BMX Book interview: Payton Ridenour's A to Z: BMX Style

Nov 06, 2022

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 2614 times

Title of the book: A to Z: BMX Style
Author: Payton Ridenour
Illustrator: Andy Lendway
Date published: 2020
Pages: 32
Copies printed: 2,000

How long was the thinking process before you decided to get to work on the book?
Payton Ridenour: I actually wrote my first draft with my mom when I was around ten years old. I originally got the idea from my Aunt Jennifer who wrote a hockey themed alphabet book. Then it sat on the computer for years until my mom and I rediscovered it during quarantine in 2020. Since then I did a lot of rewriting and decided to make it my COVID project. It was the perfect thing to keep me busy and

also give back to the BMX community. It has been a huge hit!

Did you have things lined up and organized as far as the content was concerned?
Payton Ridenour: I had a general outline of the book drafted already, but the additions like the bike diagram and the contributors page was thought of later on. As for the alphabet pages, I tried to incorporate a little bit of everything in BMX so there was as much variety as possible.

How many days have you spent working on the book?
Payton Ridenour: It’s hard to say, but I would say probably a solid year!

How did you meet the illustrator?
Payton Ridenour: My Aunt Jennifer linked me up with the same guy who illustrated her alphabet books—Andy Lendway. He was really nice to work with and it was great to see him bring his creativity into BMX racing.

Were you happy with all his drawings?
Payton Ridenour: In my opinion, the illustrations are the best part about the whole book. The colors are vibrant, the drawings are detailed, and every page comes to life with the facial expressions and added flare. My favorite part (and I think the kid’s too) is that my dog Rocket is hidden in each page—either her name, image, or likeness.

Is the book focused on children? of what age?
Payton Ridenour: It’s a book to help kids learn their ABCs, so I would say it’s targeted toward kids 2 nd grade and below. Also, any foreigner who races BMX and doesn’t know a lot of English yet, haha!

What's the lesson that the children will get after reading the book?
Payton Ridenour: After reading the book, kids will know their alphabet better and have a greater understanding of BMX racing.

Did any companies support the book or was everything handled by the publisher?
Payton Ridenour: Luckily my Aunt Jennifer helped me with the publishing, so I didn’tbhave any troubles trying to coordinate that part. As for funding the book, I created a Kickstarter (basically a GoFundMe for creators) and had one month to reach a $10,000 goal. The $10,000 would cover most of the costs for illustrations, printing, shipping, taxes, and other fees. I was super grateful to have so many people contribute to the book, so I exceeded my goal! As a reward for supporting, everyone who donated over $100 got their name in the book. So, on one of the last pages of the book, I have the names listed of the biggest supporters.

How hard was it to put a fair price on it?
Payton Ridenour: I felt like $20 was a fair price to cover all of the costs, time, and effort that went into the book—it was a lot! I donate a lot of books to schools and events too because I’m always looking for ways to give back, so it’s a good balance.

How was the feedback on the book from your audience?
Payton Ridenour: Everyone LOVED the book! It was a huge hit in the BMX community. It was awesome to get such positive feedback and definitely made me proud that I could bring some happiness and learning opportunities to the kids.

Do you think you could do another one in the future?
Payton Ridenour: Hmmm I’m not too sure. This book was such a huge hit it would be really hard to one up it! As of now I don’t have any plans for another book.

Have you run out of copies?
Payton Ridenour: Not yet! Christmas is coming up soon, so if you don’t have one, get one before they run out.

Where can people find more information on the book?
Payton Ridenour: I have a website where I sell the book and have some info on it: Home | The Nuthouse (bigcartel.com) Also, if anyone has any further questions about it, they can feel free to send me a message on Instagram.