Tuesday From The Trenches: Jyothi Nookula

Hello wonderful KidLit friends! I am so excited to be back at Tuesday From The Trenches and I have some wonderful stories to share with you! We have stories of authors who landed an agent after only a month in the query trenches all the way up to authors who spent 15 years querying. Each story is unique and there is no "wrong" path. So don't give up! You never know when your yes will come.

I'm excited to welcome Jyothi Nookula to the blog today and hope that you love her story as much as I do!

Thank you so much for joining us today, Jyothi! I was so excited to see that you recently signed with Joyce! And I’m thrilled to share your query story with my readers.

Can you share your query stats with us?

Time Spent in the Query Trenches: 2 months

Number of Agents Queried: 7

Number of Requests for Additional Work/Full Manuscript: 5

Number of Twitter Pitch “Likes”: 7 agent likes, 3 editor likes

Number of R&Rs: 1

Number of Rejections: 4 (including passes after I received my agent’s offer of representation)

Number of Offers: 3

Agent and Agency: Joyce Sweeney from The Seymour Agency

WOWZA! 3 offers in only 2 months. That is amazing and definitely unique! You didn't have a lot of need to organize your queries, since you didn't have a ton, but I'd still love to know... How did you keep track of it all? What was your method for organizing queries? Spread sheet? Query Tracker? Etc.

I’m old school when it comes to keeping track of things- spreadsheet is my way to go. I created a few columns representing wishlist summary, status, request for additional manuscripts and a few other standard details.

Spreadsheets seem to be the most common method of choice. I did the same. Again, you didn't have many, but I know that every rejection, big or small, can hurt. So how did you handle rejections? Did any sting more than others?

I’m a pretty hardened shell. As a computer scientist with some pretty stellar credentials, I was rejected at 200 job interviews! So rejections don’t sting me much. But I also have to say that the side effect of a hardened shell is that successes don’t excite me as well. Don’t get me wrong- I’m happy when something good happens, but that’s pretty much about it. I don’t feel like screaming from the rooftops or such.

That is super interesting. And 200 job interviews?? Wow! I'm glad you didn't give up.

How did you find agents to query/how did you decide who to query?

For a very long time, I didn’t believe in my stories. I never thought anyone would be interested in what I had to say. So, I didn’t bother thinking about querying. After joining the CBA writing course, I found a great support system- I made friends who encouraged and supported me. Their honest feedback and faith in me built my confidence. I honestly wouldn’t be where I’m without them!

There was a pitch party on Twitter (PBPitch) and my writer friends were excited. I thought to myself “what do I have to lose other than 280 characters”. So, I joined them. I polished my pitches and participated. I was so focused on boosting my friend’s pitches and had a very critical product launch at work (and remember I always thought my stories didn’t matter?) that I forgot to check for likes. When friends started congratulating me on messages is when I went and checked to find agent and editor likes!

The interest I experienced during the event changed me- I became aware of wish lists. I mostly queried to agents who expressed interest during pitch events (PBPitch and PBParty), but I made sure I read their wish lists and identified manuscripts in my portfolio that might interest them.

I think imposter syndrome is so common, so I know that feeling of not believing in yourself, but I"m so glad you worked through it! The world needs your stories. And that is amazing that you didn't even notice the likes coming in. Glad your friends helped you see them! haha. That all sounds very exciting! How did you ultimately connect with Joyce? Did you cold query? Participate in a twitter pitch event? Or connect in some other way?

I’m a PBParty success story. I was a PBParty finalist. I had my eyes on Joyce for quite a while but she was closed to submissions then. When I read on Twitter that she was one of the agents participating in PBParty, I was filled with hope. I could hardly sleep the night of the showcase. I woke up at 5.30am PST to check in and saw that Joyce ‘liked’ my entry. I was so excited that I woke up everyone at the house, including my 19 month old daughter (which didn’t bode well for me on hindsight!)

SO neat! I'm super excited because I believe you are my first PBParty Success Story on Tuesday From The Trenches. I love hearing about how taking every opportunity opens doors! And what excitement in your house that night!

How much time passed between officially querying Joyce to getting “the call”?

Joyce was blazing fast. I sent her my manuscript on the very same day she ‘liked’ my entry. Within a day, she asked to see additional manuscripts and after 3 days, I was on a call with her!

It all felt very surreal. I felt like I was on a rocket ship blazing into the milky way!

I adore fast turn arounds! The waiting game is SO hard, but so common. You lucked out with that fast turn around! Can you tell us more about “the call”? How did you know Joyce was the right choice?

Joyce makes you feel comfortable instantly. She is very personable like that. I was all nervous and jittery but once she started speaking, I was immediately put at ease! We had a natural conversation, like I would have had with a friend over a cup of coffee.

