Boyd Mills Press accept Gail Johnson's picture book "Glove."

Welcome Gail and congratulations on your acceptance. Boyds Mills Press is a
wonderful publisher. Please tell us all about your "acceptance letter."

Thanks, Richelle. My "acceptance letter" came in the form of an email from
Boyds Mills Press publisher, Kent L. Brown. I was at work checking my email
when I saw one whose subject was the title of my book. Who is Mr. Brown and
why is he sending me an email, I thought. Well, the email said he was the
publisher of Boyds Mills Press and if it was still available, he was
interested in sending me a contract for my book. I responded to his email
with an enthusiastic "Yes, my book is available. Where do I sign?"


How many rejections, if any, had you received prior to being accepted?

When I first finished Glove, I entered it for the Lee & Low Books New Voices
Award. It didn't win. After I read it, I knew why. So I worked on it with
the help of my critique group, L'il Crit Wits, and Anastasia Suen's
Intensive Picture Book Workshop. I sent it out again to BMP and it was
accepted.


Did you query this publisher or mail the entire manuscript?

Usually because picture books are so short, the entire manuscript is
submitted, which is what I did.


What was the response time?

I sent the manuscript out in April 2001. When I didn't hear by October, I
sent a letter stating that I'd withdraw the manuscript if I didn't hear from
them by a specified time. I was sure I was just asking for a rejection but I
wanted to keep the story moving.


Since your acceptance, have you corresponded strictly by mail or have you
been contacted personally?

Well, I returned from Thanksgiving vacation to discover a voice mail message
from Kent Brown. I called back right away and left what was probably an
incoherent message. When I didn't hear from him after a couple of days, I
wanted to call again but my friend said to wait until the end of the week.
When I still didn't hear, I sent an email message and sure enough, he called
me back at about 4:55PM on Friday, just as I was about to the leave the
office and spend the weekend agonizing about it.

I've also spoken to Kent's assistant and the contract administrator.
Everyone has been very kind and helpful whenever I call.


Has Boyd Mills Press given you a release date?

Since I just sent the contract back recently, I haven't gotten a release
date yet. Because it's a picture book, I expect it won't be before spring or
fall 2003.


Your title, "Has Anybody Lost A Glove," is tentative. Do you have problems
with them changing the name of your book or requesting changes within the
manuscript?

I've been pretty attached to that title and would find it hard to think of
it by any other. However, I trust that the marketing department will know
what sells and will give it the title they think will best serve that
purpose. The same goes for editorial changes, as long as they are true to
the integrity of the work.


Can you tell us a little about your wonderful picture book and how you can
up with this unique idea?

Has Anybody Lost A Glove is the story of an African-American boy living in
NY who finds a glove as he's coming out of the subway with his mother. He
decides he wants to find the owner of the glove so on the way home he asks
everyone he meets if they've lost a glove. During the course of his travels
he discovers many kinds of gloves. Will he find the owner of the glove?
You'll have to read the story to find out.
I got the idea for the story while riding the subway to work and watching
someone asking people if they'd dropped a glove.


What has been your experience with writer's groups and would you recommend
them?

I tried out a couple of writer's groups before I found one that fit my
needs. What I found with some groups is that the critiques I received were
superficial and not very useful. L'il Crit Wits, however, is a group of
serious and dedicated children's writers who will pick your manuscript apart
and tell it like it is. Now I can't conceive of submitting anything without
letting them take a look first. A good writer's group is like gold and just
as valuable.


Are you a member of any writer organizations? If so, which ones and why.

I belong to three writer organizations. I find they each fulfill different
aspects of my writing persona. As a children's writer, I belong to the
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (www.scbwi.org). I can't
imagine being a children's writer and not belonging to this highly
supportive organization. As an African-American writer, I belong to the
Black Writers Alliance (www.blackwriters.org) where I receive support of a
different kind. Here I am able to interact with writers of similar
background who can relate to the experience of being a writer of color.
Finally, as a woman writer, I recently became a member of the National
Association of Women Writers (www.naww.org). I love interacting with other
women who write and sharing that experience as well. Writing is such a
solitary profession; it's easy to become isolated and out of touch. Being a
part of these organizations, not only satisfies my need to intermingle with
other human beings. It helps keep me up to date on what's happening in the
writing world.


You have been writing seriously for approximately four years. During that
time, have you mailed out many manuscripts and queries?

I only started mailing my work out this year. Glove is the first picture
book I've submitted. Knowing how long others have waited to be published, I
consider myself fortunate to have my work accepted so early in my career.


Have you written any short stories or non-fiction articles?

I've written a couple of adult short stories that have appeared online.


Are you considering other types of children's writing, such as middle-grade
and young-adult, or are you strictly a picture book author?

Besides picture books, I've written a middle grade story that's made the
rounds a few times. I also write children's poetry and recently submitted
some to a children's magazine. I'd like to do some chapter books and
non-fiction in the near future. I guess the only thing I don't see myself
doing is young adult. I don't relate to that age group as well as I do to
younger children.


What authors and picture books inspired you?

As a child, I loved anything by Dr. Seuss. I think that's where I got my
love of rhyming picture books. I enjoy Anastasia Suen's books because she
says so much in so few words. Patricia Polacco is another author I admire
for how well she captures and portrays ethnic culture. I also love Irene
Smalls because her stories are so warm and family-oriented.


What do you want your writing to say to children?

What I want to give children is joy and hope. I want them to realize it's OK
to be who they are and to offer them the tools it takes to succeed in life,
and I don't mean just monetarily. I want them to know that the greatest
happiness lies in being true to yourself. That is my ultimate mission.


What projects are you working on now?

I always have many ideas floating around in my head. Besides the seemingly
never-ending revisions to my middle grade novel, Isabelle's Garden, I'm
working on a couple of picture storybooks. One entitled, Don't Take A Hike
With My Bike, is about a boy who is always misplacing his bicycle. It's
based on experiences with my son. The other is Bummer, about a boy's
friendship with a homeless man.


You have stepped through that golden door that every author wishes to enter.
What advice do you have for novice and unpublished writers?

I cannot emphasize enough doing your homework before submitting to
publishers. Before I submitted I combed the Children's Writer's and
Illustrator's Market, publisher catalogs, the Spring and Fall children's
book editions of Publisher's Weekly and the library. I believe targeting my
submission had a lot to do with the acceptance of Glove.


Is there something you tried that didn't work that our readers should know
about?

Nothing so far.


Is there a website where our readers can visit you?

I don't have a website yet, I always felt it didn't make sense to have one
if I wasn't published. However, now that I'm about to be a published writer,
I'm looking into it and expect to have one up and running before the book
comes out. I'll keep you posted.

You can contact Gail at skywriter.prolificwriters.org






Gail Johnson is a delightful new author whose dream has been fulfilled. Learn how she entered the world of publishing.