Welcome to Tuesday Debut, Everyone, where we are all still frozen in th exact same place we were last week like little popsicles!

As you may or may not have noticed on social media yesterday, my own beloved Phyllis was forced to predict 6 more weeks of winter, but that is okay because she chooses to view it as 6 more weeks of sledding and snowmen and hot chocolate by a cozy fireplace 😊 It’s good to be able to look on the bright side!

Although I may be finding my bright side dreaming about apple blossoms and lush green grass starred with yellow dandelions, gentle warm sun and a soft spring breeze 😊 To each her own 😊

And now, I shall spread a little cheer by announcing the winner of Kristin Manty’s giveaway from last week – a signed copy of her debut picture book, THE SUBSTI-TOOTH and some swag!

And the lucky winner is . . .

Karan Greene!!!

Congratulations, Karan! Please email me at your earliest convenience so I can get your prize to you and you can enjoy your book and swag! !

AND, we have a new giveaway this week! Our debut-ess is offering:

Giveaway choice of:

• 30-minute Live PB Critique / Ask Me Anything (individual or with critique group)
•  Author-signed copy of Jeong Is Jeong

All you need to do to get yourself in the running to be the randomly selected winner of that amazing giveaway choice is leave a comment on today’s post by Monday February 9th at 3 PM Eastern. If you’d also like to share this post or the cover of Jessica’s book on social media, I’m sure Jessica would appreciate that!

Title: JEONG IS JEONG
Author: Jessica Yoon
Illustrator: Michelle Lee
Publishing House: Make Me a World / Random House Kids
Date of Publication: 2/3/26
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction
age range of your book: 4-8

“What is Jeong?” a little girl asks her grandma, and so begins a lyrical journey of discovery, kindness, and understanding in this ode to Korean American language and culture.

SUSANNA: Welcome, Jessica! Thank you so much for coming to chat with us today! Where did the idea for this book come from?

JESSICA: I was reading Babel by R.F. Kuang, an incredible novel which explores the imperfection of translation between languages as a means for creating magic. It made me think about how even as a kid who was most comfortable speaking English, I would still use certain Korean words with family members because there weren’t always equivalent words in English. I was curious if there were any picture books that explored this idea, and I started brainstorming what Korean words I might want to write about.

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

JESSICA: Research was the most time-consuming part of writing this book. I started with comp titles to: 1) see if picture books about words in other languages had been done before and 2) ensure I wasn’t writing something too similar. I came across a number of lovely picture books, including Eleven Words for Love by Randa Abdel-fattah and Maxine Beneba Clarke, I Am You: A Book about Ubuntu by Refiloe Moahloli and Zinelda McDonald, and Namaste Is a Greeting by Suma Subramaniam and Sandhya Prabhat.

I also researched a number of uniquely Korean concepts before landing on jeong. In fact, as a Korean American who isn’t completely fluent in Korean, I wasn’t familiar with the word until working on this book! When I read about jeong, it was a total aha! moment. Jeong was a concept that I knew in my bones and was now finally able to name.

I read a lot about how other adults described jeong and then brainstormed ways that a child might express it. I think once I actually sat down to write, it only took me a few days to write the first draft.

Jessica sustains herself through all that research and revision with her favorite snack of avocado toast and matcha latte 😊

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

JESSICA: I tend to tinker with my stories, particularly as it relates to word choice, but I’d say this story went through three major revisions. The original manuscript was more of a lyrical concept book, written in the style of Fry Bread. This was the version my critique group helped me revise.

Later, I won a scholarship to the SCBWI Eastern PA chapter’s Under Eight program, and the critique group there suggested I try writing a main character into the story, so I wrote that revision too.

Finally, the scholarship also included an editor critique of my original version, so I did a third revision after that.

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

JESSICA: Because I had received positive editor feedback, I felt confident it was ready and shared the third revision with my agent.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

JESSICA: My agent sent out the manuscript to a small list of traditional publishers in October 2023.

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”?

JESSICA: About three months after submission, I received a revise and resubmit (R&R) from Make Me a World, an imprint of Random House Kids. They requested that I add more of an inciting incident and arc to the story before they took it to acquisitions. Luckily, I had already written that version of the story as suggested by the SCBWI critique group. It had a main character as well as a stronger narrative arc, so it only took me four days to revise.