I wanted someone who values the culture and diversity I bring. Joyce instantly understood what I was trying to do with my stories- in fact she summed it up better than I ever did. She has created this amazing community of author/illustrators that I immediately wanted to be a part of it.

Joyce encouraged me to explore topics that I was unsure of, advocated for me, and brought so much positivity that I knew in my heart that she was the right agent for me!

I love that so much. How important to find an agent who values you, understands you, and will advocate for you. Could you tell us a little about your book that landed your agent?

“Dance Little Seed” is a picture book inspired by a true story. A young girl loves to dance bharatnatyam and is excited for the dance competition coming in a few months. After a tragic accident, she is fitted with a prosthetic foot. Unable to walk, her dancing dreams are shattered. Just when she’s ready to give up on dancing, she discovers a glimmer of hope in an unexpected source that helps her sprout and bloom.

Oh Jyothi, that sounds absolutely amazing!! I can't wait to see it on my shelf.

If you could give querying authors a piece of advice, what would that be?

Apply the formula that we use for querying letters: Hook, Book, Cook to your journey as well.

Hook: Pause for a moment and ask yourself the question “why are you writing picture books?” Be deliberate in getting specific. I take inspiration from my day job where I develop technology products. It’s really hard to create a product if you have a too vague problem or if you’re trying to solve many things. Finding your specific purpose will help you in writing. I have my mission statement and goals written down. Every time I write a new manuscript, I pause and reflect on its purpose and how it relates to my mission and goals. Your mission and goals can evolve over time, but the key is deliberate reflection.

Book: Spend time learning the craft. Sign up for writing classes to improve your craft- I found SCBWI, Writing Barn, Mira Reisberg’s CBA courses, Story Teller Academy, Katy Flint’s writing course and a few others helpful in my journey. Read a lot of picture books- both good and bad. Analyze story arc, character development, hook, length, tension, pacing, back matter, etc. There is no shortcut, really. Honing and perfecting the craft takes time. Soak yourself in the knowledge and nurture it. It will eventually bloom.

Cook: Take your time to start querying. Don’t feel the peer pressure- everyone is on their own timeline. I can’t help but draw an analogy to potty training (I’m dealing with this stage right now, so that’s on top of my mind!)- you got to do it when you’re ready. Too soon, and it’ll be an uphill battle.

Wow, I feel that last analogy extra hard this week (Did I try to potty train my daughter before SHE was ready... yes, yes I did). But I love all of that so much. I know I was one to try to jump the gun and rush my way through. It was only once I slowed down and took my time to really learn the craft and let stories sit that I found success.

Before I let you go...where can we connect with you online?

I would love to connect on Twitter: @JyothiWrites

I’m working on my website https://www.jyothinookula.com/

Thanks so much for joining us today, Jyothi! I’ve had a blast chatting and learning more about your journey. Best of luck on submission! I can’t wait to see your books in the world.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY!

Jyothi is giving a winner their choice of a query critique, Twitter pitch critique or PB non-rhyming MS critique. Just retweet THIS tweet and follow both Jyothi and Kailei to enter. Winner will be announced on Twitter 6/21.

Thank you, dear readers for joining us today!! I can't wait to see where Tuesday From The Trenches takes us for the rest of this year!

About Jyothi Nookula

Growing up in India, Jyothi read chandamama stories (local folktales). Something about the stories, drew her in. When Jyothi first started writing for picture books, her opening was always “Once upon a time”. She has come a long way since then! Jyothi works on machine learning and artificial intelligence in the day and writes picture books in the night. Jyothi is a Children’s Book Academy graduate, an active member of SCBWI, and a participant in Julie Hedlund's 12x12 Picture Book challenge. She is represented by the superstar agent Joyce Sweeney.

About Kailei Pew

Kailei Pew is a wife, mother, and picture book author represented by the amazing Emily Forney of Bookends Literary. She is an active member of SCBWI, a 2019 Write Mentor Mentee, and a finalist in Susanna Leonard Hill's 2019 Holiday Writing Contest. She loves writing picture books that help kids see they can do anything they set their minds to.

Kailei can't wait to get her stories into your hands.

30,000 Stitches: A Book of Hope, Unity, and Healing

Hello wonderful readers! I hope your May is finishing up nicely. Over here, we are one day away from the end of the longest year of our life. My Kindergartener will finish virtual school and while it was absolutely the right choice for our family to stay virtual... we are exhausted and so ready for lazy summer days. I'm also excited for the extra time that I'll have now to write, blog, and share more books. I'm going to be getting back into both #TuesdayFromTheTrenches and #ForLittleReaders, so I hope you'll join me for this wonderful book-filled summer!

I'm beyond excited to share a new book today from debut author, Amanda Davis, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. I had the chance to read an ARC of 30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag and I was truly touched by its beauty.

