Birth Stories for Books: EVERYONE'S SLEEPY BUT THE BABY, by Tracy C. Gold

Hello readers! Get yourself a cuppa, and settle in for a bit, because it's time for another Birth Stories for Books post, and today's interview with fellow author, Tracy C. Gold, is loaded with helpful info.

Let's get right to it:

Dawn Prochovnic: I’m so glad to have you on the blog, Tracy, and I’m really looking forward to your forthcoming book, EVERYONE’S SLEEPY BUT THE BABY (illustrated by Adèle Dafflon Familius, April, 2021). The cover art is absolutely adorable. 

I’d love to hear how the idea for this story came to be. Reading the title, and knowing that you have a daughter, I’m guessing this story draws on personal experience. True?

Tracy C. Gold: Absolutely! I first had the idea for this book when my daughter was a few months old. Everyone in my household—including the dog—was completely exhausted, but my baby would just not fall asleep. My daughter is almost three now and we still have the same problem! One day I know she’ll be an adult who loves a good afternoon nap but has to work and she’ll regret not napping all those times she had a chance as a child!

DP: My kids (both now in college) were not sleepers when they were little, either. They DEFINITELY know how to nap, now! 

I’d like to hear about the process and timeframe between your initial idea and the story that was formulated fully enough to submit to an editor.

TG: Looking back, I actually wrote the complete draft of this book on my phone! (The book is very short.) I’m not actually sure on the timeframe because my memory is telling me it took a few months, but all the dates on my computer/phone notes are from one day, June 25th, 2019. In my first note, I wrote this one stanza: 

“Sleepy mommy 

Sleepy daddy

Sleepy little dog 

Everyone’s sleepy 

Except for baby

Yawn yawn yawn.”

For my next version, I wrote five more stanzas and used “but the baby” instead of “except,” because it sounds better. From there, I created a word doc and did something I would never advise other writers to do…sent it out to a few publishers! I then immediately panicked and thought I’d completely embarrassed myself, so I reached out to a few freelance editors. This was one of the first picture books I’d ever written and I hadn’t gotten many (any?) critiques on my picture books. One of the freelance editors told me not to pay her to work on the book because it would never sell. She didn’t think a book marketed for parents rather than babies would work. My heart sank. I had made a fool of myself after all! Then…another editor wrote back and said not to pay her to work on the book because it was perfect as is! What?! I am so glad that my publisher, Familius, agreed with the second editor! Literally days after I heard from her, they wrote me and said they were interested in publishing the book. It was only 7 days from my submission to my initial offer from them. I was floored! Familius has a line of board books just right for something short and sweet like this. Of course it wasn’t “perfect” as is—I did make changes before publication—but that whole story just goes to show how subjective the publishing world is. I wrote more about the journey to publication here.

DP: That's a great (enviable!) path to publication story! And yes, this business is very subjective. I'm so glad you submitted to just the right publisher for this book!

When you compare one of your earliest drafts of this story to the version in the published book, what stands out for you in terms of what is most different? Likewise, is there anything in particular that stands out that was included in your earliest drafts and survived the revision process?

TG: Considering that the draft I sent to Familius was only 89 words, not including the title, a lot about the book changed as I worked with my editor from Familius, Laurie Duersch. I just counted and was shocked to find I only changed 7 words, but those seven words added more rhyme to the book, so it’s almost fully rhyming. With just those few words, I also added a whole “zoo theme” to the nursery setting, which looks so cute in the illustrations! I also reordered many of the different stanzas. Laurie and I went back and forth a bit on whether rhymes were close enough, but it was an extremely smooth process!

DP: In my experience, even seemingly small changes that a skilled editor brings to a book makes such a significant difference--even when a manuscript has been critiqued a multitude of times! I think the editorial process is somewhat cosmic in that way. 

Reflecting on the journey from idea to published book, is there any one moment along the way that you credit with opening the door for this particular story to find its way to publication? 

TG: I have to go back to before I even had this idea and thank Kathy MacMillan, the co-Regional Advisor of my region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Back in probably 2017 or 2018, when in-person conferences were still a thing, Kathy chatted with me about how much she loved her picture book publisher, Familius. She’s published 3 books with them and has more on the way. I didn’t mention Kathy’s name when I wrote to Familius, because I sent the book on such a whim. However, I never would have even known about Familius if it weren’t for Kathy.

