Happy Tuesday Debut Book Birthday to Megan Woodward and THIS BOOK IS DEFINITELY NOT CURSED!

I thought I’d say that right off because even though her book is definitely not cursed we wouldn’t want to take a chance of any curses drifting our way due to a lack of celebration!

So dig in!

And while you’re enjoying your cake seems like the perfect time to announce the winner of Nicole Castrovinci’s giveaway from last week!

And the winner of a copy of THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT by Nicole Castrovinci is. . .

DEBORAH WILLIAMS!!!

Congratulations, Deborah! Please email me so I can get your prize to you!

And now, I am thrilled to introduce you to this week’s debut-ess, Megan Woodward (who is probably not a witch and almost definitely will not curse anyone!)

Title: THIS BOOK IS DEFINITELY NOT CURSED
Author: Megan Woodward
Illustrator: Risa Rodil
Publishing House: Simon and Schuster
Date of Publication: June 25, 2024
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction
age range of your book: 4-8

If this book were cursed, then you’d probably start to experience strange symptoms, like the wiggles, the giggles, trouble licking your elbow, and all your food tasting like cabbage. Luckily for you, there’s no need to worry because this book is definitely not cursed!

SUSANNA: Welcome, Megan! We are not at all terrified of having you join us today, since your book is definitely not cursed! 😊 Where did the idea for this book come from?

MEGAN: At the time, my son had an obsession with THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES. It was annoying. I was so tired of reading that darn book over and over. So I was like: “there should be more books like this that make you do or say silly things.” And then I was like: “I’ll write one myself!” But I wasn’t sure what to make it about, so I just sat on that thought for a while. Then I was talking to my son about curses… (no idea why) and a lightbulb just went on in my head. A cursed book! And instantly, I knew I had my meta/ interactive picture book idea.

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

MEGAN: I generally write quickly. Very quickly. I’d say that I wrote the first draft of this in a few hours. Of course, there was plenty of revising too. Both before my agent sent it out, and after my editor acquired it. And that happened here and there throughout the next year. But it’s unlikely that I spent more than like 20-30 hours of actual writing on this total. I’ve spent much much much much (is that enough much’s?) more time on marketing.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

MEGAN: Define “many.” LOL.

I think that compared to some manuscripts, the revisions on this one were minimal. Maybe 2-3 drafts before querying with it. Then when it landed me an agent, she had a few changes, though nothing too major— mostly line notes and a few cuts. Then, once it was acquired, my editor had some smaller notes and one bigger one which was to make the narrator an actual character. But there are large chunks of the original text that still made it into the final copy.

Megan’s work space

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

MEGAN: Well my agent told me it was. So there’s that. But before that, I knew it was query ready because of the feedback I was getting from critique partners. People were like: “This is really funny! You should query with it!” And they had very few notes. Whenever the notes dwindle and people don’t have many suggestions for changes, I know that I’ve got something that’s ready.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

MEGAN: I started querying with this manuscript in April or May of 2021. I had been querying for a long time with other manuscripts and had been receiving heaps of rejections. Then I sent THIS BOOK IS DEFINITELY NOT CURSED to an agent who declined because she had a similar client, but referred me to another agent at the agency— who became my agent. My agent then sent this manuscript out on submission, along with 2 others, in the summer of 2021.

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”?

MEGAN: Oh it’s been so long now, I can’t remember very well. The book went to acquisitions at Simon and Schuster in late August/ early September of 2021. Then in October (I think)  the editor asked to set up a call with me to discuss the “vision of the book” before making a final decision. (This basically means she wanted to see if I was on board with a couple of changes she had in mind.) Spoiler alert: I was. So that meeting happened in early November and it was a definitive “yes” shortly after that. So 2.5 months?

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 😊)

MEGAN: I got the “it’s gone to acquisitions” call from my agent at the very end of August 2021. Yes, I was super excited! No, I didn’t pee myself, why do you ask?

It was especially exciting because it was so fast. It had only been on submission for like a month.

I don’t remember my agent calling me to tell me it was officially a yes. But I am sure she did and that must have happened in November. I DO remember my parents bought a bottle of champagne.

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

MEGAN: We received the offer in November 2021 (which my agent then negotiated a bit). Then the contract was sent to us in February. So about 3 months. It felt like a long time then, but now that seems fairly quick.

Megan’s work buddy. Coincidence that it’s a cat???

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

MEGAN: I honestly had no idea what to expect because I was so new to everything. They could have requested I bake them a pie while blindfolded and I would have been like “okay sure. Sounds right to me.”

But from what my agent told me and from doing my own research, it seems that my contract was very standard. The advance was 6K (I don’t mind sharing this info— I think publishing could do with more transparency all around), 5% royalties on hardcovers, and 3% on paperback. US Rights. 25 author copies.

They also asked for a “first look” option. Which means that I had to share a new PB manuscript with them FIRST before sending it anywhere else. Though, I am still a bit confused as to why they asked for this, since Aladdin’s policy requires them to wait until about 6 months after my first book is published before they can acquire a 2nd book.

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

MEGAN: I can’t say enough nice things about my editor. She has been a pleasure to work with and had great ideas that have absolutely improved the book and the avenues for marketing as well. I don’t mind editing when I have someone like my editor telling me what to do. It’s when I’m on my own, that I struggle. I get stuck in my own head and too indecisive about what changes to make. So working with Anna was a breeze in comparison.

