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Jess Galatola: reaching young readers through writing books with heart · The Book Deal

• 0:00
  This is the Book Deal podcast where you will discover the inspiring stories behind your favorite books.
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  I'm Madeleine Cleary.
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• 0:56
  Tina Strachan: Jess Galatola, welcome to the Book Deal Podcast.
• 0:59
  Jess Galatola: Thank you for having me, and it's awesome to be chatting to you today.
• 1:03
  Tina Strachan: Oh, it's very exciting.
• 1:04
  Tina Strachan: I hope we get through this chat without that little bird coming and attacking you, on your balcony.
• 1:08
  Tina Strachan: Fingers crossed.
• 1:09
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 1:10
  Tina Strachan: Your little, your little friend- Hope so that's, what was it again?
• 1:12
  Tina Strachan: Magpie lark that's out the front?
• 1:14
  Tina Strachan: I...
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  Tina Strachan: I mean, it looks like that.
• 1:15
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 1:16
  Tina Strachan: I'm gonna go with that.
• 1:17
  Tina Strachan: You're the expert.
• 1:19
  Tina Strachan: Um, he looked pretty cute.
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  Tina Strachan: Um, Jess, so it's so great to have you on the pod.
• 1:23
  Tina Strachan: There is so much to talk about, and you've got so much coming up at, for you right now.
• 1:28
  Tina Strachan: Yes so two books, two new books out in June this year, and I want to hear, all about it and all about you, and I wanna hear about your publication journey and, and your books and why you wrote them.
• 1:38
  Tina Strachan: Because they all do have some really special messages, and so I'd really like to chat about that.
• 1:43
  Tina Strachan: But- Oh, thank you first, Jess, I do ask this of all my guests, and I like to put them on the spot and, ask for their one-liners.
• 1:51
  Tina Strachan: So you have a couple of books coming out, so let's, we'll go...
• 1:54
  Tina Strachan: Let's start with, The Witch Who Can't Spell, which is- Oh a picture book coming out in June.
• 1:59
  Tina Strachan: What date is it in June again?
• 2:01
  Jess Galatola: Uh, she's actually gonna be out at the very start of July, so.
• 2:04
  Jess Galatola: Oh, July.
• 2:05
  Tina Strachan: Yep.
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  Jess Galatola: Yeah, so, um, this one's about a little witch who's very bright but has a lot of problems with her spelling, and it leads to disaster and mayhem and a lot of fun and adventure.
• 2:19
  Jess Galatola: And she learns to become quite resilient and to give things a go, and to let go of trying to get it perfect and just embrace the chaos.
• 2:29
  Tina Strachan: Mm, I love that.
• 2:30
  Tina Strachan: That's a great one-liner.
• 2:31
  Tina Strachan: I love that pitch.
• 2:32
  Tina Strachan: Thank you.
• 2:33
  Tina Strachan: That's awesome.
• 2:33
  Tina Strachan: I'm gonna ask you more about that soon as well.
• 2:35
  Tina Strachan: Great.
• 2:35
  Tina Strachan: Um, and, and then of course, you've got a graphic novel coming out soon too, which is really exciting, with Parenti Press.
• 2:44
  Tina Strachan: It is.
• 2:44
  Tina Strachan: Seasons
• 2:44
  Jess Galatola: of Clementine.
• 2:45
  Jess Galatola: Tell us about that.
• 2:47
  Jess Galatola: So Seasons of Clementine centers around Clementine, who is a little dreamer who maps out the changing seasons of her life in her cloud journal.
• 2:58
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
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  Jess Galatola: So she's a creative, and she's a lot of fun.
• 3:02
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
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  Jess Galatola: That sounds beautiful.
• 3:03
  Jess Galatola: Um, do you keep a journal, Jess?
• 3:06
  Jess Galatola: I did as a kid.
• 3:07
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 3:07
  Jess Galatola: Um, my problem with keeping a journal as an adult is I keep many and then I lose them.
• 3:13
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 3:14
  Jess Galatola: And then I have to start again, and then I lose them again.
• 3:17
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 3:18
  Jess Galatola: Yeah, that happens.
• 3:18
  Jess Galatola: That's a real pattern with me.
• 3:19
  Jess Galatola: I know.
• 3:20
  Jess Galatola: I feel like we're a little bit busier now that
• 3:22
  Tina Strachan: we're, um,
• 3:22
  Jess Galatola: adults
• 3:23
  Tina Strachan: with children,
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  Jess Galatola: aren't we?
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  Jess Galatola: We certainly are, and if my children got hold of my journals, well, they'd probably be destroyed and, um- Yeah drawn in and- Yeah but I do keep poetry journals, and it's funny'cause I've picked up this book to sort of jot down notes today and realized I've used it to write lots of angry poetry in, at another season of my life.
• 3:43
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
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  Jess Galatola: So now it's also gonna have random notes.
• 3:46
  Tina Strachan: Oh, no.
• 3:47
  Tina Strachan: Okay.
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  Tina Strachan: I do like that, too.
• 3:48
  Tina Strachan: Keeping it all together.
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  Tina Strachan: It doesn't matter.
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  Tina Strachan: Like, it doesn't matter.
• 3:51
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
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  Tina Strachan: It's a bit of everything.
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  Tina Strachan: Um, and there'll have to be a Seasons of Jess book, poetry book coming out soon maybe.
• 3:57
  Tina Strachan: So
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  Jess Galatola: many.
• 3:58
  Jess Galatola: Oh, gosh.
• 3:59
  Jess Galatola: That's a great idea.
• 3:59
  Jess Galatola: Oh, there you go.
• 4:00
  Jess Galatola: Oh, I'm gonna hire you as my publicist from this point forward.
• 4:04
  Tina Strachan: Anytime.
• 4:06
  Tina Strachan: Uh, so Jess, both these books have very powerful messages, as does your first picture book, Some Families Change, which was out in 2025?
• 4:15
  Tina Strachan: Four.
• 4:17
  Tina Strachan: 2024.
• 4:17
  Tina Strachan: 24.
• 4:18
  Tina Strachan: That's right, yes.
• 4:19
  Tina Strachan: So and I feel like we'll cover Some Families Change, um, uh, when we talk about your publication journey.
• 4:24
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 4:25
  Tina Strachan: But, I was hoping that you could tell us a little bit about the messaging behind...
• 4:30
  Tina Strachan: we'll start with, the...
• 4:31
  Tina Strachan: your...
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  Tina Strachan: the witch book, The Witch Who Couldn't Spell.
• 4:33
  Tina Strachan: Um- Yeah
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  Jess Galatola: can you tell
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  Tina Strachan: us about the messaging, why it was important for you to write this book?
• 4:38
  Jess Galatola: Yeah, absolutely.
• 4:39
  Jess Galatola: Well, I guess being a teacher but also now mom of two boys, 8 and 10, spelling comes up a lot, and I see kids get really frustrated when they get to words that do not make sense to them, and you've just gotta learn the rule, and you just have to explain,"Well, that's the English language.
• 4:58
  Jess Galatola: We've borrowed words from lots of languages, and that's just how it is, and you just have to learn it." And they get very, very frustrated and roll their eyes at me and make lots of different grunting sounds.
• 5:09
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
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  Jess Galatola: And I thought, we've gotta embrace that the language we use every day is a bit crazy.
• 5:15
  Jess Galatola: It is a bit chaotic.
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  Jess Galatola: Um, and the title popped into my head first actually.
• 5:20
  Jess Galatola: I got th- I said,"Oh, I've misspelled it again," and then I was having fun with saying the word misspelled, and then from that word came the idea of a little witch called Miss Spelled who, um, couldn't spell properly and couldn't get her words right, but it would be about homophones.
• 5:38
  Jess Galatola: It would be about those words that are spelled exactly the same.
• 5:42
  Jess Galatola: But mean really different things,'cause those are the words that drive kids wild.
• 5:46
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
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  Jess Galatola: Like, they just Oh, they still drive me wild- Rain, rein a little bit too.
• 5:49
  Jess Galatola: There's a- Yeah Yeah, me too, right?
• 5:52
  Jess Galatola: Um, and yeah, so the, the book mainly focuses on homophones, and w- we follow Wanda through her journey of trying to write these beautiful spells that are well intentioned.
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  Jess Galatola: She's such a well-meaning little witch.
