It’s time for a Tuesday Debut treat!

You may remember meeting some of the members of Picture Book Junction ’23, a picture book promotion collaborative, back in January. Today, we have Part 2 of this series along with 5 fabulous giveaways!

First, I want to announce the lucky winner of last week’s giveaway! Debut author, Jana Locke, kindly offered a copy of her book VOTE FOR TURTLE, and the lucky winner is Sharon McCarthy!!! Congratulations, Sharon! Please email me so we can get you your book! 😊

Now, then. As you all know, Tuesday Debut primarily exists to introduce debut picture book authors, illustrators, and author/illustrators, but from time to time we get to visit with debuts of other kinds (publishing houses, co-written books, self or hybrid published books, etc.)

Today, I am thrilled to introduce the second of our three-part series on picture book collaboratives with Picture Book Junction ’23. (For Part 1, please go HERE.)

Previously, we met Ana Siqueira, Marie Boyd, Aimee Isaac, Lisa Varchol Perron, and Suzy Levinson.

Today, Jack Wong, Vicky Fang, A.J. Irving, Gabriela Orozco Belt, and Sarah Hovorka are going to explain how the group split up tasks such as website creation, graphics creation, social media, events, and giveaways and reviews to keep the commitment manageable and fun. Not only are they going to educate us on how to operate a picture book collaborative, they are very generously offering amazing prizes! Just leave a comment on this post by Monday June 19th at 3PM Eastern (and if you’re feeling extra-nice, share this post or the authors and their books on social media) to be entered in a random drawing to win one of these 5 fabulous prizes!

Jack will be donating a Picture Book Critique (fiction, less than 1000 words)
Vicky is offering a signed copy of THE BOO CREW NEEDS YOU! (U.S. only)
A.J. is offering a signed copy of THE WISHING FLOWER (US only, please)
Gabriela is offering a signed copy of Only For a Little While (US only)
Sarah is offering a query and picture book critique!

Like I said – FABULOUS!

So let’s see what we can learn today!

SUSANNA: Welcome, Jack, Vicky, A.J., Gabriela, and Sarah! Thank you so much for joining us today to help us figure out how to navigate the world of picture book collaboratives! How did you tackle creating a name and a website for your group? 

The name emerged from our original planning team of five members, who brainstormed several different ideas but kept coming back to the idea of our group as a crossroads where creators connect with each other and their readership. We took a Doodle poll and enthusiastically chose Picture Book Junction. We were able to keep this name for our website, but it was too long for our social media handles, so we later asked the full group to vote on our Twitter and Instagram handles, which became: @picbookjunction

SUSANNA: Were the choices of group name and graphics democratic? Or did you leave everything to those teams? 

The group name was democratic in that the planning team voted on it. We decided to leave the decision about our logo and graphics up to the team designing them, and we were thrilled with the train logo created by author-illustrator Keisha Morris!

(Gaby reached out to the admin team for this answer. I’m not sure which of the 16 group members comprise that team.) 

SUSANNA: What was involved in creating graphics for your group? What different types of graphics did you create? How and where did you use them?

JACK’S ANSWER: Perhaps I’ll answer this in the most candid way possible—when the graphics team first got together, fueled by lots of great ideas and name associations drawn from the larger group, I was really excited about and had high ambitions for creating a whole visual/brand identity for PBJ, with numerous themed assets, banners, etc. As a team of three working illustrators, however, I soon realized that this would be a lot to take on.

Fast-forward a few months later, I’ve realized (and our other teams can disagree with me and call us out for not having provided enough!) that custom graphics aren’t really the most important thing in this launch group. We landed on a wonderful logo (created by Keisha Morris), and have used it plus some colour palette tie-ins to put together social media cards—but other than that, a launch group is really a tool that communicates about and celebrates authors and their books, so cover reveals, book-specific assets, etc. are really what need to be showcased (and will naturally populate your website and socials more and more) at the end of the day.

So JACK’S TIP specifically for graphics creators for launch groups: do your best, but don’t burn yourself out!

