Welcome to the first Tuesday Debut of June, everyone!

It just so happens to be today’s book’s actual book birthday, so let’s celebrate! 😊

Because, as you all know, celebrations require cake, and every day is better with cake! 😊

Since today’s book has a nature theme, I thought we’d go with a nature cake. . .

. . . but still make sure we got chocolate! 😊

🥳 🌸 🎉 Happy Book Birthday, Sandhya!!! 🎉 🌸 🥳

Now we get to distribute goodies, always fun!

The winner of Beverly Love Warren’s giveaway from last week – winner’s choice of a picture book manuscript critique, OR an illustration critique, OR a package of 6 5×7 greeting cards featuring 2 or 3 illustrations from her new book! – is. . .

Rebekah Reaves!!!

Congratulations, Rebekah! Please email me with your choice so I can put you in touch with Beverly!

AND!

we have a new giveaway for this week! Our debut-ess today is offering winner’s choice of either a written critique of a fiction picture book manuscript (up to 750 words) or a 30 minute AMA Zoom call! To qualify to be in the random drawing, please leave a comment on today’s post by Monday June 9th at 3PM Eastern!

Now, I won’t keep you waiting another moment, because I know you are anxious to get on with your education 😊 Allow me to introduce the lovely and talented Sandhya Acharya, today’s debut, and her beautiful nonfiction picture book, LIVING BRIDGES: The Hidden World of India’s Woven Trees! Sandhya has the interesting experience of having self-published a picture book before traditionally publishing this one, so I’m sure we can all learn a lot from her!

Title: LIVING BRIDGES
Author: Sandhya Acharya
Illustrator: Avani Dwivedi
Publishing House: Beach Lane Books/ Simon and Shuster
Date of Publication: June 3rd, 2025
Fiction or Nonfiction: Nonfiction
age range of your book: 4-8

A boy learns how to care for and weave the roots of the living tree bridges in his village in India in this narrative nonfiction picture book.

SUSANNA: Welcome, Sandhya! Thank you so much for joining us today! We are so excited to hear about your publishing journey! Where did the idea for this book come from?

SANDHYA: A few years back, I came across an article talking about these extraordinary bridges I promptly fell into the rabbit hole of research. I devoured everything I could about them. Things were processing in the background while I worked on other manuscripts. I struggled a bit at the start, experimenting with different ways of getting into the story, but once I found the voice, the words gushed out. It was a homage to the Living Bridges.

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

SANDHYA: Very long with several revisions! I think my very first draft was around March 2021. Looking back, I found several versions just experimenting with different points of view, trying to find the pulse of the story. That process took me several months and happened in the background while I was working on other things. Once I found the right entry into the story, it felt like the words came more easily. Soon, the version I had felt query-worthy. I also won the Ann Whitford Honor prize for most promising non-fiction for an initial draft of the story, which bolstered my confidence. My agent did not have too many changes for it, and it went on submissions. Then, my editor, Catherine Laudone, wanted me to add a child’s lens to the story to make it stronger. It took me some time (and a few revisions!) to go from a pure non-fiction to this different format with a child character in the story.

SUSANNA: I love that phrase – “finding the pulse of the story.” What a perfect description! Did you go through many revisions?

SANDHYA: Yes! Several. A lot of agonizing over lines, words, pace, tone, pauses! I think what works for me is giving it some space between every big revision. Experimenting is also key! Trying different points of view, writing the same story in present tense vs. past tense. Trying a different structure – what would it look like using a parallel structure? What if I added some humor? Or a STEM element? A different narrator voice? I also noticed that writing doesn’t happen just while writing. Sometimes, a phrase, a word that is evading,  just comes to you when your mind is not focused on it, when you are doing something completely different. For example, I like to think about ideas and words when I am “run-walking”. Or, it might be that another book inspires you to try a brand new structure during revision. Revision needs you to be continuously curious, and absolutely fearless! 

SUSANNA: Sounds like a lot of the things we learn in Making Picture Book Magic 😊 When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?

SANDHYA: After giving a manuscript some space, if I come back to it and read it without tripping on words or story structure, I know it is close. It’s a feeling more than a science for me. Can I read it in front of a mirror without “explaining” things? Can I “perform” it without awkward pauses?

SUSANNA: You previously self-published a picture book – 10 Gulab Jamuns.  Can you tell us a little bit about your self-publishing experience, why you decided to switch to traditional, and some of the pros and cons of both options?

SANDHYA: Yes! My first book 10 Gulab Jamuns is self-published. I used a hybrid publisher for the first couple of print runs before moving to Amazon KDP. This allowed me to get a quality book out using expert services in one place (vs. doing all of it by myself). Self- publishing is exhilarating, but can also be expensive and needs you to quickly ramp up on a variety of skill-sets. Over a period of time, I recouped all my costs and made sure I was profitable. My book did fairly well with a good sales record and good trade reviews. But, I realized, if I wanted a career in writing, I needed to focus my energies on what I enjoyed the most. I also wanted to give myself space to grow as a writer in my craft. Everybody’s author journey, I have realized, is different and evolving. We take the best decisions we can and hope to do right by our stories!