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  Jess Galatola: She wants to do beautiful things for her friends, but because she spells the incorrect version of the word, the wrong homophone, it actually leads to disaster.
• 6:15
  Jess Galatola: And she's so devastated by every disaster because she just meant so well, and it just leads to a lot of anguish.
• 6:24
  Jess Galatola: But it's hilarious in the same way, because Lou Baker, uh, is the illustrator, and she is a debut illustrator, and I cannot even express to you how her work jumps off the page- Mm.
• 6:36
  Jess Galatola: Mm and how she has elevated the story to the next level- Yeah beyond anything I could have ever really imagined she would bring to life.
• 6:44
  Jess Galatola: And, um, I had lots of little illustration notes, so it was great that she brought them to life, but then also added her own flavor.
• 6:53
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 6:54
  Jess Galatola: And to give you an example, I think my favorite one is she writes a spell to end the whole school assembly,'cause the witches are just out of their mind bored.
• 7:03
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 7:03
  Jess Galatola: So she writes hole, and spells the wrong hole, and then there's a sinkhole in the in the hall, and everybody just gets sucked into this hole.
• 7:12
  Jess Galatola: There's a cat on fire, someone's- Mm flying around on a broom screaming, and it's just chaos
• 7:17
  Tina Strachan: Mm-hmm.
• 7:18
  Tina Strachan: There's a beauty in seeing what the illustrators come up with, isn't it, Lent?
• 7:21
  Tina Strachan: Oh, it's the best.
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  Tina Strachan: You know, you don't wanna give them...
• 7:23
  Tina Strachan: You wanna...
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  Tina Strachan: You certainly have written the page, I guess, with an idea in your mind of what it's going to look like, but you, you kinda don't wanna give them too much, do you?
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  Tina Strachan: Because it's really important to see what they come up with and, um, and how they work with it, isn't it?
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  Tina Strachan: It's fun.
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  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 7:38
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
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  Tina Strachan: It's- It's a lot
• 7:39
  Jess Galatola: of fun to see where a book lands up, and I think with this one too, Lou has hidden so many little Easter eggs in.
• 7:45
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 7:46
  Jess Galatola: There's, like, mice to be looking for in- Mm bookshelves and a million little witch familiar animals, and I just love it.
• 7:53
  Jess Galatola: I adore her work.
• 7:54
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 7:55
  Jess Galatola: I didn't realize she was a debut,
• 7:56
  Tina Strachan: so that's, that's incredible too.
• 7:58
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
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  Tina Strachan: And, um, and she's done an incredible job, and kids love those, Easter eggs hidden in there everywhere, don't they?
• 8:03
  Jess Galatola: They do.
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  Jess Galatola: They do.
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  Jess Galatola: My kids are constantly reading it now, trying to find the li- like extra little hidden things that they haven't seen the first time.
• 8:10
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 8:11
  Tina Strachan: Yep.
• 8:12
  Tina Strachan: Uh, well, very important book, very important message too, but you're making it fun while doing it, which is great, and I think the teachers are gonna love it as well.
• 8:18
  Tina Strachan: Do you think it's gonna be great in schools?
• 8:21
  Jess Galatola: Yeah, I hope so.
• 8:21
  Jess Galatola: I think it's really sort of geared to the Australian curriculum, um, maybe two to five, in terms of where they'd be looking at homophones and playing with language and word play.
• 8:32
  Jess Galatola: And you've hit the nail on the head, Tina.
• 8:33
  Jess Galatola: It has to be fun- Mm-hmm because kids can smell a didactic message a mile away- Mm and then they'll just close the book on you- Mm-hmm and you're done.
• 8:41
  Tina Strachan: Absolutely.
• 8:42
  Jess Galatola: Um, and nobody wants to be fed language in a way that is painful or laborious or is just gonna take all the joy out of it- Mm when, uh, we as writers know there's so much joy to be had- Mm-hmm in the English language.
• 8:56
  Jess Galatola: So- Yeah just wanted to celebrate that.
• 8:58
  Tina Strachan: Yeah, and I think you've done an incredible job.
• 9:00
  Tina Strachan: And of course, you're the perfect person to write it because you have been a teacher for a very long time, and now you write curriculum, so you- Yes yeah, so you- True.
• 9:08
  Tina Strachan: you know the perfect way of doing it, and I think you've nailed it.
• 9:11
  Tina Strachan: Such a fun book, and I'm sure- Oh, you're so kind teachers are going to love it.
• 9:14
  Jess Galatola: Thank you.
• 9:15
  Jess Galatola: I really, really hope so.
• 9:16
  Jess Galatola: I think I just want it to, um, bring them a lot of joy in the classroom.
• 9:20
  Jess Galatola: Yeah,
• 9:20
  Tina Strachan: I'm sure it will.
• 9:21
  Tina Strachan: Uh, as will Seasons of
• 9:23
  Jess Galatola: Clementine, which is really exciting.
• 9:25
  Jess Galatola: Yes.
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  Jess Galatola: She's very special.
• 9:27
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 9:27
  Jess Galatola: She is an exciting one.
• 9:29
  Jess Galatola: I was mentioning to you earlier that Seasons of Clementine actually began as a picture book- Mm called The Cloud Collector.
• 9:37
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 9:37
  Jess Galatola: And it was about a little girl who collected up clouds and, um, added them to her journal, and we saw different things happen in her family across, um, the seasons, and she would talk to that, uh, by using the clouds as a language to explore that.
• 9:55
  Jess Galatola: So it was a little bit lyrical and lovely, but it wasn't getting anywhere, and I thought,"So I really love the premise and the, the core idea, and I wanna play with it in a couple of different styles." So I submitted it as a early reader, and I started writing it, um, as a verse novel, and that was going- in a whole new direction, uh, where I was tapping into Greek mythology, and the Oceanids, and the gods of clouds, and things like that, and that was getting really, really cool.
• 10:24
  Jess Galatola: Um, but the publisher who I'd submitted it to as an early reader said,"I don't really think this is an early reader, but I think there's potential here, and would you consider writing it as a graphic novel?" And obviously, that was Rochelle from Parenti Press.
• 10:42
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 10:42
  Jess Galatola: And so I had a, a really good crack at turning everything I had into this new format, which I actually adore because, um, I've worked with a lot of playscripts and texts as a drama teacher, um, in high school.
• 10:58
  Jess Galatola: And so writing it as a graphic novel felt like writing a script.
• 11:03
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
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  Jess Galatola: And that draws on my, um, weird need to add in a lot of, uh, illustration notes.
• 11:11
  Jess Galatola: 'Cause I know this is very bad in picture books, and you're not meant to do that, and smack me on the hand.
• 11:14
  Jess Galatola: I need to stop doing it.
• 11:15
  Jess Galatola: But I love to be able to control the idea of not just what you're saying, but that extra layer of what it's gonna look like.
• 11:23
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 11:23
  Jess Galatola: And I'm just really sad I don't have the skills to illustrate- Mm'cause that would be so cool.
• 11:27
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 11:27
  Jess Galatola: Um, but writing it as a script, I was able to add in a lot of detail in the way that I was directing what I thought this would look like.
• 11:36
  Jess Galatola: And at one point, um, beautiful Bethany Loveridge said,"Jess, I need you to, um, just say what you need in the illustration notes and stop writing it in poetry.""We don't need that."'Cause I was getting very carried away.
• 11:51
  Jess Galatola: Um, probably that verse novel influence.
• 11:54
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 11:54
  Jess Galatola: And so it landed as this, uh, new version of The Cloud Collector, which we ended up calling Seasons of Clementine.
• 12:02
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 12:02
  Jess Galatola: And I adore the new title- Mm because it really is more about her life and how it changes with the seasons, and what she learns as she develops and grows.
• 12:14
  Jess Galatola: It's very tweeny.
• 12:15
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 12:16
  Jess Galatola: It's very gentle.
• 12:17
  Jess Galatola: Um, there'd be nothing in there that's going to be triggering or upsetting for kids, which I think is important because sometimes you just want a little book of joy- Mm-hmm that you can recommend- Mm-hmm.
• 12:29
  Jess Galatola: Yeah um, when you wanna preserve that childhood innocence- Yeah for someone, you know?
