Welcome to Tuesday Debut, everyone!
Today’s debut-ess has a wonderful book that is both adorable and educational – what an accomplishment!
Before I introduce you, though, we have giveaway news!
First, a giveaway winner to announce from last week. Lizzie Brooks kindly offered 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)!
And the winner is. . .
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(who I believe is Dina Hardt?)
Congratulations, probably Dina! Please email me at your earliest convenience so I can get your prize to you!
Second, we have not one but two new giveaways! This week’s debutess is offering one lucky person a copy of her book, NIGHTY NIGHT, DINOS, a signed, personalized sticker to put in the book and a bookmark. She is offering another lucky person a rhyming picture book manuscripts critique! All you need to do to put yourself in the running to be one of the randomly selected winners is leave a comment on today’s post by Monday July 6th at 3 PM Eastern!
Now, are you ready to meet today’s debut-ess? Allow me to introduce you all to today’s debut-ess, Deborah Holt Williams, and her delightful book, NIGHTY NIGHT, DINOS!
Title: Nighty Night, Dinos
Author: Deborah Holt Williams
Illustrator: Anna Doherty
Publishing House: Familius
Date of Publication: June 16, 2026, Fiction
ISBN: 979-8893960501
Age range: preschool
SUSANNA: Welcome, Deborah! Thank you so much for coming to chat with us today! We are so looking forward to hearing all about our journey to publication and learning what we can from your experience! Where did the idea for this book come from?
DEBORAH: The idea for this book came from a bedtime story contest I entered. It didn’t win, but I liked it and rewrote it as a board book. I’m a big believer in contests and writing challenges, like the ones Susanna offers!
SUSANNA: That’s so nice, Deborah! I am also a big believer in the benefits of contests. They can be so helpful! How long did it take you to write this book?
DEBORAH: The basic poem came in a couple evenings, then it was a few more days to add stanzas to turn it into a board book.
SUSANNA: Were there any mentor texts that helped you zero in on the direction you wanted to take your book?
DEBORAH: As a child I read A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson over and over, and I credit his poems with my “ear” for rhythm and rhyme.
SUSANNA: I used to read those poems, too! My favorite was “The Swing” 😊 When did you know your manuscript was ready for submission?
DEBORAH: I always have my computer “read” my work using the Read Aloud feature in Word, and when the meter sounds perfect and the rhyme works, I know it’s ready to submit.
SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?
DEBORAH: I submitted the board book manuscript to Familius Publishing in 2021, and heard back from the head of the company, Christopher Robbins, the very next day! He really liked it, but the company had several dinosaur books in the pipeline already, so he didn’t take it on at that point but we kept in touch.
Then one day in 2023, out of the blue, Christopher wrote and asked if I would add four more stanzas so they could turn it into a 32-page picture book! I couldn’t say yes fast enough! I sent the new stanzas within a few days, then waited to hear.
SUSANNA: How amazing! How long was it between getting your offer and getting your contract to sign?
DEBORAH: One month later I was in the hospital after a heart procedure, couldn’t sleep, turned on my laptop and there was the contract! Woohoo!
I signed and returned the contract the next day. Then I celebrated by making enormous bubbles! I like to make them for library events and special occasions.
I call that a DINO-sized bubble! 😊
SUSANNA: That is a seriously impressive bubble! Was the contract what you expected in terms of advance, royalty percentage, publication timeline, author copies etc.?
DEBORAH: To tell you the truth, I didn’t examine the contract very thoroughly, although I know writers should. At my age, they could have paid me in dog treats and I still would have signed! I was so excited to finally have my dream of a published book coming true. There is no advance but they send a royalty check once a month, 5% for the first 10,000 copies sold, 7.5% on the next 20,000 copies sold, and then 10% on any copies sold thereafter.
SUSANNA: Can you tell us a little about the editorial process?
DEBORAH: There were no changes to the manuscript, other than adding the extra stanzas.
SUSANNA: What was your experience of the illustration process like?
DEBORAH: I saw the illustrations at a preliminary stage and I asked for a few more ferns and fewer bats, and the artist (Anna Doherty) took care of it. (There were quite a few bats so I had to research whether bats existed in the dinosaur days, and they did.) When the editor told me the illustrator planned to put clouds on the endpapers, I asked if the clouds could be shaped like chubby dinos, and that’s how Anna drew them! I happened to be in Greece for a wedding when Familius sent the completed artwork, and I was thrilled with it! I love the little touches Anna added, like a hot water bottle, a teddy bear, bunny slippers, etc.
text copyright Deborah Holt Williams 2026, illustration copyright Anna Doherty 2026, Familius Publishing
SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc? What was that like?
DEBORAH: The Familius team sent me the reviews as they came out, first from the School Library Journal and then from Kirkus, both very positive!
