Welcome to Tuesday Debut, everyone!

The publishing industry is not known for its speed 😊, but I’ve been noticing this year in particular how many books are getting pushed beyond their original release dates – sometimes just once and not for too long, other times, they are pushed back more than once and for more significant amounts of time. It is hard enough to wait for your debut to arrive without having the uncertainty of a floating release date, hoping that it will actually arrive at some point!

Today’s book is another such book. Its release date has been changed a couple of times and was just rescheduled for July 14th. So while it isn’t actually out for today’s post, it WILL be out in a few weeks. You can still pre-order it and request it from your local libraries!

Before we get to our debut-ess and her wonderful book, we have a giveaway winner to announce from last week!

And the winner of a signed copy of Tic-errific Me, (U.S. addresses only, please) OR a picture book manuscript critique from Alicia Meyers is. . .

Angie Quantrell!!!

Congratulations, Angie! Please email me at your earliest convenience so I can get your prize to you!

Plus we have a new givieaway for this week! Today’s debut-ess, Lizzie Brooks, is giving away winner’s choice of a signed copy of her book, IMPERFECTLY PERFECT POSEY (US addresses only, please), OR a PB critique (non-rhyming, under 650 words)! All you need to do to put yourself in the running to be the randomly selected winner is leave a comment on today’s post by Monday June 29th at 3 PM Eastern.

Title: Imperfectly Perfect Posey: A Wobbly Yoga Story
Author: Lizzie Brooks
Illustrator: Enni Heikura
Publishing House: Spinning Wheel Stories
Date of Publication: July 14, 2026
Fiction or Nonfiction: Fiction
ISBN#: 978-1967113132
age range of your book: 4-9

Posey is good at just about everything until she tries yoga. Through wobbles and bumps she learns that perfect’s not the point!

SUSANNA: Welcome, Lizzie! Thank you so much for joining us today with your Kirkus-starred-review debut! Where did the idea for this book come from?

LIZZIE: Most of my ideas come to me in the shower or as I’m talking to my dogs (and say something funny). ADVICE: Let the gibberish flow–you never know when you’ll land on gold! As far as the idea for this story, I’ve taught yoga since 2000, and I noticed that some students struggled for perfection—both kids and adults. I’ve struggled with this myself. I always address it in class with a lighthearted approach and lots of laughs so we don’t take ourselves so seriously. I also noticed that many of the available kids yoga books didn’t really cover this topic. So around 2018, Posey was born.

SUSANNA: I love that you chose the name “Posey” – perfect for a book about yoga! 😊 How long did it take you to write this book?

LIZZIE: Some stories flow out like a river and some drip-drop like molasses. This one came pretty quickly. I knew Posey well (because I know myself). While not a strict biography, there are many aspects of Posey that I felt in my bones, so it was easy to implement story elements like voice and character motivation. Drawing from what you know really does work!

SUSANNA: Very true! Were there any mentor texts that helped you zero in on the direction you wanted to take your book?

LIZZIE: There are so many great yoga books out there, but I wanted one where the yoga poses and mindfulness in general seemed unattainable because this is often the reality. I also wanted to show a character who quits and eventually returns—because quitting is a real thing, and returning (though very hard to do) is often where incredible growth lies.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

LIZZIE: Posey went to acquisitions at three publishers before it found the perfect home with Spinning Wheel Stories. I revised it at each imprint to suit their specific needs. I enjoyed every version, but Stephanie, my editor at Spinning Wheel, suggested I add a refrain and THAT was the ticket, I think. Revising is nearly always worth trying. Even if you don’t do everything an editor suggests, you find out how much you either love your original idea or how much better something can get when more brains collaborate! Having said that–TOO many cooks in the kitchen makes for a perplexing-tasting soup. 😉

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

LIZZIE: I think there’s a big difference between ready and finished. I’ve found that a manuscript can evolve over years and it’s never really done until your editor says “no more changes!” I knew Posey was ready after I’d printed it out, read it out loud, and I felt joyful through the process. I also made sure to put it away for days/weeks at a time to keep looking at it with “fresh” eyes and brain.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