DP: And now we enter the "It's a small (kidlit) world" part of our interview: Kathy is one of my favorite people that I've not yet met! She and I both teach sign language workshops, we both have books that incorporate American Sign Language, we both love libraries, and we've each contributed guest posts/interviews for each other's blogs. How great that Kathy's casual, positive mention of her publisher planted a seed that came to fruition for you!

You have another book that also launches in 2021: TRICK OR TREAT BUGS TO EAT (illustrated by Nancy Leschnikoff, Sourcebooks). What a FUN title! When you compare the path to publication for these two books,  what are some of the key similarities and differences in terms of the publication journeys for each?

TG: It's so different! Jennifer Rees, the same freelance editor who loved SLEEPY, suggested that I look into getting an agent for my picture books. I had been querying agents with my YA novels for years with no success so Jennifer’s comment gave me some much needed confidence to try again with picture books. In the past, I had interned for Carrie Pestritto, so I wrote to her to let her know about my book deal and sent her a few of my other book ideas. I knew she didn’t represent a lot of picture books, so I was mostly writing to ask if she had any agents to recommend or refer me to. But she offered to represent me herself! I was thrilled to accept. We sent a few books on submission without success. Then, she suggested that I write a Halloween book, because editors were asking for them. I adore bats, so I came up with the idea for Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat, and revised the book, along with some others, while at an “unworkshop” at Highlights Foundation in October. Carrie sent the book on submission after that, but it didn’t sell until March 2020, right as the world was shutting down due to Covid. It was definitely a whirlwind! I would say “Trick or Treat” was a more collaborative process, as I worked on revising it with Carrie and critique partners before we sent it to editors. Sourcebooks is a much larger publisher than Familius and publishes more books with non-fiction angles, so it was great for a fun book with bat facts. I expect I’ll see more similarities and differences along the way. One similarity is that it has been amazing to see illustrations for both of these books! 

DP: Yes! Seeing an illustrator's interpretation of my words is one of my favorite aspects of writing picture books! (And how wonderful that a past internship opened the door for your agent to represent you.)

In addition to authoring books, raising your daughter, walking your rescue dog, and riding your former race horse, (!) you taught an online course this past fall, and you also have a freelance editing service. How do you balance the time between your different book projects and the different aspects of the publishing business alongside an active personal life?

TG: Well, my house is an absolute disaster on the best of days . . . I’m really not kidding. For me the only way to keep all of those balls in the air is to forget about anything that’s not important and/or urgent. Laundry, picking up toys, and vacuuming often fall into the “not important and/or urgent” category and I’m not afraid to admit that! I am lucky to have a lot of help—my husband is very engaged, we had a wonderful au pair for almost two years, my daughter is now at an outdoor preschool, and my mother helps out a lot too. With Covid that has all been up in the air a bit. My daughter’s preschool recently had to close to wait for one of her classmates to get Covid test results, so I am writing this Q and A thanks to Daniel Tiger. 

DP: Hooray for Daniel Tiger...but Ugh! Yes, Covid has impacted so many things. I will say I've definitely vacuumed less since March, given that we've not done any indoor entertaining. Maybe I'll need to maintain my dust bunny indifference post Covid!

Your bio indicates that in addition to your forthcoming board book and picture book, you have also published in magazines and anthologies. I have always wondered how it is that someone’s work gets selected for an anthology, and I’d love if you could shed some light on that experience.

TG: Three out of the four anthologies I’m in were simply “word of mouth”—writer friends posted or emailed about the opportunities, I submitted, and I was lucky enough to be accepted! Covid or not, we’re really lucky to live in a world where it’s so easy to connect to other writers via Twitter and Facebook. I made great friends via the #pitchwars and https://writingchallenge.org hashtags! For the fourth, and most of the magazines, I found out about that opportunity via a website called Duotrope which keeps a database of publication opportunities. If you write and submit a lot of short stories, poems, or essays, I’d definitely recommend subscribing to Duotrope.

DP: Great tips and resources, Tracy! Thank you so much! 

