It’s another Book Birthday Tuesday Debut, fellow readers and writers! You know what that means!

Confetti! Balloons! CAKE!

And what’s a birthday without presents?

For all of us, the chance to hear first hand from today’s debutess all about how her book came to be – something we can all learn from!

And for one lucky, randomly selected winner, a giveaway! Winner’s choice of either a signed copy of TANGO RED RIDING HOOD OR a 30 minute Ask Me Anything with author Rachel Hobbs! All you need to do to qualify is leave a comment below by Monday September 18 at 9PM Eastern!

Let’s not lose another moment! Grab some cake and come learn from all that Rachel S. Hobbs has to share with us, while also getting a glimpse of her delightful debut, TANGO RED RIDING HOOD!

Title:  Tango Red Riding Hood
Author: Rachel Hobbs (however I go by Rachel S. Hobbs now)
Illustrator: Carolina Vásquez
Publishing House: Gnome Road Publishing
Date of Publication: September 12
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction
age range of your book: 4-8

A rhythm calls to Moni as she dances her way to Abuela’s house until an encounter with Lobo turns her pace from tango to milonga.

SUSANNA: Welcome, Rachel! Thank you so much for joining us today! One look at that cover has me dying to dive in! Where did the idea for this book come from?

RACHEL: This manuscript was unlike any I had written previously. It came like a lightning bolt pretty much fully formed (but I still needed revisions!). I was listening to a fantasy YA where a dance was held and I was hoping that they would tango (alas, they did not!). It made me think about how much I loved listening to tango music in my upbringing, something that was different than my peers. I wished I could introduce tango music to children (this was all in the space of a few seconds, ha!) and the verse Moni sings in the book came first, along with using the song El Choclo as its base, and the rest fell into place.

SUSANNA: How long did it take you to write this book?

RACHEL: I started my first draft late Sept/early Oct of 2020. I was so fortunate to have just started my Las Musas Hermanas mentorship with Ana Siqueira (she’s fabulous!) and we sent the manuscript back and forth a lot in a very short time span. I also was a part of two critique groups and have a few trusted friends who I sent my manuscript to as well. I reached the version I started submitting with in November 2020.  (This is very unusual!)

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

RACHEL: Because I wanted to maximize my time with my Las Musas mentor, it was a time period of a lot of adjustments here and there in pretty quick succession.

SUSANNA: When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?

RACHEL: I think my mentor told me! But also, when it came down to very minimal comments from critique members and when some comments were just a matter of preference.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

RACHEL: At first I submitted to a handful of agents but of the ones who responded, only a couple asked to see more work. They then sent me rejections. I submitted to Scholastic’s BIPOC open call submission period in about January of 2021. I participated in #PBPitch in Feb 2021 and Gnome Road Publishing liked my tweet. I submitted to them and received a revise and resubmit letter in early March 2021. I sent a revision based on their feedback a few weeks later. (I had also sent to a few publishers, but they didn’t work out.)

SUSANNA: When did you get “the call”, which these days is more likely to be “the email”?  (Best moment ever! 😊) and how did you celebrate (if you care to share 😊)

RACHEL: I received an email on April 1, 2021 that said they liked my revision and wanted to set up a Zoom meeting. I was very excited and prepared a list of questions I wanted to ask! I was absolutely floored with Sandra (owner of Gnome Road). I was really worried about selling my manuscript to a brand new publishing house that didn’t have a track record yet (it was that new!). Also, I never know how someone outside of my culture will view culture-specific work. Sandra’s enthusiasm and complete lockstep of what I had envisioned made me realize this was the perfect home. I ate yummy Argentine food to celebrate!

Alfajores – the Argentine snack featured in my book that I made myself

SUSANNA: How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?

RACHEL: My offer came in an email on April 9, 2021. Sandra was absolutely amazing and gracious when I asked for a little more time to consider. I wanted to know how my BIPOC open call submission would go, and she wanted to support me as a BIPOC author. I can’t thank her enough for her patience. I told her I’d be happy to sign the contract on May 17, 2021, she sent a clean copy of the contract on May 19, and I signed on May 22.

SUSANNA: Was the contract what you expected in terms of advance, royalty percentage, publication timeline, author copies etc.?

RACHEL: My advance was on the low end, but wonderful for a company that just started. You can search #PublishingPaidMe to get an idea of advances. The advance was paid out in halves, half on final acceptance of the manuscript and half on publication. The royalties are also different from what you would expect at a larger publishing house. I will not receive any royalties based on cover price (usually hard cover and paperbacks are based on list price). To compensate for that, my royalties look higher than usual because it’s based on net (the money that is earned after costs are recouped). I received 10 author copies. Please note that even though the initial money is not like what it could be at other houses, Sandra let me be more involved in the process than I would have been in a larger publishing house, and that is absolutely worth a lot!

SUSANNA: Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?

RACHEL: There were no significant changes to the text after my final manuscript was approved. A couple of Spanish words were adjusted and more Spanish was added.

SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like?

