Susanna Leonard Hill

Beth Anderson – An Inconvenient Alphabet: Ben Franklin And Noah Webster’s Spelling Revolution

Annie Romano – Before You Sleep: A Bedtime Book Of Gratitude

B.J. Lee – There Was An Old Gator Who Swallowed A Moth

Jill Mangel Weisfeld – Riley The Retriever Wants A New Job

Kathleen Cornell Berman – The Birth Of Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound

Eleanor Ann Peterson – Jurassic Rat

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Butterflies On The First Day Of School

May 31, 2019May 30, 201911 Comments

Hurray! It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday and tomorrow is June!

What could be better?

I have a wonderful book to share today, and yes, it’s true that perhaps a book about the first day of school when we’re nearing the last day of school is a little out of order… 😊

But this book is too special not to be on Perfect Picture Books right now while I’m thinking about it! So get ready to enjoy!

Title: Butterflies On The First Day Of School

Written By: Annie Silvestro

Illustrated By: Dream Chen

Sterling Children’s Books, May 7, 2019, fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-8

Themes/Topics: first day of school, nerves/anxiety

Opening: “A month before school, Rosie picked out her very first backpack. It was covered with flowers, and she loved it with all her heart.
She paraded around proudly. ‘Don’t worry,’ she told her sister, Emily. ‘Someday you’ll be big enough to go to school like me.’ ”

Brief Synopsis: Rosie can’t wait for her very first day of school, but when the big day arrives, she’s suddenly unsure. “Maybe I’d better stay home,” she tells her mom. But with gentle encouragement from her parents, she heads off to school and discovers that she is not the only one with butterflies in her tummy.

Links To Resources: Butterfly Activities for Preschoolers; 5 Circle Time Lessons About Emotion; pair with First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg and/or The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn and/or Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney

text copyright Annie Silvestro 2019, illustration copyright Dream Chen 2019

Why I Like This Book: This sweet story is one every young reader can relate to. Even if they don’t suffer a moment’s trepidation about going off to school, they are bound to have butterflies in their stomachs at some point about something! Grown-ups too 😊 I particularly loved how the butterflies were released, one or two at a time, as Rosie (and other characters in the story) bravely tried new things, their success allowing the butterflies to fly away. I won’t give away the lovely ending – you have to read it because it’s so perfect! I dare any mom not to get a little teary! 😊

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂

Tuesday Debut – Presenting Eleanor Ann Peterson!

May 28, 2019May 27, 201920 Comments

Hello, Everyone!

Time for another epic installment of Tuesday Debut!

Everyone’s publication journey is a little bit different. Today’s author achieved publication by winning a Golden Ticket!

I’m delighted to introduce you to Eleanor Ann Peterson and her fascinating debut picture book, Jurassic Rat!

Title: Jurassic Rat
Author. Eleanor A. Peterson
Illustrator: John Seckman
Publishing house: Clear Fork Publishing- Spork Imprint
Nonfiction
Age range 5-8 years

‘Jurassic Rat’, introduces children to the fascinating world of a rat that lived in the Jurassic Period. Young children will enjoy the rat’s clumsiness and misadventures while he’s out hunting for food and will learn other dinosaur’s names of that period, and that rats have been around for a long time.

SUSANNA: Welcome, Eleanor! Thank you so much for joining us today! Where did the idea for this book come from?

ELEANOR: While researching how to remove roof rats from my old rambling house, I found an article about discoveries in Spain and China of a rat as big as a cat belonging to the Jurassic period. Bingo! I thought, why not introduce young readers to the evolution of a species in a fun way with Jurassic Rat?

I’m very curious and eager to learn new things. I surf the web looking for a variety of information that interests me at the time, and many have sparked an idea for a new picture book. I eavesdrop on conversations between parents and their children and jot down notes. Kids can be funny! Observe your environment.

SUSANNA: Great advice for finding ideas! How long did it take you to write this book?

ELEANOR: The first draft took me a few weeks to write. I let it sit for a month then took it out of the drawer and read it out loud. I tweaked it a bit then set it aside once more.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

ELEANOR: The book went through many revisions. I’d put it aside once more while working on other manuscripts.

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

ELEANOR: I didn’t.

SUSANNA: I love your honesty on that, Eleanor. I think we all feel like that – at least to some degree! When and how did you submit?