LIZZIE: I’m currently with my 5^th agent (LONG story) but most of the times I’ve been to acquisitions have been unagented. I highly recommend creating relationships with editors through events (both online and in person, if you can). For Posey, one day on Instagram, I saw that an account I’d not heard of or followed (Spinning Wheel Stories) had “liked” a bunch of my yoga and writing posts. Hmmm… I thought… let me check them out. I went to their website and was impressed. I messaged them thanking them for the “likes” and asked if they’d be open to sharing a bit about what they were looking for. Stephanie introduced herself as the editor and we began a lovely back and forth. She mentioned wanting a yoga book and it just so happened I had one! 

Virgil and Josephine – Lizzie’s writing buddies – OMG what a cute pair! 🥰

SUSANNA: How serendiitous! (But not really, because you took the time to research and follow-up, this making it happen!) 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”?

LIZZIE: I submitted Posey and a few others that Stephanie requested. I think I had an offer within a month. Luckily, unlike the numerous acquisitions I’ve been to that didn’t result in a deal, this was relatively quick and painless (I’m still licking my wounds from some others…) 😉

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 😊)

LIZZIE: I connected Stephanie with my agent at the time. Stephanie emailed us the offer, we went through contract negotiations, and I signed quickly. Trusting Stephanie came easy and I felt it was a great decision to work with her.  My husband bought me two bouquets and he, my son, and I went out on the town!

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

LIZZIE: It was only a couple of weeks, I believe.

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

LIZZIE: Because Spinning Wheel is a small, traditional indie press, I knew the advance wouldn’t be huge. I was so excited to work with Stephanie that I wasn’t focused on money. I’m not saying money isn’t important, but for this book, I was getting so much collaboration and a say in creative choices, that I felt it was completely worth it.  On top of the advance, I get 5% royalties, which is pretty standard.

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

LIZZIE: As mentioned, Stephanie requested that I add a refrain as well as some other things that were easy to implement. She didn’t specify what the refrain should be, but over time, I came up with “perfect’s not the point,” and we both loved it. We sent the ms back and forth, chatting on email, Zoom, and even the phone, to get it just right. It felt supportive and collaborative the entire time.

SUSANNA: That’s wonderful! What was your experience of the illustration process like?

LIZZIE: Stephanie was extremely open to my input on illustrators. We sent each other SCBWI galleries and Instagram profiles to get an idea of what we both liked. Stephanie sent me Enni Heikura’s Instagram page and after that, I couldn’t see the book any other way. I was taken by the magic of Enni’s style, and I knew Posey was going to look delightful if Enni had anything to do with it!

Posey Endpapers 1 (book interior images currently unavailable but this will give you a sense of the art!) Illustration copyright Enni Heikura, 2026

Stephanie and I worked together to go over each spread and see if there were any changes that might help tell the story better. We didn’t end up changing a ton–mostly small things. The only piece where we did an entirely different illustration was the cover. The original cover had Posey seated, looking a bit sad. I can understand why Enni made that choice as it does reflect a part of the story, but Stephanie and I felt the main “vibe” of the book was a lot more playful, so we provided some notes and asked for a new cover.  I LOVE the final!

Posey Endpapers 2 (book interior images currently unavailable but this will give you a sense of the art!) Illustration copyright Enni Heikura, 2026

In terms of art notes, I usually only add them if it’s unclear what’s happening in the story or I put them forth as suggestions, not demands. 

SUSANNA: I have to say, I love Enni’s art! It seems perfect for your book! Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?

LIZZIE: I’m thrilled that Posey received a Kirkus starred review. I knew that was a great thing, but after reading their email saying that only 3% of indie books are awarded that distinction, I was floored!  We got another review from Forward and it was decent–nothing really exciting. It just goes to show you that it’s truly subjective and you can’t “win them all.” Best to just write what you love and know that some people will love it and some won’t. That’s ok!

