Tuesday From The Trenches: Heather Bell

Welcome, everyone, to another Tuesday From The Trenches! I have had so much fun with this series, and it has been even more amazing than I had hoped for. If you missed last week's interview with the wonderful Stephen Briseño, you can check that out HERE.

I'm excited to be hosting Heather Bell on the blog today! Join me in giving her a warm welcome!

Thank you so much for joining us today, Heather! I’m thrilled to share your query story with my readers!

Thank you for having me, Kailei! And thank you for sharing all of these different stories. It really helps put everything in perspective.

I absolutely agree! It has been so fun for me to see just have different everyone's journey is. It's so nice to see all of the different paths to representation. Can you share your query stats with us? (as far as you know/remember. It’s okay if some of these numbers are zero):

Time Spent in the Query Trenches: 3 years (with a year and a half break after my first round)

Number of Agents Queried: 25 + 2 straight to editors/publishing houses (including multiple stories to same agents)

Number of Requests for Additional Work/Full Manuscript: 3

Number of Twitter Pitch “Likes”: Somewhere around 9 or 12…Pitch parties always gave me the push to send.

Number of R&Rs: 1

Number of Rejections: All except the one

Number of Offers: 1

Agent and Agency: Kaitlyn Sanchez at Olswanger Literary Agency

How did you keep track of it all? What was your method for organizing queries? Spread sheet? Query Tracker? Etc.

I had an excel sheet, but it was fairly simple. It mainly listed the agency/agent’s name, which story I sent on what date, and when I should hear back (if they listed that info), and of course, date of rejection. There are so many rejections! But really, all you need is that ONE person.

That is absolutely the truth! It's all so subjective, and you only need the one yes!

How did you handle rejections? Did any sting more than others?

The first ones were rough. Most of the time I never received responses (ha! I know that’s pretty normal, but I spent many nights thinking “just TELL me you don’t like it”). After my first batch (I think I sent 10), I took a long break from querying to really focus on making my stories better and to make sure I had more than a couple polished pieces. When I started querying again, I knew the break was worth it, because even though I wasn’t getting a “yes,” the agents were actually responding. Lots of champagne rejections, some with actual notes on how the story could improve. And I think the one that stung most was when I submitted straight to a house, and it made it all the way to marketing, then died there. But that also gave me hope. The story had something, and I wouldn’t give up.

Oh my goodness. That definitely would have stung for me to. Those super close calls are hard. I also love that you took time to really hone your craft. That is essential in my opinion.

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

MSWL was very helpful. Also, even if I didn’t get a like on a twitter pitch contest, I would see which agents were scoping things out and send to them.

Very smart! I think it's a great idea to go through twitter pitch contest likes to get an idea of what agents are looking for. There's a high chance they just didn't see your pitch, and knowing what they like will really help you know who to send them to. How did you ultimately connect with your now agent, Kaitlyn?

Early on when I first really dove into children’s books, I met Kaitlyn (my now agent). We were swapping stories after meeting in a Kidlit411 Facebook group (highly advise immersing yourself here), and after a few swaps she asked if I’d like to join her critique group. So, Kaitlyn was one of my first CPs. Once she was on track to becoming an agent, she approached me about possibly being one of her clients. As a critique partner she’s always been honest and I love how she can see the tiny issues as well as the big picture. I knew I wanted an agent who would be really hands on, passionate, and open. And Kaitlyn is basically Wonder Woman for all I know. After some discussion, she asked me to revise one of my stories. All her notes felt spot on, like she knew what I was trying to say and made it so much more concise and stronger. After making the changes, I resubmitted and here we are.

That's really awesome! Goes to show you how important it is to really put yourself out there in all the great kidlit communities. Can you tell us more about “the call” with Kaitlyn? How did you know she was the right choice?

It felt like destiny (haha)! But really, it did. I still had my story out with two other agents and was waiting for their responses. When they both declined, I told Kaitlyn. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to receive rejections! After lots of shrieking and dancing about, we discussed details. I’ve told this to others before, but she is all heart and fire. You can feel the fervor in everything she does and when she supports your work, she does so whole-heartedly. It wasn’t even a question.

Love that so much! Feeling that spark on the call is essential in my mind! You know you will be in good hands. If you could give querying authors a piece of advice, what would that be?

Be persistent. And get to know the amazing people in the kidlit community. We are all writing and illustrating stories for children, hoping that it will touch at least one child’s heart. And if you keep sending, keep querying, someone will see that in your work and feel that connection. It just takes one.

Wonderful advice! Thank you so much for such a great interview. Before I let you go, where can we connect with you online?

