OCTOBER 2, 2024, FEATURE INTERVIEW WITH DYSLEXIC, NEURODIVERGENT, DEBUT CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR, AND PUPPET AND FILMMAKER KRISTA WELTNER, CONDUCTED BY CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITER, BLOGGER, AND FORMER LIBRARIAN CHELSEA DICICCO

Today, I’m talking with dyslexic, neurodiverse, debut children’s book author-illustrator, and puppet and filmmaker Krista Weltner. We’ll be chatting about learning differences and disabilities and their important role in literature- especially kidlit, multi-deal publishing a book series, debut to kid-lit secrets, routes to publishing- and of course- BOOKS AND GIVEAWAY PRIZES! Don’t miss your chance to enter the October Feature Interview giveaway prize pool by COMMENTING on this blog post before the deadline: October 31st, 2024, 11:59 PM CST.

But before we do… here are a few things to know about feature interviews.

THE SCOOP: WHAT ARE FEATURE INTERVIEWS & WHO ARE THEY FOR?

Feature Interviews are a free resource for writers and illustrators at every stage of the publishing journey.

Every month, I collaborate with industry professionals—authors, illustrators, editors, and agents— many of whom were or currently are also educators and librarians, to discuss all things publishing.

What can these interviews offer YOU?

These interviews give readers an up-close and personal look at the world of publishing from an array of different perspectives on every side of the desk and offer insight into tips, resources, and advice on how to:

• stay current with market trends
• hook an agent or editor
• find writing community & other resources
• discover workshops, contests, and other events
• figure out which path of publication is right for you
• know if your agent is a good match

And more!

AND… if that’s not enough, every guest offers at least one giveaway prize—sometimes more. This means you have multiple opportunities to win prizes every month! *If you’re interested in entering the giveaway, scroll to the bottom of the interview for instructions.*

Not that we’ve shared a little about what’s in store… it’s time to jump into our interview!

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Krista- welcome to Chelsea’s World of Books literary blog! It’s so great to have you with us today. This month is a big month for neurodiverse celebrations, as October is not only DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH, it’s also ADHD AWARENESS MONTH! As a neurodiverse girl, I’m thrilled to be celebrating with a fellow neurodiverse creator!

In honor of that, I’d love to start by asking: what words of wisdom would you like to share with other neurodiverse creators today?

Thank you for having me! My advice is to set your goals high. There is no reason you can’t achieve anything you want to.

Chelsea’s Words of Wisdom: I think Lupe Fiasco’s- Superstar says it best. 🙂 Also, you deserve something nice. Here’s a link to a cozy blanket.

Okay, so let’s go back to the very beginning. When did you first fall in love with writing and illustrating? Have you been drawing and writing stories since you were little, and did you always know that you wanted to pursue this as a career, or did that happen later in life? Explain.

I've had a few careers. I have worked in stop-motion animation, theater, the theme park industry, and publishing. I’ve been creating since I was a kid, but I never thought I would be an author!  As a kid, I made my dollhouse furniture and dioramas and painted and sewed costumes for my stuffed animals…my play was making things. I went to college for theater design and technology and then to graduate school for puppet arts. My love of inventing and creating my own stories really emerged from that time in my life. We learned how to build puppets, wrote scripts and performed them. While I was in grad school, a newly formed stop-motion class was offered in a completely different department from mine. A lot of the students in that building were pursing degrees in illustration, which is something I had never considered. The exposure to what they were doing sparked my interest and curiosity about publishing. It was something I immediately began to pursue after school. 

When did you first begin actively pursuing publication? And about how long from that time did it take for you to finally achieve that big publishing moment of holding your first book in your hands?

I started forming an illustration portfolio in 2017. I held my first books earlier this year, January 2024. 

I know we talk a lot about the *final product* AKA the book being published, but there are so many wonderful milestones to celebrate throughout the publishing journey. What are some little/big milestones that you were able to celebrate even BEFORE publication?

One of my favorite memories was during the acquisitions phase with Free Spirit Publishing. I had been messaging back and forth with the acquiring editor for months. There was some interest in the manuscript I submitted, which made me feel like I was on top of a mountain.  I received an email asking what I thought about expanding the idea to a series and if I had more ideas for my main characters. I was working on a film with Laika Studios at the time (my partner also worked there.) I remember running down to his department to tell him about the email. I was shaking, I was so excited. 

