Julia Erman is a wife, mother, speaker, and advocate with the mission of helping families build compassion and understanding around disability. As a mother to two children affected by a rare genetic disorder, Julia found herself not only navigating the everyday realities of special needs parenting, but also noticing something bigger—a lack of language and confidence many people feel when talking about disability with children.
That gap is what led her to write. Her first book, Hazelnut, It’s Time to Get Up, tells her daughter’s story with warmth and hope, and has become a meaningful resource for parents, educators, and caregivers who want to introduce young children to the world of differently abled kids in a way that is gentle and approachable. Over the years, Julia created an entire series around this message, as well as The Hazelnut Movement, dedicated to helping children, families, and educators start meaningful conversations about disability through storytelling and advocacy.
A mutual connection introduced us to Julia, and from our very first discovery call, we could tell her books were more than a creative project—they were a calling. She had already self-published sixteen books and had done a remarkable job building a foundation for The Hazelnut Series on her own. But she was ready for the next step: giving the first book in the series the professional treatment it deserved, setting a strong template for the releases to come.
About This Recent Project
Manuscript Edits & Formatting
Because Hazelnut, It’s Time to Get Up had already been written and self-published, this project didn’t require substantive edits, but there was still meaningful work to do before the manuscript was ready for a fresh design.
Randi pulled the full text of the book into a Word document and carefully worked through our recommendations for content adjustments and flow. Several things needed attention to bring the updated book up to industry standard. The existing edition lacked a proper copyright page, the back matter had accumulated content that was either outdated or no longer aligned with Julia’s organizational structure, and a few of the other interior pages needed to be reorganized for better reading flow.
One of our favorite recommendations was to repurpose the “Meet Hazel” page that had lived in the back of the book and relocate it to the front as a proper dedication, updated to honor both of Julia’s children, since the heart behind this series really does belong to them both. We also crafted a formal About the Author page using the optimized bio Sara developed for Julia, along with a dedicated page for The Hazelnut Movement program and a separate page showcasing the full book series.
Julia gave us her full trust throughout this phase, and the flexibility to make the call on recommendations when she wasn’t sure. She also shared a YouTube read-aloud recording so we could hear exactly how she delivers the book to kids in a classroom setting, which helped us fine-tune the rhythm and placement of the repeating lines that make the story so engaging for young readers.
Cover and Interior Design & Typesetting
The original Hazelnut, It’s Time to Get Up had been built entirely in Canva, and while Julia had done an impressive job pulling it together on her own, it was time for the book to reflect the professional, polished quality of the message inside.
Nelly adapted the existing design into a fully professional InDesign file, updating the trim size to the industry-standard 8.5×8.5, refreshing the layout and typography, and creating a cohesive interior design that would set the visual standard for the rest of The Hazelnut Series. The cover received a full redesign treatment, and Nelly also created the eBook cover, audiobook cover, and 3D mockup images for marketing—all formatted and ready to go.
Because Julia’s illustrator (a wonderful and long-standing collaborator she connected with through Fiverr) retained the original character artwork, we worked alongside her to incorporate the existing illustrations into the redesigned files. We were also happy to make sure she received a proper credit on the copyright page—something that matters to us and to Julia both.
When the full updated interior file was complete, we asked Milena to perform our final design proof to ensure that all updates had been properly implemented and the file was ready for production.
Publishing & Optimization
Publishing Hazelnut, It’s Time to Get Up through Market Refined Publishing meant giving the book a full professional foundation it didn’t have before—complete ISBNs owned under our imprint for print, eBook, hardcover, and audiobook formats, a Library of Congress registration and control number, and product listings on both Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and IngramSpark.
Opening distribution through IngramSpark was a first for Julia’s books, but an important step to add for maximum exposure and availability for her target markets. With IngramSpark’s network, Hazelnut, It’s Time to Get Up is now available not just on Amazon, but can be made available through independent bookstores, libraries, and a wide range of international retailers—giving The Hazelnut Movement the kind of reach that truly reflects its mission.
Sara completed a full metadata and market research package for the book, selecting targeted keywords and categories designed to maximize organic searchability on Amazon for parents, educators, and caregivers looking for exactly this kind of resource. She also crafted the updated back cover copy, product description, and Amazon Author Central bio, all written to speak directly to the ideal reader and ensure the book shows up where it should.
Mandy implemented everything on the back end, creating optimized product listings across both platforms for the print, eBook, and hardcover editions. We also coordinated the audiobook process, setting Julia up with a trusted partner producer so that a read-aloud edition of the book will be available in the near future, which feels especially fitting for a book that was made to be experienced out loud.
We released Hazelnut, It’s Time to Get Up on April 21, 2026, timed intentionally for Disability Book Week, a meaningful alignment with the book’s message and Julia’s ongoing advocacy work.
What Julia had to say…
“The design is perfect I love it. I truly love how the book turned out and I’m excited to keep building together from here.”
Services Included in this Project
- Manuscript proofread, content review, and formatting for design
- Book cover and interior design, formatting, and typesetting for IngramSpark and Kindle Direct Publishing (Print, eBook, Hardcover, and Audiobook)
- Metadata, category, and keyword research for IngramSpark and Kindle Direct Publishing
- Marketing copy for the product listing and author bio
- Product(s) and author profile setup and optimization for Amazon Author Central
- Library of Congress registration
- Use of Market Refined Publishing imprint
Team Members Involved
Randi Avant
Nelly Murariu
Mandy Roberson
Milena Ulrich
Sara Ward
Find out more about these ladies and the rest of the team here at MRM: Meet the Team
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our full affiliate disclosure here.