Instagram: heather.bell37

Twitter: @heatherbell37

https://heatherbellbooks.com/

Thanks so much for joining us today, Heather! This was so much fun. I think my biggest take away from this awesome interview is to never stop putting yourself out there and to never stop making connections. You never know what will come from those connections, plus it's essential to have people who understand in your corner in this publishing journey.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY!!

Heather is offering a PB MS or Dummy Critique to one lucky reader!! To enter: Retweet THIS tweet and Follow Heather and Kailei on Twitter. Winner will be announced on Twitter on Monday, November 16th.

About Heather Bell

Heather Bell whole-heartedly believes that hidden within our everyday lives is a secret realm glimpsed through books, music, and children’s laughter. Holding a BFA in Painting from the Kansas City Art Institute, she is a member of SCBWI, a participant in the 12 x 12 Picture Book Challenge, a Children’s Book Academy graduate, and a mommy. When not illustrating and writing, she searches out story ideas as an undercover school bus driver.

Heather Bell is an author/illustrator represented by Kaitlyn Sanchez at Olswanger 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: Stephen Briseño

Hello KidLit friends! And welcome to this week's Tuesday From the Trenches... on Wednesday! I was busy worrying about the state of the world yesterday, so we postponed this interview a day to watch... things. And while things still aren't completely settled... we all need a little bit of awesome in our lives right now, so I am THRILLED to be sharing this interview with Stephen Briseño! I was able to live chat with Stephen over a month ago and I've been so anxious to share this story because I had SO much fun chatting with him. If you missed the last few interviews, you can catch them HERE.

And now, join me in welcoming Stephen Briseño to the blog!

Hi Stephen! Thanks so much for joining me today! I’m so excited to be doing this interview!

Hi Kailei!

Yay!

This is great!

Agreed! I love these interviews so much!! Should we dive in?

Absolutely!

I am thrilled about this new blog series and can’t wait to share your story. I was one of those people in the query trenches that would google absolutely every possible thing I could think of to give me an idea of what was “normal” in the trenches or what a response time was like for an agent, etc. It was maddening. I know that everyone’s path is different, so I’m really excited to have a one-stop-shop so to speak to show everyone’s different paths and to hopefully help people know that they are not alone in the trenches.

I’d love to start off by asking about your “query stats:”

Time in the trenches:

Number of agents queried:

Requests for additional work:

Twitter Pitch “Likes”:

Number of offers?

Oh sure.

I’m kind of an anomaly. I began querying March of 2019 after writing two picture book drafts.

I have a daughter who’s now seven and since she was in the womb, I would read to her. 3 books every night, with a few nights here and there where I didn’t.

It wasn’t until she was almost five that I began writing. So I feel like I had a firm grasp of how picture books worked.

I began writing in December 2018 and dove into the process of “how do these words of mine become a book?”

So, I was in the trenches from March 2019 to December 2019.

I queried 28 agents.

I had 7 agents request to see more work.

I did several Twitter pitch events and got a total of THREE likes. It was those three likes that really got the ball rolling.

I had two offers of rep before signing with my agent, Natalie Lakosil at Bradford Literary.

That’s all so awesome, Stephen! I think that reading picture books is such a huge part of a Picture Book author’s education and you are a testament to that… so ready to write because you read so much. I love bedtime stories with my girls too! What a great story.

Thank you! I was almost late to this interview because of picture book time! Haha!

That’s so great! NOTHING should get in the way of picture book time with the littles!

So you say that the pitch events got the ball rolling. Did Natalie like your pitch?

Well, there were two things that got the ball rolling.

1. I stumbled across Justin Colon’s PBChat Mentorship in its first year after reading an interview he did with my agent. I read every agent interview he gave and I thought, “She seems legit. I’d LOVE for her to be my agent!” So I queried her and I got a fairly quick rejection.

So I decided to submit to author Patricia Valdez, author of Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor, and in a total surprise, she chose me as her mentee. I was so thrilled because her book was one of my daughter’s favorites (she loves animals).

We worked on several manuscripts and I waited and worked for the agent/editor showcase at the end.

2. In the meantime, though, I still participated in Twitter pitch events. During #DVpit, I got a like from another agent and Asia Citro, editor at The Innovation Press. She ultimately passed on the manuscripts, but told me to keep sending her stuff. Right before the showcase, she emailed me asking if a manuscript I had mentioned was done, so I sent her what I had, and she said she wanted to publish it!

