Welcome, my friends, to a book birthday Tuesday Debut!
We’re going to party ’til the cows come home, er, or maybe the chickens, as the case may be! 😊
We will start with cake (of course!) (as if there would be any question about that!)
Ta-da!
I slaved all day over a hot oven just for you! 😊
Next, let’s do presents!
Since I’m a little behind on handing out recent giveaway, let’s do it now! (How well did that work out?!)
The winners of Mary Vander Plas’s Giveaways from Tuesday Debut on June 20th are:
Kim Larson – who will receive the signed copy of CALL ME CALVIN
and
Lauri Meyers – who will receive thePB MS Critique from Mary!!!
The winner of Laura Wippell’s Giveaway from Tuesday Debut on July 20th is Norah Colvin who wins a PB MS Critique from Laura!!!
Congratulations, winners! Please email me to collect your prizes! And thank you Mary and Laura for being so generous!!!
Also, if you participated in the 2023 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge and completed all 7 weeks and have not yet claimed your prize, please go HERE! 😊
And today, our Tuesday Debutess is offering winner’s choice of either a picture book + query letter critique OR a book and stuffed animal prize pack (pictured below)! How fabulous is that?! To qualify, please leave a comment below between now and Monday August 21st at 9PM Eastern and you may be randomly selected as the lucky winner! 😊
Now that we’re all in the party mood, let’s celebrate today’s debutess, Kari Ann Gonzalez, and her fabulous picture book HOW TO HATCH A READER!
Title: How To Hatch A Reader
Author: Kari Ann Gonzalez
Illustrator: Rachel Suzanne
Publisher: Gnome Road Publishing
Published: August 15, 2023
Fiction
Age Range: 4-8
Synopsis: A young farmer teaches her chickens to read in this plucky tale full of wit and humor while making sure to celebrate all of their reading milestones.
SUSANNA: Where did the idea for this book come from?
KARI ANN: Ideas are all around us! This story was inspired by my two emerging readers. As I looked for creative ways to help my daughters learn to read in the pandemic, we began taking our books outside for a bit of fresh air. Amazingly, our six chickens always flocked to be near the action of my daughters reading aloud and often perched in their laps listening to the stories and looking at the pages. I could swear every time our chickens bokked, they were begging for more ‘BBB-book, books’.
SUSANNA: How long did it take you to write this book?
KARI ANN: HOW TO HATCH A READER quickly took flight, but can I share that the first draft was terrible! It was patched together using voice-to-text notes from my phone to make sure I didn’t lose any story ideas. Luckily, once I got that terrible first draft out of the way, the magic started to happen once I revised it. I signed this story with Gnome Road Publishing just about one year after my first draft.
SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?
KARI ANN: Is 24 a lucky number? I don’t know if it is for anyone else but it was for me. I worked hard on this manuscript. I knew it had promise, so I revised this story 24 times in just one year! I broke my revisions off into chunks focusing on just voice, just plot, or just opening and closing lines. Breaking revision into small bite-sized chunks help me stay focused on this story even when the world was pulling me in all sorts of directions.
SUSANNA: When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?
KARI ANN: I have always struggled with that! I trusted my fabulous critique partners and revised with their guidance then purchased a professional critique. When the feedback dwindled from critical feedback to word choice and punctuation, and then only praise and excitement, I knew I was on the track to submission. But here is a super-secret tip, even once your book is under contract, you will still undergo more revision with your editor! But that editorial feedback at all stages is magic, and I am so grateful for it.
SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?
KARI ANN: I did not have an agent at the time. Many agents had closed in 2020, so, *gulp* I submitted direct to two publishing houses that were open to unsolicited and unagented submissions. I read the directions carefully and was delighted to find Gnome Road Publishing was looking for humor with purpose and loved strong educational ties. I knew that book would be a fit, which encouraged me to take that step and submit it.
SUSANNA: When did you get “the call”, which these days is more likely to be “the email”? (Best moment ever! 😊)
KARI ANN: I got the email that my story made it through acquisitions 7 days after submitting. And that ‘Yes’ landed in my inbox on April Fool’s Day… I questioned my husband on how he managed to pull this epic prank on me all day, but it was real!
SUSANNA: How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?
KARI ANN: I signed the contract about a month after.
SUSANNA: How did you celebrate signing your contract?