SUSANNA: How long did it take from offer to having the first copy in your hand?
DEBORAH: I first submitted in 2021 and the book came out in 2026, so it took five years.
SUSANNA: What kind of marketing and promotion has your publisher done for this book?
DEBORAH: The publisher connected with an Instagram influencer, submitted the story for reviews and created some game cards for me to use in my presentations based on the illustrations. Familius has a very active presence on social media and they attend the Bologna and London book fairs, so I know my book will get great exposure.
SUSANNA: Describe any marketing/promotion you did for this book.
DEBORAH: I created bookmarks, stickers, a banner, business cards, and posts for Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and Threads. I was tickled to learn that this year’s national Summer Reading Program theme is dinosaurs so I made flyers and sent them to all our local libraries, book stores and also to some dinosaur museums in our area with gift shops. That has led to several story time bookings ahead this summer, where I’ll proudly wear the dinosaur dress and dino crocs I ordered online!
SUSANNA: Wow! You were committed! How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?
DEBORAH: I started writing stories as soon as I learned how to write, in first grade. I wrote for the local town paper in high school and received a journalism degree in college and wrote for a small-town newspaper. But it wasn’t until the last of my five children was in school that I joined SCBWI in 1998 and started submitting stories to publishers. A year later I saw in the Children’s Book Insider newsletter that two teachers had started a publishing company called Seedlings and they were looking for early readers. I sent in Awful Waffles, a story I made up for my son, and they bought it and then they soon bought 4 more! Then they sold the company to Continental Press, which has never responded to my submissions since then. But my little books are still in their catalog, still helping kids learn to read for more than 25 years. About 10 years later I sold a poem to Highlights, which led to several more and to pieces for Jack and Jill, Appleseeds and other magazines for kids. I love Highlights and have been to 5 workshops at their barn in Pennsylvania. Then, another ten years of unsuccessful submissions, and two close calls, and two agents who dropped me amicably, and then—Nighty Night, Dinos!
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?)
DEBORAH: My advice to writers is KEEP GOING! Follow blogs and enter contests like Susanna’s, join a writers’ group, become active in your regional SCBWI, take classes, and keep going no matter how many rejections you may accumulate. At a Highlights workshop, author Eileen Spinelli gave us each a little rubber ball to remind us to bounce back from rejection! (I like to throw mine against the wall with a few well-chosen words, but then it’s back to writing and subbing!)
SUSANNA: Anything else you’d like to share about your book’s journey from inspiration to publication?
DEBORAH: My youngest grandson turns 4 this summer, just the right age for a dinosaur book, and I can’t wait to give it to him on his birthday and read it with him. It’s been 28 years since I started subbing on the road to publication, but I know that moment will make it all worthwhile!
SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to share your publication journey with us today Deborah, so that we have the opportunity to learn from your knowledge and experience. So helpful! Best of luck with this and future titles!
Readers, if you have questions for Deborah, 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 one of the two randomly selected winners of Deborah’s generous giveaways of a copy of her book, NIGHTY NIGHT, DINOS, a signed, personalized sticker to put in the book and a bookmark to one winner, and a rhyming picture book manuscript critique to another winner if you comment by Monday July 6th at 3 PM Eastern!
Author Deborah Holt Williams
website: www.deborahholtwilliams.com
Instagram: @debwriter
Bluesky: @debwriter
Face Book: Deborah Holt Williams
Publisher: www.Familius.com
You may purchase Deborah’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!
Susanna Leonard Hill 
Congratulations on your beautiful book, Deborah. Love the illustrations and sweet message!
So glad you like it, Armineh! I find those little dinos absolutely delightful, and the rhyming story fun and educational! 🙂
Thanks, Armineh! Anna’s illustrations really sparkle!
Your book looks adorable, Deborah. I know kids are going to love it! Thanks for sharing your book journey.
Adorable is the word, Claire! Those little dinos look so cozy 🙂
Thank you! I’m enjoying every minute since the book came out!
Congratulations. How fun that you’ll be able to read this to your grandson!
That really is super special!
Yes! Thanks! And I just learned last week that another grandbaby is on the way, as are two more books in the series
Triple congratulations! That’s wonderful news.
We are loving the Dino summer reading program, and my son and I will LOVE this book! I love your honesty, Deborah! I’d sign for dog treats, too! Hahaha!! So happy for you & CONGRATS!!
I know, Mindy. Money, if you get it is wonderful, and certainly helpful. I would love to make more than I do. But what really matters most to me as a writer is having kids read it and love it. When a child comes to me at a book festival and asks me to sign a beaten and tattered copy of one of my books, that is so special. And frankly, given the dogs at my house, payment in dog treats could be useful! 🙂
Thanks, Mindy. It’s been a really fun theme this year!
