It’s Never Too Late
Hello, friends!
And welcome back to the PB Rising Stars Blog.
If you happened to miss last month’s post about protecting mental health with Cristina Raymer, you can check that out HERE.
And now, we are excited to share our second post:
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!
One thing that really stood out to us this year when we were about to open applications was just how many potential applicants asked us some version of the question, “do you think it’s too late for me?” And our answer was always a resounding NO! It’s never too late! So many successful picture book creators got their start in the industry a bit later in life. And it is truly never too late to give up on your dreams.
So of course, we were thrilled when our mentees this year (as they did last year), not only spanned a variety of racial, cultural, and religious backgrounds, but also included a wide range of ages and life experiences!
And now, we are thrilled to welcome to the blog Virginia House Berquist, another current 2023 mentee, to tell us a bit more about her journey.
It's Never Too Late
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It's Never Too Late ||
Written by Virginia House Bergquist
Children’s Book Author and 2023 PB Rising Stars Mentee
Long, long ago in 1962, when I was in seventh grade, my language arts teacher gave us one period to write a story about a missing person.
Mr. Reale shushed the class into silence. Others took the assignment lightly. Notes passed hand to hand. Spitballs bounced off the ceiling, but I could not be distracted.
I put my whole self into that story.
I broke two pencil leads scratching out words I can no longer remember, but I know it was about death, longing, and last-minute chances.
I didn't realize that the next morning, Mr. Reale would read what I’d written aloud to the class. I was embarrassed until I noticed Anita wiping away tears. My words meant something to her. I knew I had done something special.
The entire class seemed to respect my work.
Suddenly I felt like I had a gift. And a dream bubbled up in my heart.
I wanted to be a writer.
Over the years my friends, and a couple of teachers, and one professor, believed I was destined to be a writer. And, so did I.
But life happened.
Time passed and my responsibilities pulled me away from my dream.
Being a good writer served me well as a teacher, school psychologist, and perennial college student, but academic writing didn’t spark joy in my heart. I told myself I didn’t have time to write anything for fun. Even after I retired, I let other things crowd out my desire to write.
And I know why.
I believed it was too late.
Suddenly in 2020 during the dark cloud of quarantine, I had more time on my hands than I knew what to do with. I had time to write whatever I wanted, but I procrastinated.
I grew out my silver hair.
I took a long look in the mirror.
So many years had passed. I worried I had missed my chance to be a published author. Fear gripped my heart.
Maybe my dreams had died many years ago and I was past the point of getting them back.
But I had to try.
I looked for gems, snippets, anything that rose above the chaos I’d written. Before long, a middle-grade novel took shape. Picture book ideas surfaced. The magic of words on the page began to work for me. I felt the same surge of joy I’d felt in seventh grade. The dream still bubbled up in my heart.
Finding Kailei’s and Ebony’s call for entries to #PBRisingStars was a chance I had to take. Winning a mentorship with Naaz Kahn is one more step along my writing journey. I know Mr. Reale would be proud.
I have the rest of my life to write.
And so do you.
It’s never too late.
And whatever we do, we can’t give up.
About Virginia House Bergquist
Virginia House Bergquist believes the best moments in our lives happen when our bodies and/or minds are stretched to new limits in our efforts to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. In addition to her almost daily writing practice, she practices yoga several times each week. Some of her best ideas find their way to her on the yoga mat.
It's Never Too Late
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It's Never Too Late ||
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W O W, Virginia!
Thank you for sharing your story and dedication. We love that taking a look at what you still wanted to do in life brought back such a poignant memory for you and the call to write came back to the surface.
It is truly never too late and we know for a fact that you have many stories bursting from you that are certain to land on shelves some day very soon.
Readers, have you ever worried that it might be too late? Perhaps it’s a question of age, or perhaps it’s something else. Maybe you worry that a certain season of your life has passed, never to return. Or an opportunity left untaken means you can never come back to a dream. But it’s simply not true. You can always come back to your dreams. You can always create brand new dreams. You can start today. Right now.
It is never too late.
Thank you, Virginia for that wonderful and timely reminder.
Now…
Remember that every month we will also be pulling back the curtain on what we, the co-founders of PB Rising Stars are up to, and how you can connect with us. (And don’t worry… a giveaway opportunity is coming after this!) But first…let’s show some tangible support to our co-founders!
Ebony Lynn Mudd has dropped some AWESOME merch. You do not want to miss out on snagging your very own “MY ART IS THE PRIZE” T-shirt or hoodie.
Ebony Lynn Mudd's MY ART IS THE PRIZE SHOP
You won’t believe how comfy these shirts are!
Seriously, you will want to live in these soft T-shirts.
And don’t forget to subscribe to Ebony’s website so that you don’t miss out on the updated full-launch party.