ELEANOR: I don’t have an agent at the moment but would like to have one. I didn’t submit. What happened is that I followed an illustration course at the Children’s Book Academy. I used Jurassic Rat for the text. I illustrated the book dummy and had brilliant critique partners that encouraged me along the way. Then…

SUSANNA: When did you get “the call”? (Best moment ever! 😊)

ELEANOR: The Children’s Book Academy have a contest at the end of the course called the Golden Tickets. I got the call from Mira Reisberg, she was one of the judges. She wrote to me saying she loved the story but asked if I were willing to let another artist illustrate it?

My illustrations were not kid friendly for the age range. I accepted immediately.

Here’s a pic of one of my illustrations.

SUSANNA: Your illustration is amazing! But very different from what ended up being in the book – so interesting! How did you celebrate signing your contract?

ELEANOR: My husband and I went out to dinner.

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

ELEANOR: No secrets. I had no advance, but I got higher royalties, and the more books I sell, the higher the royalties. Being a small house, I can understand that they can’t risk paying advances with a newbie author. I help run a family business, so I know how risky it can be when we take on a new employee. The important thing for new authors is to get their foot in the door. They will understand how the publishing world works and be better prepared when the time comes to submit new projects to publishers or agents. From the time I got the call, it took 20 months for the book release, which is a standard timeline for publication. There’s a lot of work involved in creating a picture book. I will receive three hardcover copies.

SUSANNA: What can you tell us about the editorial process?

ELEANOR: I was impressed with the support of my publisher, editor, and illustrator. Mira Reisberg edited the text, but few changes were made.

SUSANNA: How about your experience of the illustration process?

ELEANOR: As a rule of thumb, authors do not butt in. We can’t give our opinion unless requested by the publisher. In my case, a few months after the call, I received an email requiring feedback about the setting and the protagonist. For example; the birds in the Jurassic period were toothed birds as big as hens. The illustrator had drawn a sort of ostrich which didn’t exist then. He promptly changed the illustration to better suit the period. It was a delightful experience working with Clear Fork and Company.

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

ELEANOR: Not yet.

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

ELEANOR: I’m very ambitious, and as soon as I signed the contract, I was thinking about marketing tactics. I’ve contacted book bloggers for early reviews, posted teasers on social media, created a puppet of Rat, my protagonist for school visits. I’m preparing a video where I interview Rat, to post on social media to create engagement with my readers. I have bookmarks and will have T-shirts printed with a scene of the book. I’m negotiating prices for a plush toy of Rat with a vendor to add to my giveaways (all depends on the price and my budget), and I’m in contact with a developer for a book trailer. I’ll have free downloadable coloring pages of the book on my revamped website, courtesy of the illustrator John Seckman. I could go on and on.

SUSANNA: I can’t wait to see that video! How long was it between the time you started writing seriously and the time you sold your first picture book?

ELEANOR: I’ve been writing for ten years, and in the past three, I’ve dedicated my time writing for children. I signed the contract for my debut picture book in 2017. My book will be released on June 4^th,2019

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

ELEANOR: For Jurassic Rat, I can thank my lucky star and Dr. Mira Reisberg and my publisher for believing in me and my story. I never thought I would win a Golden Ticket at the Children’s Book Academy. I worked hard and long hours to create my book dummy, and my hard work paid off in the end.

SUSANNA: It’s a great feeling when hard work pays off! Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and paying it forward to other writers, Eleanor! We all so appreciate getting to share your knowledge and experience! All the best of luck with this and future books!!!

Author Eleanor Peterson

https://www.facebook.com/eleanorannpeterson/

https://eleanorannpeterson.com/

https://www.instagram.com/eleanorannpeterson/

https://www.pinterest.it/eleanorannpeter/

https://twitter.com/eannpeterson

https://www.goodreads.com/EleanorAnn_Peterson

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

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

Indiebound
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!

Christy Mihaly – Hey! Hey! Hay! A Tale of Bales And The Machines That Make Them

Beth Anderson – An Inconvenient Alphabet: Ben Franklin And Noah Webster’s Spelling Revolution

Annie Romano – Before You Sleep: A Bedtime Book Of Gratitude

B.J. Lee – There Was An Old Gator Who Swallowed A Moth

Jill Mangel Weisfeld – Riley The Retriever Wants A New Job

Kathleen Cornell Berman – Birth Of Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound

Perfect Picture Book Friday – If You Had Your Birthday Party On The Moon

May 24, 2019May 23, 201910 Comments

Wow! Somehow it’s Perfect Picture Book Friday again!

