HELLO, EVERYONE!!!

I am so happy to be back from summer vacation and to welcome all of you back to my little corner of the blogosphere! I hope you all had great summers full of fun and relaxation and family time and also multiple offers for publication of all your amazing writing! 🙂

Today’s debut-ess, whose book actually came out a week ago, is kindly offering a signed copy of her delightful HANUKKAH PAJAMAKKAHS to one lucky person (US addresses only, please)! All you need to do is leave a comment on today’s post by Monday September 16th at 3 PM Eastern and you will be entered in the random drawing and could be the lucky winner!

So without further ado, since I’m sure you’re all in Tuesday Debut withdrawal after the long summer without, allow me to introduce the lovely and talented Dara Henry and her debut picture book, HANUKKAH PAJAMAKKAHS!

Title: Hanukkah Pajamakkahs
Author: Dara Henry
Illustrator: Olga and Aleksey Ivanov
Publishing House: Sourcebooks Kids
Date of Publication:September 3, 2024
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction
age range: 3-7

When Ruthie receives pajamakkahs for Hanukkah, she loves them so much she refuses to take them off―for all eight nights. But as they get smeared and stained, splattered and smudged, Ruthie’s determined to show her parents she can stay spotless. Hanukkah Pajamakkahs is a lively picture book celebrating holiday traditions, the patience of parenting, sibling relationships, and children’s fondness for pajamas. 

SUSANNA: Welcome, Dara! Thank you so much for joining us today! What a fun title and story concept – we can’t wait to hear all about it! Where did the idea for this book come from?

DARA: The idea for HANUKKAH PAJAMAKKAHS came to me one morning, as my children wore their Hanukkah pajamas in mid January, and I (unsuccessfully) encouraged them to get dressed. That’s when a title popped into my head: “HANUKKAH PAJAMAKKAHS.” I quickly checked online to see if the title had been used—and to my surprise, it had not. I jotted some notes down and got to work. My three children were a huge inspiration for this story. Ruthie’s positivity and optimism comes straight from watching my kids handle sticky situations. Additionally, like Ruthie, they’re magnets for mess.

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

DARA: When I wrote the first draft of the Hanukkah Pajamakkahs manuscript, I was in “the zone.” That first draft was written in one day. Sure, the kids didn’t get dressed or eat breakfast until lunchtime, but I had to get the words on paper. The initial draft was different than the final story. Ruthie, the main character, wore eight different pairs of Hanukkah pajamas that she’d accrued over the years. She strained, stretched, and squeezed into her beloved pajamas. The story was sentimental and about the inevitability of growing up while holding onto holiday traditions. After a lot of feedback, I revised quite a bit. I rewrote the story a couple of times and made the newest version messy and humorous. I got additional feedback, streamlined the text, and tweaked the ending. It took about four or five months to go from the initial draft to the final version. 

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

DARA: I went through many developmental revisions in the early stages– the biggest changes were made before subbing. The story was entirely rewritten multiple times, but even after the story concept was solidified, smaller changes were made. I’m not sure if I have a specific method for the revision process that’s unique, but I rely a lot on feedback from others. If something isn’t working, I take breaks, and give my brain a rest from thinking about the project. Oftentimes after a break, I’ll go back with fresh eyes.

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

DARA: It can be hard to know when a manuscript is ready for submission. I’m guilty of being overly eager when it comes to sharing a shiny new story. It’s just so exciting and I was really excited about this one. This manuscript got a lot of feedback from many people. I knew it was finally ready when most of the feedback was relatively minor. Also, after I’d revised and rewritten the manuscript, my agent, Rena Rossner, told me she felt it was ready. She’s been very supportive and helpful along the way. When Rena tells me something is “ready,” or “strong”, I definitely feel more confident about my work, although that doesn’t mean it will sell.”

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

DARA: My agent, Rena Rossner, took care of submitting my manuscript to publishing houses. 

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”?

DARA: The timeline is a little foggy at this point, because it’s been about 2.5 years, but I believe we heard after just a couple of weeks that Sourcebooks liked the manuscript and wanted to take it to acquisitions. Pretty soon after acquisitions, we found out Sourcebooks wanted to make an offer. 

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 ☺)

DARA: I got an email from my agent letting me know that my manuscript was being taken to acquisitions. Yes, I was super excited, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up so I tried to distract myself with other things (BUT that didn’t really work). Thankfully, within a week or two, my agent emailed again to let me know we got an official “yes!” I was very excited, but still worried about celebrating right away. I decided not to celebrate until I signed the contract. 

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

DARA: It was more than six months from the time I received the offer until I signed my contract. During this time, I tried once again to distract myself with other things. I started new projects and tried to focus on improving my craft. 

