Welcome to Tuesday Debut everyone!

We have another treat in store today!

For the first time (at least, I’m pretty sure it’s the first time, but my brain is a bit of a sieve these days so it’s entirely possible something fell through. . . 😊 but let’s just go with for the first time) we’ve got a Tuesday Debut that was co-authored!

I know you’re all a-twitter to find out about this, but I want to take a quick moment first to announce that the winner of last week’s giveaway of a copy of FROM THE FARM TO OUR TABLE signed by illustrator Amanda Morrow is. . .

Cathy Mealey!

Congratulations, Cathy! Please email me so Amanda and I can get your book to you!

Now, grab something healthful and nutritious and invigorating, perhaps a chocolate glazed donut that once spent a few moments beside some blueberries (that covers fruit, obviously, by osmosis, and vegetables from the cocoa bean, obviously, plus whole grains because whatever flour is in the donut surely had a whole grain in its ancestry somewhere!) and a latte sprinkled with cinnamon (caffeine – of course!, and, as we all know, cinnamon is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anticancer, lipid-lowering, cardiovascular-disease-lowering compound which has also been reported to help against neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – and no, I did not make that up! It’s on the internet so it must be true!) and get ready to meet today’s debut-ess!

Allow me to introduce Melissa Trempe, author of LADYBUG LAUNCH: INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY OF CHINITAS IN SPACE!

Title: Ladybug Launch: Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space
Author: Melissa Trempe & Natalia Ojeda
Illustrator: Manuela Montoya
Publishing House: Margaret K. McElderry (Simon & Schuster) (McElderry pronounced mac-el-dary)
Date of Publication: April 16, 2024
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction based on real people/events
age range of your book: 4-8

Natalia is a chica, an ambitious girl with dreams of becoming a scientist. Luna is a chinita, an adventurous ladybug who dreams of visiting the stars. Neither dream is easy to reach, yet together anything is possible. The story is inspired by the determined group of Chilean high school girls who convinced NASA to send their ladybug experiment to space!

SUSANNA: Welcome Melissa! Thank you so much for joining us today! We’re excited to learn all about your journey to publication with LADYBUG LAUNCH and how it came to be co-authored! Where did the idea for this book come from?

MELISSA: At first, this book started out as a completely different manuscript. It was not co-written with Natalia, and it was not based on her true story. While doing a personal retreat at The Highlight’s Foundation in 2020, I read that NASA had sent ladybugs to space. I tucked the idea away and at the beginning of 2021 I wrote a humorous STEM story based on that idea.

I wanted to include back matter about the real ladybugs and why they were sent to space. As I dug for answers, I struck back matter gold! I learned that the scientists behind the experiment were not NASA researchers, but kids! Girls, no less, from a modest school in Chile. A gentle breeze could have knocked me over!

Everyone who read my manuscript liked my humorous ladybug story but felt my back matter was the real story that needed to be told. At first, I resisted. I thought, I can’t write nonfiction. I write humor. Period. I didn’t have confidence in myself to try something new. But over and over I heard the same feedback.

While LADYBUG LAUNCH is not nonfiction, it closely tells their story, and it was a new kind of storytelling for me.

So… My advice to writers is to believe in yourself. Don’t put yourself in a box. If you write lyrically, that’s great! But also try humor. If you write picture books, don’t tell yourself you can’t write chapter books or middle grade. Try new things. You never know where it will lead you. For me, it led me to my first book deal!

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

MELISSA: Overall, everything happened very quickly! January 1, 2021, I wrote the first draft about the fictional ladybug. By March, I restarted with a version that focused on the Chilean students. In April, Natalia Ojeda (my co-author) and I met through Facebook, then email and zoom, and started working together. In May, I had a critique with an agent, and we were on submission by the end of that month! It was a whirlwind. But the version that went on submission in round one was not the one that sold.

Deep down I worried that the manuscript wasn’t “there” yet. It was still so new! For eight months the rejections from round one trickled in. For eight months, I kept revising and sending revisions to Natalia for feedback.

At the end of round one, we had a new version that I knew in my gut was “the one.” Our agent sent it out and within 24 hours we had interest, and within a week we had two offers! It sold to Margaret K. McElderry, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and we couldn’t be happier!