SUSANNA: Congratulations! A Kirkus star is huge! And on your first book! What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?

LIZZIE: Spinning Wheel is the little engine that could and CAN! While there’s not a team of people to handle all the marketing, promotion, etc. Stephanie has been fabulous. We are attending ALA in Chicago in late June and I can’t wait! Stephanie and I are both deeply invested in the success of Posey, so we each submitted for reviews, made promo materials, reached out to various companies and contacts, etc. I used to teach yoga to Adriene Mishler’s mom. Yes–from Yoga With Adriene! Adriene was kind enough to provide a blurb for the book, and you can bet we printed that on the back! 😊

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

LIZZIE: We made bookmarks, pre-sales sheets, author visit sheets, stickers, table banners, and more.  I suggest thinking about your book and fun ways to tie in promo materials. For instance: I wanted a budget-friendly snack for my book signing at the Austin Book People. I thought that pretzels could be a fun tie-in to yoga (as people twist and bend). Costco has a box of 60 packages of pretzels for a bargain. I made custom stickers on Amazon that say, “Don’t twist like a pretzel to be something you’re not. Be YOU!” I also made stickers on Canva (those were pricier) that have the book’s refrain/message on them: “Perfect’s not the point!” I also found inexpensive generic yoga and punny affirmation stickers on amazon. 

I’ve been reaching out to bloggers, bookstores, libraries, etc. I’m happy to say that I’ve booked more than I thought I would–even one at Barnes and Noble. I recommend reaching out even if it feels uncomfortable. Expect some silence and rejection, but hey–authors are used to that, right? And sometimes you get a yes!

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

LIZZIE: Oh boy. From 2019-2026, I’ve had 5 agents. One was just a single-project contract agent–so that was only supposed to last 6 months. One agent was fired from her agency. One never communicated. One I left due to not submitting in the way I felt was most useful. And now I’m with Emily Keyes at Keyes agency. We have a very nice relationship with strong communication and collaboration. I feel great about what we’ll be able to do together.

Over the years, my work has gone to acquisitions 22 times with only 2 offers of publication (I passed on one offer). I secured both offers myself, as well as most of the acquisition opportunities. This is proof that through workshop submissions and online and in-person conferences/webinars, you can get your work in front of editors.

Let me get back to the point! From the time I started “seriously” writing and querying, to when Posey came out, was about eight years! This is the LONG game! Stick with it (but take breaks as needed, of course).

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?)

LIZZIE: • Controversial take: Play with stepping away from formulas to write your pitches. They can be a helpful guide, but sometimes they prevent the inclusion of enticing details and flavor of the manuscript, and your story can end up sounding vague.

 • Lean into your “weird.” No, your book won’t be for everyone, but it’s what makes it different that will separate it from the pack, and it will often be what gets celebrated about you as an author.

• Find honest and helpful critique partners who help make your work better. Support them equally. *And overall, just support other authors and illustrators—this biz is hard.

SUSANNA: That is great advice, Lizzie – very specific and helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to visit with us today and share your knowledge and experience. It is such a valuable opportunity for us and we really appreciate it. Best of luck with this and future titles!

Readers, if you have questions for Lizzie, 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 by Monday June 29th at 3 PM Eastern puts you in the running to be the randomly selected winner of Lizzie’s generous prize of winner’s choice of a copy of IMPERFECTLY PERFECT POSEY OR a PB manuscript critique (nonrhyming, under 650 words)!

Author Lizzie Brooks – counts on coffee to keep her fueled 😊

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lizziebrooksofficial
Book Critique/Author Services Website: 
www.Lizziebrooksbooks.com
TikTok: 
www.TikTok.com/@Lizzie.Brooks
YouTube: 
www.YouTube.com/c/LizzieBrooksYogaandFitness
Instagram: 
www.instagram.com/lizziebrooksauthor/

You may purchase Lizzie’s book at:
(all links below are book-specific)

Indiebound/Bookshop.org
Amazon
Target

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!