We were lucky to catch up with Sivan Hong recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sivan, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
As a mother of two neurodiverse kids, it was crucial for me that my boys grew up with a sense of pride in their brain differences. It wasn’t enough for me to feel this way myself. I am also neurodivergent. After all, why should they consider themselves broken when they’re not? Their brains have incredible capabilities and offer a unique perspective on the world. There are so many strengths in these brain differences, and I wanted them to recognize and build upon these strengths within themselves. However, as a mother, the challenge was figuring out how to accomplish that.
Like many parents, I turned to stories and books as a way to teach my children. Unfortunately, I soon discovered that there weren’t many picture books featuring neurodiverse characters. I wanted books that could mirror my children’s experiences – wearing headphones, chewing gum, playing with fidget toys, and finding comfort in routines and schedules. I wanted to provide them with these mirrors to normalize their experiences, allowing them to see picture book characters who were just like them. I wanted them to realize that their experiences, although different, were also perfectly normal.
That’s why I created the Super Fun Day Books series, which showcases neurodiverse children facing challenges and overcoming them. These books are structured like social stories, a tool commonly used in special education to help children understand difficult concepts. The illustrations in the books are intentionally simple to maintain focus on the story, and the font is dyslexic-friendly. Furthermore, all the books are available in audiobook format to cater to different learning preferences (I happen to prefer consuming books in audio format myself). Additionally, they are available in Spanish to reach a wider audience.
By providing these inclusive and accessible books, I aim to empower neurodiverse children and help them embrace their unique abilities. It’s essential for them to see themselves represented and celebrated in literature, fostering a sense of pride and normalcy. Through the Super Fun Day Books series, I hope to create a positive impact and promote understanding and acceptance for all children, regardless of their neurodiversity.
Sivan, 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 believe the previous response captures the essence of why I became an author/illustrator.
Becoming a writer was never a goal of mine, and if you had asked 20-year-old me, I would have found the idea completely absurd. I despised anything related to reading, mainly because I lacked the focus and tools to engage in it for long periods. Back when I was growing up, girls weren’t diagnosed with ADHD, and there is still a significant gender gap in diagnoses today. As a result, I exhibited all the classic signs of someone who would doodle and daydream in class, make careless mistakes, and be labeled an underachiever. School and I simply didn’t click.
By the time I finished college, I had managed to discover the workarounds I needed to overcome my ADHD challenges and navigate a system that wasn’t designed for my brain. I went on to earn several graduate degrees and, surprisingly, even wrote a dissertation. Truthfully, I had to reward myself at the end of each completed chapter just to push through it all. Little did I know that positive reinforcement is an excellent tool when parenting neurodivergent kids.
My career eventually led me to strategy consulting, where reading wasn’t a significant component, but listening to clients, quick learning, and creative thinking were valued skills – all of which I possessed. Although I achieved great success in my field, reaching partner status at a prestigious firm and teaching at a top MBA program, I had never felt as professionally fulfilled as I do now.
My children’s books are directly impacting the lives of children who often feel overlooked. I receive countless emails/DMs from parents who share the joy of seeing their child recognize themselves within the pages of a book. My books help normalize their differences, allowing them to understand that being different is perfectly okay. However, even more importantly, when shared in classrooms and libraries, my books have the power to change the perceptions of neurodivergent kids among their neurotypical peers. When a child sees another child in a picture book wearing headphones or sitting in a special seat, it becomes normalized and no longer viewed as strange. Instead of fearing the unknown, they see it as a normal difference, akin to height or hair color.
The media often portrays the quirky white male with extraordinary savant skills as the representation of neurodiversity. While it’s true that individuals like that exist, not all of us are like Rainman or Sheldon Cooper. My books specifically feature girls and kids of color with neurodiversity. The diagnosis rates for girls still lag significantly behind those for boys, and the diagnosis rates for kids of color are even lower. If all we see in the media are neurodivergent white boys, then girls and kids of color are less likely to be recognized as neurodivergent, and subsequently, they don’t receive the necessary support to thrive. My books represent a small contribution towards changing that narrative.
How did you build your audience on social media?
When I first ventured into writing books, I had an image in my mind of what the life of an author/illustrator would be like – a recluse like J.D. Salinger. Naively, I believed that I could simply write my books and release them to the world without considering the fact that I was also selling a public persona of who I am. As an introvert, this prospect horrified me. Suddenly, I found myself needing to navigate social media, a realm I had little experience with and no idea how to approach.