I know from your social media accounts that you have a robust pre-order campaign for your book, and you publish an occasional newsletter for your readers, both of which I’m sure also takes a fair amount of time to keep up with. For those of us who might be pondering if it’s worthwhile to engage in this type of outreach, what are the pluses and minuses of these types of reader outreach, from your perspective? 

TG: Ask me again after both books are published! My goal is to get to about 300 preorders, and I’m only at 40 so far, but I have a lot more planned to spread the word. My newsletter is about 100 subscribers so far and I generally use it for updates and news only. I round up whatever I’ve already put out in the world and send it in my newsletter, so I’m not creating much original content for the newsletter, which makes it take less time. I’m planning on offering coloring pages and other newsletter exclusives to build my audience there soon.

DP: That's super helpful info, Tracy. Thanks! 

If you could go back in time, what would you tell your pre-published self? Or, said another way, what do you know now, that you wished you would have known a bit earlier?

TG: I would have told my pre-published self to start writing picture books earlier! Of course, I don’t think I would have been able to write them as well if I hadn’t read ten million with my daughter first. I think in general writers shouldn’t say “I don’t write XYZ genre” because you never know until you try! I also would have told myself to hang in there—after all the rejections, good news was on the way! It is really hard to keep going after getting literally hundreds of rejections, spread out over many different writing projects, and I’m so glad I did.

DP: I'm so glad you hung in there, too, Tracy! And, it's my hope that fellow creatives in the midst of rejection will be inspired to hang in there, too, after reading this! 

Do you have anything you’d like to tell us about what you’re currently working on? 

TG: My long-term career goal is to write books for every age of kid, from picture books to middle grade to young adult. Right now I’m working on a few more “fun twist on non-fiction” picture books. Mainly, though, I’m working on a young adult historical novel about a ship of Jewish refugees turned away from the US, Cuba, and Canada in 1939. This book feels very relevant amidst ongoing refugee crises and ties into my own Jewish heritage. I’ve been working on this book for years, so if it eventually gets published, it will have a very different birth story than my “accepted in a week” first picture book!

DP: Wow! That's an ambitious goal! I look forward to hearing more about your YA historical novel. It sounds very timely, indeed. (My late father-in-law was a Holocaust survivor and a Jewish immigrant. I recently had the amazing opportunity to share his life story with a local musical duo, who turned his story into a song.)

Thank you so much for sharing your Birth Story for EVERYONE’S SLEEPY BUT THE BABY  with us, Tracy. I've learned so much from you--and I've really enjoyed getting to know you!

Friends: Let's help Tracy reach her preorder goal. Her books are available everywhere books are sold (and you can get the details about her preorder promotion, here.)

And, if you'd like to WIN a copy of EVERYONE'S SLEEPY BUT THE BABY (or a picture book critique), follow both Dawn and Tracy on Twitter (@TracyCGold and @dawnprochovnic) and reply to one of our tweets with the blog post tagging a friend before 11:59pm EST on March 1st (U.S. addresses only.) 

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Tracy C. Gold loves bringing characters to life. She is a writer, freelance editor, and mom living in Baltimore, Maryland. She has two picture books forthcoming in 2021, “Everyone’s Sleepy but the Baby” from Familius in April and “Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat” from Sourcebooks in August. She also writes short stories, essays, novels, and poems. Her work has been published in several magazines and anthologies. Tracy earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts at the University of Baltimore and earned her B.A. in English from Duke University. When she’s not writing or editing, she’s playing with her toddler, or hanging out with her horse and dog, both rescues. You can find out more about Tracy at tracycgold.com or by following her on Twitter or Instagram @tracycgold.

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Birth Stories for Books is an occasional feature of Dawn Babb Prochovnic's blog. Dawn is the author of multiple picture books including, Lucy's Blooms (Spring '21), Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty?, Where Does a Pirate Go Potty?, and 16 books in the Story Time With Signs & Rhymes series. Dawn is a contributing author to the award-winning book, Oregon Reads Aloud, and a frequent presenter at schools, libraries, and educational conferences. Contact Dawn using the form at the left, or learn more at www.dawnprochovnic.com. 