Congratulations, Deborah, what a journey! I know little ones will love hearing about Dinos as they drift off to sleep. And I’m ALWAYS a fan of rhyming!👏
Plus, Kim, I learned two names of dinosaurs in this book that I had never heard of before!
Thank you! I love rhyming, too. A reviewer mentioned that the book could also be sung to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle! A little embarrassed that I wrote it and didn’t realize that.
I love that the publisher reached out years later… out of the blue. A reminder that ANYTHING can happen when we put ourselves out there! Congrats on this beautiful book 🙂
So true! It’s what we all hope for, isn’t it Tara? That our stories will be so memorable that editors will reach out on their own when you thought they’d passed and/or forgotten and make you an offer!
Thanks, Tara! Yes, it was a thrill to get that email. After that I got another email, and it was when tariffs were happening, and I was sure it was going to say that paper comes from Canada, and books are printed in China, and it was going to be too costly to print my book. But I opened it and it was Christopher asking if I would consider a series of Nighty Night books! So now I have bears and puppies coming out in 2028.
Wow, so happy for you, Deborah! Congratulations! And yes, I have 4 grandsons under the age of 6, so I will be buying your book. I know they will love it.
Your grandkids are lucky to have you, Barb! You keep finding books they will love!
Thanks, Barb! I hope they enjoy it! I can send you personalized bookplate stickers if you’ll let me know the kids’ names and your address. I usually add “asaurus Rex” to their name, like Barbasaurus Rex. My email is williamsdeborahholt@gmail.com
Congratulations! I’m looking forward to reading Niighty, Night, Dinos. I fell in love with “The Swing” and other lovely poems in The Little Golden Book of Poetry, which I still have and read.
I love “The Swing”, Kathryn. My mom used to recite it to me when I was little and on the swing, and I did the same with my kids and now with my grandkids! 🙂
Oh, how I love to go up in a swing….love it! Thanks, Kathryn!
I second what Lucky said about your contests, Suzanna!
Huge congratulations, Lucky!! I remember our working group in the course we took together and I am thrilled that you’ve also stuck with it and are now published 🥳🥳
Thanks, T! I do think contests are helpful. I have entered many myself! And isn’t it wonderful how much talent we are surrounded by that people are sticking with it and getting published!
Blergh…I apologize for spelling your name wrong earlier, Susanna! Morning brain before caffeine kicked in…LOL! 😘
No worries, T 🙂
Thanks, Teresa! And congrats on your many successes, too!
Congratulations on your new book!! Thank you for sharing your story, and I laughed out loud when you mention paying you in dog treats. 🙂
I did too, Christy, but then I thought, gee – payment in dog treats could be pretty helpful at my house 🙂
Thanks, Christy! I promised myself if I got a book published I would donate all the first year royalties to Smile Train, a charity that repairs children’s cleft palates for free and totally improves their lives. So I’m not going to get rich anyway!
I love this! I have similar plans and remain optimistic and expectant to get that first “yes” so I can continue to connect with a purpose.
Congratulations! This interview had great information in it! I really appreciate your advice and I am inspired to get back to working on my rhyming story. Reading your book to your grandson will be so special!
I agree, Sarah. When my first books were published my kids were already too old for them, but now I’ve had the opportunity to read them to my grandkids and it is truly magical 🙂
Thank you! I know they say rhyme is a hard sell because it doesn’t always translate well for foreign markets, but kids love it and it can sell!
Deb, you have always been “Lucky” to me. I love your personal story and Nighty Night Dinos, of course. And I can’t wait for the other two books to come out, too. Readers, look for NIGHTY NIGHT, PUPPIES and NIGHTY NIGHT BEARS to come out in 2028.
Deb, I love how your persistence and belief kept you going! Yes, I’d sign for dog treats, too, right about now! So thrilled to see you as a “debut-tess!”
Ooh! Squeee! That is news I hadn’t heard yet, Kathy! (Or possibly I did and forgot, because my brain is a sieve :)) But how exciting to have PUPPIES and BEARS to look forward to!!!
Thanks, Kathy! I love the term “Debutess.” Sounds like “countess” or “marchioness” or “dutchess.” Raising my pinky now! And you will be signed, I just know it!
Hi Deb, I still have hope and that work ethic! K 🙂
This is a great interview! I completely agree with the ‘keep going’ advice. Most of us don’t get published right out of the gate. Congratulations on the beautiful new book!
So true, Melissa. The old saying is correct: If you don’t submit, you won’t be rejected, but you will also never be published. Determination and perseverance are key in this industry!
Thanks, Melissa! It took me 28 years from joining SCBWI and starting to submit to holding the book in my hand. When I volunteered at a school a teacher told me she was taking a year off to write a children’s book, I thought “Oh, honey, keep your day job!” It’s often a loooong journey.