Wasn’t it just here???!!! 😊

I seem to have moon books on the brain – maybe because I have one of my own coming out in less than two weeks 😊 – so would you care to join me for a birthday party in a venue that beats Chuck E. Cheese hands down??? 😆

Title: If You Had Your Birthday Party On The Moon

Written By: Joyce Lapin

Illustrated By: Simona Ceccarelli

Sterling Children’s Books, April 23 2019, nonfiction

Suitable For Ages: 7 and up

Themes/Topics: the Moon

Opening: “How amazing would it be to have your birthday party on the Moon?
Of course, everyone would want to come. Not just because it’s the Moon – but who wouldn’t want to ride to a party in a rocket?
You’ll get to fly 40 times faster than a plane. And for most of the trip, you’ll also get to. . .”

Brief Synopsis: In the context of imagining a birthday party on the Moon, young readers will learn all kinds of amazing facts about life without gravity, air, or atmosphere, and about the Moon itself.

Links To Resources: the book itself is a resource, nonfiction with sidebars on almost every page that add even more interesting facts. The back of the book includes a glossary, selected bibliography, suggestions for further reading, sources for videos of astronauts moonwalking, and a link to NASA Kids’ Club. Falling For Gravity activity; Moon crafts and activities for kids

Why I Like This Book: This book imparts all kinds of interesting information in a conversational tone. Did you know that Pizza Hut delivered Pizza to the International Space Station? Or that astronaut Alan Shepherd snuck two golf balls onto Apollo 14 and became the first person to play golf on the moon? I didn’t! 😊 And there are all kinds of birthday party related details that would work differently: candles wouldn’t light, balloons wouldn’t float, and you wouldn’t be able to hear the music of the Happy Birthday song. Young readers will learn lots of fun facts in an entertaining way. A great choice for budding astronauts, astronomers, and scientists… and anyone who has a birthday! 😊

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! And enjoy the Waning Gibbous Moon! 😊

Tuesday Debut – Presenting Kathleen Cornell Berman!

May 21, 2019May 20, 201915 Comments

Woo hoo! Time for Tuesday Debut!

I am thrilled to introduce today’s debutess to you all! She took my class way back in 2013 when it had only been running for 6 months, so she was an early graduate! I think it’s fair to say, judging by the photo below, that I was incredibly helpful in teaching her the importance of chocolate for good writing 😊

Please join me in welcoming the lovely and talented Kathleen Cornell Berman and her fabulous book about Miles Davis!

BIRTH OF THE COOL: HOW JAZZ GREAT MILES DAVIS FOUND HIS SOUND
By Kathleen Cornell Berman
Illustrated by Keith Henry Brown
Page Street Kids, April 16, 2019
Non-fiction Age 8-11

BIRTH OF THE COOL: HOW JAZZ GREAT MILES DAVIS FOUND HIS SOUND is a picture book biography about Miles’ journey to creating his unique sound. Readers will discover what inspired his sound and how his perseverance pushed him to new heights.

SUSANNA: Where did the idea for this book come from?

KATHY: I was brainstorming ideas for a Tara Lazar’s picture book month. I was anxious to write a picture book bio and my husband suggested Miles Davis. I loved the idea. I had fallen in love with Miles Davis’ music as a kid, and was eager to discover how he developed his sound on the trumpet.

I didn’t start research until almost year later. I read several books about Miles, including his autobiography and magazine articles. I listened to countless YouTube interviews, and played his music while I wrote.

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

KATHY: The seed for idea started in 2012, but I didn’t start the research until much later. Research plus writing and revisions took about two and half years. As I wrote the book, I continually went back and forth to check for accuracy, since some interviews contradicted others.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

KATHY: It went through many revisions. My first draft was filled with facts, but also very boring. I had recently finished Renee LaTulippe class that had given me the audacity to write in free verse. Once I started writing in free verse, the words flowed.

Chocolate definitely helps with revisions. I always have an assortment on hand.

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

KATHY: It’s so hard to know when a manuscript is ready. That’s why it’s really important to share your work with other writers who also write in verse. I asked Tameka Brown as well as another writer in Renee’s group to read the story. Getting good feedback is essential in making the big decision.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

KATHY: I don’t have an agent. I submitted to about 25 agents and 6 publishers over 2 years, which isn’t a lot according to some. I had 4 agents who were interested, but alas, not interested in my other fiction picture books. I like to check out the #MSWL website to see what editors and agents are looking for. I was elated to read Charlotte Wenger’s tweet, looking for PB biographies related to the arts, music. Charlotte is the editor at Page Street Kids. So yes I submitted directly to the publisher.