Jack’s Bio: ​

Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, Jack Wong (黃雋喬) now calls Halifax (Canada) home, where he works as a children’s author/illustrator. A self-declared actual Jack-of-all-trades, he’s also tried his hand at bridge engineering, psychology research, bookkeeping, and running his own bicycle repair shop—a real education for creating children’s books, if you ask him! Through a diverse range of stories, he seeks to share his hodgepodge journey with young readers, so that they may embrace the unique amalgams of experiences that make up their own lives.

When You Can Swim is Jack’s debut picture book; his next written-and-illustrated books include The Words We Share (Annick Press, September 2023) and All That Grows (Groundwood, Spring 2024). He is also set to illustrate an upcoming picture book biography of Yo-Yo Ma written by James Howe (Abrams Books, 2025).

www.jackwong.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacquillo_/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacquillo_

Donation: Jack would like to donate a manuscript critique (fiction PB, less than 1,000 words).

VICKY’S ANSWER: I’ll chime in as well on this one! We first collaborated on the logo, which took a bit of back and forth because we loved all the ideas and we weren’t used to working with each other. Once Keisha graciously took the lead with the idea we liked the most, then it was easy to align and help her. In creating social media graphics, we took them on as individual tasks, leaning on each other for feedback and iterations as needed. This was easier to assign and run with, which is helpful especially when illustrators have intense book deadlines to work around!

VICKY’S TIP to graphics creators for launch groups: Use Canva! It’s really fast for layouts, for sharing files, and for replicating graphics for social media.

Vicky’s bio

Vicky Fang is a product designer who spent 5 years designing kids’ technology experiences for both Google and Intel, often to inspire and empower kids in coding and technology. She started writing to support the growing need for early coding education, particularly for girls and kids of color. She is the author, and sometimes illustrator, of nineteen new and upcoming books for kids, including the Layla and the Bots series, Invent-a-Pet, I Can Code board books, Friendbots series, and the forthcoming Ava Lin series, Best Buddies series, AlphaBot, and The Boo Crew Needs You!. You can visit Vicky at vickyfang.com.

Donation: A signed copy of THE BOO CREW NEEDS YOU! (U.S. only)

SUSANNA: What were the responsibilities of the Social Media Team?

A.J.’s ANSWER: We have the fun job! We get to celebrate all the exciting things that happen like cover reveals, trade reviews, and author events. When we first started out, we created a brainstorming doc and kept track of meeting notes from our Zoom calls. We decided to focus on Twitter and Instagram. The social media team works closely with the graphics and events teams to spread news about interviews and giveaways. And, of course, we share all the fabulous news that pops up for our members via retweets and Instagram posts and stories.

We have a rotating schedule, so one member from our team is our social media admin for one month. I really appreciate the flexibility of this group because life happens. I’m grateful that someone is always willing to step up and take over if we need to shift the schedule.

A.J.’s TIP for social media team members: Social media never stops. It’s easy to get burned out when you are trying to keep up with your personal social media as well as your groups’ social media. Splitting the time has worked well for me. For example, sometimes I manage PBJ social media in the morning before I go to work and catch up on my personal social media when I get home. And sometimes you just need to take a break. That’s okay!

A.J.’s bio:

A.J. Irving grew up in Boise, Idaho, writing stories and daydreaming about becoming an author. Now, she writes picture books and poetry beneath an old elm tree in Salt Lake City. A.J. reads kidlit every day and dances every chance she gets. She is the author of Dance Like a Leaf (Barefoot Books, 2020) and The Wishing Flower (Knopf BFYR, May 30, 2023).

As a children’s author and former bookmobile librarian, A.J. is passionate about inspiring kids to love books. When she’s not reading, writing, or dancing, she enjoys exploring Utah with her husband, two children, and their English bulldog. Learn more at https://ajirving.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aj_irving
Instagram: https://instagram.com/aj_irving?r=nametag
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ajirvingauthor

Donation: A signed copy of THE WISHING FLOWER (US only, please)

SUSANNA: How did the Events Team go about choosing and arranging events? What kinds of venues did they reach out to and how? Were events for individuals or for more than one of you or a group of you together at one event? 