Well, the showcase rolled along and my manuscript got 6 requests from agents (one of them being Natalie) and one editor. So I sent my manuscripts off into the world. It was a flurry of emails. I had two agent calls back to back on the last day of school before the Christmas holiday. I didn’t even attend our Christmas party--I was in my classroom having these insane conversations that I’d never thought I’d get to have. At the end of my conversation with Natalie, she offered rep and...I know this is bad...but I immediately accepted. We just clicked and I knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

That is amazing! And I would say nothing wrong with that at all. I think there is something to be said for that spark and just knowing! That is an amazing story! I felt that same “zing” with Emily, and I just knew she was the right agent for me. And I feel you on the string of nos followed by a sudden and unexpected yes. It’s an amazing feeling.

Oh yes. It was just this string of nos, one after another, and then this door swung wide open and I walked through it. It was a surreal Christmas break!

It’s so cliche that phrase, “It only takes one yes,” but IT’S SO TRUE.

And absolutely so well deserved for you! I loved your pitches and I am already anticipating buying your amazing books!

Oh my goodness, thank you! I can’t wait to see what you and your agent, Emily come out with!

Thanks, Stephen! I’m excited for the future as well!

So let’s talk a little more about “the call” with Natalie. How much time passed between sending her your MS and setting up your call?

It was a fairly quick turn around...maybe a couple of days!

That’s so nice! The waiting can be the worst part.

For real--I was totally anticipating this waiting game again, which I was ready for, so when she emailed saying she wanted to set up a call, I was floored for multiple reasons!

Natalie sounds really amazing! And if I remember correctly, you now have two book deals announced, am I right?

Yes. The Notebook Keeper will be coming out with the new Random House Studio imprint, which is a branch of the Schwartz and Wade imprint.

And Queen of Leaves will be coming out with The Innovation Press. Both in 2022.

That is amazing, Stephen! I am thrilled for you. What a year 2022 will be for you! I seriously can’t wait to buy these books

Thank you!!

You mentioned expecting a bit of a wait after sending out your requests from your mentorship. (And as an aside, I just have to say that Justin is amazing and I don’t know how he does all that he does. I didn’t interject above, but what an amazing program he runs.)

I’m convinced he is part machine! He’s become a good friend during this time and a critique partner.

The PBChat Mentorship is simply amazing. And the fact that he is pre-agented himself and yet he STILL pours out his heart and soul into it is simply astounding and a testament to how generous the kidlit community is.

I absolutely agree. I have been amazed from day one at the kindness and generosity of the community as a whole. I feel like I have so many close friends that I’ve never actually met, but they are cheering me on and keeping me going.

What got you through the rejections and the string of nos that you mentioned earlier?

Prior to picture book writing, I decided to try my hand at poetry and submitting to literary magazines.

Those rejections come fast and hard.

You send out a little batch of 3-5 poems out and it’s almost ALWAYS a no. That process taught me how to query, how to treat my work with a certain...detachment, for lack of a better word. I cared about what I wrote and put my heart into it, but the world of publishing is so subjective. You kind of have to develop a thick skin or you won’t make it.

So after a year and half of that, getting nos from agents was like an extension of that experience.

I let it get to me once and then I just told myself, “You’ll connect with the right agent. Keep your head down, keep writing, keep an open heart, and KEEP TRYING.”

I think so many of us as creatives are terribly sensitive. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but we can get in our way oftentimes. We can let the hurt, which is really just temporary, block us from writing and pursuing the dream. We need to learn to take rejections as opportunities for refinement.

Oh wow, that is really beautiful advice! I’m going to remember that as I begin submitting… rejections as opportunities for refinement.

Is there any other advice you’d give to authors deep in the query trenches?

Oh my goodness, where to begin.

I just saw a tweet from a kidlit author I follow, Kate Allen Fox. She said something along the lines of, “would you buy your own book for $17.95?” or whatever it is picture books are going for nowadays.

We also forget that publishing is a business. So we need to push ourselves to create the best art that we possibly can. If you feel like your work is there, that yes, I truly believe that this is sell-able (is that a word?), unique, and truly written from the soul, then it’s time to query.

That is really amazing advice, Stephen! Written from the soul. I love that. I like the balance between it coming from my inmost heart and also being sell-able (and yes, totally a word).

Robert Frost has a quote that I say to my middle school English students,

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.” You have to put that type of energy into your work or it won’t connect to agents, editors, and ultimately the children that we’re writing for.

Beautiful! This has been so much fun to chat and connect, Stephen! I’d love to hear about anything you’re up to that you’d like to promote as well as where we can find you online.

Yes! I’m a part of #Latinxpitch, a new Twitter event to expand the voices of Latinx creators in the publishing world. Please give them a follow and if you are a Latinx creator yourself, please consider pitching during our next event. We’re doing a “second chance” event soon actually, for agents and editors to give pitches one more look!

