Meet the Amazing HELEN KAMPION, Debut #Kidlit Author

CAROL GORDON EKSTER: I met Helen at one of my book launches in 2017. She’s an amazing supporter of other authors and reached out to me to join in on some book store events. I was impressed with her professional warmth and wonderful way she dealt with everyone in the #kidlit community. I couldn’t wait until she had a book published to highlight her at Writers’ Rumpus.

Helen, before #kidlit, you started in the business world. Please tell us how you found your way into the world of writing picture books.

HELEN KAMPION: Growing up, I loved to read and make up stories for my younger sister. I never outgrew my love of storytelling, but a career in high tech sales left little time for extensive writing. I did manage to do a little writing and eventually joined the Concord SCBWI critique group. When I stopped working, I got serious about my writing and attended Vermont College of Fine Arts to get an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. After that, I entered the world of writing, submitting, and waiting…

CGE: Your debut book is a picture book biography, ROLLIN’ ON DOWN THE LINE: Lady Bird Johnson’s 1964 Whistle-Stop Tour for Civil Rights, co-authored with Renee Lyons, published by Sleeping Bear Press.  Can you give us the story behind the story?

HK: Renee and I were classmates at Vermont College and talked about co-writing a story. She is a “history hoarder” who is especially skilled at finding little-known facts or events about people. When she told me about Lady Bird’s heroic trip through the South and how the First Lady promoted Civil Rights and campaigned for her husband, President Johnson, I was hooked. The rest is history!

CGE: Your business background has led you to be amazing at promotion. How has your background informed your writing life, and can you share some of your wisdom with the published authors reading this blog?

HK: I learned two very important skills as a sales rep in high tech that have made my writing life easier. First, I learned how to cold call, meaning calling up strangers to ask for an appointment. I have no fear of reaching out to bookstores, libraries, schools, even the Democratic National Convention!

Secondly, I learned how to handle rejection. If a customer said, “No, I don’t want your product,” I never took it personally. I just figured it wasn’t right for them, so I called another prospective buyer.

Not sure how much wisdom I can impart but…

● Don’t fear cold calling! Most bookstores are thrilled to have an author call them. It makes their job easier. The author brings in people, and people buy books.

● When I call, I think it’s important to be flexible and have a couple of ideas for the bookstore. For example, I might offer to bring other authors with me, suggest a themed event (bedtime stories, nonfiction), or tell them I can do story time with a craft.

● Don’t fear rejection! A rejection letter only means the story wasn’t right for that editor, NOT that you can’t write. Think of it like offering a friend a piece of your homemade cake and they say no. They’re not rejecting you, just the cake. Remember, it only takes one yes to sell a book.

CGE: I am so impressed at how long you were at this before you sold your first book. Can you tell us about your special relationship with your agent who always believed in you?

HK: I love my agent, Stephen Fraser. He’s so enthusiastic about my writing and over the last 10 years, he has encouraged me and has never given up on me. When I told him it was OK for him to drop me because we hadn’t sold anything, he said he believed in me and my writing, and I would have to fire him. He’s the best cheerleader!

CGE: Was this a quick and easy sell, or were there twists and nerve-wracking turns before it became acquired?

HK: I wish it were a quick and easy sell. Our first rejection was in 2017. Over the next several years, we received 8 more rejections. Then an editor said this is great and took it to acquisitions. We waited with fingers crossed, but the committee said no.

Several more rejections and then a rewrite request. As Renee and I worked on the revision, Sleeping Bear Press expressed interest in the story. Over the next month, we anxiously waited to see if we’d make it through acquisitions. We did, but now the owner had to approve it. Another few weeks passed until we finally got an offer. Yea! And this manuscript that got rejected 12 times received the Junior Library Gold Seal Award.

CGE: The illustrations by Erin McGuire are so perfect. Did you have any input in that choice or say about the sketches?

HK: Sleeping Bear Press was a dream to work with on our book. They asked us to suggest illustrators that we felt would be right for our story. Although Erin was not on our list, she was the right choice. Editors know best!

Once they selected Erin, we were in the loop and reviewed every sketch for accuracy. Being a non-fiction book, we needed to be true to the facts. We could not be happier with the illustrations. Erin did an amazing job bringing our words to life.

CGE: How do you balance promotion and writing? And can you share some of what you have lined up to promote ROLLIN’ ON DOWN THE LINE?

HK: Because promotion can be all consuming, Renee and I made a list of everything we could think of to promote the book BEFORE it came out. Then we prioritized the list into doable action items and assigned tasks. Knowing what needed to be done has allowed us to fit that promotional item into our daily schedules. This has kept us organized and on track. We are not overwhelmed by what we should be doing to promote our book.

As for promoting ROLLIN’ ON DOWN THE LINE, since my co-author lives in North Carolina, we are doing book signings individually in our respective states throughout the summer. In September, we’ll be in Texas to promote the book and in October, in Alexandria, VA where Lady Bird began her tour.

CGE: What are your top tips for our #kidlit #amwriting audience?

HK: I really only have one tip: NEVER GIVE UP.

My journey took over 10 years. During that time, I wrote dozens of stories and received over 150 rejections! I can guarantee you will never get published if you give up. Everybody has a different path to publication. Try as hard as you can to accept your path, and enjoy the process of creating stories for young readers.

CGE: What does the future hold for Helen Kampion?

HK: Hopefully, more book sales! I’m currently working on two middle grade novels and revising several picture books that have received positive feedback from editors. Fingers crossed!

CGE: Helen, we’re so excited for you! Thanks for inspiring us here at Writers’ Rumpus!

You can connect with Helen here:

www.helenkampion.com

Twitter/X @helenkampion