Birth Stories for Books: Nita's Day, by Kathy MacMillan

I am so delighted to bring you today's interview with Kathy MacMillan. Kathy and I have several interests in common including kidlit, libraries and American Sign Language. I first interviewed Kathy in 2014, and she has featured my work on her information-rich blog a couple of times (my potty-humor books, here and my Story Time with Signs and Rhymes series, here). Today, we get the inside scoop on Kathy's Little Hands Signing series, just in time for the publication of a new board book in that series, NITA'S DAY (illustrated by Sara Brezzi, Familius Press, May, 2020).

Dawn Prochovnic: What was the inspiration for the Little Hands Signing series?

Kathy MacMillan: I had previously published a book for parents about signing with children ages birth to six, titled Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together. In the fall of 2016, I was promoting that book at the Baltimore Book Festival, when David Miles, then the publishing director at Familius Press, approached me and invited me to pitch them other ideas of this topic. Familius specializes in books for families, so they were an ideal home for books about signing with children – which is all about communication and bonding! I pitched them several ideas, but the one that stood out was a board book series about a little girl named Nita who signs with her parents.

What excites me most about the series is that it features stories about a family. It shows how communicating through American Sign Language improves their everyday lives. Many of the board books about signing with young children focus only on vocabulary. But in this series, I really wanted to show the how as well as the what. I also really wanted to create a series that could be enjoyed equally by hearing, Deaf, and hard-of-hearing readers.

DP: I really love your vision for the series, Kathy. Can you share some backstory about the journey from “book idea” to “book publication?”

KM: Right from the beginning, David and I discussed having some interactive element to the book – flaps or moving parts. The series was always conceived as having the story on the main spreads, supplemented by sign instruction (through illustrations and text) on each page. It was David’s brilliant idea to use the slide-open format to have the sign illustration appear. Not only does it fit the theme perfectly (because effective communication underlies everything the family does!), but it makes the books far sturdier than the life-the-flap format would be. I have heard from many parents and librarians that their copies of Nita’s First Signs have stood up to months of readings by eager babies and toddlers.

DP: Yes, the format is brilliant, and the illustrations are gorgeous. As we both know, conveying a three-dimensional language via two-dimensional pictures can be very challenging. Can you share what went into the illustration process to “get it right” to your satisfaction?

KM: Normally, the author has very little say in the illustrations of a picture book. That often surprises readers. But it’s actually quite unusual for the author and illustrator to have any contact at all in a traditionally published picture book!

I knew from the beginning that approach would never work here. Because most of the people involved in the publishing process did not know American Sign Language, it was crucial that I be consulted at each stage. When Familius agreed to that up front, and even put it in the contract, I knew they were serious about creating a quality product. Because there has been so much misinformation spread about American Sign Language and Deaf Culture, it was vital that we get this right.

And then, when David told me that Sara Brezzi had been selected to do the illustrations, I knew we were on the same page. Sara’s bright, cheery style was perfect for the tone of the books.

I provided detailed instructions and video links for each of the signs, and Sara sent me her sketches of the illustrations as she went. I would give feedback at each stage to make sure we were conveying them accurately. Sometimes we went through two, three, or even ten rounds of back and forth before we worked out the kinks!

In addition, we also had an ASL/Deaf Culture Advisor review each book before going to press. This was a native ASL user who could advise about any problems or misleading information that had slipped through the cracks. I was honored to have renowned Deaf Culture researcher Dr. Barbara Kannapell serve in this role for Nita’s First Signs and Deaf filmmaker and educator Jevon Whetter serve in this role for Nita’s Day.

DP: It is clear that a great deal of care has gone into these books. It used to be there were only a handful of books that incorporated sign language. Now there are many. What would you love to hear a bookseller saying as they handsell Nita’s First Signs or Nita’s Day?

KM: I would love for them to emphasize that learning how to communicate is a young child’s most important job, as it is how they get their other needs met. I would love for them to talk about how these books show how a young child can initiate communication and how much easier it makes the whole family’s life as a result. And that signing with your child sends the crucial message that you are interested in knowing what they have to say!

DP. Yes! Yes! and Yes! 

What would be your dream book review for Nita’s First Signs or Nita’s Day? Who would this review be from? And where would this review be published or posted?

