. or visit our local bookstore at Butler’s to grab your very own copy.