Greetings, my friends!

It’s time for another exciting edition of Tuesday Debut!

Seriously! There’s going to be sword fighting!

But first, I have some giveaway winners to announce (because apparently I never actually typed the winner of Kerisa’s giveaway into last week’s post – oops 😊)

SO.

The winner of Kerisa Greene’s giveaway from two weeks ago – a signed copy of her lovely book I AM BOTH: A Vietnamese Refugee Story and some swag– is Deep Frees Studio!!!

Congratulations, Deep Frees Studio! Please email me so I can coordinate getting your prize to you!

And, as if one winner weren’t enough. . .!

The winner of David McMullin’s giveaway of winner’s choice of a picture book manuscript critique OR a 30 Minute Zoom Ask Me Anything is Marty Bellis!!!

Congratulations, Marty! Please email me so I can put you in touch with David!!!

WOW! What a great way to start the day with such amazing giveaways!

Now, fasten your sword belt because it’s time to meet today’s debutess, Jamie Ofelia, and learn about how her delightful book, MIGUEL MUST FIGHT! came to be published!

Title: Miguel Must Fight!
Author: Jamie Ofelia
Illustrator: Sara Palacios
Publishing House: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Date of Publication: April 30^th, 2024
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction
age range of your book: children 4 to 8 years old

Miguel is a boy who comes from a family of sword fighters but who wants to be an artist. And when a fearsome dragon lands in their village, Miguel has one chance to defend his family and prove that his pencil is mightier than the sword!

SUSANNA: Welcome, Jamie! We are so excited to have you with us today! Where did the idea for this book come from?

JAMIE: The idea for this book came from my own observations of how grown-ups tend to misunderstand creative kids. Sometimes we adults try to force kids to focus on the things we think are important, but if we slow down and really listen to kids and what they care about, we can learn so much from them!

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

JAMIE: The idea for this book germinated in Spring of 2020. I wrote the first draft in about a week.

I fell in love with the story and brought it back to my critique group almost every week. In November of 2020 I signed with an agent, and we edited the story a bit more before submission. And then when I got my book deal, my editor gave her feedback and we edited some more!

In total, it was probably about a year and a half, from first draft to final edits.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

JAMIE: Countless revisions! Before I got my agent, I tinkered with this manuscript on a weekly, almost daily basis, during my kiddo’s naps.

I took seriously all the feedback I got from critique partners, my agent, and my editor. With each revision, my draft just got tighter, cleaner, and stronger.

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

JAMIE: This is always tough! I just tried to revise my story until my critique partners and I felt that it was strong enough that we couldn’t think of any more ways to improve it. And then I braced myself and submitted my story to agents!

Generally, I would also advise writers to wait a few weeks or even up to a few months before submitting. After you set your draft down for a while, you can come back to it with fresh eyes and see more clearly if there is any way to improve it before submission.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

JAMIE: I got interest from both my agent and my editor through #LatinxPitch, the Twitter pitch event that happens each Hispanic Heritage Month. I tweeted a quick, catchy elevator pitch of my story, and they both liked it!

I queried my agent and she quickly arranged “the call” to offer representation. About two months later submitted the story to a bunch of publishers, but the editor who originally liked my pitch gave us a book 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 (if you care to share?

JAMIE: Maybe a month and a half after submitting an R&R (revise and resubmit) of my manuscript to my editor, I got the call from my agent that we had gotten a book deal offer! My toddler was so confused and excited when I shrieked with joy! I celebrated with cake. 😊

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

JAMIE: I had no idea what to expect, because different authors earn different advances!

For this book, the advance was $6,000. Upon signing the contract, I was paid half of my advance ($3,000), and I received the other half after finishing my final edits before the draft was sent for copy editing.

I think $6,000 is on the lower end of a picture book advance, but there are some benefits to that! It is more likely that I’ll “earn out” quickly, meaning I’ll sell enough copies to cover what the publisher paid me for my advance. If that happens, I could start earning royalty checks sooner!

As part of my book deal, I’ll also receive 25 author copies, which I’ll use to donate to charities that support kids staying in hospitals or affordable housing here in Dallas.

SUSANNA: That is so generous of you, and such a wonderful cause to support. Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?

JAMIE: Once I began working with my editor, the revisions were actually pretty quick! We both had a clear understanding of what the story was going to be. We mainly made a few adjustments so that the story introduced Miguel’s problem within the first spread.

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

JAMIE: My experience of finding and working with an illustrator was absolutely wonderful. My editor asked for my opinion on which illustrators might be a good fit for my book. (My understanding is that most of the time, authors aren’t given that opportunity for input. Of course, I was honored.)

And the illustrator we signed with, Sara Palacios, created such stunning artwork! She brought Miguel to life. She exceeded my expectations.

text copyright Jamie Ofelia 2024, illustration copyright Sara Palacios, Little Brown

text copyright Jamie Ofelia 2024, illustration copyright Sara Palacios, Little Brown

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

JAMIE: So far, I’ve only seen one advance review: a starred review from Kirkus! Reading that review felt like winning an award; it was such an honor and felt so validating as a writer.

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

JAMIE: For me, it was three years from receiving the book deal in 2021 to publication in 2024. Most picture books take about 2 years, but the illustrator, Sara Palacios, is so prolific and busy with so many projects that we allowed three years for production.

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

JAMIE: Little, Brown for Young Readers (LBYR) really impressed me with their marketing plan! The pitched for me to attend several library conferences and to be featured in various trade publications. They arranged for me to have a signing line at the 2024 Texas Library Association conference and provided a box full of books for me to sign!

One particularly cool thing I learned is that Hachette Book Group and Penguin Random House both partner with Latinx Kidlit Book Festival to provide author visits to elementary schools that don’t usually have funds for those kinds of programs. LBYR invited me to participate, and I’ve already got a local author visit scheduled through that program!

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

JAMIE: For self-promotion I mainly targeted local librarians and educators. I made flyers introducing myself and my book, and I handed them out in person to librarians near me. I formally applied to give paid author visits at libraries and local elementary schools. I also created an educator’s guide for my book that is available on my website.

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

JAMIE: I began writing in earnest when my kiddo was six months old, and he was almost three when I got the book deal, so it was roughly a 2.5-year journey. And I’m still learning and working on improving my craft, three years later!

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?)

JAMIE: There are a few things I’ve learned are necessary to be a writer:

1. Join SCBWI (and other writing groups you like) and attend as many conferences, webinars, classes as you can!
2. Find critique partners you trust, and critique each other’s work regularly!
3. Take breaks when you feel discouraged and depleted!
4. DON’T GIVE UP!

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

JAMIE: The journey to publication is a long one, and there will be emotional ups and downs. There will be times when you are too busy or tired to write for days, weeks, months, or even years! I’ve learned to be gently with myself through the highs and lows, take breaks to find my inspiration again, and start writing again when I feel ready. I think that’s the best path to create a long, sustainable writing journey.

SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and paying it forward to other writers, Jamie! We so appreciate the opportunity to learn from you, and wish you all the best with this and future titles!

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

Author Jamie Ofelia

You may purchase Jamie’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!