• 12:35
  Jess Galatola: Like- Mm-hmm I know a lot of kids, uh, I live with a 10-year-old girl who, uh, is very into romance, and she's very interested in the Twilight stuff- Mm in the background.
• 12:46
  Jess Galatola: Yes.
• 12:46
  Jess Galatola: And I'm sort of pushing these things in front of her, saying,"Well, why don't you try this?
• 12:51
  Jess Galatola: Because I think-" Yeah you know, it might- Mm be a little bit more around your age and what you're looking for.
• 12:56
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 12:57
  Tina Strachan: Yeah, yeah, because the kids are reading up.
• 12:59
  Tina Strachan: We've...
• 13:00
  Tina Strachan: I've chatted about it- They are before on the,, podcast, I think, with Amy Doak, who writes, um, YA.
• 13:04
  Tina Strachan: And yeah, how the kids are sort of, they seem to be skipping a whole- sort of s- age group of books and going to those YA books that aren't And'cause YA is, is very broad.
• 13:18
  Tina Strachan: It is, yeah.
• 13:19
  Tina Strachan: So
• 13:19
  Jess Galatola: sometimes not appropriate.
• 13:21
  Jess Galatola: And I totally get it,'cause as a kid I did that.
• 13:23
  Jess Galatola: I read up, and I probably read a million things that weren't appropriate for me.
• 13:27
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 13:27
  Jess Galatola: Um, but I also had books put in front of me by Mum that were meant for me.
• 13:35
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 13:35
  Jess Galatola: And so I got to tap into lots of the- Yeah that important early formational reading stuff- Mm-hmm that I probably needed.
• 13:42
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 13:43
  Tina Strachan: No, that's, that's really important.
• 13:45
  Tina Strachan: I So I find that really interesting what you were saying about, um, your illustration notes or your poetry notes n- that you had for the graphic novel, because, a- as with picture books,
• 13:55
  Jess Galatola: the
• 13:55
  Tina Strachan: illustrations are sup- you know, supposed to carry or carry a lot of the story, don't they?
• 14:02
  Tina Strachan: Yes.
• 14:02
  Tina Strachan: Like, you don't have to use as many words, which is hard when you're writing them.
• 14:05
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 14:06
  Tina Strachan: I'm sure, you know- Yeah if you've done a lot of them, you get there and you just innately can do it, but it's hard to pare back on those words and just try and envision Especially if you're not the illustrator and you're like,"I have all these The, the illustration has to be a particular way to, to carry this part of the story if I want to not- Yeah include those words." So that's, that's a There's a fine line there, isn't it, of sort of
• 14:28
  Jess Galatola: balancing that?
• 14:28
  Jess Galatola: Absolutely.
• 14:29
  Jess Galatola: And it's like sometimes the notes that I write are to allow the illustrator to get into my head, I guess.
• 14:36
  Jess Galatola: Like I, I think, well, the story is clear, but I might have this little sub story going.
• 14:43
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 14:44
  Jess Galatola: But, um, at the same time, I've had illustration notes that weren't handed on and that, um, you know, I've had, uh, illustrators- Mm who probably didn't wanna look at them, and that's fine too.
• 14:55
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 14:56
  Jess Galatola: There's a lot of there's lessons in being able to let go.
• 15:00
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 15:01
  Jess Galatola: Um, and Jasmine Berry, the beautiful illustrator of Seasons of Clementine, I think she appreciated the detail of the illo notes, but there's certainly stuff she would've let go too.
• 15:10
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 15:11
  Jess Galatola: There's things she would've used, but I know she mentioned she saw herself in Clementine.
• 15:16
  Jess Galatola: Like, she really identified with this character.
• 15:19
  Jess Galatola: Um, so she has brought the characters to life in a way I would not have.
• 15:24
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 15:24
  Jess Galatola: But they're so beautiful- Mm and so cool.
• 15:27
  Jess Galatola: Like, her vision is awesome.
• 15:28
  Jess Galatola: So, and that's a joy, because it is partly your baby, but it's the illustrator's baby too.
• 15:34
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 15:34
  Jess Galatola: And then it's something, it's alchemy.
• 15:37
  Jess Galatola: It's a whole new thing again.
• 15:38
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 15:38
  Jess Galatola: And I think that's awesome.
• 15:40
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 15:41
  Tina Strachan: No, it's beautiful.
• 15:41
  Tina Strachan: And, I think the cover and the illustrations are really gonna draw kids in when they see them.
• 15:46
  Tina Strachan: Um, but yeah, graphic novels, it's a whole It They're so big at the moment, aren't they?
• 15:50
  Tina Strachan: And it- They are it's a whole new way of, I guess, writing.
• 15:53
  Tina Strachan: I've never written one myself, but, Yeah, I do.
• 15:56
  Tina Strachan: I see that there's some, there's a fair bit of information online now about how you can, structure them.
• 16:01
  Tina Strachan: So I'm just thinking for anybody who's listening who's thinking,"I would love to do a graphic novel," but the structure and the way that you submit it- Yes is a lot different, isn't
• 16:09
  Jess Galatola: it?
• 16:09
  Jess Galatola: It is.
• 16:10
  Jess Galatola: And to be honest, I had not played with this genre prior to Seasons of Clementine, so I went along to one of the Parenti, uh, workshops.
• 16:19
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 16:19
  Jess Galatola: That was so beautifully detailed about how to do it.
• 16:22
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 16:23
  Jess Galatola: Sometimes I find you go looking for this information, and you find bits and pieces, but you kind of have to bring it all together yourself and figure out the finished product.
• 16:31
  Jess Galatola: But they are able to tell you about writing for different age levels and what word counts would look like and how many spreads that might involve.
• 16:40
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 16:41
  Jess Galatola: And that was the stuff I needed- Mm-hmm because that's where you're designing really.
• 16:45
  Jess Galatola: You have to keep that in mind.
• 16:46
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 16:46
  Jess Galatola: Even though I'm not illustrating, I need to know where the text begins and ends across the pages, just like you'd map out in a picture book.
• 16:53
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 16:54
  Jess Galatola: Um, so I highly recommend, uh, the workshops that they, they do put forward, and those are often linked to their Parenti Prize- Mm-hmm um, as well.
• 17:04
  Jess Galatola: So if, uh They do this wonderful thing where if you'd like to submit something as a author only, you can do that through the Parenti Prize.
• 17:13
  Jess Galatola: And I had another crack.
• 17:14
  Jess Galatola: I wrote, um I turned a picture book I had called Dragon Brothers or Dragon Bros into a, um, graphic novel, and it got shortlisted- Mm-hmm um, which was really cool.
• 17:27
  Jess Galatola: But I also got this wonderful feedback, like really rich, thorough feedback at the end of the process.
• 17:34
  Jess Galatola: So important.
• 17:34
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 17:34
  Jess Galatola: Yeah, which meant I understood how to grow the story I had and how to maybe manipulate it so that it would be successful if I wanna submit again.
• 17:44
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 17:45
  Jess Galatola: So such a valuable, valuable thing that they offer, which I love.
• 17:49
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 17:49
  Jess Galatola: Um, but yeah, a- again, as a drama teacher, having that understanding of how a script, uh, is put together with, you know, stage directions and instructions and sides and monologues, like, having that idea of a different way to present words was also helpful.
• 18:07
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 18:07
  Jess Galatola: Um, I was never into graphic novels as a kid.
• 18:11
  Jess Galatola: Uh, my best friend Stace actually got me into them as an adult.
• 18:14
  Jess Galatola: I've got one here called The Complete Maus- Mm-hmm which is a story, um, written about a man's experience in the Holocaust.
• 18:23
  Jess Galatola: Wow.
• 18:23
  Jess Galatola: And it's, it's really, like, intricate and beautiful.
• 18:26
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 18:26
  Jess Galatola: And I don't know if you've heard of the book Sapiens- Mm-hmm but they've created a graphic novel, and it's all about, like, the first man and- Wow and all about Yeah.
• 18:35
  Jess Galatola: So I got into graphic novels as an adult reading adult graphic novels.
• 18:40
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 18:41
  Jess Galatola: And then, um, through Bethany, who is a friend of mine who I used to work with in curriculum, I was introduced to, um- Beautiful Brent Wilson- Mm-hmm who does the Frog Log and Dave series along with Trent Jensen, and some James Foley as well that the boys love.