SUSANNA: When did you get “the call”? (Best moment ever!😊)

KATHY: I submitted to Charlotte in May 2017 and heard back quickly. After going through a few rounds of revisions, I signed the contract at the end of August 2017. The heart of the book is essentially the same, but with a few specifics to help clarify Miles’ journey, and more revisions process concerning word choice.

When my editor wanted to change the title to Birth of the Cool, I added more text about some details about the Birth of the Cool band.

SUSANNA: How did you celebrate signing your contract?

KATHY: I think I sang at the top of my lungs (I’m tone-deaf and have no musical ability), then toasted a glass of Proseco with my husband.

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

KATHY: I wasn’t sure what to expect. Fortunately I have critique partners who do have experience with contracts, so they advised me. I also contacted a lawyer for the final decisions.

My advance was standard, less than 5k and 5% royalty, with 15 author copies.

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

KATHY: The revision process was smooth and straightforward. The editor and I basically had the same vision. I basically made changes where the text was confusing to some. And I added more text because of the change of the title. Each time I revised I kept the audience in mind. I wanted kids to be able to relate to Miles in some way and also to be inspired by his journey.

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

KATHY: I was consulted every step of the way in choosing the illustrator as well as the ongoing sketches for the book. I loved Keith’s illustrations and how they’re free flowing, rhythmic, and moody. Since the book is non-fiction, I notified them of any inaccuracies in the illustrations.

Keith Henry Brown and I at Jazz Gallery

I think art notes are important for a non-fiction text, they help the illustrator to keep the art in line with the time period or with specific facts noted in story.

Some of my notes were used to describe the high school band or places where he played music as a young man.

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

KATHY: Yes we got to see the reviews and we were thrilled to get a starred review from Kirkus. Being a debut author and illustrator, we didn’t fully realize the significance. We were both beyond thrilled.

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

KATHY: I signed the contract August 31, 2017. We had the book in our hands in less than two years. Very cool feeling.

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

KATHY: They use social media to promote the book. We’re also in contact with the publicist who has contacted booksellers as well event venues for book signings. They also made gorgeous bookmarks and provided us with a curriculum guide that is downloadable on my website.

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

KATHY: Keith made a booktrailer and is also creating a coloring book. I’ve created the swag bag along with a wordsearch and goodies. There will be activities added to my website as time goes on.

I have done a number of blog tours and a podcast. Both Keith and I appeared on Jazz 88 WBGO radio show. We were asked interesting questions and it was amazing to hear ourselves on the radio.

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

KATHY: It took seven years of reading, writing, reading, classes, conferences, and of course being in a critique group is essential to getting published

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

KATHY: I totally enjoyed the research and the revisions. I never felt overly frustrated. It always brought me joy in hopes that my book would inspire kids to find their own voice and be inspired by Miles’ tenacity to reach his goal. Obviously many kids will not become musicians, but I hope they find their own voice in what ever they attempt.

SUSANNA: Thank you so much for joining us today, Kathy, and for taking the time to participate in this series and pay it forward to other writers! We all so appreciate the knowledge and experience you shared with us today, and who knows how many writers you may have helped toward publication?! 😊

Author Kathleen Cornell Berman

Website: kathleencornellberman.com

Twitter: @bermankathy

Instagram: kcornellb

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

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

Indiebound
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!

Christy Mihaly – Hey! Hey! Hay! A Tale of Bales And The Machines That Make Them

Beth Anderson – An Inconvenient Alphabet: Ben Franklin And Noah Webster’s Spelling Revolution

Annie Romano – Before You Sleep: A Bedtime Book Of Gratitude

B.J. Lee – There Was An Old Gator Who Swallowed A Moth

Jill Mangel Weisfeld – Riley The Retriever Wants A New Job

Perfect Picture Book Friday – I’m Happy-Sad Today

May 17, 2019May 16, 20199 Comments

Welcome to Perfect Picture Book Friday, everyone!

Get out whatever you make lists with (I still use scrap paper and a pen, but I’m old-fashioned that way 😊) so you can prepare for your weekly trip to the library! 😊

I have a very helpful book to share today. I hope you like it!

Title: I’m Happy Sad Today: Making Sense of Mixed-Together Feelings

Written By: Lory Britain

Illustrated By: Matthew Rivera

Free Spirit Publishing, April 9, 2019, fact-based fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-8

Themes/Topics: feelings/emotions

Opening: “Sometimes I just feel happy . . . that’s all!
I feel the “noisy, giggly, jump and run” kind of happy.”

