ROSIE J. POVA: AUTHOR /WRITING COACH

Rosie has been a very important person in my writing journey. I’ve taken some of her amazing webinars and last year she invited me to be a guest speaker in her Top Shelf Picture Book Seminar, which was an exciting experience for me.

Today, I’m glad to welcome Rosie to the blog to talk about her books, her experience as an author, as well as the services she offers as a writing coach.

Rosie’s Books:

Rosie’s Writing Coach services:

Coaching and Mentorship for aspiring picture book authors. Picture Book Mastery is a digital self-paced course on honing the craft of writing picture books, query letters, and preparing professional submission packages as well as submission lists to agents and publishers. 

* Attention: A $375 discount is applied to reader signups through the special link above.

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Now, on to our interview:

M. Rosie, I’m so happy for this chance to have a conversation with you on the blog! For starters, can you please share what inspired you to become an author?

R. I’ve always been a writer, from a very young age, but my focus turned toward authorship after becoming a mom and reading picture books to my first child. From there, I started writing my own stories for kids and loved that so much, there was no turning back. It’s been a long journey to get to publication, but it was all worth it!

M. I totally get how you started this journey after becoming a mom, that’s also my case. Can you tell us how your cultural background has impacted your writing?

R. My cultural background has given me a broader perspective and my writing reflects that. I am very intentional about diversity and inclusion with my stories. I also have a few that are specifically focused on Bulgarian characters and culture that I hope to be able to share as books soon.

M. That’s wonderful! I hope to hear the good news about those books soon. What can you share about your journey to publication with your books? What have been the most important lessons along the way?

R. As I mentioned before, my journey to publication was long and far from easy. I was quite impatient at the beginning and so eager to get published, I rushed through the process and hoped for a shortcut. I didn’t take the time to hone my craft nor learn about the business enough. I also thought I’d figure it all out on my own and didn’t seek help and support. Part of the reason was because I was too shy and embarrassed to admit I was a writer and ask for help. That was a mistake and it slowed me down by many years.

The most important lessons I learned are that there’s no cutting corners when it comes to the craft of writing, that getting professional help and support can make a world of difference, and that the more a writer knows about how to navigate the business side of publishing, the more likely they are to position themselves for success right off the bat. And I share all that with my mentees so that they are prepared for what’s ahead even beyond the publication of their books.

M. Working on perfecting the writing craft and getting to know how the business works is definitely essential. Why did you decide to help other authors achieve their dreams? How did you start that project?

R. It all started serendipitously during the pandemic when I was approached by a local company who was hosting writing classes but was switching to online classes and courses and was asked to lead some for children’s writing. At the time, I was clueless on how to do online courses but said yes to that opportunity because mentoring other writers, in that capacity, had been on my mind for a while. I just never took the next big step. But when that happened, I knew it was time to give back and share all that I’d learned with writers on the path to publication, so that they don’t make the same mistakes I did, they don’t go through tons of frustration and disappointment, and so that they feel much more confident and motivated because they can make better, informed decisions on their journey. So, that’s how my first online course on picture book writing and traditional publishing was born. I worked with that company for a couple of years, and it was a great experience! I will always be grateful for that collaboration.

Now, I am offering comprehensive mentorships that have helped my clients find publishing success and reach their goals much faster. The original course I created has now expanded into my signature Picture Book Mastery course, and it is the number one resource I start my mentees on—and not just the beginners—as it builds a solid foundation on the craft of writing picture books. In addition, the course provides clarity on navigating the publishing business, resources, tools, guidance, video trainings and more. It’s a 10-week self-paced digital course that I continue to update and add to (note that this is a resource that writers have available to access and reuse beyond the 10 weeks of completion—for 18 months once they enroll).

M. Rosie, that’s so interesting! What are the main services you offer for authors wanting to make their publishing dreams happen? Why did you come up with those options? How do you select the agents/editors that participate with you?

R. That’s a loaded question lol as I do offer many resources and opportunities for aspiring authors to advance their career and achieve their publishing dreams. (Disclaimer: there are no guarantees as these are traditional publishing focused and results vary per individual.)

