We were lucky to catch up with David Kelly recently and have shared our conversation below.

David, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

As the author of a bestselling series of children’s books, The Ballpark Mysteries, it’s taken an idea, persistence, willingness to change, and constant learning to be successful.

David, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I became the author of a bestselling book series because of my sons and because I didn’t realize how difficult it was to get a book published!

My Ballpark Mysteries children’s books were inspired by my two sons, who loved baseball and mystery books. When I realized there weren’t a lot of sports mystery books available for kids, I decided to create them.

Each Ballpark Mysteries book is set in a different major league ballpark and while it usually involves a baseball game, baseball is more of a backdrop to the action, adventure, and mystery that drives each story forward. The series has sold over 1.5 million copies and is ideal for kids in grades 1 – 5.

Even though my Ballpark Mysteries series has 23 books in it and has sold over 1.5 million copies, it hasn’t always been a smooth road to success. To start with, I wasn’t a great writer. And I never thought I’d become an author. So, once I had the idea for a series of mysteries set in major league baseball stadiums, I had to figure out how to write them. I started by reading a lot of children’s mystery books and trying to copy their format and style. I also took courses in writing children’s books. Then, I sat down to write. It took me close to nine months to write a finished draft of my first book, a Boston Red Sox mystery. I had to rewrite that book 2 more times over the next three years in order to (finally) get it published.

However, I’m proud that I was persistent and listened to feedback from early readers and my editor. In the end, my goal of publishing a baseball mystery book was successful, and the series has gone on to connect with a huge number of girls and boys who love going along to major league stadiums with my characters Mike and Kate to solve different mysteries. One of the most satisfying things for me is the fan mail I receive from parents telling me how my Ballpark Mysteries books are the first books that their son or daughter really connected with and can’t put down.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’m in the process of a major pivot in my publishing life. Even though my Ballpark Mysteries series has been incredibly successful (selling over 1.5 million books), last year my existing publisher decided not to extend the series beyond the first 22 books. I was disappointed, but I didn’t let that stop me. I’ve seen how much my readers love these books and eagerly await new installments in the series.

That’s why I decided to move on and continue publishing them on my own. I’ve set up a publishing company, Curveball Books, to publisher future Ballpark Mysteries books. In fact, the first one just came out, The Black Cat Change-Up, a New York Mets mystery that delivers everything the previous books delivered and more.

I was able to hire my existing illustrator to do even more artwork for this new book, and I found a designer (living in France) who was able to create a new layout for the book that’s identical to the previous books but updated. I also engaged my original editor and a copy editor to ensure the content is top-notch.

The Black Cat Change-Up was released in November 2022 and it’s done very well so far, starting to earn back the investments I’ve made in artwork, editing, layout, and publication. Time will tell how profitable the book will be, but early indications are good and I’m starting to plan for the next two books in the series.

Self publication of the Ballpark Mysteries is a big pivot in my publishing journey, but one that provides me with many possible upsides, including the ability to revise and alter the books in the future, release more books per year, develop related books, and connect more directly with my readers.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think that one think it’s important to understand about creative work is that it’s never done. If you’re lucky you’ll achieve some level of success that enables financial stability or opens opportunities for future projects or work, but as a creative, you always have to keep proving yourself. Succeeding as a creative is all about hustle. A lot of the time the hustle is fun, but much of the time it’s a huge amount of work and belief in yourself. If you start down this path, it’s critical to believe in yourself, as well as be persistent, because I’ve found, even with my success, that’s hard work every step of the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.davidakellybooks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidakellybooks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ballparkmysteries
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidakelly/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidakelly
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1F0pFhl5lX3yAnOXhHdc3w

Image Credits
David A. Kelly