It was only 2-3 rounds of revisions: A round of bigger changes. Then a few smaller ones. Then very minor ones.

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

MEGAN: I was pleasantly surprised to be involved in the illustrations quite a bit. I got to see Risa’s early sketches for the narrator character and choose which was my favorite. And they did send proofs a couple of times to ask for my input, which was great.

Honestly, I didn’t really have a vision for the art in this book, because, like THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES, it’s heavily reliant on the text, and pictures are not entirely essential. That doesn’t mean they don’t add to the whole experience. Because they do! And Risa’s bright color palette, cute character, and fun lettering really make the book pop. (Plus, I got to make a puppet from the character she designed, which is so much fun). But because I wasn’t visualizing anything in my head when I wrote this— (other than making classrooms full of kids smell each other’s feet), I was open to any type of illustration. So it would have been hard to disappoint me. And Risa definitely exceeded any expectations I might have had.

As far as art notes, this manuscript had none. But it’s not really a traditional narrative. Most of my other PB manuscripts have quite a few— usually to convey a joke or reveal.

text copyright Megan Woodward 2024, illustration copyright Risa Rodil 2024, Simon & Schuster

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

MEGAN: I got advance reviews from Kirkus and SLJ.

My Kirkus review was pretty glowing so I was super happy about that. They called it “Goofy, gross, and just plain giggle-worthy.” I couldn’t have asked for a better blurb.

My SLJ review was mediocre at best. I was bummed at first. But I got the sense that the reviewer just doesn’t like meta/ interactive books. A lot of people (mostly adults) don’t. And that’s fine. Fortunately, kids generally love them. But the best part of the SLJ review was that they compared it to the horror movie “The Ring.” Which I thought was pretty darn hilarious, so I’ve been sharing that review anyway just for laughs.

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

MEGAN: Ooh. My editor send me two early finished copies in March. So about 2.5 years after the offer.

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

MEGAN: Not a whole lot, from what I can tell. I never had a “marketing/publicity” meeting. Though they did send me a standard marketing plan worksheet, which had basics like reaching out to reviewers and libraries, etc. And they also made and sent me bookmarks, which was lovely. But I’ve done all of my own event planning and online promotion.

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

MEGAN: I’ve planned an entire book tour, complete with like 18-20 events— in 5-6 different states. I made flyers and Facebook event pages for every event. I made postcards for the launch party and have distributed those widely. I also joined two debut groups, one of which is very active online: PB Soar 24!!! So I’ve done quite a bit of social media promotion through that amazing and supportive group. I also did some early school visits to drum up interest and get some pre-orders. I’ve done two podcasts and like 3-4 blog interviews. I had t-shirts made that say THIS BOOK SHIRT IS DEFINITELY NOT CURSED, which I’ll be selling at events. I also had a puppet of the narrator character made to bring to events and school visits. I have been busy.

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

MEGAN: Well I started writing screenplays in undergrad in like 2002 (I’m aging myself here). But I didn’t start writing picture books until 2015. When I started, I had no clue what I was doing. My first picture book was 1700 words and rhyming. Badly rhyming.

So 2015-2021— six years of practice and rejections before I sold my first. And I have yet to sell my second. This industry is tough!

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?)

MEGAN: 1. Read and write a lot in the genre that you plan on writing in. That seems obvious, but it’s also so essential.

2. Don’t quit your day job. Or, if you’re like me and never HAD a day job, maybe have a good backup plan. It’s so hard to make money at writing and I regret putting all of my eggs in this basket. I have no other experience or skills. Don’t be like me. Learn computer stuff or taxidermy or something.

3. Have thick skin. I am once again agent-less and back in the query trenches. And despite having a published book, I am STILL getting piles upon piles of rejections. But I keep going— though I feel like crying sometimes. Okay, most of the time. If you don’t think you can carry on in the face of everyone telling you NO, then maybe pick a different career.

And finally:

4. People always say you should write because you love it, not to make money. But I think that’s crap advice and just gives publishers and the people hiring writers an excuse to pay them less. I write because I love it, but I ALSO want to make money. I need to make a living like anyone else. And though writing is something I love, it’s also a job. It’s hard work. And not everyone can do it well. It’s a specialized skill, not a Saturday hobby.

Though if your writing IS your Saturday hobby, power to you! It’s a wonderful hobby! 

But for anyone trying to piece together a career as a writer, know that you deserve to get paid! Advocate for yourself and don’t accept less than you’re worth.

Sorry, that was more than one piece of advice.

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

MEGAN: Just that this book is definitely not cursed. I promise. I mean, I’ve read it. Lots of times. And I’m not cursed…. Well, okay, my food all tastes like cabbage and I think my name is Clustercrump McTootyboots, but that’s normal, right?

SUSANNA: Yes! Of course! That is TOTALLY normal! (Um, does anyone think they know a counter-curse? I have a feeling Megan might me in a wee spot of trouble!) Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and paying it forward to other writers, Megan! We so appreciate your humor and candor and all the interesting and helpful information you had to share! Wishing you all the best of luck with this book and hoping that next sale is right around the corner!

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

Author Megan Woodward, who says she likes to snack on dark chocolate and/ or spicy chips or nuts, but it doesn’t look like that’s what’s in that cauldron!

Insta/ twitter handles: (author) @womeganwo (illustrator) @risarodil (publisher) @SimonKids
FB: /authorMeganWoodward,
website: www.meganwoodward.com

You may purchase Megan’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!