Welcome to today’s edition of Tuesday Debut, everyone!

It’s a dark-sky day at my house, which makes it a perfect day for the book our debut-ess is about to introduce!

But first, in case you haven’t seen it yet, the guidelines for this year’s Halloweensie Contest have been posted, and there are some great prizes up for grabs. So hop on over HERE and see what the parameters are so you can start writing!!! 😊 🎃

We didn’t have a giveaway last week for Tuesday Debut, so there’s no winner to announce today, but there IS a giveaway from today’s debutess! Lindsey is offering winner’s choice of a signed copy of DARK SKIES (U.S. shipping only please) OR non-rhyming picture book manuscript critique.  All you have to do to put yourself in the running to be the randomly selected winner is leave a comment on today’s post by Monday October 20 at 3 PM Eastern! (But if you’re feeling kind and helpful, I’m sure Lindsey would be grateful if you could share her book cover and/or this post on social media! In addition, her publisher, The Little Press, is quite new, and it’s good for all of us to help them in their efforts!)

Now! It is my pleasure to re-introduce you to author Lindsey Hobson as she joins us to share her journey to publication with DARK SKIES!

Title: Dark Skies
Author: Lindsey Hobson
Illustrator: Makenzie McCarthy
Publishing House: The Little Press
Date of Publication: 10-14-2025
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction with Non-fiction backmatter
age range: 6-8

Laney’s papaw loves stargazing, but the city lights block out all but the brightest ones. When Papaw’s memory becomes as hazy as the night sky, Laney helps him rediscover what he loves most – his family, and the stars.

SUSANNA: Welcome, Lindsey! We’re so excited to have you back, debuting with a traditionally published picture book this time! What a gorgeous cover! (Lindsey joined us previously with her self-published picture book, BLOSSOM’S WISH, in February of 2020. Click HERE if you’d like to see that post.) Where did the idea for this book come from?

LINDSEY: I love learning things about our natural world. I often find interesting snippets online, or in magazines. I keep a notebook of ideas I can research and possibly flesh out as a picture book manuscript. 

I saw something about Dark Sky Parks online that caught my attention. Growing up in a rural area in Southwest Missouri, I’ve always taken our mostly unobstructed view of the night sky for granted. When I discovered only about a dozen stars are visible in the typical city sky, I knew there was a story there.

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

LINDSEY: Looking back through my drafts, the first one I can find is from 2021. This story was different than the final draft in that it was about a little girl who moved from the country, where she could see the stars, to the city, where she could not. I received an R&R (revise and resubmit) from an agent, who suggested I flip the story to be about a child who was from the city and had never experienced the wonder of the stars. I made the changes and resubmitted, but it was ultimately a pass for that agent. I shelved it until 2023 when I placed in Vivian Kirkfield’s 50 Precious Words contest and chose an “above the slushpile” submission opportunity to The Little Press. With their interest in environmental-themed books, I dusted off my Dark Skies manuscript and sent it to them. A month later, I received an offer for publication!

SUSANNA: Wow! What a wonderful acquisition story, and great reason to enter contests! 😊 Did you go through many revisions?

LINDSEY: This story went through probably the biggest revision I have ever made to a picture book manuscript. It was difficult because I liked the original, but after receiving the R&R I mentioned above (and letting that suggestion marinate for a little while) I decided it was worth the effort to try again, and it definitely paid off. That being said, I think it’s important to stay true to your story and not feel like you have to change it just because of a critique suggestion, or even an R&R. In this particular case, I decided I was still telling the story I wanted to tell – how light pollution has become such a problem that children are growing up having never actually seen the night sky – I was just telling it from a different perspective, and one that turned out to be more impactful than what I had originally written.

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

LINDSEY: I am fortunate to have several wonderful critique partners who are willing to talk through ideas (and read numerous drafts). Their responses to the changes I made let me know I was on the right track with this one!

SUSANNA: Critique partners are the absolute best, aren’t they?! When and how did you submit?

LINDSEY: This submission opportunity came from a contest. There are many different ways to find submission opportunities, and as my critique group always says – shoot your shot! It’s hard to stand out in this amazingly talented kidlit writing community, so anytime you can find an opportunity, you should go for it! Plus, even if you don’t place, contests are a wonderful way to meet other writers and hone your writing skills.

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”?

LINDSEY: Two weeks after I submitted, The Little Press wrote back asking for me to send a paginated draft, showing where I thought the page turns should go in the story, and two weeks after that they sent 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 😊)

LINDSEY: A month exactly! I sent the MS on 3/24/23 and received the offer via email on 4/24/23! 

