Welcome to Tuesday Debut, Everyone!

We have another fascinating publication journey and another beautiful book to dive into today!

But first, I’m delighted to announce that the winner of last week’s giveaway of either a signed copy of WHEN GOD MAKES SCRIBBLES BEAUTIFUL or a Zoom Ask Me Anything (winner’s choice!) with author Kate Reitema is. . .

Karan Greene!

Congratulations, Karan! Please email me so we can get your prize to you!

Now, are you ready for today’s debutess?

I’m thrilled to introduce you to author/illustrator Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson and her lovely book, THE MOCHI MAKERS!

Title: The Mochi Makers
Author: Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson
Illustrator: Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson
Publishing House: S&S/Beach Lane Books
Date of Publication: 3/19/2024
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction
Age range: Baby – 8

A girl and her grandmother spend the day making mochi together in this gentle and joyous “storytelling treat” celebrating family, tradition, and the memories that matter most. (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

SUSANNA: Welcome, Sharon! Thank you so much for joining us today! We are all very excited to learn about the origins of this beautiful story! Where did the idea for this book come from?

SHARON: My household consists of three generations of my family, two languages, and a unique mix of cultures. Seeing my mother make mochi, Japanese rice cakes, with my children inspired this story. I wanted to celebrate this food that is both a special holiday treat and an everyday food and so integral to Japanese and Japanese American cultures.

I’m the descendent of immigrants who brought their ways of eating and celebrating to America. When I first wrote this story, I was thinking a lot about food, family, and love—and where they intersect—not only because of my family history, but also because I was actually unable to eat by mouth for several months due to cancer treatment complications. During that time, I was nourished by a pump that dripped liquid nutrition into my body through a PICC line in my arm. Ironically, being unable to eat gave me an opportunity to truly cherish and celebrate mochi in the pages of my book.  

SUSANNA: Oh, my goodness. What an ordeal! I’m glad something this beautiful came out of something so incredibly difficult. How long did it take you to write this book?

SHARON: It was about a year from the first draft to the publisher offer. But that year overlapped with the couple of years I spent learning in online classes, reading and studying picture books, and writing a lot of manuscripts. I started this process during the COVID-19 pandemic while I was also recovering from chemo and radiation, so at first, I was literally just propped up in bed watching webinars. As I got stronger, I moved to an armchair in the corner of our bedroom, and now I work in a sunlit space that I share with my kids’ library and art area. All of this might sound like it proceeded quickly, but I want to make sure to clarify that prior to focusing on children’s books, I wrote and edited professionally for many years. All of that experience provided a foundation that has been very helpful in learning how to create children’s books.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

SHARON: The paper trail of revisions for this book is probably enough to have taken the life of a tree. My long-suffering critique partners graciously reviewed many versions of this story. Because I also wanted to illustrate my book, I worked on a dummy for submission (2-3 finished color spreads + clean sketches for the rest of the book). There were three major phases of revision during the creation of this book: 1. Pre-submission to agents, 2. Revisions with my agent 3. Revisions with my publisher. I’m grateful for all the people who helped me along the way!

Sharon’s rescue dog, Mowgli, especially loves it when her work day involves a blissful morning reading picture books. 

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

SHARON: Many critique partners, instructors, and mentors gave feedback on my book throughout the process. All of that feedback helped me solidify my own vision for the book, and when that vision was clear in my own mind and when I felt I had chosen each word in my book with purpose, there came a point when I felt my book might be ready for submission. (Spoiler: it was not.) But eventually, it was ready, and I’m thankful to have found such an incredible publishing home. 

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

SHARON: A smaller press had initially made an offer through a Twitter pitch event, but I knew I wanted to have an agent on my team if I accepted the offer. Because I had a few queries out to agents, I was able to nudge them. Three amazing agents offered presentation. Then on Thanksgiving Day, a fourth agent whose offer I would ultimately accept–Anne Moore Armstrong at The Bright Agency–found me while scrolling her feed on Twitter. I am so grateful for all of the agents who offered to partner with me on this journey. After I officially signed with Anne, she advised me to turn down the small press offer, because she felt my book could find a home with a larger publisher. I’m really thankful for both the smaller press with that initial offer and the publishing home that acquired my book.

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”?

SHARON: I think it was within a week of submitting to our first round of publishers that my agent received an offer from Beach Lane Books, accompanied by an incredible letter that won my heart, and we accepted the offer. There was a lot of cheering in my house, and my husband bought my flowers.

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

SHARON: I believe the contract and terms were typical for a small imprint of a Big 5 publisher, but one of the things I have promised myself in this career is to not focus on the numbers. To that end, I have no idea what the print run is on this book, and I am going to do my best not to pay attention to book sales, award lists, reviews, and all of that. These things are all important and worth celebrating for sure! And it’s not that I don’t care, but I’m going to do my best to care more about creating my next picture book.

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

SHARON: After my book was acquired, we dove into the editorial process (which I absolutely love). I went through several rounds of text edits with my editor and then several rounds of illustration edits with both my art director and editor. I’m so grateful to have an incredible publishing team at Beach Lane Books that encouraged me and believed in me throughout the process. It was very much a collaborative process that made the book stronger, and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way.

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

SHARON: I’ve learned so much working with my art director, and I’m lucky enough to be working with her on my second book as well. She somehow manages to make revision suggestions that are both specific and yet leave room for me to play and explore. I think I’ve learned a lot about visual storytelling through the revision process, and I am so grateful for that.

illustration copyright Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson 2024, S&S/Beach Lane Books

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

SHARON: I was surprised and so grateful when the first trade review came in, and it as a starred review from Kirkus! 

SUSANNA: Congratualtions! That is amazing! How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?

SHARON: The full cycle from the offer to release day was about two years.

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

SHARON: Because I’m in the midst of working on my second book, I’m doing what I can to promote my debut book in the form of a handful of blogs, some printable worksheets for teachers, and some bookmarks. I’m also excited to participate in a cherry blossom festival local to me that will have a mochi-pounding event!

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

SHARON: I’ve written professionally for many years but really chose to focus on learning how to create children’s books about two years before my first book was acquired.

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?)

SHARON: Although landing an agent, a publishing deal, and having your name on the cover of a book are all exciting things to celebrate, I truly believe that the most important part of being a children’s book author-illustrator is remembering that we are creating books for children. When I can keep my focus on that purpose, I feel joyful, grateful, and honored to be doing this work. I hope that the books I create will bring happiness, love, and beauty into the world. 

SUSANNA: That is a wonderful perspective – something I think we can all benefit from. Anything else you’d like to share about your book’s journey from inspiration to publication?

SHARON: My hope is to bring something positive to the space I’m in, whether online or in the book-creation process. I’m genuinely grateful for every day granted to me, and I try to pass on a little bit of that gratitude to anyone I’m lucky enough to work with. I think it can make the creation process more joyful and expansive, and in the end, maybe even result in even better books for children. 

SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and paying it forward to other writers, Sharon. We so appreciate your time, and the opportunity to learn from your experience. I know I speak for everyone when I wish you all the best with this and future titles!

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

Author/Illustrator Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson (photo credit Britt Honey Photography)

Website: www.sharonfj.com
Instagram: @sharonfjart
Twitter/X: @sharonffj

You may purchase Sharon’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!