By Nicole Godwin
Way back in October 2017, I attended a SCBWI retreat. This retreat was the catalyst for my recently released picture book, Jelly-Boy, being published. Jelly-Boy is a timely story about a jellyfish who falls in love with a plastic bag.
Let me rewind and fill in the gaps…
Not only do SCBWI retreats provide writing time, critique groups and inspirational speakers, they also have a number of coveted publisher critique sessions available. I was fortunate enough to have a critique with Nancy Conescu, who was then at Walker Books (and is now at Berbay Books). At the time of the retreat, Jelly-Boy was not even a glimmer of an idea. I pitched another picture book manuscript, which Nancy genuinely seemed to like, but for a number of reasons, it didn’t suit Walker Books at that point in time. Yes—many of us have been in this situation—it is positive but disappointing all at once.
What Nancy did give me was her version of Charlie’s golden ticket—her personal business card. It opened a door and provided me with access to Nancy. I was aware that I couldn’t overuse this or send anything that wasn’t completely polished. So, I kept her card safe and waited until just the right time.
Five months after the retreat (in March 2018), I had a manuscript (Jelly-Boy) which I was in love with. It had already jumped through many hoops—firstly at a SCBWI ACT pitch event, then with my fabulous critique group (shout out here to Katrina McKelvey, Katrina Germain, Victoria Mackinlay, Reena Baulding, Lynne Higgs and Anne Morgan) and also with Aleesah Darlison.
A quick side-note here. I believe a manuscript can lose its essence if you try to incorporate all the feedback you receive. You have to be discerning and stay true to your heart, while being open enough to take on board the gems that will truly make it shine.
The end result was that Jelly-Boy was ready to enter the world. I sent Nancy an email with nervousness that she wouldn’t remember me. Maybe she just gave her card out to everyone and there were golden tickets everywhere! Fortunately, I was wrong and she did remember me. So much so, that she opened the manuscript straight away. Nine minutes later (yes—nine minutes). She emailed me back with the incredible news that she was very interested in Jelly-Boy
The rest, as they say, is history.
Sincere thanks to Nancy for seeing the potential in Jelly-Boy and also for matching me with the incredible Christopher Nielsen who has brought my words to life in the most magical way.
Jelly-Boy was release in Feb 2020 by Walker Books. You can watch the book trailer below and follow me on Facebook and Instagam @nicolegodwinauthor.
