20 I WRITER’S DIGEST I October 2019BREAKINGIN
Debut authors: How they did it, what they learned and why you can do it, too. BY CASSANDRA LIPPKira Jane Buxton
Hollow Kingdom
(Humorous dystopian
fi ction, Aug., Grand
Central)
“Hollow Kingdom is a
humorous, big-hearted, and beauti-
ful romp through the apocalypse
and the world after, where even a
cowardly crow can become a hero.”
WRITES FROM: Seattle. PRE-KINGDOM: I
had been writing a series of humor-
ous mystery novels that I overedited.
I’d lost the grit of them by fussing
with them too much. I then started
freelance writing to build my bylines.
TIME FRAME: It took four months to
write the fi rst draft. ENTER THE AGENT:
My agent is Bill Clegg. When I felt my
manuscript was ready, I cold queried
my dream agents. I was lucky to have
several express interest in repre-
senting me. I fl ew to New York and
when I met Bill we chatted for several
hours. WHAT I DID RIGHT: Having writ-
ing placed in well-respected publica-
tions helped me garner respect and
confi dence. I also think that letting
go of outside expectations while writ-
ing Hollow Kingdom aff orded me
the freedom to take great risks. WHAT
I WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY:
Worry about everything less. Fretting
about things can siphon the joy of
a journey. ADVICE FOR WRITERS: Just
have fun with it. Write the thing that’s
burninginsideyou.Andsoon—there
has never been a more urgent need
to better the world with your words.
NEXT UP: I don’t think we’ve seen the
last of my crowtagonist. I hope to
continue taking big risks. WEBSITE:
KiraJaneBuxton.com.Cassandra
Federman
This Is a Sea Cow
(Picture book, Sept.,
Albert Whitman &
Company)
“A child writes a school report about
sea cows and the subject is not
happy with her portrayal.”
WRITES FROM: Los Angeles. PRE-SEA
COW: My fi rst book dummy was
out on submission and, to keep the
momentum going, I dove into dum-
mying up my next manuscript. Th at
second dummy sold before the fi rst,
and in only 48 hours! TIME FRAME: I
wrote the fi rst draft just aft er my son
was born. My brain was working so
hard that my inner critic shut down
and my wackier thoughts fl owed
freely. Th us, a funny idea popped
into my head, got dummied, and sold
within two years. ENTER THE AGENT:I foundmyagentJennaPociusby
querying. I sent over 100 queries
before I got a few off ers of repre-
sentation. When I talked to Jenna,
it felt right. BIGGEST SURPRISE: Th e
book used some photography and
Photoshop techniques that I wasn’t
100 percent comfortable with. But,
if you sell a book, there’s no better
motivator to get good at something
new—fast! WHAT I DID RIGHT: Self-
analysis. If you work to improve your
weakest areas fi rst, they’ll become
stronger. Also, you don’t get bored
because you are always working on
new parts of yourself. WHAT I WOULD
HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY: I would have
gone to a Society of Children’s Book
Writers and Illustrators local mingle
sooner. Th e friends I’ve made in the
kidlit community through SCBWI
have been invaluable. PLATFORM: One
great way to get word out about your
book is to become part of a debut
group (a group of authors and illus-
trators with their fi rst books com-
ing out the same year as you). You
can support each other and promote
each other’s work. NEXT UP: I’ve got
a few things in the pipeline. WEBSITE:
CassandraFederman.com. BUXTON PHOTO ©LAURA ZIMMERMAN;FEDERMAN PHOTO ©KENCHY RAGSDALE