Brief Synopsis: Sometimes we feel just plain happy or sad, excited or scared, but emotions don’t always come in tidy, neatly-labeled boxes. Lots of times what we experience are a mix of feelings, which can conflict or confuse. The little girl in this story works through her layered emotions to conclude that all her feelings are okay, and it’s okay to have more than one at a time.

text copyright Lory Britain 2019, illustration copyright Matthew Rivera 2019

Links To Resources: the back of the book is a wonderful resource, including material on How To Read This Book With Children, and Strategies For Supporting Children’s Social-Emotional Development both aimed toward adults, as well as Using Words With Friends, Pretending With Animals, Dolls, or Little Figures, Dancing and Movement, Making Up Words, Twirling Feeling Faces, Puppet of Many Feelings, Basket of Cards, Story and Discussion Starters, Making Music from Feelings, and Other Feelings Activities. This book would pair nicely with Danielle Dufayet’s picture book YOU ARE YOUR STRONG.

text copyright Lory Britain 2019, illustration copyright Matthew Rivera 2019

Why I Like This Book: It can be hard for kids to identify and articulate what they are feeling, and this can lead to frustration and misunderstanding. This book with its bright, warm art, diverse characters, and many familiar, child-friendly situations will give kids a vocabulary and a strategy for understanding and expressing what they’re feeling as well as show them clearly that they are not alone in their emotions. A lovely book that all little ones will relate to, especially helpful for those who struggle with their feelings.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 😊 I am happy-excited – happcited? 😊 – for this weekend’s graduation celebration!

Tuesday Debut – Presenting Jill Mangel Weisfeld!

May 14, 2019May 3, 202322 Comments

Hey there, folks!

It’s time for another edge-of-your-seat episode of Tuesday Debut! 😊

Today, we have something very special in store.

To date, in this series, we have focused on the journey to publication for traditionally published authors, because that is what the majority of pre-published writers are striving for. And for the most part, that will continue to be the focus of the series. But some authors choose a different route for their own reasons, and I thought you might enjoy hearing at least once about a different kind of publication journey because I think there’s a lot we can learn and apply to our own situations.

So I now have the pleasure of introducing you to Jill Mangel Weisfeld and her adorable book, Riley The Retriever Wants A New Job!

Title: Riley the Retriever Wants a New Job
Author: Jill Mangel Weisfeld and Deborah Mangel
Illustrator: Shirley Ng-Benitez
Publishing house: Peek-a-Bear Press
Published: August 2018
Fiction
Picture book for ages 4-8

SM-VSK Riley cover

Book description: The book tells the adventures of Riley who is trying to find a more meaningful job than being a Retriever. Riley begins her quest researching working dog jobs on “Doogle” to see if she can find one that is a better fit for her. The book is entertaining and educational. The colorful illustrations bring Riley’s adorable personality to life. The story is based on Jill’s own dog Riley who is a certified therapy dog with the Good Dog Foundation.

Jill’s daughter with Riley when she was about 4 months old 😊

SUSANNA: Welcome, Jill! Thank you so much for joining us today! We’re looking forward to hearing about the publication process from a different angle! Where did the idea for this book come from?

JILL: The idea of the book came to me when I was working with Riley at the library about six years ago. The idea was fully formed when I first came up with it. I wanted the story to be educational so immediately I thought the idea of Riley being bored being a Retriever and having her research working dog jobs on her computer. The word “Doogle” came to me later. I began to do my own research on different kinds of working dog jobs and picked different jobs that I thought would be appealing to children.

Riley at the library! 💕

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

JILL: I wrote the book with my mom and it took us about 3 months for the first draft. I sent my mom all of my research about working dogs and a very rough draft of the story and then she tightened it up for me and added some of her ideas. My mom’s writing is a little more formal than I wanted it to sound so I adjusted it so it sounded more like Riley’s voice.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

JILL: The book went through many revisions. Like the Beatles song I got by with a little (actually a lot) of help from my friends. I had the librarian at the local library where Riley works read the manuscript to make sure the language was suitable for the intended age group. I had a friend who is a child psychologist read it to make sure the images were suitable for the age group as well. Two of my close friends helped me with editing the book. My husband and daughters also helped me a lot. I read the book out loud many times to make sure the sentences flowed well to the ear.

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

JILL: I was never 100% sure the book was completely ready for publication. Grammar can be very subjective, one person would tell me to add a coma and another person would tell me to remove the same comma. I hired a children’s book editor who was very helpful but the book still went through many grammatical revisions after he edited it.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

JILL: I started my own publishing company called Peek-a-Bear press when I published my first book titled Take a peek with Peek-a-Bear. I like self publishing because you have creative freedom with the end product such as the illustrations and design of the book.