RACHEL: This was my very favorite part!  Sandra was open to my opinions on which illustrators would be my preferred options, which would not have happened at a large publishing house! I had hoped for a South American or otherwise Latin American illustrator. Lifting up BIPOC creators is really important for me. I looked at all the illustrators and agencies Sandra pointed me to, and it happened to be that my favorite art was by an Argentine illustrator! How fortunate is that?!

text copyright Rachel S. Hobbs 2023, illustration copyright Carolina Vásquez 2023, Gnome Road Publishing

During the process, Sandra showed me sketches and I cried (with joy!). I recommended a couple of changes and they graciously chose to adjust (to be fair, there were a couple of words the illustrator recommended that I adjust, and I did! It was perfect feedback). I was able to see the final files digitally. I could not have asked for a better process or a better illustrator. If I were willing to tear pages out of a copy I would frame the illustrations! The beautiful thing about the illustrator (Carolina) being from Argentina are all the touches she added that I couldn’t have even imagined. For example, my text says Moni is wearing a hoodie, and Carolina illustrated the hoodie as ending in a kind of poncho with a traditional design. She added medialunas to their picnic (an Argentine pastry similar croissants) and mate (“mah-teh”). Lobo (the wolf) is a cross between a wolf you would see in the US and a wolf you would see in Argentina! I love how she elevated the story.

I only had 3 art notes in the entire manuscript. This is the first one, on the first page:

I twirled on pointed toe with my leg out like an Andean flamingo and—oops! [Illo. Note: kicks basket off table]

text copyright Rachel S. Hobbs 2023, illustration copyright Carolina Vásquez 2023, Gnome Road Publishing

SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?

RACHEL: I received an amazing review from SLJ and it made me cry! (Again, in joy!) It was definitely a cherry on top of cherries.

SUSANNA: How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?

RACHEL: April 9, 2021-August 15, 2023 (when my author copies came!).

 – print run – how many copies did your house do for first printing (if you know… and care to share) – again, differences between large and small houses can be interesting.  I’ve had initial print runs from 2000 to 20,000 – pretty big spread!

I have no idea what the initial print run was.

SUSANNA: What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?

RACHEL: I have seen Tweets (are they called tweets anymore?), IG posts, TikToks, and she has facilitated connecting me with 2 blogs. She submitted my book for consideration of professional reviews and made digital ARCs available for reviews on Net Galley and Edelweiss. There may be things I’m not remembering!

SUSANNA: Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.

RACHEL: Thankfully Sandra created an educator resource guide that is available on her website. There are also coloring pages and word searches (in English and Spanish!). I have a couple of blog interviews. I am part of the #pb23s marketing group. I have tweeted, posted on IG and TikTok, but mostly reach people by way of Facebook. I tried contacting a dance studio to set out flyers, but they didn’t respond!

SUSANNA: How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?

RACHEL: I joined SCBWI in 2005. Mental health problems plus a disaster critique group experience caused me to quit writing for children. I still daydreamed stories, read children’s books (pb-YA), and wrote for myself. I finally decided enough with delaying my joy in life, and rejoined SCBWI in 2017. I took classes and went to conferences and just dove right in. So it was 16 years after I first took writing for children seriously, but 4 years after I started up again, that I sold my first book.

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?)

RACHEL: I learned to extend grace to myself. (TW) I struggle with lifelong mental health issues and have had time periods where I just couldn’t get out of bed. I also have ADHD that worsens during crisis moments. On top of that, during the time period of writing and submitting this book I had an autoimmune flare up. There are times when I look at my writing peers and marvel that they are so prolific and see that people who made deals at the same time as mine already have other books lined up for publication. During those moments I have to reach inside of myself, to not compare, and to talk to myself: “But look at what you’ve done. Despite all of those obstacles. You’re alive, and that’s the most important part. And you’re loved.” I used to protect these sensitive aspects of myself, but now I want to lift others up by sharing, and to say it’s ok. This is not a race. Publishing will always be there. Take care of yourself. Enjoy stories everywhere you see them: reading, listening to audiobooks and music, watching a show or movie, playing video games and board games, etc. While enjoying those stories, ask yourself “what if…” and let your mind wander to create your own. Rewrite the story in your mind again and again. And on a day when you’re well enough, write it down. But extend grace to yourself.

SUSANNA: Anything else you’d like to share about your book’s journey from inspiration to publication?

RACHEL: Submitting work regarding your culture can be so sensitive. One agent, in their rejection, questioned me about the appropriateness of writing about tango to a picture book audience. They only saw tango in a sexual way. I absolutely cried, was angry, and comforted myself by gathering my family around me and watching YouTube videos of people dancing the tango on the streets of Buenos Aires (in front of children!). Then I needed to throw that comment out in my mind and press forward. Don’t despair when that happens to you, find someone like Sandra at Gnome Road Publishing who will value your experience and be delighted and excited!

SUSANNA:

Readers, if you have questions for Rachel, please post them in the comments below and if she has time I’m sure she’ll respond!

Author Rachel S. Hobbs

• Website: www.rachelshobbs.com
• Instagram: rachel_s_hobbs
• Twitter: @Rachel_S_Hobbs

You may purchase Rachel’s book at:
(all links below are book-specific)

Indiebound
Amazon
Barnes&Noble

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!