KARI ANN: With a dance party of course! My chickens and emerging readers love my Funky Chicken dance! We also celebrated with a trip to the ‘BBB-book store’. Unfortunately, our chickens were saddened to learn they had to stay home, but they forgave me eventually.
The chickens probably forgave her because she read them a GREAT story! 😊
SUSANNA: Was the contract what you expected in terms of advance, royalty percentage, publication timeline, author copies etc.?
KARI ANN: Yes, very comparable to the example contract on the Author’s Guild website (which is an amazing resource). At the time Gnome Road Publishing was just starting up and in their first acquisitions, so I was excited and surprised to be receiving an advance.
SUSANNA: Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?
KARI ANN: I asked early on about the vision for my story and what edits were in mind. Sandra loved the story plot, structure, and voice as it was, so we focused on line-level edits and used the comment function on Word to exchange ideas and land on the final version.
SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like?
KARI ANN: The most amazing thing about working with a smaller press? Sandra at Gnome Road Publishing was highly communicative and involved me in the whole process. It was amazing, especially for a debut author needing to learn the ropes of publishing. I learned so much!
text copyright Kari Ann Gonzalez 2023, illustration copyright Rachel Suzanne 2023, Gnome Road Publishing
We chose the amazing illustrator Rachel Suzanne, together. Rachel’s fabulous and vibrant art style is incredible and really brought How To Hatch A Reader to life in ways I never could have imagined with my art notes. Wait until you all see the disco scene! The final art came through as a digital file. I laughed and cried and hugged my computer and all the chicks that inspired this story. I had many art notes in this story which is usually a no-no, but in this case, sharing the art vision allowed the illustrator and I to include many visual and written emerging reader support techniques throughout the story.
text copyright Kari Ann Gonzalez 2023, illustration copyright Rachel Suzanne 2023, Gnome Road Publishing
SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?
KARI ANN: I just recently received a review from School Library Journal. Sandra shared the good news and labeled the email as SLJ Likes HOW TO HATCH A READER. Way to take the pressure off in opening that email! She has always been so gracious. I am so thrilled that they liked it! Check out the review below. The Children’s Book Council also named HOW TO HATCH A READER as an anticipated best-seller. My happy heart is about to burst, let me tell you!
SUSANNA: How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?
KARI ANN: We signed in 2021 and my book is in hand in 2023!
SUSANNA: What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?
KARI ANN: Gnome Road Publishing is incredible and supported with an amazing cover reveal trailer, educator’s guides, and promo materials such as printable activities and coloring sheets. They are also active on social media and have strategic partnerships with other industry professionals and reviewers to help get our books in the right hands and support sales.
SUSANNA: Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.
KARI ANN: For marketing, I joined PBSpree, which is a social marketing group of amazing creatives supporting one another during our 2023 launches and beyond. I scheduled blog and podcast interviews, giveaways, a book launch, book signings, read-alouds, and author meet and greets. I also created a book trailer, bookmarks, and additional printable activities etc.
SUSANNA: How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?
KARI ANN: I started writing seriously in 4th grade. Does that count? Seriously though, I started taking picture book-specific classes in 2017, so about 5 years from writing seriously to acquisition.
SUSANNA: What is the most important/helpful thing you learned on your way to publication? (Or what is your most helpful piece of advice for up-and-coming writers?)
KARI ANN: Write a lot. There are ideas everywhere! Not every idea is a keeper, but the process of writing, revising, and critiquing others’ work will also help you advance in your own writing. Plus, it feels great to support others in the writing community! The last piece of advice- enjoy and celebrate every step of our journey along the way.
SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and paying it forward to other writers, Kari! We so appreciate the opportunity to learn from you! Wishing you all the best with this and future titles!
Author Kari Ann Gonzalez
Website and social media links:
Website: www.karianngonzalez.com
Twitter: @karianngonzale1
Instagram: kari_gonzalez_writes
Facebook: Kari Gonzalez
Readers, if you have questions for Kari, please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond! And remember, your comment puts you in the running to be randomly selected to win Kari’s generous giveaway of winner’s choice of either a picture book + query letter critique OR a book and stuffed animal prize pack (pictured below) if you leave it between now and Monday August 21st at 9PM Eastern!!!
You may purchase Kari’s book at:
(all links below are book-specific)
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!
Susanna Leonard Hill 
I am so excited to read this book! I also have young readers AND pet chickens at home, so this is all relatable to my entire family. Thank you for writing this book and thank you to the illustrator, Rachel Suzanne! I am a new illustrator and this art style resonates with me. =)
I hope to win the picture book and stuffed animal prize. Thanks!
