Sam's First Word: Laugh Out Loud Funny

Hello wonderful readers! It has been quite a moment since my last book review! I've cut Tuesday From The Trenches down to every other week, so I'm excited to start sneaking some more book reviews in again. Have I mentioned just how much I adore picture books? They are seriously magical. I have loved them since my earliest days, sitting on my mom's lap, completely carried away by beautiful, funny, amazing stories.

I was so excited when Bea Birdsong reached out to me offering a copy of her newest book, Sam's First Word, illustrated by Holly Hatam. I've been lucky enough to have Bea along for some of my fundraising events, and she was kind enough to critique some of my work before I signed with my agent, Emily, so I'm always so happy to hear from Bea. Her debut picture book, I Will Be Fierce (illustrated by Nidhi Chanani) was incredible, so I knew that I was in for a treat with this new book!

You can tell just from looking at this cover that this book is going to be funny!

Slight side note: I really love and appreciate just how different this book is from I Will Be Fierce. I myself have really broad tastes as I write, so I love seeing authors who write across genre. I Will Be Fierce is more of an inspirational concept book (and FANTASTIC by the way), and Sam's First Word is humorous. Bea really shows her versatility with this one and I'm loving it.

Now more about the book. My daughters were roaring laughing. We literally read it three times in a row after opening the package. Kids love poop jokes, right?

Sam's First Word is not only funny for kids, it's adorably relatable for parents. I remember well hoping that "Mama" would be my daughter's first word. (And of course, it was Dada... as was my second daughters. Sigh). In Sam's First Word, we watch her parents, Nana, and even her neighbor all compete to get their names as Sam's first word. Songs, stories, pictures, and poems all try to sway Sam to say Mama, Papa, Nana, or even Mr. Theotopolous! While the grownups are all distracted in their pursuits, Sam has already said her first word! And needs some help. She has to take matters into her own hand to get what she wants.

Like I said, my girls were completely obsessed with this book. Not only did we read it three times in a row upon receiving it, we've read it at least once every day since! I love the cute and simple text that still tells such a fun and compelling story. I will admit that I was a bit surprised by some of the illustrations. I don't know that I've ever seen a picture book with a frontal view of a naked baby. There are no anatomical details, so it was no biggie, but it was slightly surprising on first read. My girls didn't even think anything of it though. The illustrations are bright, fun, and engaging.

I absolutely recommend picking up a copy of Sam's First Word!

Tuesday From The Trenches: Kimberly Lee

Happy Tuesday, KidLit friends! I hope that you've all had wonderful weeks and that you all got that email you've been waiting for! I'm super excited to bring you another Tuesday From The Trenches. These stories have been so much fun to share. Every story is so different, and truly there is no one correct path to representation! I'm thrilled to bring another agent sibling to the blog! Join me in welcoming fellow Picture Book Author and Agent Sibling, Kimberly Lee!

Hi Kim!! I'm SO excited to share your story today! I feel like a tiny part of your journey since you were the first potential client that I was able to gush to about Emily. I was absolutely thrilled when you decided to accept her offer! Let's jump right in and we can both chat more about how awesome Emily is soon! Can you share your query stats with us?

Time Spent in the Query Trenches: About a month and a half :)

Number of Agents Queried: 7

Number of Requests for Additional Work/Full Manuscript: 2

Number of Twitter Pitch “Likes”: 4 agent likes, 4 editor likes (and many more well-meaning, accidental hearts from friends haha)

Number of R&Rs: 1

Number of Rejections: 5 (including some gracious passes after I received my agent’s offer of representation)

Number of Offers: 2

Agent and Agency: Emily Forney at Bookends Literary Agency

A MONTH AND A HALF?? Oh my goodness! Rockstar! You didn't have a ton of time in the trenches, but still tell me: How did you keep track of it all? What was your method for organizing queries? Spread sheet? Query Tracker? Etc.

So, the first thing you have to know about me is that organization is pretty much a non-existent word in my vocabulary (working on it though, I promise!). To keep track, I just ended up using QueryTracker, which was very helpful in collating all the information I had hastily scribbled down on any random bits of paper I could find at the time!

