Day 16: Nadia Salomon

The Journey: My Path to Publishing

My journey into publishing was inevitable; I am a child of storytellers. Our family gatherings were always thunderous, vibrant, and filled with high-pitched laughter. Relatives sharing anecdotes and spinning Haitian Folklore. They wove stories about love, family, hope, misfortune, adventure, and fantastical journeys.

How could I not become a storyteller and share yarns of my own? Also, my high school English teacher, Mrs. Gorman, nurtured my love of literature. Even though I started out as a television journalist, researching and writing facts, and penned lyrics as a singer-songwriter, I always dreamt of becoming an author. However, I realized the authorship dream when I became a mom.

I’m Haitian-Lebanese American. I wanted to raise a well-versed reader. When I realized there weren’t enough books about my identities (Haitian, Taino, French, Lebanese, Jewish) – or that of my child’s (S. Asian), I decided to write stories from those experiences. Authentic representation. Positive books that would give voice to generations of kids with multiple identities to see themselves reflected in commercial books. Books that showcased our cultures and heritage, and normalized our daily existence beyond misinformation, stereotypes, or trauma. Thankfully, we have more choices now, but we still have a long way to go to keep our stories centered.

I also have lots of interests and am currently writing about fantastical things, humorous things, subversive things… and any other ‘thing’ that fascinates me.

The Back Story: How I Got “The Deal”

Persistence, chance, and audacity led to my book deal. I landed my amazing agent twitter pitching on the now defunct, #Pitmad. Prior to pitching, I had joined SCBWI to improve my craft. I also joined Storyteller Academy, shortly after meeting Author-illustrator, Arree Chung at my local community center.

I had been writing consistently and honing my craft for over three years before I decided I was ready to query agents. I wanted to be traditionally published. But the road to being published proved tough. Rejections piled up and frustration boiled over. Despite this, I persisted. Against the advice of creative friends, I took a chance and let audacity lead me to participating in Twitter pitch parties. Then one day… #Pitmad happened.

I thank my lucky Star Wars t-shirt and a Star Wars wish from Twitter user – Jedlie Magic, “May the force be with you!” for manifesting my desire for an agent.

Within minutes of pitching my manuscript, My Colorful World, I received a fave from an agent. That fave led to a request to view the manuscript. That led to a request for more samples of my work, which led to an offer of representation, and a book deal for an entirely different manuscript, Goodnight Ganesha. This title became my award-winning debut picture book. It’s a gorgeously illustrated bedtime book by Poonam Mistry. It’s also an ode to Margaret Wise Brown’s, Goodnight Moon; it follows a pair of siblings as they wish goodnight to everything around their grandparents’ home in India.

THE BUZZ

As I build up my body of work, I’m excited to see how my books are being received.

Buzz for GOODNIGHT GANESHA

·        Bank Street Best

·        ALA, ALSC Dia Selection

·        Betsy Bird’s 31 Days Rhyming List

·        NCTE WOWDozen Poetry Book

·        SCBWI ILF Selection

·        Best Case Cover Award for Moon or Stars

Buzz for a VOICE OF HOPE

·        SCBWI WOOP Honor Award for work of outstanding progress

·        SCBWI RAM Marketing Grant

·        SLJ Starred Review

·        The Horn Book Starred Review

·        #PADIBA Commended Book

·        Featured on WJTV News, Jackson, MS

·        Special Reading in Myrlie’s Garden

·        Featured on KOTV News on 6, Tulsa, OK

Buzz for A RAKHI FOR RAKESH

·        It was featured on Books and Boba.

·        Previewed in Publishers Weekly.

• Under the Radar: Names and book titles of Black children’s book authors/illustrators who have not been featured on 28 Days Later who you’d like to shout out for their work (to check for past features, click the 28 Days Later link, and type their name in the search box at the top.

I love blogging about books. Here are some new, up and coming, and established creatives I’m not only partial to, but I’d love to shout out their work:

Pamela Courtney, A Season for Fishin’

Angela Dalton, To Boldly Go

Author-Illustrator, Nadia Fisher, At the Cookout

Van G. Garrett, Specs

Kevin Johnson, Cape

Illustrator, Jenin Mohammed, They Built Me for Freedom

Alyssa Reynoso Morris, Bold, Brilliant, and Latine

Malcolm Newsome, I Am the Spirit of Justice

NoNieqa Ramos, Best Believe

Illustrator, Kitt Thomas, Stacey Speaks Up

Learn more about Nadia’s outstanding work on her website.