This book was absolutely stunning. The text was just the right mix of informative and lyrical, inspiring and instructive. Amanda did such a nice job of telling a story that I personally did not know. She shares the true story of a flag flown over the destruction following the tragic events of 9/11 and its journey through repair and display. I was captivated from the start and so intrigued by the journey of a battered and scarred flag to become whole and complete again through the hands of people from across the nation. I loved reading about the people who sewed the flag back together. I loved seeing diversity bring connection and healing. I loved the gorgeous illustrations and felt hope and healing pouring through the pages.

The book gave me a renewed sense that our differences are our strengths. That we can come together and find unity through diversity. I hope for that. I work for that. This book is a lovely manifestation of that.

For our activity to go with this book, I had my girls make their own flag, working together, piece by piece. We talked about the book while they worked on the project and about how everyone has something to contribute to make a beautiful, complete work of art.

I let the kids cut out the stripes and the stars in their own way. It didn't matter that the stripes weren't straight and the stars were mostly rectangles. They did it themselves and they were really proud of their efforts. They remembered parts of the book and talked about how they could be helpers too. It was really a great morning!

After reading and making our own pieced-together flag, we enjoyed visiting the website we found in the sources of the book and learning about the people from Arizona (our state) who helped piece the flag together. We loved browsing further through the "Flag Stitcher Stories" page and learning more about the people who helped sew the flag back together. The flag visited all 50 states, and it was really neat to read about the people who participated. Highly recommend.

I hope you will all take the time to read 30,000 Stitches. With the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001 quickly approaching this book is a lovely tribute and reminder to all of us. If you make your own flags, I would love to see them! Tag them on social media with #ForLittleReaders for me to see what you're doing. Truly this is a book you don't want to miss.

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Happy Summer, my friends! I hope you'll join me on For Little Readers throughout the summer for activities to keep the littles busy and engaged. I love paring activities with gorgeous books and bringing together reading, art, and imagination. It's a magical connection.

How I Got My Book Deal and Started Writing Middle Grade

Hello friends! Welcome back to the dear old blog. I'm sorry that there haven't been any Tuesday From The Trenches posts recently. I've been busy with things!

I HAVE A BOOK DEAL!!!!! I still am in complete shock and just can't believe it. I love reading "how I got my book deal" stories, so I figured I'd share mine for anyone who is interested.

If you haven't read my story about signing with the incomparable Emily Forney of Bookends Literary, you can check that out HERE. That story is truly a huge piece of this story.

After I signed with Emily, we worked on edits from September til about November. We went on submission briefly in November, but then virtually all editors were taking time off for the holidays, so we put it on hold. (For my non-writer friends reading this, going on submission means that your agent started sending out your story and/or pitching your story to editors. Sometimes you pitch it without sending the manuscript and sometimes you send the full manuscript right away. It's all strategic stuff that I don't really understand, but I don't have to. That's why I have Emily and she's a rock star, so I am so grateful to just be able to fully trust her with those decisions).

At this time, KID MADE (my now-to-be-debut book) was a picture book. It highlighted 20 kid inventors in a really simple way for the youngest of readers.

Emily sent out a round of submissions on January 19th. I was hoping to hear some news by March since I knew things were slow and I tried not to bother Emily too much with my anxious excitement about going on sub (read: I totally bothered her too much and she is a saint for not just dropping me after way too many texts and emails).

January 20th (one day after sending out subs) was already a really awesome day. Inauguration day. I had been excited and looking forward to it. But I wasn't prepared for just how emotional I would be. When I watched Kamala Harris walk up the capital steps, I teared right up. A woman was about to become our Vice President! And then everything from the speeches to the music to Amanda Gorman (if you watched nothing else of the inauguration, PLEASE watch her recitation). Anyways... I digress. The point is, it already felt like a great day.

And then I get this text from Emily

I couldn't believe it. Someone at MACMILLAN wanted to talk about my book??? Emily soon sent a follow up text that this editor--Holly West--got back to her and actually wanted to move the call up to the NEXT day! Woah! So Emily and I hopped on a call and talked about what it might mean, what I was willing to accept or not accept, and Emily prepped for the call with Holly.

The next day I waited anxiously all day. And then I got a text from Emily asking if I had time for a call. Umm... YES!

The call with Holly had gone really well. She loved the book. She loved the voice. She loved the concept. But she didn't want it to be a picture book. She wanted it to be a middle grade book! Emily knew that I wasn't willing to budge on this being illustrated. I want this book to be really whimsical and yet still STEM focused, and I feel deeply that illustrations are the key to this. Holly absolutely agreed and assured Emily that it would be a fully illustrated MG book if I was interested. They chatted vision and Holly let Emily know that if I could prepare one sample section that she would then take it to the acquisitions meeting. (Again, for non-writer friends, this is a meeting where all of the imprints under a publisher--Macmillan in this case--meet together and the acquiring editors pitch the books that they want to buy. They have to convince the financial and marketing teams, and ultimately the CEO type people. Writers know that acquisitions meetings don't always come out the way you hope they will).

