Fleischer was a gymnast and pole vaulter but also dabbled in art, which continued when he went off to college at Miami University in 2014. He chose to major in marketing with a minor in interactive media. He particularly enjoyed graphic design and had a favorite professor who helped him develop his skills.
After graduating from Miami in 2018, Fleischer got a job with a marketing research firm in Chicago. He met his wife, Caroline Hoffman, while they were both at Miami and she moved to Chicago first after graduating in 2017. The couple were married in June of 2022.
Credit: Olivia Doerfler
Credit: Olivia Doerfler
“When the pandemic hit in 2020, we were both sent home like everyone else across the country,” Fleischer said. “We used that time to write our first book together.”
Though Fleischer said he never thought much about writing a book prior to 2020, when he decided to do it, he knew creating a book for children was the right path for him. Hoffman, who works in public relations, helped him learn how to create and publish a book on his own.
“The first book I wrote is called ‘Cameron the Camera,’” Fleischer said. “I was inspired to tell this story after I came across a video on Tik Tok explaining ways to make side money.”
One example of a side gig was writing a children’s book. Fleischer immediately thought he could do this and do it well.
“The original idea was all mine,” Fleischer said. “When I watched the video, the creator mentioned making an animal a main character in a children’s book and I thought the market seemed oversaturated with animal characters.”
As a child growing up in Troy, Fleischer said the Disney Pixar movie “Toy Story” was one of his favorites. The idea of toys and objects coming to life had always intrigued him.
“I looked around my room and spotted a Polaroid camera,” Fleischer said. “And I thought how interesting it would be if there was a toy camera that took pictures of all the other toys.”
“Cameron the Camera” was born from that idea. Fleischer said the characters in his book are all toys and each has an individual gift. The camera is at the center of the story and while taking photos of all the other toys, she realizes she doesn’t have any pictures of herself.
“I wrote it as a nursery rhyme,” Fleischer said. “It took me about a year to because there was a learning curve.”
The biggest learning for both Fleischer and his wife was the self-publishing process, which the couple chose rather than the traditional publishing route. Fleischer researched the process on YouTube and Hoffman helped him finalize the manuscript by expanding and polishing the stanzas. Fleischer handled the illustrations himself, making use of the skills he learned and perfected while at Miami University.
“I wanted to make sure the book was something parents would like as much as their children,” Fleischer said.
“Cameron the Camera” was published in September of 2021, and it was the culmination of what Fleischer calls his “passion project” with his wife. After a year of watching the book and tracking its performance, Fleischer decided to work on his next book – a story about a Polaroid camera called “Izzy the Instacam.”
“Both Izzy and Cameron are together in the second book, but Izzy uses film for her pictures while Cameron is digital,” Fleischer said. “They realize they both have their own unique gifts in the story.”
Fleischer’s second book was published in September, and he said he thinks it turned out even better than the first with the two camera characters forging a friendship despite their differences.
Fleischer said people are giving his books as gifts – many along with cameras their children are requesting so they can take their own photos.
“I’m in a place right now where I have a lot of things up in the air,” Fleischer, who works full time as an account manager for Chicago based Rakuten, said. “I don’t have anything new right now, but I am thinking about a third book that may be about a video camera. I’m trying to figure out how to create illustrations for moving pictures.”
For now Fleischer sees his books as great side projects and doesn’t foresee leaving his full-time job.
“I was super excited when I published Izzy because in the first week of release it went to number one in the nursery rhyme section on Amazon,” Fleischer said. “It’s rewarding to know it’s resonating with all kinds of people.”
Find Fleischer and Hoffman’s books on Amazon.com
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