Ha! Organization is a struggle for sure! But your fast and furious experience in the trenches really didn't need to be complicated either. Of the few you received, How did you handle rejections? Did any sting more than others?

I was a lawyer in my past life (before motherhood and writing led me down a different path), so experiencing a win one day and a loss the next wasn’t foreign to me. That said, I think I still reacted to my first literary rejection with a healthy dash of righteous indignation (followed by copious amounts of consolatory chocolate).

One rejection, in particular, stood out. The day before PitMad, I received a rejection from someone who was on my “magical unicorn/dream agent” list for the second time, which definitely made me question my writing abilities! I had quickly shake this off and amp myself up for PitMad the next day - which I did (and which successfully landed me my awesome agent, Emily!)

One thing that this taught me though, was not to place too much weight on the concept of a “dream agent”. Ultimately, your true “dream agent” will be that person who’s willing to get in your corner and get as giddily excited about your work as you do! I’m lucky to have found this with Emily.

Ah! She really is the very best. And so very true about finding that agent who is excited and a true advocate for you. Tell me, how did you find agents to query/how did you decide who to query?

There are tons of resources out there to help querying authors find the right agent for their books. The Manuscript Wishlist website was incredibly helpful, as was searching the MSWL hashtag on Twitter.

I also referred to SCBWI’s The Book and read blogs and interviews conducted by terrific members in the kidlit community such as Justin Colon, Brian Gehrlein ...and a certain Ms Kailei Pew!

Aww! Thanks so much for including me in that list. Justin and Brian are AMAZING. (And I lucked out with Brian as a CP) I am so grateful for all they both do. Both PBChat and PBSpotlight were huge on my journey. So through all of those resources, how did you ultimately connect with your agent? Did you cold query? Participate in a twitter pitch event? Or connect in some other way?

I’m actually a PitMad success story! Emily had already been on my radar as this amazing new agent from Bookends (an agency that I loved) but she was closed to queries at the time.

I decided to try my luck at PitMad in December - not expecting much, save for learning from the whole experience - when BAM! My pitch suddenly took off and the retweets and comments started flooding in. It was, frankly, a little overwhelming for a Twitter newbie like me who had just joined the month before!

And before I knew it, I received my first agent like from...you guessed it... Emily :) All I can remember then was emitting a squeal so shrill that only dolphins could hear, and the rest, as they say, is history.

YES YES YES!!! I love that so much! I was also a PitMad success story back in September. Readers, Emily loves pitch contests! So once you came down off the PitMad cloud, how much time passed between querying your now agent to getting “the call”?

The day after PitMad, I sent off my query to some of the other lovely agents who had requested my manuscript - Emily included. I then tried to put everything out of my mind (unsuccessfully) and tried to resist the urge to keep refreshing my inbox (also unsuccessfully).

Two days later, I received an email from Emily saying that she enjoyed reading my manuscript and asking to see more material. I remember rereading that email from her multiple times, just to make sure I understood it correctly!

Once my further material was sent off, I waited anxiously for another two days before receiving an email from Emily asking for “the call”. Cue more dolphin squeals.

EEEEEEEEE! YES! That waiting, even for just a few days, can be so hard! Sometimes those 2 days feel like aaaages. Can you tell us more about “the call”? How did you know Emily was the right choice?

I was a bundle of nerves right before the call, even though I knew I had prepared well for it and had my list of questions at the ready. I kept trying to manage my own expectations - “maybe it’s just a call asking for a R&R? Or maybe she just wants to let you down nicely over the phone?!”.

Instead, I was met with complete warmth and excitement by Emily, who put me at ease straight away. We spoke about my career goals, what she loved about the books I had sent to her and what I was looking for in an agent. Importantly, we also spoke about my unique concerns as an international author attempting to enter the publishing industry in the US.

Being Malaysian, aspects of my culture and experiences proudly color my life and my work. But I never wanted to be pigeonholed, or for what I write to be seen as a monolithic representation of every Malaysian voice, or to be signed on by anyone merely wanting to tick some “diversity trend” box. I knew that the person I picked as my agent needed to be someone who would advocate for me, understand where I was coming from and honor my vision. Emily was all that and more.

