In this video (Part 1), I’m showing you how I take a simple kids’ idea—literally my son Lamar’s pet idea—and turn it into an actual children’s book plan that’s ready for Amazon KDP. Before you even touch the “pretty” design stuff, I focus on the part most people skip: planning. I break down how I use Canva and ChatGPT together to shape the concept, build the characters, and keep the story consistent so you’re not stuck halfway through with a messy book that doesn’t flow. I walk you through using the Canva Whiteboard to map the story visually, page by page, so you can see the flow before you commit to layouts. I also explain trim size and formatting decisions early, because that’s what makes your KDP upload smooth later. If you don’t already have a story idea, I show you how I use ChatGPT to generate one (like my “Seven Silly Superpowers” example) and then turn that into a structured plan. This is the free, beginner-friendly way to start—no paid tools, no design experience—just a system you can follow.