Six Questions with Jill Esbaum

Jill Esbaum is the award-winning author of more than 65 children's books, both fiction and nonfiction. Recent titles include It's Corn Picking Time!, Polecat Has a Superpower, Stinkbird Has a Superpower, Parrotfish Has a Superpower, Bird Girl - How Gene Stratton Porter Shared Her Love of Nature with the World, and Jack Knight's Brave Fight. She is also the author of a graphic early reader series, Thunker & Cluck, as well as a board book series, Be Bold, featuring baby animals. Many more books are in the works. Jill lives on a family farm near Davenport, Iowa.

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1. What's one lesson you've learned the hard way in your publishing journey?

I've learned to revise my own manuscripts as though they were somebody else's. Back when I was green, I used to submit projects too quickly, before they were truly ready. Hello, multiple rejections. Now, I put away a "finished" draft for at least a couple of weeks. When I look again, it's easier to be objective. Easier to see weak areas, as well as fashion ways to strengthen them.

2. How do you know your idea will make a good book?

That comes only with time and experience -- and loads of rejections. That said, the first thing I always do is check Amazon for similar titles/topics, especially if it's a nonfiction topic. There's often room for two books on the same topic, if they aren't too similar. But researching is lots more fun if I'm playing around with something I'm reasonably sure hasn't been done.

3. Do you work on multiple projects at the same time?

Yes. I have six projects out on my computer desktop right now. I've begun them all. Some need only an ending and lots of revision; others may only consist of a few lines rough ideas of where they might be headed; others are currently in the weeds. But when I get stuck on one, I can always click into another and play around. That said, once I get close to a finish line – once I have a draft with a coherent beginning, middle, and end, and the various strings are starting to knit themselves together – I'm obsessed and can't look at anything else until it's finished and fit to send my agent.

4. Did the plot or structure of this book change a lot during the writing process?

It's Corn Picking Time! is something I first wrote 4-5 years ago, then set aside. I felt like it was missing that elusive spark that could make it stand out. When I remembered the thing and clicked it open, it wasn't as bad as I'd believed. I immediately started replacing boring adjectives, adding onomatopoeia, and pumping up the fun factor. After so long away from the thing, it felt like cutting loose on someone else's manuscript, as I mentioned above.

5. What's a particularly striking or memorable reaction someone has had to this book?

I've heard from half a dozen parents already, which is wonderful. But the funniest and most memorable reaction, for me, anyway, was when my 6-yr-old grandson Leo saw the cover. The book is dedicated to him, but his first outburst was:  "What?! A WOMAN combine driver?! I've never seen that in my whole life!" I loved that, because it gave me an opportunity to let him know that women farmers are not the least bit rare, even if he hasn't run across any in his entire six years.

6. How was the editorial process? Did you do any revisions? Did you have a lot of collaboration with the illustrator?

This is a Neal Porter book, but the bulk of my editorial experience was with the brilliant Taylor Norman. Her attention to detail rivals my own, and that's saying something. There were minimal revisions, and yes, I had a great deal of collaboration with the illustrator. That was done through Taylor, but because of the topic, we all wanted the machines and processes of the book to reflect real life. Illustrator Melissa Crowton knocked it out of the park!