Hearing about her own personal journey and knowing her commitment towards uplifting BIPOC voices was so reassuring and an important factor in me making my decision. Emily understood my concerns, respected my heritage and reacted to my writing with such genuine positivity that I knew she was the right agent for me :)

(Plus, she’s whip smart and witty as anything, so that was a massive bonus!)

Sounds like an absolute dream of a call! Emily is truly so wonderful. I know exactly what you're talking about when you say she was so warm and comfortable to talk to. She really is all of those things! Could you tell us a little about your book that landed your agent?

“Boys Don’t Fry” is a picture book about a young boy who longs to learn the art of Malaysian Nyonya cooking - except his meddling aunties won’t let him! Together with his forward-thinking grandma (the matriarch of the family), they defy gender expectations in a delicious tale filled with sweetness and spice that aims to warm the heart (and the stomach!).

Oh my goodness! That sounds absolutely fantastic! I can't wait to see it on the shelves!!

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

Start by identifying and establishing your connections within the writing community. I’ve discovered how many amazing opportunities there are to connect with like-minded people and to hone our craft!

For fellow picture book writers, take advantage of pitch parties, critique giveaways and special events hosted by the generous souls within the kidlit community (such as Tara Lazar’s Storystorm and Justin Colon’s PB Chat), and keep growing by joining organizations such as SCBWI or 12 x 12, engaging with your critique partners, or taking part in conferences, webinars and writing courses (the Children’s Book Academy does terrific ones!), if you can.

For anyone hoping to try their luck at a Twitter pitch party, my advice would be to always go in prepared. Hone your pitches to a polish, schedule your tweets on Tweetdeck if necessary, and importantly, have fun and make some new friends! I ended up connecting with some wonderful people during PitMad, whose support helped to boost my pitch and give it the attention it wouldn't have otherwise received. Many of these same people are now part of my group of trusted writing friends :)

Also, before you start jumping into the #amquerying trenches, just WAIT. Don’t rush that query of yours. Let it marinate for as long as it needs to. You don’t want to make the mistake of querying too soon (I learnt this the hard way!). Make sure you don’t end up writing a query letter that’s longer than your actual manuscript, and remember to let your personality shine through.

Know your agent before you query them. If an agent specifically says they don't like reading stories about animals that die, for example, then you might want to save that tragic tale of your beloved pet, Rusty, for another agent. Do some background reading before you query that agent - interviews, agent websites, Twitter (if they’re active there) - but please don’t cross the line between “respectful research” and the “I saw a picture of your neighborhood from your tweet three years ago and I’m now standing in front of your doorstep” territory!

bahahaha! That last bit of advice is golden, Kimberly! But in all seriousness, that was ALL so great. I love this advice. Take note, readers!

Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers today?

My journey towards landing an agent isn’t commonplace - I realize that. I think I’ve been extremely fortunate in finding my agent within a fairly short space of time, but the lead up to it still took a lot of preparation and prayer.

I remember when I first joined Twitter and one of the first resources I stumbled across was your blog, Kailei! I read through all your #TuesdayFromTheTrenches posts, trying to glean helpful tips from authors who found success - I can’t quite believe that I’m here now, actually appearing in one of your interviews (and even better, that I get to call you my agent sibling!).

It feels like such a full circle moment - thank you so much for this opportunity :)

Oh my goodness, you are so welcome. And thank YOU for being here! I will always remember chatting with you on zoom after Emily had offered representation. I LOVED gushing about Emily, and I hung up thinking "Oh, I hope she says yes! I need her to be my agent sibling!" So I'm beyond glad we're sharing that piece of our journey together. Thank you so much for all of this today! Before I let you go... where can we connect with you online?

Happy to get in touch with anyone on Twitter at @kimlsywrites

and at my upcoming website (http://kimberlyleebooks.com) as long as you’re not of the “turning up on your doorstep” variety!) ;)

Ha! Agreed on that one, Kimberly! Thank you again for joining us today! I’ve had a blast chatting and learning more about your journey. I can’t wait to see your books in the world.

***GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY***

Kimberly is kindly offering the winner their choice of a query critique, Twitter pitch critique or a PB MS critique! Simply follow Kimberly and Kailei on twitter and retweet THIS tweet.

