Welcome to this week’s edition of Tuesday Debut, everyone!

I think this makes three weeks in a row where authors are actually Tuesday Debuting on their book birthdays!

So HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY to Kate Rietema and WHEN GOD MAKES SCRIBBLES BEAUTIFUL!

You’re in for a treat today. Although this is Kate’s first picture book, she is an extremely accomplished magazine contributor and has been published dozens of times in Highlights, High Five, Spider, Clubhouse Jr., Orbit, and others. She has a lot of terrific information to share about her book’s origin, illustration, and marketing.

Also, as if all that weren’t enough, she is offering a giveaway! Winner’s choice of either a signed copy of her beautiful book or a Zoom Ask Me Anything! All you need to do to qualify for this randomly selected giveaway is leave a comment below by Monday March 25th at 3PM Eastern. (If you’re feeling helpful and would also like to share her book or her website or this post on any social media platform you happen to frequent, that would be icing on the cake and she will be grateful for the shares!)

So I won’t keep you waiting another moment!

Title: When God Makes Scribbles Beautiful
Author: Kate Rietema
Illustrator: Jennie Poh
Publishing House: B&H Kids
Date of Publication: March 19, 2024
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction
age range of your book: 4-8

A child’s struggle—portrayed as a dark scribble—follows him everywhere. But when he asks God for help, he discovers new hope as his scribble turns into something beautiful.

SUSANNA: Welcome, Kate! Thank you so much for joining us today to share your journey to publication with WHEN GOD MAKES SCRIBBLES BEAUTIFUL. We are grateful for the opportunity to learn from your experience! Where did the idea for this book come from?

KATE: At the time, we had a precious foster son whose story felt especially hard and broken. I was worried about his future, and so I typed out all the things I needed to be reminded of, and all the things I wanted him to know.

SUSANNA: That sounds so heartfelt and meaningful. I hope he gets to read it. How long did it take you to write this book?

KATE: The first draft came quickly, all in one sitting. But it was very short, only 210 words. Over the revision process, the word count grew to 370 words.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

KATE: I counted 13 drafts prior to signing with my publishing house, and there were several small tweaks all the way up until the art was finalized.

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

KATE: I didn’t! Maybe no one does! But I sent it to my agent and she loved it. We worked on some small revisions together, and then sent it out.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

KATE: I have a wonderful agent who I signed with in 2021 after a zoom conversation in conjunction with a picture book conference. She works mostly within the Christian market, which seems to run just a little differently than the general market. One of the differences is that every book, fiction or nonfiction, is submitted with a full book proposal.

SUSANNA: How long after you found out about your book going to acquisitions (if you did) or after you submitted were you told it was a “yes”?

KATE: I actually didn’t know it was going to acquisitions. My agent sent it to three publishing houses, and about 6 weeks later we had an offer. One other house was interested as well, and I had a zoom call with that editor to discuss possible revisions. Although we accepted the offer from the other house, the zoom call was really helpful and strengthened the ending. I wrote the editor a personalized thank you note and hope to work with her on another project in the future.

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?

KATE: I was in our minivan with all five of my girls when I received the email from my agent with an offer. They are my biggest fans, so it was fun to all scream about it together!

SUSANNA: That sounds like a great way to celebrate! 😊 How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?

KATE: About a week. It was a fantastic offer, so there wasn’t much need for negotiation!

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

KATE: Everything was better than I expected! The first half of the advance was paid immediately, the second half was paid after first round of edits were complete (which was just three months later).  Royalties were above industry standard. I was given 40 author copies, 10 agent copies, and 50 copies send directly to my friends/family.

In the contract there was also an options clause where the publisher requested first consideration for my next two books. This worked in my favor as they are also publishing my board book which will release in October. The contract was nearly identical for my board book. Board books cost more to make and retail for less, so they are usually less profitable for the publisher. With that in mind, I was thrilled it received the same advance as my picture book.

SUSANNA: That sounds amazing! Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?

KATE: My editor and I shared a very similar vision for this project. We had a zoom call after signing the contract where she asked about the inspiration behind my story, discussed the process and anticipated timeline, and answered my questions. As far as revisions, there were several small tweaks, mostly word choice and line level edits, that continued through final art.