When I was creating these resources and opportunities—including the course, my in-person retreat, agents and editors’ workshops, mentorships etc.—what I had in mind was everything that I wished I had at my disposal when I first started out but was not available in that capacity. So, I wanted to consider all those elements, combine them, and package them as unique products to be available to writers who are on that path now. I don’t want to offer some pieces of the puzzle; I want writers to have all pieces of the puzzle. Let me state here that I am no exhaustive expert on my own by any means, and many of the opportunities I create are collaborations with industry professionals such as other authors, agents, and editors. Again, my goal is to facilitate connections, foster growth, and provide valuable resources that can directly impact writers’ careers and advancement with tangible results. (I am very result oriented and want to see my clients succeed.)

Here’s a list of some of the most popular events, opportunities, and services my team and I have created that are available to picture book writers:

● Picture Book Mastery 10-week digital course (with extended access for 18 months) [A $375 discount is applied for your blog readers who enroll through this special link!]
● Agents & Editors Workshops (with special submission opportunities)
● The Picture Book Hub Express group coaching and mastermind
● Building Your Author Brand Before You’re Published video series course
● Writing Picture Books with Heart on-demand workshop
● Champagne & Cupcakes Women’s Picture Book Writers Retreat
● My 1:1 Coaching & Mentorship is by application and invitation only*

And to answer your question on how I select and hire the participating agents and editors for my workshops, I stive to invite seasoned, reputable industry professionals who are passionate about teaching, excited to share their knowledge with the kidlit community through this type of setting and are open to more intimate collaborations with the attendees. In addition, my goal is to make this a win/win for everyone, so that my guests have a wonderful experience and a chance to connect with writers, and the writers get an exclusive insight plus opportunities for their work to be reviewed and considered in a priority manner.

The main criteria I look for when putting a workshop together and deciding on my next guest are the following:

1). To provide a valuable, in-depth insight on a fresh topic of high interest to the kidlit writing community
2). To provide exclusive submission opportunities for the workshop registrants
3). To have a strong focus on picture books in either representation or acquisition

So far, I’ve hosted several amazing industry professionals who led exceptional workshops and the feedback on the value of those workshops and opportunities has been extremely positive which is a great motivation for my team and I to continue with the workshop series.

M. What has been the most rewarding and most challenging part of what you do?

R. The most challenging part has been managing my time to fit it all in. Between my own writing, author events, school visits, submissions, upcoming book launch and all the other day-to-day tasks, my days have long working hours, and my weekends are rarely non-working days. But I love what I do, so, not complaining!

Which brings me to the most rewarding parts of what I do. There are many, but with a focus on my clients and mentees, no doubt, it’s witnessing the transformation and their successes! That moment when they send me that email or text to share news about an agent offer, a publishing offer, or both, is such a high! Multiply that feeling when it happens to be multiple offers simultaneously which is quite exciting and wonderful! Because I know what it means to finally realize that dream you’ve worked so hard for, and which at times has felt so far out of reach. I remember the feeling when that happened to me for the first time, and it was incredible! Now I get to experience it over and over with my mentees! It’s an honor and I am so delighted to have been a part of their journey.

As far as my work as an author goes, seeing my stories turn into books, hearing how my books have touched readers in a meaningful way, and interacting with kids at school visits are the most rewarding parts for me.

M. I’m glad to hear you’re really making a positive difference in others with your books and also supporting other writers. That’s amazing and very inspiring! What’s the most important piece of advice that you could give an aspiring author?

R. Ooh, I have a lot to say about this, so it’d be more than one piece of advice, if I may…

Commit to your success and say yes to the opportunities in front of you. Many times—and I’ve been there, too—we reject ourselves in advance by saying no to those opportunities. That happens for a number of reasons so be conscious about it. The second part of this is, be prepared. And this is totally up to you. Which brings me to my next point…

Know that you are in control of your growth. You and only you are responsible for taking the next step. Focus on solutions, not excuses as to why something you want is not happening or not working out. Giving away your power by depending on outside circumstances to align for your benefit is hurting your advancement, it puts you in a state of blame and negativity that prevents you from moving forward. There’s always a way!