Adorable! Sooo very happy for Deborah! Congrats to the illustrator too!!!
I know, Jules, so cute! And Kathy has just informed us (or possibly reminded me of something I knew and forgot) that there are two more coming in this series!
That’s terrific news!
Thanks, Julie! Anna’s illustrations really make the book. This is her 20th book–so glad Familius paired her with this rookie!
So cute Deborah. Thanks for sharing your journey. I laughed at being paid in dog treats because I feel the same way. I can hardly wait to get my copy.
Me too, Deborah! 🙂
Thanks, Deborah! As I get older, a little desperation creeps in. I used to read those lists of things you should check out before signing with an agent, and my list was “Is she breathing?” (After two agents I just submitted to a publisher.)
I had one agent and then have gone without one for years. I keep submitting to publishers. My debut PB comes out this October with The Little Press. A Knight and His Trusty…I’m so excited but I will keep submitting any chance I get.
So exciting that your debut is coming Deborah B! Congratulations!!! And while my blog calendar is so full I can’t remember everyone who is on it, I feel like maybe you are not! I hope I am wrong about that!
It’s wonderful that the publisher kept in touch with you and reached out when they were ready. The book looks adorable! BIG Congrats!!
It really is, Kris! Just goes to show how good the books really are! 🙂
Thanks, Kris! Familius has been absolutely wonderful to work with. (ending a sentence with a preposition there.) They have my book at ALA now and they also go to Bologna and London and they are really supportive on social media. I couldn’t be in better hands.
Congratulations on this adorable book! And thank you for sharing your amazing journey. A wonderful lesson in patience and perseverance.
It truly is, Barbara! This industry is not one for quitters! 🙂
Thanks, Barbara! It’s been so much fun, blog interviews, a podcast interview, an article in the local paper, library and bookstore visits–it’s all been worth it. I’m truly living the dream! (At age 74!)
I admire Deborah’s choice of Robert Louis Stevenson for her writing mentor. She could have done far worse, LOL. I’ve reviewed one or two books published by Familius Publishing and I like their material. Our youngest grandniece is 6 — a bit older than the author’s youngest grandson — and we have found some books that she has enjoyed reading. I’m glad everything has worked out well for Deborah! 🙂
Thanks, Art! Familius produces beautiful books.
Congratulations on such an adorable book. I can’t wait to read it. Thanks also for sharing your journey and for your encouragement to “keep going.” I am now following you on Instagram!
Thanks, Claire! I have to admit, Instagram baffles me (things disappear!) but I’ll try to get better at it.
This book looks adorable. I just suggested it for purchase by my library. I look forward to reading it. I have the same dinosaur dress!
Thanks, Sue! Love those SVAHA “Mrs. Frizzle” dresses. Thanks for asking your library to purchase it!
Kids and Dinosaurs are always great match! Your PB sounds adorable. Looking forward to reading it! Thanks for sharing your journey! 🦕🦖
Thank you, and Anna Doherty’s illustrations make the dinos so friendly.
Love hearing about this book and seeing your spectacular dino dress and the giant bubble photo.
Thanks, Ellen! And the dress has pockets!
Dinosaurs are always a hit with readers. I’m excited to read it out loud to my nieces. The illustrations are adorable and the color pallete is perfect–so calming. Congratualtions!
Thanks, Danielle. I’d love to meet Anna Doherty someday. She’s from Scotland but married a Swiss fellow and lives there now. We email and she seems just as lovely as her pallete!
Thanks for sharing your writing journey with us! It’s always inspiring and encouraging!
It really is, isn’t it, Karan? Especially if you’ve never sold a book, or haven’t sold one in a while, it’s nice to be able to celebrate the accomplishments of others and remind yourself that editors still by books and it can happen for you, too! 🙂
Thanks, Karan! I hope I can encourage people to keep following their dream.
Congratulations, Deborah! What an amazing journey this delightful book (and you!) have had so far! I’m very happy for you and look forward to reading this.
Thanks, Sarah! I’m excited to share it with my grandson tomorrow!
It is delightful, Sarah! I think you will enjoy it 🙂
wow, what a journey you’ve had but your hard work has paid off. Nighty night, Dinos looks fabulous. Congratulations! (I’m also quite impressed that the only editing changes were the additional of a few stanzas.)
Also, thanks for the tip about using the Read Aloud function. I’ll try that.
Thank you for stopping by to read and support Deborah! I’m glad you gleaned some helpful tips!
Glad you’re going to give it a try! It mispronounces words sometimes and sounds a little odd, but it’s basically helpful.
Congratulations, Deborah! I can’t wait to read Nighty Night Dinos!