SUSANNA: How did you go about creating your book?

JILL: I searched for illustrators on the internet who used the style I was looking for. I also posted the job on Guru but in the end I found my illustrator on Instagram.

Before I sent manuscript to the illustrator I had her sign a non disclosure form. The illustrator is represented by an agency and I did sign a contract. I didn’t want to pay an illustrator a royalty every time I sold the book so the contract stated that I was paying a flat fee for the art.

The fee is based on the page count of the book and the number of illustrations. I spoke to many illustrators and the fees ranged from 1,500-15,000.

I am a graphics designer so I designed the book with clip art that represented what I wanted the illustrations to look like. The illustrator, Shirley, first sent me sample art of Riley, once I approved those she sent me black and white sketches of the rest of the book.
Shirley moved on to color after the black and white sketches were approved. I really enjoyed seeing Shirley bring the book to life with her color illustrations. Shirley lives on the west coast so everything was done over email. The entire process went well and Shirley completed the book in about 9 months which is fast.

I designed the book on Quark which is the design program that I use. I exported the book to the printer who is in Hong Kong.

My husband is an exporter and he works with agents in Hong Kong who helped me find the printer. They also printed my first book and since they were competitively priced and nice to work with I hired them again.

SUSANNA: How did you handle print run and distribution?

JILL: I printed 2,000 copies of my book and I am distributing it through Amazon Advantage, local bookstores and my website. I just had a book signing at FAO Schwarz in Manhattan. I am going to approach toy stores and pet stores as well.

SUSANNA: How long did it take you to have the first copy in your hand?

JILL: The total process writing to publication took at least three to four years.

SUSANNA: Did you get to see advance reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, etc?

JILL: I did not submit my book yet to be reviewed by Kirkus or Booklist but maybe I will after reading this question.

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

JILL: Book Marketing has been a challenge for me, it’s hard to know what is going to generate sales. Riley has an Instagram account. I just decided I am going to donate 100% of my proceeds to The Guiding Eyes For The Blind in Yorktown, NY. I have socialized guide dog puppies from this wonderful organization. When I do a book event I bring a coloring page of Riley to give to the children. I have not done a book trailer or sent out flyers.

I have hired a PR person, Valerie Kerr, to send out a press release to print and media when I have an event. Valerie has gotten me write ups in local newspapers and web sites, podcast interviews and a guest spot on a local radio show.
My first book won five awards but I wasn’t able to enter this book because the copyright date was for 2015 and it has to be the same as the publication date

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

JILL: One thing I would like to share is that sadly my mom passed away almost two years ago while we were still working on the book. My father who is suffering from dementia moved in with me and I was not able to work on the book for for a long time afterwards. Part of the reason was it was too painful for me and for a while I didn’t think I would be able to complete it. I knew my mom would be really upset with me if I didn’t finish the book so this gave me the motivation to do so.

Jill’s mom with Riley

SUSANNA: So sorry to hear about your mom, Jill, and that she never got to see the finished book. I’m sure she’d be proud of you, though, and really pleased with how it came out. And it’s clear from the photo how much Riley meant to her. Thank you so much for joining us today. I think I can speak for everyone when I say it was really interesting to hear about publishing a book from a new perspective. We can all learn a lot from you! Best of luck with this and future books! 😊

Author Jill Weisfeld with Riley

Www.peek-a-bear.com

Instagram: @workingdogtales

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

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

Bronx River Books in Scarsdale, NY and other Independent Bookstores
Amazon
Jill’s Website

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!

Christy Mihaly – Hey! Hey! Hay! A Tale of Bales And The Machines That Make Them

Beth Anderson – An Inconvenient Alphabet: Ben Franklin And Noah Webster’s Spelling Revolution

Annie Romano – Before You Sleep: A Bedtime Book Of Gratitude

B.J. Lee – There Was An Old Gator Who Swallowed A Moth

Indiebound
Amazon
Barnes&Noble

Perfect Picture Book Friday – Flap Your Wings

May 10, 2019May 9, 201923 Comments

Hey there, fellow picture book lovers!

It’s Friday, and you know what that means… 😊

I have the perfect book this week. It caters to my nostalgia in a week where my youngest turned 22 as well as to spring because it involves nesting birds, as well as to Mother’s Day this weekend… because it has a mother in it 😊

Look at me – checking all the boxes!

It’s an older book – one I read as a child so we’re talking ancient! 😊 – and is one of my All Time Favorites! Prepare for fun!

