My First Picture Book Contract
(Owlkids picture book contract, 2024)
2024 began with disappointing news for my writing career, but I picked myself up, took the good that came with the bad and kept going.
Happily, a few months later, and after years of plugging away, I signed my first picture book contract. Papa Was a Sea Captain, a story about a girl and her father learning how to connect one summer, would be published by Owlkids in 2027.
The reason Papa came into being could be traced back to CANSCAIP’s Packaging Your Imagination conference in 2018. I was speaking with writers S.K. Ali and Nadia Hohn, who were publishing diverse stories, when Nadia turned to me and asked, “What about you? Are you writing your story?”
The question surprised me. Although I was a child of immigrant parents, I had assimilated reasonably well and never thought I had a story. As a kid, being one of three Portuguese families in a small town, I felt the difference, but it never occurred to me that readers may be interested in my Luso-Canadian perspective. Thanks to Nadia’s question, something clicked in my brain.
The following summer, at the last SCBWI LA national conference to be held in person, I jotted early notes about my childhood in a free-writing workshop led by editor Emma Dryden. It was there that I discovered the germ of the story, recognizing the spark of something special. Writing about my life experiences felt good, I realized, even though I couldn’t explain why.
The setting was easy to write since the location was a real place and the events were based on my life, but developing the character arc proved very challenging. As I began my second novel, I continued on occasion, to work on my picture book manuscript, and after much exploration, feedback and revision, I found the arc! By 2021, Papa was drafted, but it would take another two years before it was ready for submission.
Publishing is a long game.
My father had attended the nautical school in Lisbon and became a sea captain with the Portuguese Merchant Marine. His voyages took him to many countries in Europe, Africa and the Americas, and he had many tales from that time. My story takes place during his final career with the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) in Sarnia, Ontario. For research, I read his daily logs in his distinctive hand, to help inform scenes in the manuscript. Reading his entries that not only included details of his work, but also the comings and goings of me and my family, brought back so many memories buried by time. His passing in 2014 was difficult for me and I can say that writing about a loved one is an excellent way to feel close again.
When finalizing the manuscript, I had the opportunity to meet his colleague, Mark Millen, a CCG marine surveyor my dad mentored when nearing retirement. We discussed his experiences learning from my father, the Coast Guard (I used to work there too), and the manuscript, with him clarifying some marine details for me. Mark was very pleased with the story, which was a great relief to me.
Of course, the work of writing a picture book doesn’t end when you sign the contract, it can take up to three years before launching. At the time of this blogpost, I was one year in. There have been revisions with my lovely editor, then the senior editor, and copyediting. I provided photo references in case needed and wondered how Papa and the little girl would look. Art requires time and the illustrator would need six months to a year.
My mother, who is now in her mid-nineties, is also in the book, appearing at the start and at the end. Reading the different versions of my manuscript to her and sharing the details of my first book publishing experience has been an unexpected delight.
Another surprise since announcing the book on social media, was when two Portuguese-owned children’s stores got in touch saying they would like to carry my book once published; one in British Columbia and the other in London, England. This book contract has opened doors for me, not only have I made new and interesting connections, but new opportunities have arisen, which I could never have predicted.
And about that feeling I get writing with a Luso-Canadian lens, I have words for it now; it is a deep and almost profound feeling, it has helped me discover a truer version of myself, and I think the editor sensed those things on first read. So, to other writers, I recommend you dig into your childhood and your unique life experiences, because you never know what you may find!
Cheers,
Links:
My publisher, Owlkids (https://owlkidsbooks.com)
Writer, S.K. Ali (https://skalibooks.com)
Writer, Nadia Hohn (https://www.nadialhohn.com)
Editor, Emma Dryden (https://drydenbks.com/about)
Portuguese-owned children’s stores in blogpost:
Smöl Store Cumberland (https://smolstore.ca)
Nonki (https://www.nonki.co.uk)