I’ve been happily following #Latinxpitch on Twitter and love what you are doing! How can those of us who are not part of the Latinx community best support?

Read books by Latinx creators. Request that your libraries purchase them. Hype them up on Twitter. The best thing though is to read them to your children!

Yes! I love that. I absolutely want my girls to grow up reading and loving books by and about Latinx creators.

Stephen, this has been awesome! Thank you again. Where can we find you online?

I’m currently only on twitter @stephen_briseno or you can follow my website, which will be getting a kidlit update in the coming months: stephenbriseno.weebly.com

Perfect! Thank you so much for sharing your story in the query trenches. I know that our readers will love hearing your experience! And again, congrats on the double debut year!

Thank you so much! I’m glad to be any help to those still in the trenches!

***

Thank you so much for joining me and Stephen today, dear readers! I hope that this has been a welcome distraction from current life and that you feel pumped to keep moving forward, keep putting yourself out there, and keep querying! Your yes is right around the corner. Make sure to read on for an awesome giveaway opportunity from Stephen!!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY!!

Stephen is offering one Picture Book MS critique to a lucky reader. To enter, follow both Stephen and Kailei on Twitter and retweet THIS tweet. For a bonus entry, subscribe to my blog below and tell me in the comments that you did. (If you're already a subscriber, you can still get the bonus entry!)

Good luck, everyone! Winner will be announced on Twitter on Monday!

About Stephen Briseño

Stephen is a husband, a father, an avid reader and coffee drinker (almost always those two activities are done together). 

He likes writing things--like poetry, short stories, and creative non-fiction.

He teaches adolescent teenagers English and hopes to mold them into people who love the written word and thinking about life.

He hopes you enjoy his writing.

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: Kaitlyn Sanchez

Hello, friends! And welcome back to #TuesdayFromTheTrenches. If you missed last week's interview with the one and only Brian Gehrlein, make sure to check it out HERE.

I have a special treat for you today as we welcome author and agent, Kaitlyn Sanchez to the blog! I've been lucky enough to connect with Kaitlyn on a few projects now, and I am always so impressed by her dedication, drive, and determination. She is sure to go far in this industry, and is definitely one to watch! She recently announced her first sell as an agent (CONGRATS!!) and is working with one amazing team of authors. Though she's currently closed to queries, make sure to subscribe to her blog to be the first to hear when she reopens. Also, make sure to read to the end and check out an awesome giveaway opportunity from Kaitlyn!

Just to give you an idea of how supportive Kaitlyn is: When I received a couple of offers of representation, I emailed Kaitlyn to let her know. She literally called me less than 1 minute after I sent the email, screaming in excitement for me. She let me share some of my thoughts and the back and forth I was going through on choosing and agent and had some stellar advice. She even followed up with me to see how I was doing while making my decision. She's become a dear writing friend and I'm glad to know her. So I'm super excited to share this interview!

And now, help me welcome to the blog Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez!

***

Thank you so much for joining us today, Kaitlyn! You are such a light to the KidLit community, and I’m thrilled to share your query story with my readers!

Aw, thank you so much! One of my favorite nicknames as a kid was sparkplug and that comment made me think of that, thanks for that wonderful memory! And it's been just a delight working with you on so many wonderful adventures for this Kidlit community, thanks for including me!

Aww, thanks so much! I always love connecting and so appreciate your willingness to always jump on board with my new ideas. My goal with #TuesdayFromTheTrenches is to share that there is no "one right path" to representation. I love your story and can't wait to see how it inspires readers.

To get started, can you share your query stats with us? (as far as you know/remember. It’s okay if some of these numbers are zero):

Uh...all of these are going to be approximate because at one point I stopped keeping track because it was too depressing to keep adding LOL.

Time Spent in the Query Trenches: Probably about a year for my first agent, then when she left the business about a month to get my soulmate agent!

Number of Agents Queried: too many, probably over a hundred but I stopped keeping track

Number of Requests for Additional Work/Full Manuscript: off the top of my head, double digits but never kept track

Number of Twitter Pitch “Likes”: at least a handful but never kept track either lol

Number of R&Rs: none

Number of Rejections: too many to count, hundreds for sure

Number of Offers: one the first time, two the second

Agent and Agency: the amazing, the spectacular, my agent soulmate: Joyce Sweeney at the Seymour Agency

I love that you stayed aware of your mental health in the process and stopped counting when it became overwhelming. Very smart. I'm also so glad you connected with your perfect agent!

How did you keep track of it all? What was your method for organizing queries? Spread sheet? Query Tracker? Etc.

