Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,

where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life.

(Note that we enjoy the series so much we’ve reset for a second round of 20.)

This month’s question:

Question: What’s the toughest feedback or rejection you ever received, and how did you get over it? (Please don’t name names!)

“Right after graduation, I signed up for a portfolio review with a well-known literary agent. This person was probably exhausted after a full day conference; they didn’t seem to have much to say throughout our 15-minute session. So the eager, younger-me asked as many questions as I could think of, one of which was ‘Do you think my style is marketable?’ The agent replied ‘no’ without clear explanation of why. That response crushed me, sending me into a deep spiral of self-doubt. It took me some time to realize that it is just one person’s taste/opinion. The more I’ve immersed myself in the world of children’s books (by reading tons of current books and attending conferences), the more I realize there are countless ways and styles of expression, so it’s useless to dwell on one person’s opinion or what is hot on the market. Just keep growing and creating from your heart!”

– Isabella Kung, author-illustrator of NO SNOWBALL! (Orchard Books, 2022)

“When I first started writing, I met up with some fellow local writers and boldly submitted to a live, online review. My query letter was randomly selected to be publicly critiqued. The agent reviewing it hated everything about it: ‘No, no, oh NO,’ and then she didn’t even finish the letter. It was humiliating, especially in front of fellow writers! But, I learned what the industry likes and dislikes and went on to understand why. Three of the four writers I met with that day are now published, and I sometimes wonder if they’re shocked that I am, haha! But the takeaway is that you learn a lot from putting yourself out there, so go for it and learn from it.” 

–Vicky Fang, author of THE BOO CREW NEEDS YOU!, illus. Saoirse Lou (Sourcebooks, 2023)

“As I was preparing for the launch of Farmers Unite! Planting a Protest for Fair Prices in 2020, a librarian asked me, ‘Are you sure you want to make a children’s book about THAT?’ I was taken aback at first, but as the question echoed in my mind, I realized that, YES, of course I want a book about the American Agriculture Movement. It’s a shame I didn’t have it myself as a young reader growing up on a Kansas farm, and seeing the heartfelt reactions of readers in my core audience has been validating.”

— Lindsay H. Metcalf, co-editor of NO WORLD TOO BIG: Young People Fighting Global Climate Change (Charlesbridge, March 2023)

“At one of my first SCBWI conferences, an editor commented on my fiction picture book manuscript in a paid critique. My story was fantastical, and the editor said, ‘I expect you're more of a realistic writer.’ I fumed for a while (I loved that manuscript), and then I found my home in nonfiction and never looked back. Sometimes an outside perspective can guide you to the right path.”

– Patricia Newman, author of EAVESDROPPING ON ELEPHANTS (Millbrook Press/Lerner, in paperback Aug 1, 2023)