KM: While I love every single review from hearing parents who say how fascinated their babies and toddlers are with the books, and how much they themselves have learned from them, the ones that touch my heart most are from members of the Deaf community. As a librarian and a book reviewer, I have seen so many inaccurate, misleading, and sometimes downright harmful representations of ASL and Deaf Culture. So it was very important to me to get this right. And the reaction of the Deaf community to the first book has been overwhelmingly positive. Recently at a signing, a Deaf woman carefully scrutinized every word and picture in the book and then looked at me and signed, “Thank you for this. This is wonderful.” I swear my heart grew three sizes!

DP: That's beautiful, Kathy. I'm so glad to hear that! What resources and/or next steps would you suggest for readers who want more? 

KM: Check out the series website at LittleHandsSigning.com! I have compiled lots of videos, links, articles and more that will be of interest to parents, teachers, and librarians alike!

DP: Youza! That's a great collection of resources! And thanks for including my Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series on your list of Picture Books about ASL and Deaf Culture.

Speaking of resources, are there more Nita books in the works that we should be on the lookout for? 

KM: Yes! We plan to publish several more books in the series, each on a theme such as food signs, family signs, bedtime signs, or seasonal signs.

DP: I'm so glad to hear that. Now for one of my favorite questions: What have I not asked that you would love for people to know?

KM: I would love readers to know that, in addition to the Little Hands Signing books, I also write nonfiction for children and adults and young adult fantasy. My most recent book is She Spoke: 14 Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the World (Familius Press, 2019). This book, co-authored with Manuela Bernardi and illustrated by Kathrin Honesta, features built-in sound clips where you get to hear the voices of 14 amazing women at the touch of a button!

DP: What a timely and innovative book! 

What is the best way for readers to get in touch with you or get their hands on your books?

KM: You can contact me through my website at KathyMacMillan.com. You can also find purchase links for all my books there. They are all available through the usual online booksellers, but you can also purchase signed and personalized copies of all my books at the Deaf Camps, Inc. Online Bookstore. Deaf Camps, Inc. is a an entirely volunteer-run nonprofit organization that provides communication-rich camps for Deaf and hard of hearing children and children learning American Sign Language, and I have been a proud volunteer and board member for the last 18 years. All proceeds from books purchased through the Deaf Camps, Inc. Online Bookstore support Deaf Camps, Inc.’s scholarship program. So it’s a great way to purchase great gifts and support a great cause!

DP: I will also say they have one of the most magnificent logos I have ever seen (readers, you will need to pop on over to the links above to see it for yourself!)

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog, Kathy. Best wishes for a successful launch of Nita's Day!

KM: Thanks for having me on your site, Dawn!  And happy signing, everyone!

Purchase Nita’s First Signs at Deaf Camps, Inc. Online Bookstore (autographed copies that support a great cause!) | amazon.com | barnesandnoble.com | indiebound.org | Workman.com (use code BOOKS for 20% off)

Purchase Nita’s Day at amazon.com | barnesandnoble.com | indiebound.org | Deaf Camps, Inc. online bookstore (signed and personalized copies available starting May 12, 2020.) | Workman.com (use code BOOKS for 20% off)

Join Kathy MacMillan online on Tuesday, May 12 to celebrate the launch of Nita's Day!
11 AM Eastern/8AM Pacific: ASL Storytime on Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/kathysquill

2 PM Eastern/11 AM Pacific: Spoken English Storytime on Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/kathysquill

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Kathy MacMillan (she/her) is a writer, American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, signing storyteller, and avowed Hufflepuff.  She writes picture books (the Little Hands Signing series, Familius Press), children’s nonfiction (She Spoke: 14 Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the World, Familius Press), and young adult fantasy (Sword and Verse and Dagger and Coin, both HarperTeen). She has also published many resource books for educators, librarians, and parents. Kathy serves as the co-Regional Advisor for the Maryland/Delaware/West Virginia Region of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives near Baltimore, MD. Find her online at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram   

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Birth Stories for Books is an occasional feature of Dawn Babb Prochovnic's blog. Dawn is the author of multiple picture books including Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty?, Where Does a Pirate Go Potty?, and 16 books in the Story Time With Signs & Rhymes series. Dawn is a contributing author to Oregon Reads Aloud and a frequent presenter at schools, libraries, and educational conferences. Contact Dawn using the form at the left, or learn more at www.dawnprochovnic.com.