I used a spreadsheet that I started to despise. I even started using orange for rejections because red was too harsh!

Haha! I feel that for sure. I also came to dislike my spreadsheet... more of a love-hate relationship maybe? haha. Loved that it kept me organized. Hated all the red! How did you handle rejections? Did any sting more than others?

It was much harder getting rejections after requests from pitch events/parties. In fact, one time after yet another close call but not quite, I decided to step away from picture book writing in general for a while. Ironically, it was then that I wrote a picture book story for a call that landed me my first contract.

Those close calls were the most painful for me as well. And I agree that sometimes you have to step back from it all for a bit. What a perfect example of stepping back and taking some time away in order to foster new ideas and write that story that gets the yes! In the middle of all of this, how did you find agents to query/how did you decide who to query?

Everywhere! But one of my favorite places is my friend Heather Aryis Burnell's Monster List of Picture Book Agents.

Yes, yes, yes! I also used Heather's list! Love it so much! It sounds like you took advantage of lots of opportunities to find an agent. How did you ultimately connect with your now agent? Did you cold query? Participate in a twitter pitch event? Or connect in some other way?

Mindy Alyse Weiss!

I asked her how she liked her new agency and as a wonderful friend she asked me what was going on and when I explained my predicament—my agent leaving the business (and because she knew my writing from PBParty) she thought Joyce and I might work well together, so she recommended me :)

That's fantastic! I love wonderful writing friends! How much time passed between querying Joyce to getting “the call”?

It was about a month. Joyce loved my newest voice. It was only found in the story I queried her with, so she tasked me to write more like it before having a talk :)

Very cool. And amazing that you could turn around more great stories in a month! Way to go!! Can you tell us more about “the call” with Joyce? How did you know she was the right choice?

I knew from the first email she sent the same day I queried her that she would be perfect for me! Her response was EXACTLY how I would have reacted to a story I loved. But, overall it was more complicated than that as I had another offer as well, so it wasn't the call that eventually won me over (though it was fantastic!) it all came down to which stories I wanted to focus on because each agent wanted to focus on a different side of me (I may be a little eclectic lol).

I love that! And I totally understand being eclectic. I feel like I am bouncing around from idea to idea and wanting to write all types of PBs. It's nice to have my agent to help ground me and show me my strengths and where to focus. It sounds like you and Joyce are a wonderful match! And as a now agent yourself, do you have any additional insights on the query trenches from “the other side?”

Oh, definitely! I had heard from freelance editing friends that they would see certain topics often and I didn't see that side until I started receiving queries. I think another great way to get this insight is to observe pitch events. You can see all the different (and similar) stories that are being written and the creative (or lack thereof) spin people are putting on them.

Great advice to watch the trends and make sure you're standing out! If you could give querying authors any other piece of advice, what would that be?

Keep learning, growing, and trying new things, but most of all, have a great writer support system. A critique group or check-in buddy where you can share your frustrations and achievements and they can commiserate with you in a way non-writing support systems can't.

I couldn't agree more! Having that support system has been invaluable to me!

Kaitlyn, this has been so much fun! Thank you so much for joining us!! Before I let you go, where can we connect with you online?

https://kaitlynleannsanchez.com/ (I'd love for all your readers to subscribe to my blog)

@KaitlynLeann17 for Insta and Twitter

https://www.facebook.com/KaitlynLeann17/

Thank you so much, Katilyn!! I can't wait to see your books on my shelf!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY!!

Kaitlyn will be giving away one PB MS critique and one Query Critique to two lucky readers! To enter for your chance to win, follow Kaitlyn and Kailei on twitter, and retweet this post! For an extra entry, subscribe to Kaitlyn's blog and tell me in the comments below that you did! Good luck, everyone! Winner will be announced next Monday on Twitter.

About Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez:

Kaitlyn Leann Sachez is a writer of humorous picture books and an active member of SCBWI. She's a proud finalist of the 2019 Picture Book Party event. Kaitlyn is the co-creator and co-host of the many contests including: the Spring Fling Kidlit Contest, the Kidlit Fall Writing Frenzy, and Kidlit Zombie Week. Kaitlyn is also an associate literary agent, helping writers achieve their dreams of publication.

She was born, raised, and has always stayed in California's Central Valley, where she lives with her family and teaches junior high school math. When Kaitlyn isn’t writing, teaching, or agenting, you can find her eating cookies, laughing with her hilarious family, or out on the soccer field, but you'll never find her cleaning. She would definitely rather be sucked into a vacuum than use it!

Website: https://kaitlynleannsanchez.com/

Twitter: @KaitlynLeann17

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/KaitlynLeann17/

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.