Flap Your Wings

Written & Illustrated By: P.D. Eastman

Random House, 1969, Fiction

Suitable For: ages 3-8

Themes/Topics: assumptions, non-traditional family, unconditional love, responsibility

Opening: (this is actually the first three pages.)

“An egg lay in the path.

A boy came down the path. He saw the egg. “Someone might step on that egg and break it,” he said.

He looked around.

He saw flamingos and frogs, and turtles and alligators. “Whose egg is this?” he called. But no one answered.”

Brief Synopsis: A little boy finds an egg. He doesn’t want it to get damaged, so he looks around until he finds the nest and carefully puts it back. When Mr. and Mrs. Bird come home, they are surprised to find an egg in their nest… it wasn’t there when they left! But Mr. Bird says that if an egg is in their nest it must be their egg, so they must take care of it. So they do… with very surprising results!

Links To Resources: Ideas And Activities For Guided Reading, Incubation & Embryology Activities, use with An Egg Is Quiet (from PPBF link list), talk about what kind of animals, insects and reptiles lay eggs and how the eggs are the same and different.

Why I Like This Book: This book is fun to read as a picture book, but is also an I Can Read type book that is very accessible to new readers. The pictures are delightful – Mr. and Mrs. Bird’s expressions are very entertaining. But I really love the story because it doesn’t go where you would expect. It’s funny. And it’s a great example of what agents, editors and reviewers mean when they talk about re-readability. This book delighted me as a child, and delighted my children in their turn. I’ve read it so many times that even now, years since I last read it to my kids, I can recite almost the whole book. It’s fun every time 🙂

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! And a Happy Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there – you make the world go ’round! 😊

Tuesday Debut – Presenting June Smalls!

May 7, 2019May 6, 201918 Comments

Nothing perks up a Tuesday like getting to meet a debut picture book author!

Pull up a comfy chair, bring along a nice cup of your favorite beverage, and help yourself to an appropriately-themed pancake breakfast 😊

Now! Let’s meet June Smalls and check out her delightful picture book!

Odd Animal ABC’s
written by June Smalls
illustrated by Claire Sedovic
Blue Manatee Press
May 7, 2019
Fiction, ages 3-5

A is for Alligator, B is for Bear, and so on, right? Not in this book. The odd animals are taking over! It’s time to meet Aye-Aye, Fossa, Numbat, Xenops and more curious, yet real animals that are ready for their spotlight. Laugh along as they introduce the letters of the alphabet in their own odd way!

SUSANNA: Welcome, June! Thank you so much for joining us today! Where did the idea for this book come from?

JUNE: I got the idea at a yard sale. There was an animal ABC’s cross stitch with all the same animals as when I was a kid. I decided to use the ABC format to introduce some less popular animals.

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

JUNE: It took about 8 months, but I don’t write just one manuscript at a time. Picture books are all about the art, so I had to be mindful that while there are many animals that are interesting if they are all grey rodents then the book would be boring. I did tons of research trying to find odd animals and make sure I had a good variety that were visually appealing. I also wanted mammals, birds, and reptiles represented. Large and small. Colorful and plain. And representing different geographic areas.

It is not non-fiction, but I hope kids check the animals out and then go on to learn more about them.

SUSANNA: Did you go through many revisions?

JUNE: Since Odd Animal ABC’s is a concept book, and each character is only there for a moment, I didn’t have as many revisions as I typically have. I did swap out some animals that didn’t work or for animals that had better puns/jokes. Maybe a dozen or so revisions?

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

JUNE: When The Kid tells me it isn’t boring… Seriously, after rounds with critique partners or beta readers. When I knew I couldn’t make it any better on my own. When I could read it five to ten times in a row and not hate it.

SUSANNA: When and how did you submit?

JUNE: I spent about 2 years subbing Odd Animals to Agents. While some liked it, I was told repeatedlythat ABC books were a hard sell. After I exhausted my list of agents I subbed directly to editors. I chose editors I’d met at conferences and houses with animal books that I liked.

SUSANNA: When did you get “the call”? (Best moment ever! 😊)

JUNE: Well, I got “the email” fairly quick. About six weeks after I subbed it to Blue Manatee Press. This was just a slush pile pick. I’d never met them, there were no contests. I just followed their submission guidelines and hit send.

I had a few agents at the time looking at my body of work. I reached out to all agents that were reviewing my manuscripts, let them know I had a publication offer, and asked for a response in two weeks, or to let me know if they needed more time. I knew even if I didn’t get an agent to offer, I wanted to work with BMP, but I was hoping for help since contracts are scary (to me at least.)