Winner will be announced on twitter 2/15

About Kimberly Lee

Growing up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Kimberly Lee’s earliest memory involved her scribbling all over the walls of her childhood home. She has come a long way in her writing career since then. A former lawyer turned author, Kimberly now writes picture books that serve to empower and enchant, poetry that gives voice to the female experience, and provides freelance copywriting and content creation services for various publications and organizations across Asia.

Kimberly is also a contributing writer for makchic.com, a Malaysian-based parenting website. In May 2021, her picture book, entitled “WHAT IF?”, will be published by makchic as part of their campaign against child abuse in Malaysia. She is a merit award winner of the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for Young Malaysians, an active member of SCBWI, and a recent recipient of the Children’s Book Academy’s 2021 Yuyi Morales Scholarship.

When she isn't busy writing, or navigating life with her husband and their two wilding boys, Kimberly can be found singing, stress baking, and covertly consuming her own baked goods. She is represented by the fabulous Emily Forney at Bookends Literary Agency.

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.

Tuesday From The Trenches: Anushi Mehta

Hello my wonderful Kidlit friends!! I am so so so excited to be back on the blog and bringing you another Tuesday From The Trenches. Thank you for your patience as I took a few weeks to work on some writing projects and get my life in order. It was a great few weeks and I hope you all had a great few weeks as well... Does anyone else feel more hope and peace these days? Because I'm feeling it! And now I'm back and ready to go and SO excited to be introducing you to the wonderful Anushi Mehta! Join me in welcoming her to the blog!

Thank you so much for joining us today, Anushi! I’m thrilled to share your query story with my readers. Let's jump right in!!

Can you share your query stats with us?

Time Spent in the Query Trenches: 18 months, 3 distinct querying periods

Number of Agents Queried: For my chapter book (the one that landed me an agent - 24 and for my picture book I think 60 or more

Number of Requests for Additional Work/Full Manuscript: 7

Number of Twitter Pitch “Likes”: 7-8

Number of R&Rs: 4

Number of Rejections: I guess the rest!

Number of Offers: 1

Agent and Agency: Joyce Sweeney of The Seymour Agency

YAY! That is so exciting!! And I love that you landed an agent for a Chapter Book. That feels extra exciting to me! How did you keep track of it all? What was your method for organizing queries? Spread sheet? Query Tracker? Etc.

I have multiple spreadsheets (haha). But when I got REALLY serious about querying I made an excel spreadsheet with agents that were interested in that genre. I was querying a chapter book. There is only a small subset of agents open to CB queries so I kept adding their details/ snippets of interview to the spreadsheet. It was a pretty basic spreadsheet with just a few tabs (name of agent, agency, comments, query date, response)

I had multiple at one point as well! haha. It worked for me. Tell me, how did you handle rejections? Did any sting more than others?

I am terribly bad at dealing with rejection and some ABSOLUTELY stung more than others! There were some agents/agencies that I really had my hopes pinned on. In other cases, agents had promising/ kind words to say so I was hopeful. In fact there was an agent I had been speaking to for a year or so and she asked me for R&Rs twice! There was interest from both ends, but eventually it didn’t work out.

I have to say though, that I am so thankful that I went through this early on in my career and I feel much better equipped to deal with rejection.

Oh wow. I can see how that would have been an emotional roller coaster to go through two R&Rs with the same agent. I'm so glad you stuck with it and found Joyce in the end. Timing is such an interesting thing.

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

Initially, I just sent my picture book query out and hope it stuck. But as I got deeper in the process, I realized how little I knew about the industry, the process and how limited my craft was!

Eventually, I got some feedback from an agent I had a lot of respect for saying she thought it might work better as a longer form of text. I spent the next six months turning my 550 word picture book into a 5,500 chapter book. I got positive feedback from critique partners and sensitivity readers that I decided to go out on submission with my CB knowing that there was a small market of agents interested in this category.

How exciting!! Moving from one form to another is a lot of work, but can be really exciting. I'm currently changing a PB into an MG and it's been a very interesting process, so I love to hear that you had a similar shift.