Twitter felt overwhelming, and TikTok seemed impossible for an introvert like me who had no desire to appear on video every day. Instagram, on the other hand, appeared to be a relatively easy starting point. I began creating posts about my first book. Of course, since nobody knew who I was or anything about my books, my followers consisted solely of people I already knew. Unfortunately, this wasn’t helping me expand my customer base.
Since I was a complete social media novice, I considered outsourcing the entire task. Perhaps someone else could help me grow my reach. However, with a limited budget as a children’s book author, hiring a professional social media manager was not feasible. Instead, I turned to Fiverr and hired someone who claimed they could increase my follower count. It turned out to be a big mistake. This person knew nothing about me, my books, or my niche. They operated under the assumption that any follower was a good follower, without understanding the importance of quality over quantity. For a few months, I paid around $100 and gained approximately 100 followers per month. However, the social media expert I hired followed all those accounts in return. Their strategy involved sending direct messages to random accounts, professing my admiration for their page, and asking them to follow me in return. As a result, my feed was flooded with random photos, mostly of scantily clad women. It was frustrating.
At that point, I realized I had to put in the work myself. If my Instagram was meant to be a reflection of me and my brand, I needed to invest myself in it. Moreover, I discovered that people didn’t want to follow an account solely focused on advertising my children’s books. I needed to add value. I began creating genuine content that I thought would interest people. I posted about everything related to neurodiversity, including book recommendations (not just mine), celebrity quotes, news, and more. I learned which posts resonated and which didn’t. I also started following hashtags related to neurodiversity and tried to engage with posts, despite my limited knowledge. I followed pages that shared interesting content, and people began following me in return. I also discovered which hashtags to use and made sure to utilize all 30 available, maximizing the reach of my posts. Eventually, I reached around 500 followers, which I was incredibly excited about.
However, it was clear that this wasn’t enough if I wanted to use social media to sell my books. I realized I needed to treat this endeavor as a legitimate business. The neurodiversity market was too broad for me to effectively target those interested in my books. I needed to segment my audience and focus on potential book buyers such as parents, advocates, educators, and other influencers who could share my posts. I began providing content specifically tailored to them. I didn’t need to create posts about neurodivergent trends in the workplace or content discussing the harms of Autism Speaks. Instead, I chose to focus on positive content that shared new information, offered advice, and made people feel good about neurodiversity.
And that’s precisely what I did. I now post about four times a week, providing useful information for my target audience, and once a week, I promote my books. Occasionally, I highlight a school visit or podcast appearance, but the focus is not solely on me and selling my books. It’s about providing something valuable for my audience. When I shifted the focus from myself to them, everything changed.
It took me two years to reach 10K followers on Instagram. While this may not seem significant to some, becoming an influencer has never been my goal. My audience engages with my content, and they are precisely the demographic I set out to reach. I don’t participate in “follow trains” or employ other methods to increase my follower count because those people are not my target audience. I want followers who genuinely benefit from my page, not individuals seeking to boost their own numbers. While I initially viewed social media as a tool solely for selling my books, my perspective has transformed completely. It has allowed me to become an advocate for the benefits of being neurodivergent and to have a voice that resonates with my audience. Social media has become something valuable, both for myself and others, and now that it authentically reflects who I am and the values I bring, it has become an incredible platform for book sales.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I somewhat cringe at the answer I’m about to give to this question. It feels like something out of a Hallmark card rather than reality, but it is my truth.
Before becoming an author, I dedicated most of my professional career to strategy consulting for nonprofits. I was drawn to the idea of engaging in rigorous strategic and analytical work that could directly impact a nonprofit’s ability to fulfill its mission. Through these organizations, I believed I was making a difference by influencing the lives of their beneficiaries. And that is indeed true. All organizations, especially nonprofits with limited resources, striving to address critical needs, benefit greatly from a focused strategy and clear metrics of success. My former colleagues continue to do remarkable work that positively impacts society. I don’t say this to diminish the significance of their efforts.
However, for me, becoming an author, especially one with a mission embedded within my books, allows me to directly impact the lives of children and families who read them. I witness it in the expressions on children’s faces when I read my books aloud, and I feel it in the warmth of the hugs I receive afterward. I cannot envision a career that could be more fulfilling for me. 
Contact Info:
- Website: sivanhong.com
- Instagram: @sivan_hong_author
- Facebook: @sivanhongauthor
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sivan-hong-author