SUSANNA: How did you celebrate signing your contract?

JUNE: I had two amazing offers of representation and ultimately chose Rebecca Angus at Golden Wheat Literary. We then made quick work of the – not as scary as I thought with Rebecca’s help – contract. I danced around my house with The Kid until we were both laughing, the dogs were prancing around us, and the cat was openly judging us.

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

JUNE: The contract was pretty much what I expected. This is a smaller publisher so there was a small, but reasonable advance, royalties, a few author copies of the book, and right of first refusal on similar books for a specified length of time.

SUSANNA: What can you tell us about the editorial process?

JUNE: I was lucky that initial edits were tiny. More edits came after the illustrator started working and we added some lines for animals she added to certain pages and we removed some things to keep other pages from getting too crowded. With a small press, I was a partner in all of these changes and was able to add two jokes to the story that I LOVE. Proof that the collaboration really creates a great picture book.

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

JUNE: The publisher chose illustrator, Claire Sedovic, and her watercolors. I loved the style illustrations they chose. I got to see some sketches early on. When something came up, like, “Hey June, this page is a bit crowded with all the hoofed animals. Can we tweak?” I was able to say, “Sure, and with this set up, we can use this animal/joke instead.”

I tried to be sure never to pretend I was an art director, but I had to point out a few things (for animal accuracy, not personal preference) and they were quickly corrected. The publisher had one question about a page where my art notes mentioned animal dung, but I was steadfast that we needed this particular shapely scat in the book and Claire was able to somehow make it even better than I pictured.

To be honest, I was gushing over the art from early on when I saw a sample and Claire had made an Aye-Aye cute (seriously, Google it…not always cute.) So, I knew I was in good hands. Her art and input created a better final product.

I did have simple art notes. Example:

A – Alligator Aye-Aye

[Aye-Aye speaking] “The odd animals are taking over. Now A is for Aye-Aye. Why don’t you take a vacation? Madagascar is nice. Later gator.”

[Alligator]Bye-Bye Aye-Aye.

Since Odd Animal ABC’s had so many lesser known creatures, I had a second version of the manuscript with photo references. This helped since many jokes, like ‘spotting’ a quoll, only worked if you could see the animal is polka dotted.

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

JUNE: I haven’t seen advanced reviews yet, but I’ll probably faint or happy dance, depending on the review.

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

JUNE: I believe I signed the contract in late February of 2018 and the pub date is April 16^,2019. One year is fast for a picture book. Our first print run is to be between 1,800 and 3,000 copies.

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

JUNE: The publisher has sent books out for review and is working with indie bookstores that I am interested in. They are working on blog posts and social media. I know there is more going on behind the scenes.

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

JUNE: Blogs and interviews – like this one of course. 😊

I’ve set up school visits, bookstore signings, library visits and a reading at a children’s museum with a visit by a wildlife rehabilitation center that is bringing live animals. Really excited for the live animals! I’m also working with some zoos to see about signings at their gift shops.

I’ve purchased a bit of swag, stickers and pins, for the visits.

I’m also part of the Read Local Challenge. This promotes reading books by local authors and illustrators in MD/DE/WV/VA/DC. It runs from October 1st through May 31^steach year. We offer discounted presentations, swag for schools and libraries, and group or individual signings.

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

JUNE: About five years. I did sell a book early on, but then the small publishing house was purchased by a larger house and they were going in an educational direction, so I received my rights back on a humorous picture book, even though we’d just finished the illustrations. Such is publishing.

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

JUNE: I’m glad I had community. From the support of my Hubby and Kid, critique partners cheering me on and celebrating with me, other writers and illustrators I’ve met along the way who were willing to give advice, and my editor and agent. The journey is better because of the people I’ve shared it with.

SUSANNA: Thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this series and paying it forward to other writers, June! We all so appreciate you sharing your experience and wish you all the best of luck with this and future books!

Author June Smalls (SLH – love the turtle necklace – very animal abc 😊)

June Smalls is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and a lover of literature. She resides in Northern Virginia with her hubby, The Kid, and an ever-growing assortment of animals.

Website: http://www.junesmalls.com

Twitter: @June_Smalls

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

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

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!

Christy Mihaly – Hey! Hey! Hay! A Tale of Bales And The Machines That Make Them

Beth Anderson – An Inconvenient Alphabet: Ben Franklin And Noah Webster’s Spelling Revolution

Annie Romano – Before You Sleep: A Bedtime Book Of Gratitude

B.J. Lee – There Was An Old Gator Who Swallowed A Moth