SUSANNA: Wow! That worked out well! 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 ☺)

JESSICA: Two weeks after we submitted the revision, my agent called me to tell me we had an offer! I was so shocked, I don’t think I sounded very excited even though I was. To celebrate, my husband and I popped a bottle of champagne after the kids went to bed.

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

JESSICA: After the offer, it took about 3.5 months to receive the initial contract. My agent negotiated the deal, and I signed a month later.

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

JESSICA: I wasn’t too sure what to expect for contract terms, but was pleased with where things ended. It would be approximately two years until publication, which is pretty standard for a picture book. And because I am quite prolific, my agent ensured my option clause was narrow enough that it wouldn’t slow us down in submitting new manuscripts to editors. We also added a clause that specifies that my work is not to be used for generative AI training.

SUSANNA: That has gotten to be very important! Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?

JESSICA: Because the manuscript was acquired after an R&R, there were minimal edits. I think we did one round of line edits and then went to copyedits.

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

JESSICA: My contract states that I receive illustrator consultation, and I was thrilled when Michelle Lee signed on. I knew her work from George Takei’s My Lost Freedom and knew she would do a phenomenal job.

I did include a number of art notes to clarify the text (e.g., returning a stuffed animal to a stranger, picking a flower for Umma) that Michelle followed. One place where she diverged was when I had suggested that Joey fall asleep in the car, but Michelle drew the kids in a wagon. I loved this change because my family were big stroller wagon users when my kids were younger. Michelle also passed along some questions through my editor, so I felt like she really valued my opinion.

Michelle also added the various explanations for blemishes in Luna’s blanket. As a mom, I love looking at those types of illustrations with my kids because they create a fun, interactive moment.

Throughout the illustration process, I received both character and interior sketches. And I was so delighted with the color palette Michelle used. The art is so warm and dreamy!

text copyright Jessica Yoon 2026, illustration copyright Michelle Lee 2026, Make Me A World/Random House

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

JESSICA: I received some really lovely reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. It was so gratifying to see that the reviewers understood what I was trying to accomplish with the book.

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

JESSICA: I received the offer on 2/1/24 and received my first copy of the book in early November 2025.

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

JESSICA: My lovely editor and I brainstormed influencers who might be able to help promote, and she contacted them to send books. Publicity is also working to arrange a Jeong Is Jeong school visit in March.

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

JESSICA: I created business cards featuring Michelle’s art to give out at ALA last year and wore a jeong t-shirt there. I am part of the PB26Debut co-marketing group and have created a lot of Instagram content on jeong. In terms of local media, I was featured in my local paper and will be going on TV to promote the book as well.

I’m also looking forward to a storytime event at Nooks Bookshop and a few school visits I have lined up!

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

JESSICA: I started writing seriously in December 2021 and received my first offer on 2/1/24.

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?)

JESSICA: Find your community! Writing is a solitary process, but it doesn’t have to be lonely. The road to publication is a long one with tons of bumps along the way, and having your writing friends in your corner to commiserate and celebrate is the best!

SUSANNA: That is so true! Anything else you’d like to share about your book’s journey from inspiration to publication?

JESSICA: Thank you so much for having me! I participated in your writing contests when I began my writing journey years ago, so it’s a full circle moment to now be featured on your blog. And to all the writers starting out: please know that I never won any of these short-form writing contests, so take heart and find the story that only you can tell!

SUSANNA: My pleasure, Jess! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience with us! We so appreciate the opportunity to learn from you. Best wishes for loads of success with this and future titles!

Readers, if you have questions for Jessica, 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 puts you in the running to be the randomly selected winner of a winner’s choice giveaway of either a 30-minute Live PB Critique / Ask Me Anything (individual or with critique group) or an author-signed copy of Jeong Is Jeong if you leave it by 3 PM Eastern on Monday February 9th!

Author, Jessica Yoon

Pre-order links (including author-signed copies):
https://beacons.ai/jessicayoon/jeongisjeong

website: jessicayoon.com
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessyoonwrites/

You may purchase Jessica’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!