What are some challenges you’ve faced on the publishing journey, and how have you overcome them?

I’m dyslexic, so there are some obvious challenges associated with that. But my biggest hurdle is time. I cannot do publishing work full-time, so I always have a 40 or 40+ hour a week job. I always make my deadlines, but I often wish I had more time to make my work that much better. 

BEGINNING STEPS TO PUBLISHING: FIRST DRAFTS & QUERYING

I know we talked a little bit about the beginning of your publishing journey, as in “when” it started- now, I’d love to dive deeper into the steps that were involved in those beginning stages for some of our readers who may be anticipating diving in themselves but aren’t sure where to start.

Let’s start with the first drafts. What was that stage like for you? And who was your support system during those early stages?

In 2018, I focused on creating an illustration portfolio. My friend and critique partner challenged me to draw my dyslexia as a character. I credit him with planting the seed that would eventually develop into my book series. In the years that followed, I drafted many ideas for this character. I was also learning digital illustration. I submitted to slush piles, got feedback at conferences etc. It took years, but I also worked on other projects at the same time. 

When (and how) did you find your first critique group partners and/or other writing community?

I have a fantastic critique group! We all met at the Mid-South SCBWI Conference and other events about six years ago. There are 6 of us who are all authors and Illustrators. We meet via Zoom when we can. Sometimes it’s about work, and sometimes it’s about catching up and supporting each other. I’m amazed when one of us has a book come out. It’s so fun to cheer each other on. I feel like we are on a team, and when someone has a book come out, it feels like we all won. 

Were there any writing organizations, special events, or other communities that especially helped you in the early stages of publishing to stay on the path and keep moving forward? Explain.

Yes, The SCBWI was my education in publishing. I’ve been in three different chapters at this point. I think the value to be gained can depend on where you are and how active your chapter is. 

Okay, so you have your writing community and your first, second, twenty-fifth, and fiftieth drafts… now you’re finally ready to enter the query trenches. Queue daunting music.

Tell us about your introduction to querying. What methods did you use to find your literary agents? Did you Google different agencies? Was there a specific literary blog you followed? Did you use QueryTracker, etc.? 

Since I wanted to pursue traditional publishing, I queried publishers that took unsolicited submissions, and I researched agents on Manuscript Wish Lists. However, I still don't have an agent. I would love to find someone to work with, but it hasn’t happened yet. I’m querying agents right now with a picture book dummy and a graphic novel pitch. I’m also working on a comic series. I caught Free Spirit's attention during a #PBPitch event on X, then Twitter. 

What kind of query responses did you receive from agents, if any?

Often, it’s crickets, which is okay. They are busy people. When I do get a rejection email, I have a personal policy of looking at my list of agents or publishers and sending out another query. I don’t want to sit with the disappointment for too long. 

If you had to give a rough estimate, how many agents/queries would you guess you sent? And what was the timeframe?

It’s so hard to say! Maybe 50? With various projects. I don’t really know. When I was offered my three-book contract with Free Spirit, I queried five or so agents with “OFFER RECEIVED.” When I didn’t get any interest from that round, I negotiated the contract myself. I think the experience taught me a lot. I also had some contacts with other authors and illustrators who are further in their careers, and they were able to give me some invaluable advice about what to look for in the contract. 

In addition to querying literary agents, you also submitted directly to editors at publishing houses. Eventually, you got an offer from an acquiring editor prior to getting literary representation. Can you tell us more about this? What was the submission process like versus the querying process? 

It can be similar. Most publishers want a dummy with one or two finished illustrations plus a query letter. For publishers, it’s more about whether this book aligns with their catalog. For an agent, do I fit with what this agent is looking for?  And do they fit what I’m looking for? I am looking for someone who represents authors and illustrators and supports picture books and graphic novels. I also want to know that they have authors working with publishers who do not take unsolicited submissions. 

Outside of Free Spirit Publishing, did you receive any responses or offers from other publishers/editors?

I don’t think so, not for my Molly and Lexi series. The book is about supporting the social-emotional side of growing up with Dyslexia. That is incredibly specific, and Free Spirit was the perfect home for these books. 