So my advice is this—if you feel like something isn’t quite right, listen to your gut! Keep working on it. Don’t rush to send it out. Put it away for a month before you look at it again. Once we had the heart of the story nailed down, it sold surprisingly quickly. How fast it happened is an exception to the rule. The publishing world is incredibly slow, and some people get an offer after an editor has had their submission for a year!

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

MELISSA: I have over 30 versions of Ladybug Launch saved. It went through tons of revisions. One thing I like to do when I feel like I’m happy with a manuscript is to print it out. When I read it on paper, I’m able to see the story differently. I also like to read it out loud to a person (especially a kid). Reading to a real live, breathing person is MUCH different than reading it aloud to yourself! When I have a child listener, it really helps me realize when I’m being too wordy or losing my audience.

Melissa’s work space

Melissa’s writing buddy, Kira (who really, when you think about it, is practically a third co-author 😊)

SUSANNA: What was it like working with a co-author?

MELISSA: Co-authoring this book with Natalia was a joy! When I reached out to her, she was excited that I was writing about her experience and was eager to help. When I asked if she’d be interested in co-authoring, she was hesitant at first. She’s a doctor and a busy mom of four. She didn’t consider herself a “writer.” I really felt it was important for her to be a bigger part of this story. It’s about her experience and her culture. We need diverse stories, and we need to hear those stories from those voices.

Fortunately, she decided to go for it, and we officially started working together! She always made time in her busy schedule to read revisions and give feedback about anything that should change. We emailed often and met on zoom. Occasionally we do facetime on WhatsApp, which makes communication so much easier. Natalia is one of the most genuine, kind, and hard-working people I know. I count my lucky stars every day that I was even able to find her, and that we now have this beautiful book together! 

Melissa’s writing buddy, Kira (who really, when you think about it, is practically a third co-author 😊)

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

MELISSA: As I mentioned, I continued working on it Every. Single. Day. For 8 months while it was in round one of submissions… (I don’t recommend doing this! I should have told our agent that I didn’t think the story was ready, but I was over eager and overconfident!) During those months, I finally got to the point that the story really flowed. I had written the word DETERMINATION, which is the theme of our story, on a paper and stuck it on my work desk so that I was always thinking about it as I wrote. I really felt like that thread was pulling all the way through the story, and that the dual narrative between Luna (the ladybug) and Natalia was working. I just had a feeling that “this was it.” Natalia was really happy with our revisions as well, and the rest is history!

Melissa’s writing snack (apparently excellent fuel, judging by the results!)

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

MELISSA: As I mentioned, I had a critique with an agent through an SCBWI conference. She sent our story out and it sold to Simon & Schuster in round two. We were on submission for under nine months when we got the deal.

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”?

In round two, we had interest in 24 hours and our agent told us immediately. Within a week we had the offer, which our agent forwarded to us right away. It happened so quickly because there was more than one offer, so I think S&S was motivated to close the deal.

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?

MELISSA: I got “the email” in the waiting room of a doctor’s office. I started that silent, shoulder shaking cry instantly! I just couldn’t believe my eyes. I ran outside and called Natalia, my co-author. Fortunately, Pennsylvania and Chile are in the same time zone! We were both jumping up and down, teary, and just so, so happy!

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

MELISSA: It took a little over two months to get the contract to sign. It took another six months before the deal was announced in Publishers Weekly. So, I had 8 months of waiting before I could announce on socials, which felt like a REALLY long time.

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

Since there was more than one offer, the advance from S&S was much higher than I would have ever imagined. I’m not sure I’ll ever be offered that much again! Natalia and I will both receive 20 author copies. Hopefully we get to the point of earning royalties! If so, we’ll get 5% royalties on hardcovers for the first 20,000 copies sold, and 6.25% after that.

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

MELISSA: Our editor, Karen Wojtyla, suggested very minor changes. There were a couple word changes and she wanted a Spanish to English glossary. Nothing major! I did cut some of the text that didn’t feel necessary once the illustrations were in from Manuela Montoya. Because it’s based on real events and there’s a bit of science explained, it’s long for a picture book. So anything I could cut, I did! (It’s over 800 words! But spread out over 48 pages, it doesn’t feel as long.)