How did you ultimately connect with Joyce? Did you cold query? Participate in a twitter pitch event? Or connect in some other way?

I won a #PreDVPit give-away with Joyce Sweeney and she offered to read the first 5 pages of my manuscript. She got back with a one-page edit letter and generous email welcoming me to query her with the full. I sent her my entire manuscript after making the requested changes.

Oh how exciting!! I love when those giveaway wins become something more. I love that! How much time passed between querying your now agent to getting “the call”?

It took about 4-5 weeks in total.

I know that isn't all that long, but I also know that the waiting can feel like an eternity! Can you tell us more about “the call” when it did come? How did you know Joyce was the right choice?

She was incredibly enthusiastic about my full request and asked me to send it back with some revised typos and formatting. I took the opportunity to send her my other work and luckily she was excited by it all!

Even though we were just connected via email Joyce seemed so straightforward, positive, kind and responsive, I had a good feeling! I read every interview I could find with her and spoke to two existing clients (including 1 who is an agent herself!) who had nothing but the best things to say about her work ethic, generosity and her connections.

Top on my list was kindness - I am not in any rush to become a best-seller. I want someone who can help navigate this complex industry and someone who rides with me through highs and lows of my career..

I love that so much! I agree that is huge in the author-agent relationship. It means the world to me that Emily (my agent) is available for phone calls, text, and emails as I navigate this very unfamiliar terrain. I'm so thrilled for you that you found an amazing connection with a great agent!

Could you tell us a little about your book that landed your agent?

Yes! My chapter book is called MUBEEN’S GLOBE and here is a short synopsis!

Eight-year-old Mubeen lives among the incalculable millions in Mumbai. He counts on the 193 countries outlined in his globe, his twelve brown color shirts and the strength of Abba’s (his father) two loving hands. But, then, Abba coughs. Weak lungs. Mubeen has to step into his shoes and run Murad Retailers. Loud noises, misplaced items and bizarre customers overwhelm Mubeen, but his elder sister, Miriam, protects him through it all. After a series of incidents that drive customers away from the shop, Miriam questions Mubeen’s intentions.

If Mubeen doesn’t find strategies to cope with his fears, not only will his relationship with Miriam be ruined, his family’s store won’t earn enough to pay for the medical treatment Abba desperately needs.

Oh wow!! That sounds wonderful!! I can't wait to see it on shelves.

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

Uff! I don’t know if I am in a place to give advice, but I would say : trust the process! When I look back now and how far I have come in my journey and my craft, I am so grateful to every failure and rejection. I am stronger and more confident because of moments of darkness.

That is really beautiful advice, Anushi!! Thank you so much. Before I let you go...

Where can we connect with you online?

Twitter: anushi_mehta

instagram: thehappybooker1

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

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY!!

Anushi is very generously offering a query, 1st 5 pages or PB MS critique! Follow both Anushi and Kailei on Twitter and Retweet THIS tweet to be entered. Winner will be announced on Twitter.

About Anushi Mehta

Anushi Mehta is a first generation Belgian-Indian who grew up in charming Antwerp. She pursued degrees in psychology and primary teaching at Warwick University and met her husband while working in London. Now, they live in Mumbai and everyone from her two-year-old to her 88-year-old grandma teases her for always feeling cold.

After moving to Mumbai, Anushi completed an introductory course on learning disabilities and ‘Yoga for the Special Child’ by Sonia Sumar and then worked as a special educator until her son was born. Moreover, she oversees a primary school at her ancestral hometown, where she focuses on raising literacy levels.

Anushi discovered the power of voice when she began inventing stories about spunky Indian girls for her daughter. It is her dream that each of her stories feature masala chai. In addition to honing her craft with courses at Highlights Foundation and WriteMentor, she is an active participant of 12x12 and Desi Kidlit, a community of writers from the Asian Diaspora. She is involved in three diverse critique groups that span across different genres and stays current by listening to podcasts such as 88 Cups of Tea and Literaticast. Anushi has also been selected by We Need Diverse Books as one of the “sixteen creative, rising voices”. Alan Gratz will be mentoring her for her MG, LEVEL PLAYING FIELD.

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.