GABY’S ANSWER: The events team pulled together our resources and shared blogs, bookstagrammers, and groups that we could reach out to be featured. Due to our different geographical locations, schedules, and other commitments, we thought sticking to online events was best. It allowed everyone in the group to have their moment. 

Gaby’s Tip: pull together your resources! We had a spreadsheet that we added to and had a hefty amount of people that we already knew and could reach out to! 

Bio: Gabriela Orozco Belt is a children’s book author who lives in a small town in the Mojave Desert. Inspired by her experiences of growing up bilingual and bicultural, she writes stories for children so they can see themselves in books. Gaby’s debut picture book, Only For a Little While serves to soften and process the feeling of being uprooted and see change as a temporary difficulty that families can overcome with mutual support. When not teaching, writing, or reading, she can be found spending time with her husband, three children, and extended family.  

Website: https://gabrielabelt.com/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thegreatgabsie 
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thegreatgabsie 

Donation: a signed copy of Only For a Little While (US only) 

SUSANNA: How did the Giveaways and Reviews Team work? What kinds of giveaways did you think up? How did you decide how many books you could give away? How did you decide where the giveaways should be available? Did everyone in the group review everyone else’s book, or did you have a system for who reviewed which book? Where did you decide to post reviews?

SARAH’S ANSWER: At first, the Giveaways and Reviews Team wanted to focus on putting the word out about our group so we organized a giveaway based on follows and re-posts centered around our direct social media profiles. We asked the members of our group to giveaway an item of their choice, then we staggered posts to create long-lasting buzz. To get started on reviews, we created a spreadsheet and helped boost reminder emails to the group as book launches started rolling out. We ask everyone to review everyone else’s books on all platforms they are comfortable using which is mostly Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble. We do ask members to log the reviews they complete but we understand if members can’t do a review right when a book launches. Often, we encourage members to post early reviews on the Goodreads and Barnes & Noble before a book pub date, then send out reminders when reviews can be moved to Amazon after launch.

SARAH’S TIP: Spend time researching, following rabbit trails, and engaging with others on your book’s topic. It’s not “wasted” time. You never know who or what will spark inspiration for your story. Plus, if you have fun with it, readers will be more likely to feel that in your writing.

Sarah’s Bio:

Like many people, Sarah Hovorka wasn’t sure what to do with her life. After obtaining a degree in Anthropology and starting a career in the public sector, Sarah became a mom and homeschooler full-time. When a major health crisis hit and left her disabled, Sarah resolved to pursue a closely guarded dream… writing.

Now Sarah is the published author of Hattie Hates Hugs (2022) and the upcoming Same Love, Different Hug (2023) as well as short stories. In addition to writing, Sarah works in the public sector and spends her free time reading, homeschooling, and playing video and board games with her husband and three sons in California. You can find out more about her, her books, and follow her blog at www.SarahHovorka.com.

Website: www.SarahHovorka.com
Twitter: @HovorkaSarah
Instagram: authorsarahhovorka
Facebook: Sarah Hovorka, author | Facebook
Goodreads: Sarah Hovorka (Author of Hattie Hates Hugs) | Goodreads

Giveaway: Sarah would like to donate a query and picture book critique!

SUSANNA: Thank you all so much for sharing all this interesting and helpful information! I know I speak for everyone when I thank you for your time and expertise, and wish you all the best with these and future books!

Readers, if you have questions for Jack, Vicky, Gaby, A.J., and/or Sarah, please post them in the comments below and if they have time I’m sure they’ll respond!

All of their books may be purchased at Picture Book Junction 23 HERE

We can help our debut authors successfully launch their careers by:

– purchasing their books

– recommending their books to friends and family

– recommending their books to our children’s teachers and librarians

– recommending their books to our local libraries and bookstores

– suggesting them as visiting authors at our children’s schools and our local libraries

– sharing their books on social media

– reviewing their books on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and other sites where people go to learn about books.

Thank you all for stopping by to read today!  Have a lovely, inspiration-filled Tuesday!  Maybe today is the day you’ll write your debut picture book 😊

Missed any previous Tuesday Debuts?  Check them out HERE!