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

MELISSA: I know some authors are asked to suggest illustrators or are given a few to choose between. Our editor chose the illustrator, and we didn’t have any say in the process. I think Manuela Montoya did an amazing job, so I’m absolutely happy, but it’s interesting how every publisher is different!

We got to see interior sketches before color, but we never saw the cover until the F&G showed up in our mailboxes. Manuela did a beautiful job creating the illustrations, but Natalia and I thought the ladybug on the original cover looked slightly bee-like, and we requested a change. I was afraid it was too late for changes, but Manuela adjusted the art and we absolutely love what she did! Her vibrant illustrations bring the story to life!  

We did include art notes, mostly just for the speech bubbles. But art notes are important if the story doesn’t make sense without them! Also, keep your art notes brief, but not so brief that the agent/editor won’t understand what you’re saying. I heard an editor share in a webinar that sometimes authors try to keep them too short (like sentence fragments) and that can cause more confusion than clarity.

text copyright Melissa Trempe and Natalia Ojeda 2024, illustration copyright Manuela Montoya 2024, Margaret K. McElderry
(this spread shows the dual narrative between Luna and Natalia at the beginning and introduces their dreams)

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

MELISSA: I have yet to see a professional review. Fingers crossed!

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

MELISSA: We got the offer in February of 2022 and my first hard cover copy book came two years and one month later. Simon & Schuster is printing 6,000 copies in the first print run. Hopefully those sell out quickly!

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

MELISSA: Simon & Schuster did not include us in any marketing or promotional meetings, and I’m not aware of any promotion that is going on behind the scenes. I did ask my editor for a few things such as bookmarks or educational materials, and I was told I could make those myself. (I made a teacher guide that is available for free on my website!)

I asked if S&S would send me to any festivals, conferences, or school events. I was also told I could do that on my own. (I booked 14 school events from mid-April to mid-May when the book releases!)

From what I’ve learned from friends, it seems that smaller houses may have more time and energy to put into new authors, but every house and imprint is different! This was just my experience.

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

MELISSA: I made bookmarks and a teacher guide which is available on my website www.melissatrempe.com. I joined a wonderful debut group of authors. Check us out @PB_Soar24. I have three bookstore events planned and 14 school visits. All the school visits involve book sales, but only three will be paid. From now on, I’ll do all paid visits, but for my debut launch, I decided the book sales would be worth it, and I want the experience and exposure over the money!

I’m slowly calling libraries to ask them to carry the book, and I talked to the Smithsonian Museum of Air and Space in D.C. and they are going to carry the book!

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

MELISSA: I started writing seriously in my twenties before I had kids. When I had children, I had to take a break from writing. When I got back into it in my late thirties in 2019, I treated it like my job (a fun job!) and dedicated myself to working on my craft every day. Two years and 3 months later, I had my first contract! This might sound fast, but in the grand scheme of things I’d been writing on and off for 18 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?)

MELISSA: Read picture books that have been published in the last five years and read them OFTEN. And please, please, please type out your favorite picture books word for word. You’ll get a better sense of pacing, character development, dialogue that works, heart, etc.

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

MELISSA: Write because it brings you joy, not because you want to get published. There are so many talented writers out there, and it’s a crowded market. If you’re doing it because you love it, then it’s worth every up and down. An informal poll was taken by a blogger (I’m sorry I can’t remember who) that found it took an average of 9 years for a new author to land a book deal. It’s a hard industry to break into, but it is possible! Remember, you miss every shot you don’t take. Put yourself out there. Put your writing out there. Be BRAVE. And write for the FUN of it!

BONUS! If you order Ladybug Launch by Sunday April 21, email me a snapshot of your receipt to attend my revision workshop for FREE in May! melissatrempebooks@gmail.com

Thank you!

SUSANNA: Thank YOU for joining us today, Melissa! We learned so much! We really appreciate your taking the time to share your knowledge and experience with us, and we wish you all the best with this and future titles!

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

Authors Melissa Trempe (left) and Natalia Ojeda (right)

Website: http://www.melissatrempe.com
X Twitter: @melissa_trempe
Instagram: @melissatrempe.author
Facebook: @melissaluerytrempe

You may purchase Melissa’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!