• 18:59
  Jess Galatola: And I might be one of the few people who has every Parenti graphic novel now- Wow because I've got a copy of Clementine sitting here.
• 19:07
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 19:08
  Jess Galatola: So it's, it's a genre now that I really adore.
• 19:11
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 19:11
  Jess Galatola: Um, and I actually think they're more complex than we imagine, because I was having this chat with someone the other day, they said,"I find it really hard to sit down and read a comic or read through a graphic novel and follow along." And that can be really true, because so much is just jumping out at you- Mm at once.
• 19:30
  Jess Galatola: And it takes a lot of time to sit and process and take things in, and sometimes I think if you're more visual and you get a lot out of that experience, then it's probably the right genre for you.
• 19:42
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 19:43
  Jess Galatola: Um,'cause you're engaging that visual literacy as long a- as well as, you know, the, the literacy of reading.
• 19:50
  Jess Galatola: So there's a lot of parallel stuff happening as you take in a graphic novel, and I really love that- Mm'cause you can come back to it, you can sit with it, you can pick it up at another time and see something that you've missed.
• 20:02
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 20:03
  Jess Galatola: And I just think that that is a way into reading for kids.
• 20:06
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 20:07
  Jess Galatola: Yeah, and it's- I think probably
• 20:08
  Tina Strachan: like everything, like different genres and all those sorts of things, um, different styles of writing.
• 20:14
  Tina Strachan: E- everybody's different in their tastes, and there will certainly- Definitely be people that it appeals to and people that it doesn't.
• 20:19
  Tina Strachan: And, I've got a eight-year-old who is a non-fiction kid.
• 20:26
  Tina Strachan: Oh, okay.
• 20:26
  Tina Strachan: He's got, like, all the non-fiction bug books or, like, Star Wars books, and he loves all those sorts of things.
• 20:31
  Tina Strachan: So lots of, lots of pictures obviously.
• 20:35
  Tina Strachan: Yeah, beautiful.
• 20:35
  Tina Strachan: Not much of a, plot throughout it though for a lot of these books, but, that's just what he's drawn to.
• 20:41
  Tina Strachan: So I've had to...
• 20:41
  Tina Strachan: Which is hard,'cause I keep pushing like all these other books onto him.
• 20:44
  Tina Strachan: I know.
• 20:45
  Tina Strachan: But I've found graphic novels are a good way to sort of b- be that bridge for him.
• 20:49
  Tina Strachan: Absolutely.
• 20:50
  Tina Strachan: So it's got lots to look at, and then, shorter bits of words.
• 20:54
  Tina Strachan: And, um, yeah, and but still a plot line the whole way through.
• 20:57
  Tina Strachan: Isn't
• 20:58
  Jess Galatola: it?
• 20:58
  Jess Galatola: It's so difficult- Mm as a parent not to be a book pusher, because- Mm, mm-hmm if you are a lover of books, which we all are, and we want our kids to, you know, experience all the beautiful stuff that we love.
• 21:10
  Jess Galatola: But my children and their taste is so different from mine, and I have a 10-year-old who's dyslexic, so he actually really struggles with reading.
• 21:19
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 21:19
  Jess Galatola: But he loves books, because I've read them to him since he was a baby, and he loves to be read to.
• 21:24
  Jess Galatola: But sometimes if he's not feeling confident, I know at least if I leave a bunch of graphic novels- Mm lying around or like heavily illustrated junior fic or even middle grade as he's getting older, he's more likely to pick it up- Mm and have a little snoop and have a go on his own.
• 21:41
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 21:42
  Jess Galatola: You know, the importance of reading to kids even as they get older never goes away.
• 21:47
  Jess Galatola: I read something, a study done at Harvard the other day, and it was about if you read to your kid every day of their life from the first five years of their life, they have four million more words- Wow in their vocab.
• 22:00
  Jess Galatola: And, like, that's ridiculous.
• 22:01
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 22:02
  Jess Galatola: But it's so important.
• 22:04
  Jess Galatola: If you can give them that head start by reading and making- Mm-hmm that a part of your routine, I just...
• 22:09
  Jess Galatola: I can't advocate it enough.
• 22:10
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 22:11
  Jess Galatola: It's, it's such a special thing that we do.
• 22:13
  Jess Galatola: I really love it.
• 22:14
  Jess Galatola: And they get really cross if we don't end- Mm the day with books before bed.
• 22:19
  Tina Strachan: Yeah,
• 22:19
  Jess Galatola: absolutely.
• 22:20
  Jess Galatola: 'Cause it's just part of that- Yeah that ritual.
• 22:22
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 22:23
  Tina Strachan: No, absolutely.
• 22:24
  Tina Strachan: I agree.
• 22:24
  Tina Strachan: We've always done that too.
• 22:25
  Tina Strachan: And, um, yeah, it's so important reading those words to them.
• 22:29
  Tina Strachan: And, um, but also just having the availability of those books around, uh, too, just in the house.
• 22:35
  Tina Strachan: And, uh, look, I don't have actual stats and figures or who I got this from, but I know it was an actual- study that was done not too long ago.
• 22:41
  Tina Strachan: And it was, um, you know, really...
• 22:45
  Tina Strachan: They were measuring, I guess, I don't know, s- success, and there was particular things that they measured.
• 22:50
  Tina Strachan: It wasn't just money or anything like that, you know.
• 22:52
  Tina Strachan: It was happiness- Yeah and all those sorts of things, um, uh, in adults is, um...
• 22:59
  Tina Strachan: can highly be attributed to the amount of books, like the number of books that were in the house when they were growing up.
• 23:05
  Tina Strachan: And I was like- No, I believe that that's...
• 23:06
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 23:07
  Tina Strachan: And isn't that incredible?
• 23:08
  Tina Strachan: And I guess because the number of books you have, the more inclined you are to possibly read them or be, just be familiar with them.
• 23:14
  Tina Strachan: Uh, clearly then your parents are reading as well, right?
• 23:17
  Tina Strachan: So it's just- Absolutely it, it's an indicator of, yeah, having just words around you, um, so important because we've gotta keep, keep these kids reading, haven't we?
• 23:26
  Jess Galatola: We do.
• 23:27
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 23:27
  Jess Galatola: And the neuroscience behind it now, like, is fascinating.
• 23:30
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 23:30
  Jess Galatola: They talk about the fact that when you read a book, your brain processes the story as a memory.
• 23:37
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 23:37
  Jess Galatola: So you actually experience the book in your brain as if you've done that and lived that experience.
• 23:43
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 23:43
  Jess Galatola: And I think that is amazing.
• 23:45
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 23:45
  Jess Galatola: And it is true magic.
• 23:47
  Jess Galatola: And how powerful is it that no matter who you are, if you have access to reading, you can pick up a book, and you can escape.
• 23:56
  Jess Galatola: Like, you can- Mm go to a world that- Mm feels different, that could feel safe, that could feel- Mm adventurous.
• 24:02
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 24:03
  Jess Galatola: And you can do that in your brain- Mm by living that experience and making it all happen in the pictures in your mind.
• 24:09
  Jess Galatola: And, like, that's actually amazing.
• 24:12
  Tina Strachan: That's the power of it.
• 24:13
  Tina Strachan: And especially, like, as adults, I think we probably read, um, fiction for,, escapism and for joy.
• 24:19
  Tina Strachan: But for children- Yeah also doing the same, but it just goes to show, with the neuroscience behind it, basically, changing the, your brain and how it's, your neurons and all those sorts of things, um, it goes to show how books with- Messaging, but not, not didactic like we were talking about, it'd be so incredibly helpful and pro- probably life-changing for a lot of children who, like you were saying, maybe even need that escape.
• 24:46
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 24:46
  Tina Strachan: So there's gotta be some nervous system resetting there, you know?
• 24:48
  Tina Strachan: Absolutely.
• 24:49
  Tina Strachan: Depending, if you've got the appropriate book.
• 24:51
  Tina Strachan: But also when they're learning to build their skills, when they're learning their social skills, their, just how they tackle friendships, all those sorts of things.
• 24:58
  Tina Strachan: If they're reading about that, it's healthily being modeled in these books.
• 25:02
  Tina Strachan: That's right.
• 25:03
  Tina Strachan: Like you said, it's like they're actually doing, living it themselves, and so it's, it's equipping them with skills that they need when they head off to school again the next day, the battlefield for a lot of them.