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

DARA: Since Hanukkah Pajamakkahs is my debut book, I didn’t have any expectations about the contract. I was just excited that Sourcebooks wanted to partner with me to bring Hanukkah Pajamakkahs into the world.One thing that I remember was being surprised about the publication timeline. Fast-forward 2.5 years, and here we are. It went by surprisingly quickly. 

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

DARA: Hanukkah Pajamakkahs went through many big changes prior to acquisitions. After it was acquired, I had a chance to go back and forth with my editor, and saw that we had a similar vision. There were quite a few email exchanges and I can’t say enough positive things about my editor and the Sourcebooks team. This whole process has been very positive and I have them to thank for so much.

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

text copyright Dara Henry 2024, illustration copyright Olga and Aleksey Ivanov 2024, Sourcebooks Kids

DARA: I loved learning more about the illustration process. I included art notes in the Hanukkah Pajamakkahs manuscript. Those notes were utilized in the initial drafts. My editor shared early sketches via digital files and I felt my input was valued. I made a few suggestions and that feedback was implemented. As a debut author, I was pleasantly surprised to be involved in this process.

Place Mat Picture

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

DARA: I saw trade reviews pretty close to the date they were published. I think I received the most lead-time with the School Library Journal review. That review was sent to me about a week prior to publication. It can be unnerving to read what others say, especially when you’ve worked so hard to write a book you hope people will love. That being said, I try to remember that everyone has different tastes and opinions—you can’t please everyone.

SUSANNA: That is absolutely true. . . but easy to say and hard to do! 🙂 How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?

DARA: It took about 2.5 years from the time I got the offer to having the first copy.

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

DARA: Sourcebooks has helped with marketing and promotions, as well as coordinated some of my events. I had a meeting with my publicist in April of 2024. She sent me a marketing plan worksheet, which included information about events and media. My publicist also coordinated book order fulfillments for events. I think a lot of what happens in marketing and promotions is behind the scenes. Even though I know a lot more now than I did prior to this experience, there’s still so much I’d like to learn.

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

DARA: Launching a book requires more marketing and promotional strategies than I realized.  Sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming because it can seem as though you aren’t doing enough (even when you’re doing quite a bit).  

I ordered bookmarks, buttons, and stickers to give out at events. Signs have been made along with postcards. I joined a couple of co-marketing groups (PB Soar 24 and Kidlit Kangaroos). Getting to know other authors through joining different groups, expanding my network, and connecting with people has been a lot of fun.

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

DARA: I’ve been writing for many years, but didn’t write for the purpose of pursuing publication until about five or six years ago. At that time, I joined SCBWI and started getting involved in the writing community. During that period of initially learning about the industry, I decided I wanted to find an agent (you don’t need an agent, but it can help). I was in the query trenches just like some of you. My work was rejected (so many times I stopped counting). But I didn’t give up and sold my first book about 3.5-4 years after I decided to make it a goal. I have a second book (unannounced) coming out in 2025. Hopefully I’ll get to share more information about that project soon. Fingers crossed that there will be more books to come in the future.  

SUSANNA: Ooh! How exciting! Congratulations! We will look forward to learning more about it. 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?)

DARA: The most important thing I’ve learned on my path to publication is…just go for it!

Get involved in the community, take classes, meet other authors, and most importantly, WRITE. Each and every time you write a manuscript, you’re working on your craft AND getting better. Not every story has to sell. Some stories live in our hearts and help to make us better writers—that doesn’t make them any less important (that’s not to say you shouldn’t fight for a project you love, I just mean don’t put all of your eggs in one basket). In many ways, I’ve found the industry to be a game of numbers. The more manuscripts you have to share with agents and editors, the more likely something will sell. Also, even if a project doesn’t work out or sell initially, you can always go back later, rewrite it, and try again.

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

DARA: Creating this book has truly been a group effort and I’m extremely grateful to everyone involved. I hope that Hanukkah Pajamakkahs becomes a beloved part of your family’s holiday tradition. And remember . . . life isn’t spotless, but you can still have fun! 

SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge, expertise, and writing journey with us today, Dara! It’s so helpful to get to learn all of this! I know I speak for everyone when I wish you all the best with this and future titles!

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

And remember, you comment enters you to be in the running for a signed copy of HANUKKAH PAJAMAKKAHS (US addresses only, please)! Just leave your comment below by Monday September 16th at 3 PM Eastern and you will be entered in the random drawing and could be the lucky winner!

Author Dara Henry – Favorite Snack: Popcorn 🙂

Twitter handles: @dshenry1 and @SourcebooksKids
IG: dara_henry_writes and sourcebookskids and ivanovs_hyland_studio
Website: www.darahenry.com

You may purchase Dara’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!