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

KATE: After our zoom call, my editor sent a short questionnaire about preferences for art styles. She asked whether I envisioned the illustrations to be whimsical or realistic, what color palettes I was drawn to, which illustrated books I admired most and why, and if I had specifics in mind for the cover. I didn’t expect these questions, so it was fun to imagine the different ways the book could look depending on my answers. In the end, I put together a mood board with styles and art I loved. After that, my editor sent me a list of several illustrators and asked me to select my top choices. Jennie Poh was my favorite and I was giddy when she said yes! I was sent several rounds of art along the way and was invited to ask questions or give comments if desired. This was a fun process and Jennie’s work amazed me every step of the way.

Here is an early sketch of some interior art along with the finished art. You can see that we ultimately chose to turn this one spread into two spreads. Earlier in the book, we were able to combine two spreads in order to balance this out. This was a collaborate decision that improved the pacing of the story.

text copyright Kate Rietema 2024, illustration copyright Jennie Poh 2024, B&H Kids

text copyright Kate Rietema 2024, illustration copyright Jennie Poh 2024, B&H Kids

text copyright Kate Rietema 2024, illustration copyright Jennie Poh 2024, B&H Kids

SUSANNA: How cool that you received a questionnaire about your choice of art style. I love Jennie’s art -it’s just beautiful and seems a perfect fit for your book! And thank you for sharing those spreads that show the developing illustration/book layout process. Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?

KATE: I have not seen any advance reviews.

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

KATE: About a year and a half.

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

KATE: About six months prior to publication, I had a zoom meeting with my editor and the marketing director to discuss a marketing and launch plan.

Here is a sampling of what they did:

• Created files for me with images, social media headers, etc.
• Sent me a table top banner to use at events for book sales
• Created printable bonus materials available on the website www.beautifulscribbles.com, a buildout from the publisher’s website
• Created Amazon A+ content
• Made ARCs available on NetGalley (houses digital files for reviewers, media outlets, bloggers, librarians, booksellers, and educators)
• Invited me to write an article for their parent publisher’s magazine, HomeLife.
• Provided 50 hard copies that they mailed to my contacts for the purposes of sharing and reviews
• Assisted with endorsements
• Set up paid ads

Table top banner provided by B&H

SUSANNA: The more I hear about your publisher, the more I want to work for them 😊 Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.

• Updated my website
• Joined a picture book launch group called #PBbuds24
• Set up some book signings and story times
• Organized a fundraiser event to donate books to first night bags for children entering foster care
• Created a book trailer with my first grader, see it here

SUSANNA: How wonderful that your book will go into First Night bags for children entering foster care. I’m sure many of them will be comforted by it. How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?

KATE: Two years.

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?)

KATE: Prior to 2020, I had exactly zero experience in professional writing. With my new desire to write for children, I was hungry to get some experience under my belt, so I started writing and submitting to children’s magazine. I made a goal that first year to earn 100 rejections. Goals need to be within your control and no one can control how many pieces of work get accepted—but you certainly have control over how much you write and submit. Another benefit of my goal was that it allowed me to view rejections in a positive light—every rejection brought me closer to my goal. I had no idea if any of my pieces would be published, but of course, many were! 

So, my advice is to reframe your view of rejection. This business involves a lot “No’s” so get comfortable with hearing them. When a “no” comes in, review your story, make changes if needed, and find another opportunity to send it out!

SUSANNA: Kate, I can’t thank you enough for visiting us today and sharing so much knowledge and information! We all appreciate it, and wish you all the best with this and future titles!

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

And don’t forget, your comment puts you in the running to be the randomly selected giveaway winner for a choice of either a signed copy of Kate’s beautiful book or a Zoom Ask Me Anything with her! Just leave your comment below by Monday March 25th at 3PM Eastern.

Author Kate Rietema

• Website: katerietema.com
• Twitter: @katerietema (I’m most active here!)
• IG: @katerietema
• Facebook: Kate Rietema – Children’s Author

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

Indiebound/Bookshop.org
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!