• 25:13
  Jess Galatola: Exactly what they need, and that's why we're all talking about representation in, in stories at the moment, because everybody deserves to see, you know, th- a version of themselves in a book to understand how they process life and, and practice empathy and resilience and strength of character.
• 25:32
  Jess Galatola: Like, those things, it's just at the heart of storytelling because stories are about people, so it makes sense that we're going to be exploring these things along the way through beautiful words.
• 25:43
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 25:44
  Tina Strachan: No, I agree, and beautiful words like in your books, Jess.
• 25:47
  Tina Strachan: Now- Aw, Tina we know how hard it is to get these...
• 25:51
  Tina Strachan: We know how hard it is to get published, right?
• 25:52
  Tina Strachan: We know how hard it is to get these books out there, so I wanna hear all about- Yes your journey,'cause I, we love a good publication journey here, and it's so, it's so helpful for people to hear who are trying to be published.
• 26:03
  Tina Strachan: So can you take us all the way back to the beginning, Jess, from when you first started reading and writing, which I'm guessing was when you were a child?
• 26:10
  Tina Strachan: Oh, God.
• 26:11
  Jess Galatola: Yes.
• 26:12
  Jess Galatola: So always loved reading and writing.
• 26:14
  Jess Galatola: Um, loved anything to do with, uh, all of that stuff, and then became a teenager and got really into the drama side of stuff, and then like most, a lot of authors say this, you know, never thought I could do that as a job.
• 26:33
  Jess Galatola: So moved away from writing for pleasure and got very serious about life and had to pick a career.
• 26:41
  Jess Galatola: I actually am one of those annoying kids who always knew what they wanted to do.
• 26:44
  Jess Galatola: Like, I remember looking at my grade three teacher going,"I could do this, and I'd really like to do this,'cause I think you do this so well, and I appreciate what you're doing, and I wanna do that." And then when I decided on drama and English, it was all just keep moving forward from there.
• 26:58
  Jess Galatola: And I did, um, dabble as a drama teacher in thinking about writing some play texts just because I wanted work that was geared at the kids I was working with, and, and I was learning from them, and children are the best teachers.
• 27:12
  Jess Galatola: Like, they, they show you so much about the world.
• 27:14
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 27:15
  Jess Galatola: So I was playing around, but never, ever thinking of submitting anything.
• 27:19
  Jess Galatola: Um- And then I have a very weird publishing journey, Tina.
• 27:24
  Jess Galatola: I did it all backwards.
• 27:25
  Jess Galatola: I got to 2020, and life blew up for everybody- Mm-hmm in 2020.
• 27:30
  Jess Galatola: For me, that involved going through, um, a separation, and I had very little kids at the time.
• 27:37
  Jess Galatola: I had a two-year-old and a four-year-old, and I did not know how to explain what was coming.
• 27:42
  Jess Galatola: Like, I just I didn't have words for it.
• 27:44
  Jess Galatola: So one night I sat down and wrote a story, and it came out for me in poetry,'cause that's how I process.
• 27:51
  Jess Galatola: So actually, this angry journal of poetry was probably from that time when I read back through it.
• 27:57
  Jess Galatola: Um, so it's I was healing myself through poetry, and I thought,"Well, I'll write a poem for the kids that might talk about what's happening with our family that they might be able to understand." And I turned it into a story, and I read it to them every night, and I asked their dad to read it to them every night, too, when he left the home, because I wanted us to be speaking about what was happening in the same way.
• 28:22
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 28:22
  Jess Galatola: I thought that was just super important that they got the same messaging that they needed, and that I had to look up.
• 28:28
  Jess Galatola: How do you talk to young, young people about this?
• 28:32
  Jess Galatola: And it was The advice was you have to say the thing truthfully, but in an age-appropriate way.
• 28:37
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 28:38
  Jess Galatola: So my best friend, who is a pusher of joy, said to me,"This is the best.
• 28:44
  Jess Galatola: This is such an amazing thing that you've done.
• 28:46
  Jess Galatola: You need to please go and turn it into a book." And I said,"Don't be silly.
• 28:50
  Jess Galatola: I don't know how to do that, and I can't draw." And she said,"Just go and try.
• 28:54
  Jess Galatola: Just do it." So I did.
• 28:56
  Jess Galatola: I did some research.
• 28:57
  Jess Galatola: I figured out eventually you don't have to have illustrations to go with your picture book.
• 29:02
  Jess Galatola: In fact, it's probably preferred that you don't.
• 29:05
  Jess Galatola: And I changed the story so that it became more open to everybody's experience of changing families, not just my very personal one, and I wanted it to be very inclusive and open to everybody.
• 29:19
  Jess Galatola: Um, so Some Families Change is that.
• 29:22
  Jess Galatola: It is a love letter to parents and kids that basically says everybody's family looks different.
• 29:27
  Jess Galatola: Every family can change, and it will, and that's okay, and you'll have some big feelings, and that's okay, too.
• 29:33
  Jess Galatola: Yes.
• 29:33
  Jess Galatola: But at the end, just remember you will have a family who love you, and that's just the message.
• 29:38
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 29:38
  Jess Galatola: And, um, I submitted it to three publishers, and I actually got, um, picked up by two.
• 29:48
  Jess Galatola: Like, I got a response from two, which I appreciate now is- Mm like, a miracle.
• 29:55
  Jess Galatola: It was a miracle.
• 29:57
  Jess Galatola: I think it was divine timing.
• 29:59
  Jess Galatola: I think it was We were going through COVID, and we were coming home into families, and things were tough.
• 30:06
  Jess Galatola: And so this was the right story at the right time.
• 30:09
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 30:09
  Jess Galatola: EK Books picked it up.
• 30:10
  Jess Galatola: I worked with a beautiful publisher called Anuschka Jones who described the book as a warm hug.
• 30:16
  Jess Galatola: And, um, she was very much about it, and from there I became obsessed with like,"All right, well, I'm making a picture book.
• 30:25
  Jess Galatola: I think I wanna do more of these because I have little kids, and I'm, I'm loving reading to them every night, and maybe I..." You know, quite classic,"Maybe I could do this." And that's when I realized how hard it is to write books.
• 30:38
  Jess Galatola: To get into the publishing world.
• 30:40
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 30:41
  Jess Galatola: Um, I started an author profile after I signed my contract,'cause I didn't know anybody in the kid lit community.
• 30:49
  Jess Galatola: I had no idea how cool this community is, and I will say it over and over again, my favorite thing about being an author is belonging to this community.
• 31:01
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 31:01
  Jess Galatola: If that was the one gift I got out of it and had to walk away tomorrow, it would be that.
• 31:05
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 31:05
  Jess Galatola: Because it is amazing.
• 31:09
  Jess Galatola: The beautiful people that you meet- Mm-hmm who do what you do and are so like-minded, and, and kind, and supportive, and generous- Mm and giving, it's just been the best gift.
• 31:19
  Jess Galatola: It's, it's like I wrote Some Families Change and then got a family.
• 31:23
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 31:23
  Jess Galatola: Like, got this new family.
• 31:25
  Jess Galatola: That's how I describe it.
• 31:26
  Jess Galatola: That's beautiful.
• 31:26
  Jess Galatola: It gives me chills.
• 31:27
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 31:27
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 31:28
  Tina Strachan: It, it's so true, isn't it?
• 31:29
  Tina Strachan: Of, uh...
• 31:30
  Tina Strachan: All writers are just great, especially kid lit writers- They are and the community.
• 31:34
  Tina Strachan: Yeah, that's pretty incredible.
• 31:35
  Tina Strachan: I was, I, I was pretty much the same I think, and I guess that's how we met, through the kid lit community.
• 31:41
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 31:41
  Tina Strachan: And, I was so sh- sort of shy to be part of that, and I kind of felt, like, walking into this group where everyone sort of, like, already knows everyone, and everyone's already an author, and how is this...
• 31:54
  Tina Strachan: You know, how do I fit in?
• 31:55
  Tina Strachan: And yeah, no one cares.
• 31:56
  Tina Strachan: They just open up their arms and welcome you in, and you're a part of it.
• 31:59
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 32:00
  Jess Galatola: Like a peer on, on a, on the same level.
• 32:03
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 32:03
  Jess Galatola: And it's, it's amazing, um, and I'm glad I found the community.
