First-Time Picture Book Author Cover Letters, Exposed! - Keila Dawson
Hello again! Welcome
to another post for
First-Time Picture Book Author Cover Letters, Exposed!
Today we will be
interviewing the wonderfully talented Keila Dawson!
*Applause*
Keila is the first-time picture book author of The King Cake Baby, which is a hilarious
fractured version of The Gingerbread Man
story. In this version, Keila takes the story to New Orleans and centers it
around a local custom during the Mardi Gras season where a plastic baby is
hidden inside a king cake leaving everyone wondering who got the baby? In this
retelling, the plastic baby runs away from an old woman before she has the
chance to hide him in the king cake. The baby meets other characters in his
French Quarter neighborhood and runs away from them too, until a clever baker
catches him.
This story is really fun and unique! I love how creative Keila was
with her retelling J
Hi Keila! Thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed.
I really enjoyed reading your book.
Q:
How long have you been writing books for children?
A: I started writing for the
children’s book market approximately 6 months before Pelican Publishing
acquired The
King Cake Baby in June, 2013.
Wow! You work fast!!
Q: How
many picture book manuscripts did you write/submit before The King Cake Baby?
A: The King Cake Baby was my first
attempt at writing a children’s story. Over the years, I have enjoyed
journaling about my travels and kids. Most recently I had two articles
published for the adult market. One published in a genealogy journal and
another in a magazine for expats about raising third culture kids. Before that,
I wrote educational reports professionally.
Nailed it on the first try? Okay, now I’m a little jealous
;)
Q: Now
that you are a published picture book author, do you still have to write cover
letters?
A: I wrote a cover letter to
accompany the manuscript I subbed to my publisher while in New Orleans for my
debut book launch. I believe the cover letter is an important part of my
writing process. I will often draft a hook or pitch before my manuscript is
submission-ready.
That’s
a really good idea.
Q: Do
you hate writing cover letters as much as I do (I hate them about as much as I
hate doing the laundry)?
A: I don’t mind writing cover letters,
but I dislike doing the laundry! I prefer to work out my hook early in the
writing process. The better I understand the story I want to tell - a main
character + the problem or goal + obstacles or conflict or struggles faced +
the resolution - the easier it is to convey that to others. This process helps
me with revisions too. I’m either tweaking the hook or sticking to it, until
the words and story are in sync. The other two parts, information about the book and comparative titles and
finally what I think the publisher should know about me, the cook, is added later.
No wonder you hit the ground running!
Q: How
many cover letters did you write for The King Cake Baby before you found that
winning one?
A: I wrote three or four drafts.
Sounds about right :)
Q: What
resources did you find helpful in writing your cover letter?
A: I read a lot of articles on how to
write a query and a cover letter. The first online group I joined was
Children’s Book Insiders (CBI). I then joined a wonderful local Society of Children’sBook Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) group, and members encouraged me to join
the national organization where I found more about submissions. I found HaroldUnderdown’s site and other online sources.
Society of Children’s Book Writers
and Illustrators (SCBWI)
Harold Underdown’s site
Great
info! Thanks for sharing!
A: I did what a lot of newbies do! I
subbed to seven or eight well known large publishing houses. Online research
taught me how to look for submission guidelines on each publisher’s site, but I
didn’t yet understand how to look at a publisher’s list to see if my manuscript
fit. After joining a local SCBWI group, I met some wonderful authors who
mentored me and taught me to look more closely at publishing houses and the
type of books they publish. I learned that big was not necessarily better.
My story was a good fit with Pelican, a regional publishing house based
in Louisiana, but I waited since they required an exclusive submission. I
remember thinking to myself that I would send my story out just one more time.
And I’m so happy I did!
I think a lot of writers get caught in the big publisher
trap instead of researching who would actually be a good fit for their book. We
want the fame and fortune that we think will come with a big publishing house,
but there are so many other great publishers and small presses out there!
Q: Are
you currently working on any additional picture book manuscripts, or have any
picture books scheduled for publication that we should look forward to?
A: I am always “working” on other
ideas. But for me that doesn’t necessarily equate to writing. I don’t actually
write every day, but I do think about what I have written or an idea I want to
develop. I can spend days thinking about whether or not a word I’ve chosen to
use is the best one. Or my work for the day may involve reading other picture
books, working with my critique partners or participating in groups like JulieHedlund’s 12x12 Challenge or Tara Lazar’s PiBoIdMo or Susanna Hill’s PerfectPicture Book Fridays and Would-You-Read- It-Wednesdays.
I will let you know if the story I
subbed in February made the cut. But if my manuscript is rejected, I know it
comes with the territory. And it’s happened to the best in the industry so no
regrets for trying.
Sounds a lot like my day :)
Q: Were
these books finished before, during, or after The King Cake Baby?
A: Once I started learning, studying
and actively participating in writing communities, story ideas came more easily
to me. After the acquisition of The King Cake Baby, I wrote another
fractured fairy tale also set in New Orleans. And I have many other stories in
various stages of the revision process.
Thank you, Keila! It has been a delight getting to know
you. Definitely keep us posted on your progress and we will keep an eye out for
you online and in bookstores :)
And now, the incredibly rare, amazing, fantastic,
stupendous…okay, okay. Here is Keila’s successful cover letter for The King
Cake Baby!
*Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhing*
This cover letter does a great job in letting the editor
know right away that Keila knows what she is talking about. It is short,
professional, and to the point.
See a pattern here?
Well, that’s all for today. You can read more and
connect with Keila by following the links below.
Press:
NPR affiliate WVXU interview with Around
Cincinnati host Lee Hay
Local author Keila Dawson talks about her first
children's book, The King Cake Baby
Social Media:
Website: www.keiladawson.com
Twitter: @keila_dawson
Author
Facebook www.keiladawson@facebook.com
Facebook: The King Cake Baby (Facebook page)
Instagram: kingcakebaby504
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/keiladawson/
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/keiladawson
The King Cake Baby is available at Pelican,
Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and other online retail stores.
http://www.pelicanpub.com/proddetail.php?prod=9781455620135#.VLxlqUfF9r0
http://www.amazon.com/King-Cake-Baby-Keila-Dawson/dp/1455620130
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-king-cake-baby-keila-dawson/1120276062?ean=9781455620135
Stay tuned for our next post for First-Time Picture Book
Author Cover Letters, Exposed! Coming in April. We will be interviewing First-Time Picture Book Author
Peter McCleery!
Thanks for reading!
Happy writing!
Best,
Carissa
Good to see this post.
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