Can you tell us about the multi-book deal for your series and how that came about?

In the acquisitions phase, the acquiring editor asked if I could expand the idea to a series. We went back and forth, and I pitched a lot of ideas. 

We ended up with three books centered around Molly, who is dyslexic, and Lexi, an imaginary friend or personification of dyslexia. The books focus on advocacy, self-esteem, and celebrating dyslexic strengths, but they offer a balanced perspective of dyslexia.

So, once your editor had made an offer, you queried agents, letting them know you had received a series deal but weren’t able to find an agent, so you went at it alone. Being in the position of representing yourself and going through traditional publishing without the aid of an agent, can you share your thoughts on some pros and cons of this?

The pro was that I learned a lot. I intend to keep going in this industry, and even if I do have an agent working with me next time, I will be better prepared because I went through it alone the first time. I have a family member who is a contract lawyer working in another sector, and he was able to help me understand a lot of the legal language. But he wasn’t versed in what is typical in the publishing industry. I got advice from friends who were already published, which helped. But I made some mistakes, and I think I will be more prepared if it happens again. 

What are some valuable lessons you learned from this experience that you’d like to share with others?

I learned some valuable lessons about specific legal language. Also, ask for what you want. The worst they can say is no. And a piece of advice I heard from someone, “You are never guaranteed book sales, so get the largest advance you can.” I think this is really good advice. I can also recommend the book Law and Authors. I read this book recently, and I thought the information was good and would have helped me had I read it back then. 

Moving forward, would you want to continue publishing directly to editors without literary representation, or would you still like to find your agent match? Why or why not?

If the publisher accepts unsolicited submissions, I think I would be comfortable negotiating for myself now that I have gone through it. If it’s a larger-scale publisher that typically doesn’t take unsolicited submissions, I think I would prefer to work with an agent. 

AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATORS: MAKING SMART DUMMIES

Being in the seat of both author and illustrator, can you share a little bit about your creative process for writing vs. art and what stages you typically work with first? For example, do you find that your stories come to you in the form of mental pictures first or in words? Explain.

Often, my ideas start with an image, a character, or a concept. My ideas seem to come out of nowhere and hit me fast. I typically build the story around key illustrations. For picture books, I tend to start by sketching the entire book in thumbnails and think about the text as I go. I will have an idea of the story I want to convey, but the words come to me slowly. While developing my picture book series with Free Spirit Publishing, I worked with an editor on the three manuscripts before fleshing out the illustrations. We passed the manuscripts back and forth. They didn't need to see illustrations at this point, but I was sketching anyway while I was writing because I couldn't separate the two. I try not to get too married to illustrations during the writing stage and I tend to place greater importance on the illustrations over the text. 

For new aspiring author-illustrators, could you share some formatting tips and secrets on how to make smart dummies? (If you have any picture examples that you’d like to share, feel free to share them! Just email them to me.)

I work in Photoshop and illustrate digitally. However, I like to print the pages out periodically and tape them to my wall, which helps me get a bird’s s-eye view. 

When you were submitting dummies to agents/editors, what (and how much) was included? Full book dummies? Partial book dummies? Pencil outline? Full color? Etc.

I do a full sketch dummy in a PDF. I choose two illustrations to finish fully. It depends on the publisher, though. Some want one finished, some want two, and some want to see a summary without the manuscript or dummy first. I’m always scratching my head at this one. When the picture book is only 200 words, but the summary is 500. 

What advice would you like to offer to aspiring author-illustrators who are at the beginning of their publishing journey?

Keep going! Chip away at it every day and learn about the industry. Just move forward. 

What’s one (or more) writing resource(s) that was absolutely invaluable to you, and what would you recommend to other author-illustrators?

Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. 

Comic inspired by a recent school visit

BOOKS + INSPIRATION

Okay, we’ve made it to one of my all-time favorite parts of the interview… the part where we talk about the BOOKS. Please share with us your incredibly inspiring dyslexia-centered books. We want to hear all about Molly. Who is Molly, and what does she mean to you personally?