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL…
Kailei Pew is thrilled to announce that her debut picture book, THE MONSTER ABOVE THE BED, has been pushed up and now releases October 24th!
And her FREE webinars in connections with preorders and library requests are still going strong!
And, DID YOU SEE THAT TEAL BAR??
Kailei is offering the first 75 people who preorder between now and August 15th (and upload proof of purchase) a FREE query critique after learning the skills from the webinar!
TUESDAY, August 15th
8:00-9:30 PM Eastern Time!
If your queries aren’t getting bites, if your pitches are falling flat, if you have no idea how to work in a comp title, Kailei is your girl! She knows how to help and can truly make those query letters stand out in the trenches.
But act fast! Because over half of the critiques have already been claimed. Preorder Kailei’s book and upload proof of purchase HERE to get your FREE CRITIQUE!
NEXT… Our Monthly Q&A
Every month, we will be answering one question from YOU, our dear readers. We love this Rising Stars community and can’t wait to connect in this way. If you have a question you’d like addressed in a future blog post, please submit that HERE.
This month, an anonymous reader asks:
Q: “A well-respected published author once responded to an AMA that if your PB manuscript wasn’t getting any attention from agents after a dozen queries, it might be time to shelve the ms. But other authors claim it took over 100 queries of a single ms to get an agent’s interest. Thoughts?”
A: This is a great question! And honestly, a lot goes into the answer. If you are not getting any response from agents, even form rejections, then you should likely go back and take a harsher look at that manuscript. Was it truly ready to send out? Have you taken the time to study craft and really develop as a creator before jumping in to the query stages?
If your craft is on par, then one thing to especially consider is if your book is truly unique enough to stand out in an over saturated market. Doing this mentorship made us realize now more than ever just how many books feel too familiar and/or overdone. How is your story different?
Then, if the book is ready and unique, but still isn’t getting any attention, then maybe you need to take a closer look at the query letter. Are you doing a good job of clearly pitching your book? Can an agent tell just from the query what your story is going to be about, why it will hook a reader, how it would stand out in a crowded market, and why they are the right fit for the project? If not, maybe you need to revamp your query before sending it to additional agents!
Now, if you are certain that your book was ready to query meaning that it was the very best you could make it, AND the query was stand-out, AND you have enough additional manuscripts that are also query ready, then you will need to ask yourself a few questions when deciding if you should shelve a manuscript that isn’t getting attention or try again:
Did you do your due diligence and make sure that the agents you submitted to are truly seeking the kind of book you submitted? And we don’t just mean that they represent picture books. Do they represent the kind of picture book you wrote? Does their mswl line up with your story? Do you feel like they will connect with the story? Do you feel like they are the kind of agent that will support the kind of career you are wanting?
Are there additional agents who you could send the manuscript to who align with your career vision? While there are many agents out there, it will only hurt you to work with an agent who is not in line with your vision.
If you feel like your book is truly query ready and there are still agents out there who you would like to work with, then we say send it out again. Because you are right… there are stories about finding that right match after hundreds of queries. But make sure that:
You know what you want for your career and are willing to wait for the right agent who aligns with that vision.
Your story is actually ready to brave the query trenches. Well edited, unique, and something you are proud of.
Your query is stand-out good.
We know that the query trenches can be brutal. But know that you are not alone. And the effort is well worth it! So take the time to step back from the trenches for awhile and develop craft, come up with unique ideas, write, edit, revise, and revise some more, write a stellar query letter, and get back out there only when you’re ready. You’ve got this!
We can’t wait to see your books on the shelves.
Whoooo… If you’ve made it this far with us, THANK YOU.
And now…
The moment you have been waiting for!
***GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY***
We will be offering one lucky reader a FREE “My Art Is the Prize” t-shirt from Ebony Lynn Mudd’s merch collection! Check out the limited collection here! Full launch coming soon!
To enter:
Comment on this blog post below letting us know how you liked this topic AND confirming that you’ve done all of the steps above (you must be subscribed to all THREE newsletters to be entered…or just let us know if you were already subscribed!)
For Bonus entries:
Follow Virginia, Kailei, and Ebony on Twitter (one bonus entry per follow.)
Like, Retweet, and comment on THIS tweet (one bonus entry per item.)
Thank you, friends, and good luck! Winner will be announced on Twitter and via our newsletter on July 28th.
ABOUT PB RISING STARS
The #PBRisingStars Mentorship program started with a tweet, a huge response from the KidLit community, and two authors with book deals looking for ways to pull other picture book creators up the turbulent publishing ladder.
This program pairs agented picture book creators that are knowledgeable about querying, agent calls, author-agent relationships, being on submission, book deals, and contract language, with the next generation of children’s book authors and illustrators for an immersive, custom-made mentorship experience that is more than just a critique.