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

LINDSEY: The contract was sent on 6/5/23 but I already knew for the most part what was going to be in it from our previous email conversations.

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

LINDSEY: I knew with The Little Press being a smaller house, the advance and royalties would be on the smaller side, but it was in line with what I researched. Plus, there are definite advantages with a smaller house, such as more personal attention at each step of the book’s creation and launch. I have had a wonderful experience with them!

SUSANNA: I have a couple friends who have books-in-progress with The Little Press, and have interviewed at least one other person who has a book out from them, and I have heard only very positive things! Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?

LINDSEY: There were no significant editorial changes, just some wording here and there. The biggest discussion was whether to use the Latin name for the constellations in the book (Ursa Major, Ursa Minor) or to use the more common names (Big Bear, Little Dipper). You’ll have to read to find out what we decided! 😊

SUSANNA: Now you’ve got me curious 😊 What was your experience of the illustration process like?

LINDSEY: I was informed they hired Makenzie as the illustrator in October of 2023, but did not get to see the illustrations until the book was completely finished in November of 2024. Having self-published in the past, this was quite a different experience, but I was able to view Makenzie’s amazing portfolio, which was full of color and exactly what I would have picked myself. I did not include any art notes, but somehow her vision for the story was very close to mine!

text copyright Lindsey Hobson 2025, illustration copyright Mackenzie McCarthy 2025, The Little Press

I think it’s a good practice to look at the books a publishing house is putting out before submitting to them. The saying is “never judge a book by its cover”, but we all know that is the first thing that draws your attention to a book, especially a picture book! The Little Press books are all beautiful and I knew I was in good hands with them.

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

LINDSEY: The Little Press sent Dark Skies out for trade reviews in June and we are still waiting for their reviews to come back!

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

LINDSEY: I received my copy about two weeks ago, and it actually sat on my porch overnight without anyone knowing it was there because the color of the bubble mailer blended in with the cushion in my rocking chair! My daughter spotted it the next morning when I was backing out of my driveway. I made everyone come back inside to look at it before anyone could go to school/work!

SUSANNA: What an exciting morning that must have been – good that your daughter has such sharp eyes! What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?

LINDSEY: The Little Press is active on Instagram and TikTok and they often share posts there. They have reached out to many local bookstores, and also have a “members only” area of their website with contact information they have compiled for blogs, podcasts, and book fairs. They are also reaching out to National Parks (as most of them are listed on the Dark Sky registry) to see if they will sell Dark Skies in their gift shops!

SUSANNA: What a cool idea! Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.

LINDSEY: I’ve also been contacting bookstores, podcasts, and blogs with varying degrees of success (I’ve learned that there’s no such thing as too early … everyone books up quickly!) I created a launch team group on Facebook that has been wonderful to share my posts. This week I’m excited to share my book trailer, which was made by my critique group friend, Molly Ippolito. I’ve also been brainstorming “out of the box” ideas for places to sell my books and have made contacts at our local nature center and a local science center.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lindsey Hobson (@lindseyhobson.author)

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

LINDSEY: I started taking my writing seriously and getting involved in the kidlit community in 2019. I self-published a picture book in 2020, which was not a great year for book events to say the least! Dark Skies is my traditional picture book debut!

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?)

LINDSEY: Writing is a lonely business full of rejection. I think it’s important to find your people, whether it be an online group or in-person group, that can help you with critiques, push you to stay accountable, let you vent, and encourage you to keep going. I really don’t think I would be here today without my critique group.

Oh, and of course never stop reading!

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

LINDSEY: Remember to take joy in the journey and celebrate your successes, whatever those may be. Most weeks I feel successful if I’m able to find an hour somewhere in my busy life to sit down and write! It’s easy to get discouraged by publishing deals popping up on social media, but hopefully my story shows that persistence (sometimes in the form of four years and one major rewrite) pays off!

Thank you so much for having me!

SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to visit with us again, Lindsey, and share your insights on journeying to traditional publication! We thank you for the opportunity to learn, and wish you all the best with this and future titles!

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

And remember, your comment on today’s post makes you eligible to be the randomly selected winner of Lindsey’s giveaway of winner’s choice of a signed copy of DARK SKIES (U.S. addresses only, please) OR a non-rhyming picture book manuscript critique!)

Author Lindsey Hobson

Website: https://lindseybhobson.wixsite.com/lindseyhobsonauthor
Instagram: @lindseyhobson.author
Tiktok: @lindseyhobson.author
Facebook: @Lindseybhobson
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/lindseyhobsonauthor

You may purchase Lindsey’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!