From Zero To Horatio In The Wind

I used to spend a lot of time worrying about rejection letters, convinced my book would end up in a forgotten drawer—just like my first two novels—never to see the light of day.

I told myself that success wouldn’t come until I had an agent, so I kept submitting. Then one day, I received a very special rejection letter from Sarah Odedina, the legendary publisher behind Harry Potter. She told me illustrated tales weren’t her cup of tea, but she thought Horatio was beautiful, and reminded me that publishing is a subjective business—and to keep going.

That was all I needed. I stopped waiting for someone else’s permission and started building something I could be proud of. I decided I would self-publish, but not just to get it out into the world—to create something extraordinary.

Over the past four years, I’ve learned why people skills are the highest-paid skills in any industry. I come from a film background. I’m very visual—but I’m not an illustrator. And getting Horatio to look the way I saw it in my head was… a journey.

There were hiccups—beautiful, complicated hiccups. One artist was overwhelmed but too kind to step away. Another had a style I didn’t connect with, which I only realized halfway through the process. A third was incredibly talented and offered to design the entire world, but only in exchange for 50% ownership of the story. That’s when I realized—vision is powerful, but ownership matters too. Especially when you’ve poured your soul into something.

I knew I wanted a partner, not a co-owner. Someone who could bring the art to life, while I remained the architect of the bigger picture.

Then came a moment of magic. I was wandering through Barnes & Noble when I came across The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce. It felt like a movie—and so does Horatio. I bought it for inspiration, only to find out later it was based on an Oscar-winning short film… co-directed by Brandon Oldenburg. Same last name. Total coincidence? I don’t think so.

I reached out. We connected. He’s an incredibly kind and talented creator—and now, a friend.

By the time I met Robert Nailon, my principal illustrator, I had concept-sketched the entire world, produced a fully immersive audiobook, and had a clear vision for everything I wanted the project to become.

We built the rest of the team using Craigslist ads, guided by the “cheap, fast, good” triangle rule: You can’t have all three. So we chose carefully.

This entire journey—writing, audio, illustration, printing, and learning how to sell—has been four years in the making. And it’s been worth every step.

The world has changed. A publisher isn’t a magical gatekeeper—it’s a business. And if you’re willing to figure out how the system works, you can take control. My next goal is to land a distributor. But I’ll remain the publisher.

To me, the most important part of any accomplishment is living a good story while you build it. The book itself is just a reflection of the process. And one day, when I’m older, I’ll tell someone about the dreams I chased—some I caught, some I didn’t—and it will all be a story. I choose to make it a good one.

I still don’t have an agent, by the way. Submissions are open.

— José Oldenburg