• 32:08
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 32:08
  Jess Galatola: Um, but yeah, the publishing stuff is actually much harder than I thought.
• 32:12
  Jess Galatola: So a- after getting that first contract I was like,"Cool, I'll just write a whole heap of other books." Oh, yeah.
• 32:17
  Jess Galatola: And then it was like- Yeah"Oh, no, it's not actually that easy- Yeah at all." Um, but I did have...
• 32:24
  Jess Galatola: A- Anuska was beautiful, and sh- I think she really fostered, um, my understanding of picture books and the way to put them together,'cause I submitted a lot of stuff to her.
• 32:35
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 32:36
  Jess Galatola: And I got to sign quite a few picture books with EK, which is, which is awesome.
• 32:41
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 32:41
  Jess Galatola: And I think it's because their motto is,"Books from the heart on issues that matter." Mm.
• 32:47
  Jess Galatola: And it spoke to me as a teacher with young children- Mm but who ha- who dealt with kids every day- Mm knowing that it's those heart stories that get to them.
• 32:56
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 32:57
  Jess Galatola: And it's the heart stories that are needed.
• 32:59
  Jess Galatola: So yeah, that's sort of probably where the most growth happened in those early years, and I wrote that book in 2020, submitted it in 2021.
• 33:08
  Jess Galatola: I think I signed at the end of 2021, and then we published in 2024.
• 33:12
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 33:13
  Jess Galatola: And so that's where I'm learning, I started learning about the publishing industry- Fair wind takes and, and the speed of which it moves.
• 33:21
  Jess Galatola: And sometimes feels like a lot of waiting and not a lot of knowing.
• 33:27
  Jess Galatola: Uh-huh.
• 33:27
  Jess Galatola: Um, and then this beautiful surprise at the end that everyone loves to unbox because it's glorious.
• 33:33
  Tina Strachan: Mm-hmm.
• 33:34
  Tina Strachan: It is, yeah, and it feels like it takes a really long time, then all of a sudden it's here.
• 33:37
  Tina Strachan: Yes.
• 33:38
  Tina Strachan: Like everything, I suppose.
• 33:40
  Tina Strachan: Yes, exactly.
• 33:41
  Tina Strachan: So was that- So- Did you submit that to slush, le- sorry, slush- Yeah slash a- opportunity piles?
• 33:48
  Tina Strachan: What a treasure chest- I did or whatever they're called.
• 33:50
  Jess Galatola: Ooh, opportunity pile.
• 33:52
  Jess Galatola: I like that.
• 33:52
  Jess Galatola: Yes.
• 33:53
  Jess Galatola: Straight into the slush.
• 33:54
  Jess Galatola: Um- Wow I kinda like the word slush in terms of- Yeah, I do too.
• 33:58
  Jess Galatola: Yeah uh, yeah, so it's, it really does feel like a miracle and divine timing that it was picked up.
• 34:05
  Jess Galatola: It was just, like, that's such a huge part of my story, and it's, it's so fun to celebrate, and it's special to my kids, too.
• 34:11
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 34:11
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 34:12
  Jess Galatola: Um- That makes
• 34:12
  Tina Strachan: it even just more incredible, doesn't
• 34:15
  Jess Galatola: it?
• 34:15
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 34:15
  Jess Galatola: It's just a really cool chapter of our life that we shared and got through and, and turned into something beautiful.
• 34:22
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 34:22
  Jess Galatola: Um, so slush pile for that one, and then obviously I was able to submit directly to Anika from there.
• 34:30
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 34:30
  Jess Galatola: Um, but most of my publishing success has come through a slush.
• 34:36
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 34:37
  Jess Galatola: That's cool.
• 34:38
  Jess Galatola: Which is, uh, which is testimony to keep going, like- Absolutely just keep trying.
• 34:42
  Jess Galatola: And that they do get read.
• 34:43
  Jess Galatola: They do.
• 34:44
  Jess Galatola: They do.
• 34:45
  Jess Galatola: They do.
• 34:45
  Jess Galatola: And there is some,
• 34:46
  Tina Strachan: some absolute treasures in there, but that is often the only way, especially when you're a debut, to get in front of a publisher, is to send it.
• 34:56
  Tina Strachan: And yeah, look, it can take a really long time, but I'm sure they do get through them eventually.
• 35:01
  Tina Strachan: and it is about right timing and all those sorts of things and what someone's looking at at that particular point in time, but it also means that it was a great, you know, manuscript that they got in front of them, Jess.
• 35:12
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 35:12
  Tina Strachan: And, and but then likewise, if they don't accept it, it doesn't mean that it wasn't a great manuscript.
• 35:17
  Tina Strachan: It's just that it wasn't what they were looking for at that time because-
• 35:21
  Jess Galatola: Exactly, and I think that's...
• 35:22
  Jess Galatola: it's so important to note that, that not being published is not a reflection of your work.
• 35:29
  Jess Galatola: It's just that there's so much to take into account in terms of what publishers are looking for.
• 35:34
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 35:35
  Jess Galatola: And there's a broad list and, and then sometimes we get frustrated'cause it comes down to,"Well, I'll know it when I see it." Mm.
• 35:42
  Jess Galatola: And, and it...
• 35:43
  Jess Galatola: I understand that in a way because your- One person looking at books and deciding what speaks to you, and that's your experience as one publisher Mm-hmm and other people are gonna find other golden gems.
• 35:58
  Jess Galatola: Um, and so it's not necessarily about your work if you don't get picked up, which is why I love a good reject- rejection letter that- Mm actually lets you know,"We've seen your work, and thank you." Yeah.
• 36:08
  Jess Galatola: "Not this time, it's not for us, but keep going." Mm-hmm.
• 36:10
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 36:10
  Jess Galatola: I love those ones because you feel really validated and seen in, in that process, too.
• 36:17
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 36:17
  Jess Galatola: Um, but I, I kind of...
• 36:19
  Jess Galatola: I feel quite resilient about this stuff, Tina.
• 36:21
  Jess Galatola: Like, it sort of...
• 36:22
  Jess Galatola: I just let the rejection bounce off and just keep going, and I think you miss all of the opportunities you don't go for.
• 36:28
  Tina Strachan: That's absolutely true.
• 36:29
  Jess Galatola: And so I just keep...
• 36:31
  Jess Galatola: I just persist.
• 36:33
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 36:33
  Jess Galatola: I'm annoying, and some publishers have received so many submissions from me, and I'll just keep going because- Mm-hmm eventually I'll hit the right note.
• 36:43
  Jess Galatola: Yep.
• 36:44
  Tina Strachan: No, absolutely.
• 36:44
  Tina Strachan: That's, that's great advice, and we all hear those stories about, you know, these big name authors who have had...
• 36:50
  Tina Strachan: just collect r- you know- Yeah rejection letters, don't they?
• 36:52
  Tina Strachan: And, uh, I think we need to change the word rejection letter because that just sounds so harsh.
• 36:58
  Tina Strachan: It's more of a- Mm just a pass at this point in time I think would be- Yeah would be lovely.
• 37:03
  Tina Strachan: Um, yeah, because it is for many other reasons.
• 37:07
  Tina Strachan: Um, yeah, and even if the publisher does really want it, they do have to think.
• 37:12
  Tina Strachan: You know, they have so many other things to think of, like marketing and finance- Mm-hmm and what's the rest of the team- Mm gonna think with this, and what else have we signed recently?
• 37:19
  Tina Strachan: There's just so much to consider there, isn't it?
• 37:21
  Tina Strachan: So- There is,
• 37:23
  Jess Galatola: ab- absolutely.
• 37:24
  Jess Galatola: I was gonna say, I feel like I got maybe, maybe 10 stories in total to the, um, final meeting at EK with sales.
• 37:37
  Jess Galatola: Wow.
• 37:37
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 37:37
  Jess Galatola: And, um, Anuska would never take anything until it was...
• 37:41
  Jess Galatola: She would get me to perfect it first.
• 37:43
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 37:43
  Jess Galatola: I didn't...
• 37:44
  Jess Galatola: I very rarely did the editing afterwards.
• 37:47
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 37:47
  Jess Galatola: She'd say,"It's not ready yet," because she knew she had to get it...
• 37:50
  Jess Galatola: she had to sell it.