Isn’t Rachel’s art amazing?! She is so talented and the characters and art style are so expressive. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Yay! I’m over here doing the Chicken Dance Kari! I’ve really enjoyed watching your publicity campaign, as you know and “hatching readers” is one of my favorite things as a reading specialist! Congratulations on your debut! So happy for you and Rachel’s illustrations are super fun!
Ahh, thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I really had a lot of fun making those shorts! Thank you for coming here to celebrate with me!
Everything about this –the story, the illustrations, the interview, the author– it is all so joyful! What a delight.
Liisa! Thank you, you are so sweet! This story was a joy to write and I am so glad the feeling is carrying on strong! I appreciate you stopping by to cheer me on!
It’s a joy to help someone read. Your book will make that happen to many pre-readers. Great Job!
Thank you so much!
This looks like a great book to read to my kids/pre-schooler! Can’t wait!
Perfect age! What a joyful time to discover their favorite books!
This book is adorable! Congratulations!
Katie, thank you so much! I’m so excited! Appreciate you stopping by!
Kari- I DO think 24 might be a lucky number… it’s somewhere up there in the 20s!
Mary- thank you so much for the critique!! Yay!!
I’ve never really been a gambling girl, but if I start that will be the number I start with! Thanks for stopping by to cheer me on!
What a wonderful and creative idea for a story! And thanks for sharing your journey!
Thank you, Elizabeth!
Congratulations, Kari! I’m egg-cited to read your fun book!
Egg-cellent pun, Kim! Thank you so much, I hope you enjoy it!
Congrats Kari!
Thank you, Cathy!
Such a clever and adorable book! Congrats to Kari and Rachel! Thanks for highlighting them, Susanna! And the cake…YUM!
Ellen, doesn’t that cake look delicious?! Thank you for celebrating with us and cheering us on!
This looks like such a fun book! Excited to see this book in real life! 🙂
Thank you so much, Debbie! I’m so egg-cited to hold it in my hands. It feels so surreal!
Such a fun take on encouraging reading! Congratulations!
Thank you so much, Karan!
I love the origin of this fun story! I know readers will find reading to chickens humorous and will ask for this book over and over.
That warms my heart. Thank you so much for saying that, Danielle!
Congratulations =)
Thank you, Angel!
Kari: I think you should start a new thing at the public library. They all have “Read to a dog. Why not read to a chicken? “Congrats on your egg-sstra special book! 🙂
Wouldn’t that be the best?! I love the idea! The only challenge would be getting the library to agree. Fingers crossed!
oh my goodness, my school just got chickens, so this would be the perfect book to read! Congrats on your debut! Have a great book launch at Ruby’s!!
Thank you, Jenna! I can’t wait. I’m so excited!
Thank you for sharing. Congratulation!
Thank you, Thelia!
Kari, looking forward to reading and reviewing your PB! Congratulations! 🙂
Thank you so much! I appreciate it!
What a great interview. Thanks, Kari and Susanna. So many helpful pointers on revision and great info on the entire process. Can’t wait to read this book. And the stuffed animal prize pack is precious!
Marty, I am so glad you enjoyed the info! Thank you so much for celebrating with us!
Thank you for sharing your publication story, Kari….it’s welcomed encouragement and inspiration. And as a reading interventionist, I can’t wait to share your PB with students 🙂
POSTED FOR ELIZABETH
Thank you so much Kari Ann Gonzalez and Susanna for the interview and book debut: How to Hatch a Reader. Would love to win a query letter critique.
Congratulations, Kari! And thank you both for the insightful interview. I especially appreciated Kari’s advice about breaking down the revision process into more manageable steps.
Congrats on your debut! I look forward to reading it!
Thanks for sharing your journey, Kari, and for the generous giveaway. You thinking your ‘yes’ in your inbox was your husband’s April Fool’s Day prank made me laugh. I’m glad it was not a prank, haha! I’m excited to hear you read this story tonight at Storytime Sprint!
Huge huge congrats, Kari! And I’d really like to see your funky chicken dance!
Congratulations, Kari! I loved hearing you read your delightful debut last night during Storytime Sprint. It is a winner (winner chicken dinner)! Thanks for sharing your journey so far. My library already had an ebook version, so I requested a paper copy as well.
I am so excited for you, Kari!!! My boys will love this book.