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

SANDHYA: Though I had queried before with other manuscripts, my serious querying started after doing Justin Colon’s PBChat mentorship with Rajani LaRocca. It was a career-changing experience. During this mentorship, I prepared a package of manuscripts and learned so much about the craft, about the industry, and about impulse control! Interestingly, Living Bridges was not in the show-case package, it was the one I was working on in the background. Once I “wrote” it, I had a feeling this one was special, and I began including it in my package to agents.

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”?

SANDHYA: I worked on several revisions before getting the final yes. So it took several weeks. But my editor reassured me she was there to answer any questions, and to make sure we were going in the right direction with each version.

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 😊)

SANDHYA: My manuscripts were out with several agents. I had an offer from a different agent at first. I sent out reminders to others when that happened, and I heard from three more who also gave me offers. I spoke with all of them, and they were all lovely, which didn’t make the decision-making easy! But Kathleen had represented several books with themes that matched my thinking and style, and she represented authors I aspired to be like. And after I spoke with her, it just clicked.

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

SANDHYA: Two to three weeks!

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

SANDHYA: My agent, Kathleen Rushall, is excellent at looking out for the author and advocating and negotiating for me. The advance and royalty percentage was typical for a debut in traditional publishing author. I got 25 author copies. 

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

SANDHYA: There was a big revision with this one. Initially, it was a lyrical non fiction exposition kind of format. Catherine Loudone, my editor, wanted me to add a child character to the story. As writers, we tend to fall in love with our words. But I could see through the process that editors bring invaluable insights on what is best for the story, what will keep the strength of the manuscript, but also add kid-appeal, what will make it marketable, and so on. I am glad Catherine guided me through the revisions, and we were able to make the story stronger.

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

SANDHYA: I loved Avani’s style. I shared all my pictures and videos from visiting the Living Bridges, and any information from my research and interacting with the locals of Meghalaya that I thought would be useful for illustrating. As the pictures started coming in, I was so excited. The story was coming to life! The publisher shared the initial sketches with me, so I was able to give feedback, if needed. For example, fine-tuning on the trees found in the region, the kind of clothes the locals wore, etc. Avani did her own deep research and added so many interesting details!

text copyright Sandhya Acharya 2025, illustration copyright Avani Dwivedi 2025, Beach Lane/S&S

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

SANDHYA: Yes! It was AMAZING! So far, we have reviews from Kirkus and Booklist, and they have both been great. It is validating to get that pat on the back! 

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

SANDHYA: I had the offer in early 2023. Note that I was working for a few months on revisions before getting the final offer. The official publication date is June 2025. I am not sure what the print run is yet. 

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

SANDHYA: My publisher worked on getting trade reviews, is going to submit to awards, gave me a press release, and has been there to answer any questions I may have. From my self-publishing journey, I already knew there is a lot to be done by the author including reaching out to influencers, bloggers, creating social media content, and just being brazen about talking about your work. Organizing all of it is the hard part for me, but I do enjoy interacting with everyone and sharing about my work. It’s a great way to build connections and friendships!

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

SANDHYA: Yes! I have been busy with unboxing, cover reveal, blog tour, media reachout, working with promo groups, reaching out to bloggers, and influencers. I am also working on a book trailer and hoping to put together an educational guide.

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

SANDHYA: Around 10 years! This includes my time self-publishing, learning about the industry, investing time in learning about the craft, the rigorous querying, and the nail-biting submissions process! It’s a marathon!

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?)

SANDHYA: Community. I couldn’t have survived this without leaning on my writing friends; my mentors have been so generous! My critique group has seen all my good, bad, “struggly” manuscripts, and it is such a joy to see everyone growing stronger in the group. The other important factor is continuous learning. I love the 12*12 community,  Inked Voices, Highlights, Writing Barn, Storyteller Academy. All of them are great on your journey, and you can pick courses with any of them based on the genre you are writing in, and the skillsets you are developing. And lastly –  patience! There is going to be a lot of waiting in publishing. It helps to work on the next project while waiting, but yeah, I would tell anyone interested in this field/path to make sure you account for that!

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

SANDHYA: It is a beautiful thing. I worked in finance before focusing seriously on writing. My paycheck will probably never compare, but when I am writing, there is nothing else I would rather do. Once I decided I wanted to be traditionally published, I knew it was a long and hard journey. But knowing that I have grown in the process, have made incredible friends, and of course, seeing my vision come alive in this book is EVERYTHING. I can’t wait for kids around the world to pick this book up and read!

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

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

Author Sandhya Acharya

Website: www.sandhyaacharya.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSandhya/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/authorsandhya/

You may purchase Sandhya’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!