• 37:52
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 37:52
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 37:52
  Jess Galatola: Um, and there's a huge process that happens there, and if you can't get the whole team on board- Mm-hmm then it's a pass at that time.
• 37:58
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 37:59
  Jess Galatola: And yeah, even though I had success, I had a lot of, um, passes as well.
• 38:04
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 38:04
  Jess Galatola: And that's okay.
• 38:05
  Jess Galatola: It just means they have a whole criteria they need to tick.
• 38:09
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 38:10
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 38:10
  Jess Galatola: You know?
• 38:11
  Jess Galatola: And, um, The Cloud Collector was one I did present to them, and they said,"Oh, sorry, but we, we have a book that we're publishing soon that is very similar-" Mm that's about the clouds." And so that's when I thought- Mm"Well, okay, maybe I need to try it in a different way."
• 38:25
  Tina Strachan: Mm-hmm.
• 38:26
  Tina Strachan: Mm-hmm.
• 38:26
  Tina Strachan: And the Pa- and so Clementine and with Parenti was at Slush Pile as well?
• 38:32
  Jess Galatola: Uh, it was out of one slush pile, an, an opportunity into another.
• 38:38
  Jess Galatola: Yes So it was a no over at Wombat for something I'd submitted.
• 38:42
  Jess Galatola: Yes.
• 38:43
  Jess Galatola: But there was a glimmer of an idea, I guess, that Rochelle sent- Mm"Would you like to try and develop that?" Mm-hmm.
• 38:49
  Jess Galatola: "And then we'll see how we go from there."
• 38:51
  Tina Strachan: Yeah, yeah.
• 38:52
  Tina Strachan: And that's great.
• 38:52
  Tina Strachan: That's even more special when you have a publisher that recog- sees something in you, and so it's not just a simple yes or no.
• 38:59
  Tina Strachan: They see something in you- Yeah and they wanna work with you.
• 39:02
  Tina Strachan: That's even more special.
• 39:03
  Tina Strachan: It's glorious.
• 39:03
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 39:04
  Tina Strachan: I
• 39:04
  Jess Galatola: know, it's so cool.
• 39:04
  Jess Galatola: That's wonderful.
• 39:05
  Jess Galatola: Well, why wouldn't they?
• 39:06
  Jess Galatola: And they...
• 39:07
  Jess Galatola: Well, also, they are beautiful publishers to work with- Mm-hmm I have to say, so supportive.
• 39:13
  Jess Galatola: And, um, it's, uh, working with Bethany, uh, she's really wanted...
• 39:19
  Jess Galatola: She's treated the story as her own, um, as well as Rochelle, and so the final product is just a joy.
• 39:26
  Jess Galatola: And my story about reading it for the first time is I was on my way to Sydney with my niece for her birthday, and so I read this book in the clouds on the plane.
• 39:37
  Jess Galatola: Aw.
• 39:38
  Jess Galatola: And I was just so emotional'cause it was so cool.
• 39:41
  Jess Galatola: Aw.
• 39:41
  Jess Galatola: And so lovely to read it for the first time up high in the heavens.
• 39:45
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm,
• 39:46
  Tina Strachan: that's beautiful.
• 39:47
  Tina Strachan: Oh- Very sweet that's incredible.
• 39:48
  Tina Strachan: Oh, so many wonderful stories there, Jess, and so much inspiration, but what, what is your main advice for authors, then, who are trying to be published, especially picture book authors, because it sounds like a very tricky space to try and infiltrate.
• 40:02
  Tina Strachan: It's so much competition.
• 40:04
  Tina Strachan: I think a lot of people think- Mm that picture books are easy to do when- Oh I have to say, trying to fit a whole story with a message that's not didactic, with trying to be f- keep the kids entertained, um, all those sorts of things, in usually less than 600 words, is incredibly hard.
• 40:23
  Jess Galatola: It is, and, um, I have two of the hardest critics, too, because they lose interest very quickly, and they'll just shut the book up on me, or they will say,"No, I don't wanna read that." Yeah.
• 40:34
  Jess Galatola: Um, so they're actually very helpful, but I guess the thing that I have had to remind myself on this journey, going from the back end in, in terms of having some success initially, and then realizing this is very hard, this is a difficult thing to do, and then joining the community and seeing all the celebrated success, remember your why, so remember why you write, and then do it your own way.
• 41:03
  Jess Galatola: And ignore all of the stories around you.
• 41:06
  Jess Galatola: Support, embrace, hold up, applaud, but don't compare yourself to those journeys because it's...
• 41:13
  Jess Galatola: You're never going to achieve something in the same way someone else has, and we've talked about that.
• 41:19
  Jess Galatola: Timing and luck and relationships and, um, that's really important, is building up your relationships in the industry.
• 41:28
  Jess Galatola: I think that's led to success for me, and that where going along to, um, an opportunity where you can meet a publisher face-to-face often ends up in more success than you might find in the slush pile.
• 41:42
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 41:42
  Jess Galatola: Because publishers are not just going to invest in your story, they're going to invest in you as a person- Mm-hmm and what you stand for and how you present, and how you speak about this craft that's so important, especially writing for kids.
• 41:57
  Jess Galatola: They need to know that you like kids and that you have, um, all of the right motivators at the heart of what you're doing.
• 42:04
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 42:05
  Jess Galatola: So do it your own way, remember why you love to do it, and then present that in the most authentic way you can when you are meeting professionals in the industry, and I think you're gonna have success if you can do those things.
• 42:18
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 42:18
  Jess Galatola: And there's a few ways- And s- Sorry, keep going.
• 42:21
  Jess Galatola: You were gonna hit on that.
• 42:22
  Jess Galatola: Okay.
• 42:23
  Jess Galatola: I was gonna say, and success looks different.
• 42:24
  Jess Galatola: It doesn't just look like a published book.
• 42:26
  Tina Strachan: Yeah, no, that's right.
• 42:28
  Tina Strachan: That's right.
• 42:28
  Tina Strachan: As...
• 42:28
  Tina Strachan: And, this is why we,, do this podcast too.
• 42:32
  Tina Strachan: I mean, apart from the fact that we love just chatting with people, it gives us a good excuse to, to chat with other authors, but, it is just a real demonstration, and all these case studies that we're presenting, of just all the different ways that it can happen and all the different ways that you can do it.
• 42:47
  Tina Strachan: And, yeah, and you're right, success for one person is making the New York Times bestsellers list.
• 42:54
  Tina Strachan: That could be- Mm-hmm what they want.
• 42:55
  Tina Strachan: And success for another person is getting this, very personal, important message out to other children, like what you've done with, with your books.
• 43:03
  Tina Strachan: Yeah, it's different.
• 43:04
  Tina Strachan: Or, being able to go and talk to kids, in schools and, and those sorts of things.
• 43:08
  Tina Strachan: So it is, it's different for everyone,, and it's your own journey, isn't it?
• 43:11
  Tina Strachan: Like, you can't copy anyone else's.
• 43:13
  Tina Strachan: It is.
• 43:13
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 43:14
  Jess Galatola: And it's hard.
• 43:15
  Jess Galatola: You, you do, like- Do they say comparison is the thief of joy?
• 43:19
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 43:19
  Jess Galatola: I really do think that, and something happens to me when I get a contract.
• 43:24
  Jess Galatola: Um, I think,"Okay, when's the next thing?" And then I get really mad at myself- Mm for not just being present in the moment.
• 43:31
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 43:31
  Jess Galatola: And, and looking at this important thing that happened- Mm-hmm and just embracing it.
• 43:35
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 43:36
  Jess Galatola: Not, not needing to want more straight away.
• 43:38
  Jess Galatola: Like, I'm really trying to now find the joy in, in every win.
• 43:42
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 43:43
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 43:43
  Jess Galatola: No- no matter what that looks like.
• 43:44
  Tina Strachan: Mm-hmm.
• 43:45
  Tina Strachan: Yeah, there's human nature, playing a bit of a part in that, isn't it?
• 43:48
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 43:48
  Tina Strachan: Like, we just keep shifting our goal posts, but if we do that, we'll never...
• 43:52
  Tina Strachan: But yeah, be truly happy because, like you said, we've got to celebrate all those wins, you know?
• 43:56
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 43:57
  Tina Strachan: Bit of positive feedback from a publisher, all those sorts of, all those sorts of things.
