Happy Book Birthday!

Kaye Baillie’s chapter books, Diving at the Pool and Train Music (Cengage Learning) were published many years ago for the educational market and she is happy they are still in print. Her short stories have appeared in The School Magazine and various anthologies. Archie Appleby: The Terrible Case of the Creeps was Kaye’s chapter book published with Wombat Books in 2017.

Kaye enjoys attending conferences and events relating to children’s writing.

When she is not scribbling down ideas for new stories she can be found at the library, walking her dog on the beach, eating cake, or trying to keep up with her two teenage daughters.

What is your new book and what is it about? Is it your first picture book? Who is the publisher? And illustrator?

Message in a Sock is my debut picture book, releasing April 2018 published by MidnightSun in Adelaide. The story is set in Sydney during World War 1. Through five year old Tammy, we get a glimpse into volunteering, waiting and hoping, and how special the messages placed inside knitted socks were for the knitter and the receiver.

How did you manage to snare your publisher? Did you use the services of an agent (if so, who, and how did you snare him/her)? Or are you like most authors, relying on editors’ slush piles? Or was there some other way you got your foot in the door?

I saw that relatively new publisher, MidnightSun in Adelaide, Australia had published a picture book by Jane Jolly and Sally Heinrich, ‘One Step at a Time’. There is an element of war in that story, and I thought MidnightSun might like my story. So I followed the guidelines for submissions and sent my story in the post to see how it fared in the slush pile. I don’t have an agent.

How long did you wait until your book was accepted? How long from acceptance to publication?

I received an email after seven months from MidnightSun saying that although they were rejecting the story, they liked it and would reconsider it, if I created a new ending. I spent weeks coming up with a new ending and re-sent the revised story. Then about two months later Anna phoned me and said they would like to publish the story.

Did you have to do much editing post acceptance?

There were a few words here and there but not much editing.

Where did your idea for your story originate? And can you tell more about the writing process such as how long your book took to finish and any problems?

The idea for the story began when I, and probably a lot of other people, wanted to write a story to commemorate the centenary of World War 1. I began searching on the internet, not knowing what I was looking for. Then I came across actual messages on Museum Victoria’s website that were written by soldiers in France thanking sock knitters in Australia. I was blown away with how soldiers, in scary and boggy trenches, took the time to write thank you notes. That showed me how much the socks and the messages placed inside, meant to these soldiers.

I spent months researching and writing the story. When a story is set within a particular era and when an actual event took place, details had to be correct. Then the story went through a critique process, revision, preparation for pitching at a conference, and submissions to publishers. I didn’t really have any problems but fact checking can be time consuming, but really interesting. Also, I had to create an entire story around a real message. I created a young main character to appeal to young readers.

Have you had any writing mentors whom you’d like to mention? How have they helped you?

Di Bates, Australian author, was the first person I asked to critique ‘Message in a Sock’. Her feedback, suggestions and positivity about the story not only helped me to revise the story, but gave me the courage to seek publication. I recall how encouraging she was when I told her I was going to pitch it at SCBWI Conference in Sydney in 2014. That meant a lot to me. And then Katrina Germein, Australian author also provided encouragement as she was one of the judges who selected the story as one to be pitched at that Sydney Conference. Both these experiences helped me believe that my story would get somewhere one day.

Have you undertaken many writing courses? Any that stand out for you, and what is the most valuable advice you’ve ever received?

Gosh, I have done so many courses. I did a Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing at Box Hill TAFE. I have done too many webinars to list through Faber Academy, SCBWI, Writers Victoria, Kidlit College in the US, 12x12 in the US and Writers Digest in the US. I have also taken a picture book course with Sally Odgers and a fun course with author Rachel Flynn many years ago. Most valuable advice was READ, READ, READ! And immerse yourself in the writing industry from book launches, to writer’s festivals to studying what’s on bookshelves.

How should children’s authors these days keep faith in such a competitive industry?

I think that if someone wants to write, they will. It’s almost not a choice. But it’s easy to doubt your own writing if you are entering competitions and sending things off for publication and not getting that acceptance. I think a writer has to continue to read, refine their craft and seek ways to experiment with their style and ideas, understand the market and do research on publishers, get immersed in the industry and find out what publishers want. And keep submitting. Receiving any personal feedback is so valuable. Also, join a critique group. It’s amazing how fresh eyes from trusted members can help improve your work.

Do you write full-time or do you have another job? If writing full-time, briefly what is your working life like?

I look after the home-front which is a support to my husband in his busy job. Then I grab about three hours a day to write. We’ve moved towns/house five times in the last twelve years so as a family we’ve had lots of resettling and new schools etc to contend with. We finally settled into our newly built home ten months ago.

I recently had a studio built in the back yard as my work space. I’m not good at concentrating on writing from the late afternoon onwards, so I tend to write as soon as my daughters go to school and uni for the day, then as much as I can before three o’clock. It’s a bit all over the place. I might write or be doing research on a story for two hours, then the washing machine beeps or the dishes need doing or whatever. So there are always interruptions and things that need doing. Right now there is a truck tipping a ton of stuff in our front yard so that our paving can get done.

Anything else you’d like to add? (eg website, blog, workshops, etc)

Thanks for having me! My website is http://kayebaillie.weebly.com/. I’m on twitter @kayebaillie.