And finally, seek help and support. You don’t have to do it alone. Start with your craft (many times I see writers submitting too early when their stories are not nearly submission-ready, and all that is wasted chances!). But don’t stop there. Learn as much as you can about how the publishing business works (again, seek help and guidance from seasoned professionals who have walked the path before you). Consider your involvement with promotions and be prepared to market your work—don’t wait until after your book is released. Realize that as an author, you are an entrepreneur too, so get ready to take on that role. Embrace it, don’t run away from it, be open to educating yourself on multiple aspects that can help your marketing, be proactive, and do your best to set yourself and your books for success—you’ll be glad you did.

M. That is great advice, I’m glad you shared more than one piece. Thanks! Now, talking about your upcoming book Sally’s Musical Tale which will be released in spring of 2025, can you share how did you come up with the idea and how did you get your book deal?

R. Oh, what a long journey that story has had! The idea was born from a writing exercise we were instructed to do during a workshop with Tammi Sauer in 2015. Then I wrote the story, and when I was querying with it, it attracted a few agents throughout the years. The agents I did work with who submitted the story, weren’t able to find a publishing home for it. We received many champagne rejections from editors but no offers.

At one point, in between agents when I was submitting to publishers directly, I received a publishing offer for it (story of my life, selling all my books directly to publishers on my own lol). But then I signed with my next agent, and we withdrew the manuscript from that offer in order to shop it with her help. More champagne rejections followed. When said agent quit the business about 18 months later, I resold the story and it’s now finally becoming a book!

I’m so grateful for my publisher, Yeehoo Press, for believing in this story, and I’m so excited for this book—I can’t wait to share it at last!

M. I’m so glad you kept going! Congratulations! This is a perfect example that publishing is about perseverance, timing and sometimes luck! What messages do you hope children will takeaway from your stories in general?

R. I’d like kids to be entertained by my stories, to relate to my characters and be inspired and empowered by their journeys. I’d love my readers to know that failure and mistakes can work in their favor, to be brave enough to take chances even if that feels uncomfortable, to always believe in themselves, value what they are passionate about, be true to themselves, love themselves for who they are, accept others, be kind, not listen to naysayers and go after their big dreams, always!

M. Definitely great positive messages for kids nowadays to receive. Lastly, Rosie what comes next for you?

R. I have more exciting news on multiple fronts coming up that I can’t share just yet but soon! Stay tuned… In the meantime, for anyone reading this interview who writes picture books and would be interested in receiving resources and opportunities to grow their writing career, make sure you subscribe to my email list to be in the loop for upcoming events, writing workshops, and exclusive opportunities that I share with my subscribers. You can sign up on my website at www.rosiejpova.com

Rosie, thanks so much for this wonderful conversation. I loved learning more about all your different services for writers and also about your life as an author and your amazing books. I wish you the best with your upcoming book as well as with your projects to be announced. I’m rooting for you always!

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ROSIE’S BIO

Rosie J. Pova is a multi-published and award-winning children’s book author, poet, writing coach, and speaker.Her picture book, Sunday Rain, was featured in The New York Times and recommendedby Parents magazine. The School of Failure: A Story About Success is a Readers’ Favorite Book Awards silver medal winner and is now available in both China and the USA. Her latest picture book, Sally’s Musical Tale will be released in the spring of 2025. Rosie loves doing school visits to encourage kids to read, write, create and inspire them to follow their big dreams.

In her role as a Writing Coach, Rosie’s has helped many aspiring picture book authors advance their careers and reach their publishing goals through her popular mentorship programs and signature Picture Book Mastery course. Rosie lives in Texas with her family. Find out more about her and her work at www.rosiejpova.com

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/RosiePOV

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosiejpova/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RosieWrites/

Thanks for reading!

M

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Cover photo by Ketut Subiyanto.