• 44:01
  Tina Strachan: Yeah.
• 44:01
  Jess Galatola: And that goes back to the why.
• 44:03
  Jess Galatola: I say,"Well, why, why are you even doing this?" Mm.
• 44:06
  Jess Galatola: And it's like, well, I didn't ever do it for that.
• 44:09
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 44:09
  Jess Galatola: I did it because it was feeding something in me that I needed to do.
• 44:13
  Jess Galatola: And- Mm-hmm and I do it because it's part of my identity now.
• 44:17
  Jess Galatola: Like, it's part of what just fuels me.
• 44:20
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 44:20
  Jess Galatola: So remember the why.
• 44:21
  Jess Galatola: It is important.
• 44:23
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 44:23
  Jess Galatola: Yes,
• 44:24
  Tina Strachan: certainly.
• 44:25
  Tina Strachan: And so getting in front of a publisher, super important.
• 44:27
  Tina Strachan: Um, and there's a few ways that we can do that, isn't there?
• 44:31
  Jess Galatola: Absolutely.
• 44:32
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 44:33
  Jess Galatola: So you could go along to a conference.
• 44:35
  Jess Galatola: So, um, I'm a member of a beautiful writers group, Stan's also a member of Write Links- Mm in, um, Brisbane, and they do a BSAV event every two years where you can go along, and a bunch of publishers will be there, and you can pitch in a couple of different ways.
• 44:54
  Jess Galatola: You can submit work that's considered, um, in an assessment, or you can verbally pitch.
• 45:00
  Jess Galatola: Uh, they even do this cool thing where they read the first page, um, a blind reading.
• 45:06
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 45:06
  Jess Galatola: And, uh, the publisher- Sounds horrifying.
• 45:08
  Jess Galatola: Ah, everybody is horrified by it, but I kind of love the idea that it is a blind reading.
• 45:12
  Jess Galatola: And so- Yeah, I love seeing everyone
• 45:14
  Tina Strachan: else do it, but it sounds horrifying if I were to do it.
• 45:17
  Jess Galatola: I have no filter, so it doesn't worry me.
• 45:19
  Jess Galatola: But yeah, it is fun.
• 45:21
  Jess Galatola: Um, that is actually where The Witch Who Couldn't Spell came to, uh, some success because I- No way yeah, it is.
• 45:32
  Jess Galatola: So two years ago when I went along and had an assessment with James and Denni from Larrikin, I had submitted Misspelled, which is what it was then, and, um, James had said,"I don't like that title.
• 45:43
  Jess Galatola: Why don't you just call it The Witch Who Couldn't Spell?" Mm.
• 45:46
  Jess Galatola: And I said,"Well, that's clever." Mm.
• 45:47
  Jess Galatola: "And I will call it whatever you like if you wanna publish it." Yeah.
• 45:51
  Jess Galatola: Um, yeah, so they got me to, to make a few changes, and then we went from there.
• 45:57
  Jess Galatola: So it's definitely a worthwhile experience for me, but also just to learn at those, um, those big conferences too.
• 46:07
  Jess Galatola: Uh, and then going to people's launches and celebrating- All of your friends in the community, you meet publishers along the way at some of the launches as well.
• 46:17
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 46:17
  Jess Galatola: Um, and I don't know, through the slush as well, when you get a response, it's another way to be chatting to a publisher.
• 46:25
  Jess Galatola: They're just people.
• 46:27
  Jess Galatola: Mm.
• 46:27
  Jess Galatola: It's hard to r- to remember that, that they're just people like you and me.
• 46:31
  Jess Galatola: We sort of elevate them to this, like, oh, rock star status because we all sort of want something from them, but sometimes they just love to be able to have a chat with you.
• 46:40
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 46:40
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 46:42
  Jess Galatola: You know, to get a sense of what your journey is and what you love about books.
• 46:46
  Jess Galatola: Yeah.
• 46:47
  Jess Galatola: So just remember to be a person.
• 46:49
  Jess Galatola: I have to remind myself.
• 46:50
  Jess Galatola: I put it on my hand,"Be a person today." Be a person.
• 46:53
  Tina Strachan: But it's so true when you go to these conferences and, the publishers are there, and I think there's a little bit of that...
• 47:00
  Tina Strachan: Yeah, they probably, hope that someone just comes up and talks to them like a person instead of just a nervous, you know- Wreck Yeah, a nervous wreck, like trying to start up a conversation with a publisher, and it's, it is nerve-wracking.
• 47:12
  Tina Strachan: But yeah, through all those assessments, and there's lots of conferences, ASA does, pitch sessions, and, Yes Kid Lit Vic does a lot as well.
• 47:20
  Tina Strachan: So there's a few different ones out there, but they are really nice.
• 47:23
  Tina Strachan: And yeah, it...
• 47:24
  Tina Strachan: I think it's probably one of those things you just have to do one or two, get over the nerves, and to realize all these things that we've just said is that, they are just normal people, and, just there for a chat, and they love books and so do you.
• 47:36
  Tina Strachan: So yeah, it's, a great way to start a connection, so great advice, Jess.
• 47:42
  Tina Strachan: Thank you so much for- No worries for coming on the pod and telling us all about your new books.
• 47:45
  Tina Strachan: Do you have any events coming up to celebrate?
• 47:47
  Tina Strachan: Oh, I
• 47:47
  Jess Galatola: do, yes.
• 47:48
  Jess Galatola: Can you tell us about them?
• 47:49
  Jess Galatola: Absolutely.
• 47:50
  Jess Galatola: Thank you for reminding me.
• 47:51
  Jess Galatola: Um, on the 4th of July, I have my Seasons of Clementine launch at Harry Hartog at Carindale.
• 47:59
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 47:59
  Jess Galatola: Uh, and on the 19th of July, I am launching The Witch Who Couldn't Spell at Quick Brown Fox with the beautiful Anna and Teresa.
• 48:08
  Jess Galatola: Mm-hmm.
• 48:08
  Jess Galatola: And, um, I'm also gonna be running some library workshops across Brisbane City Libraries in the school holidays.
• 48:15
  Jess Galatola: Great.
• 48:15
  Jess Galatola: So you can probably...
• 48:17
  Jess Galatola: I'm gonna put all of this sort of stuff onto socials, so the best place to find anything that I do is on Instagram, um,'cause that's probably where I share the most, but also on my website, and I have a Facebook page too.
• 48:29
  Jess Galatola: Um, and my big thing this year is, is wanting to get out into more schools and, um, you know, work with kids,'cause I...
• 48:38
  Jess Galatola: That's my joy, and I, I miss that.
• 48:40
  Jess Galatola: We were talking about I've been sort of out of the classroom for a little bit, and I do miss those connections.
• 48:45
  Jess Galatola: Um, but all my local bookshops, Mad Hatter's Bookshop, The Little Gnome in Wynnum, like, I'll be doing events there too, so.
• 48:52
  Jess Galatola: Awesome.
• 48:52
  Jess Galatola: Watch this
• 48:53
  Tina Strachan: space.
• 48:53
  Tina Strachan: Definitely.
• 48:54
  Tina Strachan: Gonna be some good ones there to check out.
• 48:56
  Tina Strachan: Can't wait.
• 48:57
  Tina Strachan: Thank you so much, Jess.
• 48:58
  Tina Strachan: It was so fun talking to you today.
• 49:00
  Jess Galatola: I loved talking to you.
• 49:01
  Jess Galatola: Thank you.
• 49:01
  Jess Galatola: I'll talk to you any day.
• 49:03
  Jess Galatola: Awesome.
• 49:03
  Tina Strachan: Thanks, Tina.
• 49:04
  Tina Strachan: Love to have you back.
• 49:05
  Jess Galatola: Thanks, Jess.
• 49:06
  Jess Galatola: Good luck with your new books.
• 49:07
  Jess Galatola: Thanks.
• 49:07
  Jess Galatola: Bye.
• 49:07
  Jess Galatola: Thank you.
• 49:07
  Jess Galatola: Bye.
• 49:09
  Speaker 5: Thank you for listening to another episode of The Book Deal Podcast.
• 49:12
  Speaker 5: If you are enjoying the pod, we'd really appreciate you following or sharing the show in your podcast directory, checking us out on Instagram and Facebook, or supporting us through our Patreon community at patreon.com/thebookdealpodcast