Molly is a young dyslexic girl learning to navigate the challenges of dyslexia with creativity and determination. Her dyslexia (Lexi) appears as an imaginary friend or personification of her dyslexia. Molly can interact with and confide in Lexi. The books cover what dyslexia is all about but also dive into the emotional challenges children with learning differences face. 

I am dyslexic, and prior to this series, I did and continue to do a lot of advocacy work with dyslexia students. It means the world to me that I was able to give back to dyslexic children in this way. 

How many books are in the series? And can we hear a little blurb about each one?

There are three books. In the first book, Molly’s Great Discovery, Molly gets diagnosed with dyslexia and learns how to self-advocate. In Molly Tells the World, Molly's class gets a new student who is also dyslexic. Molly grapples with the idea of whether or not to tell her classmates about her dyslexia. Ultimately, she does. This book is about helping children with the words to discuss their differences, and Molly grows in her self-esteem and appreciation for Lexi. The third book is called Molly Finds A Way. In this final book, Molly and her friend Leeann (who is also dyslexic) are having a playdate at Molly’s house. They use their dyslexic strengths to solve the problems they see. 

What is your inspiration for Molly and her adventures? Are her stories something that you wished you had had for yourself as a kid? Explain.

I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was seven years old. My relationship with my dyslexia has changed dramatically over the years. It was something I hated about myself for a long time. That relationship inspires my series. What if we could tell our differences how we feel about them? What if we could tell our learning disability to go away? 

I was interested in providing a book to children to examine their relationship with this part of themselves in a fun, creative way. In school, dyslexic children focus greatly on reading, writing, and spelling. However, there are specific emotional challenges that children with invisible differences face, and those challenges are often overlooked. I hope my series can help parents and educators with those tough conversations. 

Were there any books that helped you as a kid with seeing yourself in stories? And other than your wonderful stories, what other stories could you recommend that also have a positive message about dyslexia and other learning differences?

I think the second book in the Pony Pals series was about one of the characters being dyslexic. I loved it!  but I can’t recall any other fiction books on the topic from my childhood. I like The Dyslexic Advantage for adults hoping to learn about dyslexia. 

Books about dyslexia are tricky because some of the most popular books, especially in the picture book category, are outdated and have content that contributes to misconceptions about dyslexia. I recommend looking at books published in the last ten years by reputable publishers. A few titles that I find good representations in include Fish in a Tree for older kids, Aaron Slater Illustrator, and the Hank Zipzer books. 

What message do you hope to share with readers with your stories?

That dyslexic children are smart and capable. 

Do you have a favorite illustrative spread? If so, which one and why? Pics or it didn’t happen! 

I have two. 

The first is in Molly’s Great Discovery, where Molly is being tutored in a classroom filled with children with various learning disabilities. In the illustration, each child’s learning disability or difference is represented with an imaginary character like Lexi. Each character looks different and is reflective of the child he or she belongs to. 

My second favorite is Molly Tells the World. Molly and Lexi have been fighting, and Lexi has gotten so angry that she expands to the size of the room. 

Both of these images were in the earliest drafts; I think that’s why I love them. 

If you could relay one message to kids with learning differences, what would it be?

You are brilliant! Set your goals high. Your path might look different from others but enjoy and embrace it.
 
Thank you so much for joining us today, Krista.
And now… 
It’s time for a GIVEAWAY!

For the month of October, Krista is offering the following giveaway prize to one winner:

A free copy of Molly’s Great Discovery (the first book in the series.) 

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

• Leave a comment on this post!
• And if you haven’t already, like this post and subscribe to the blog and/or newsletter!

That’s it!

DEADLINE TO ENTER: October 31st, 2024, 11:59 PM CST

FAQ:

What if I was already subscribed to the blog? Does that mean I won’t qualify for the Prize Giveaway? Not at all! If you subscribed before this month, all you’ll need to do is LIKE this Feature Interview and leave your COMMENT below this post within the deadline (the current month/year entry was posted).

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Looking for a specific topic? Browse the list below to find a link to information on one of these topics:

• Where to find FREE and PAID for writing memberships, craft workshops, contests, and other resources.
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• Where to find kidlit community and support from other writers or illustrators.
• Diversity, empathy, and kindness in kidlit and why it matters.
• Writing across genres.
• Pros and cons of small publishers, hybrid (or indie) publishing, and being agented VS. unagented.