Emily and I talked for a long time about Middle Grade Nonfiction. I was thrilled and slightly terrified by the idea. I had wanted to get into MG NF for quite a long time. I had even started learning the craft. But I had spent 2 years learning and polishing picture book craft. I didn't know if I was ready to write Middle Grade. But I loved the idea and I figured I might as well try.

I read a LOT of MG NF. It's such a fun genre. I talked to middle grade aged kids who really eat up nonfiction at that age! And I wrote. And I revised. And I wrote some more. My critique partners were amazing to help me polish. And Emily really helped me to develop my MG voice. I was so used to making picture books as tight as possible (you have to get a lot of info into a small word count on PB). But now I could really expand and paint a picture and develop the stories. Where the PB had really limited info, the MG version could now tell the full stories. I was loving it so much. It felt right. I really hoped that Holly would love this new version and that it could make it through acquisitions because telling the stories this way was amazing.

I also had a lot of research to do. If this was going to be middle grade, I needed to highlight more than 20 kids. I needed 40. I was so excited about the kids that I found. My research skills got way better and I was finding things that I had never found before in my earlier days of researching. I had interviews with a bunch of the kids and/or their relatives and friends. It was all coming together.

We had originally planned to take our time on this, but it was just flowing out of me. After some revisions back and forth with Emily, it was ready to go to Holly on February 2nd! We sent it off and crossed all our fingers.

On February 10th, we heard back from Holly. She loved it! And she was preparing to take it to acquisitions!!!! If you thought I was a nervous wreck before, I was an absolute disaster now. For reals. Emily was the best and again, didn't drop me when I was so terribly annoying with my endless questions and *moments.*

We had thought we'd hear back about the meeting on the 17th. But then we found out they were a bit behind and Holly asked if she could have til the 24th to which we agreed.

On the 24th, I was a mess. I couldn't focus on anything. Nervous excitement. I was trying to be hopeful but not too hopeful, you know? I didn't want to be totally crushed if it was a no. By 2:00 my time (4:00 Eastern) I had decided that something must have been delayed and we weren't going to hear anything that day. I poured myself a bowl of cereal to wallow (because sometimes I'm a 5 year old) and sat down at my kitchen table to watch my kiddos playing outside. One bite in, my phone rang. It was Emily!!!!!

I answered and immediately burst into tears when she told me that we had an offer!

Emily emailed over the offer and she walked me through the details of it. We talked about next steps and cried and screamed and it was all the things you dream it will be.

I got off the phone and my husband and I danced and screamed around the kitchen and then brought the kiddos in to dance and scream. There was cake and there was much joy.

Emily told the other Editors who had the MS that we had an offer. But the next day, we ended up talking more to Holly and her vision and after a new offer, we pulled all of the other submissions and officially accepted from Holly West and Feiwel and Friends / Macmillan!!!

It's been an absolute dream since then. Holly, Emily, and I all had a call to talk more vision and I've been writing my little heart out. Going from a 32 page picture book to a 250ish page middle grade means a lot more research and writing. Talking to these amazing kid inventors and their family members has been incredible. I love these stories and I love getting to know these kids and I just cannot wait until you can all have these stories in your hands.

I'm so grateful to my husband for all of his support as I write and research long hours. I'm so grateful to my kiddos for their love and support. I'm so grateful to Emily for being the absolute perfect agent for not only this project, but my entire career. And to all my critique partners, agents siblings, and writing buddies as well. Thank you ALL. It truly takes a village to write a book. If you missed my Twitter announcement, you can see that HERE.

Thank you, friends for reading about my journey. I can't wait to see where else this path takes me.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY!

To celebrate my news, I'll be giving away the winner's choice of a PB MS Critique, 1st 5 Pages of a NF MG critique, or a 20 min zoom call. To enter, follow me on Twitter and retweet THIS tweet. For a bonus entry, subscribe to my blog and tell me in the comments below that you did so. Good luck everyone! Winner will be announced on Twitter 4/16

About Kailei Pew

Kailei Pew is a wife, mother, and children's book author represented by the amazing Emily Forney of Bookends Literary. She is an active member of SCBWI, a 2019 Write Mentor Mentee, and a finalist in Susanna Leonard Hill's 2019 Holiday Writing Contest. She loves writing picture books that help kids see they can do anything they set their minds to.

Kailei's debut Middle Grade Book, KID MADE will be coming to you from Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan Summer 2023