How I Got My First Picture Book Offer...

Behind the scenes of Lailah's Lunchbox!

Everyday after lunch in my 2nd grade classroom, I’d call my class over to the couch, pull out a picture book and read aloud to my students. These students would be wired after lunch, chatty, and boisterous. Once I started to read, a quiet hush would eventually fall over the class.

This was the calmness I would savor, if only for a few minutes of the day. Reading a book daily for years helped me get an eye out for what books my students savored, and which ones fell flat.

When I had my first daughter, I stayed home, but missed the creativity of teaching. Thus I started a photoblog. But deep down, I’d always wanted to get a children’s book published. I worked on writing children’s book manuscripts when my daughter was a little baby, and during long naps (after I attempted my nap too!). I wrote stories freely and then thought, now what?

My parents had gone to an ISNA conference and happened to meet author Asma Mobin Uddin there and purchased her book, My Name is Bilal. I reached out to her and she was helpful and told me some good books to read to learn about the publishing market. I remember sitting down with the Children’s Writer & Illustrator’s Market and circling publishers that I liked. I remember circling and highlighting Tilbury House Publishers, a publishing company that published diverse books, books that promote respect, tolerance, and compassion. They stood out in my mind as the books they produced are beautiful! This was years ago, say 2011, when we still had to mail manucripts in with a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope (anyone remember those days?)! Email existed; publishing was just weirdly traditional and is still glacial!

I submitted my manuscripts to Tilbury House as well as a few other companies and got all rejections. I remember thinking, But my stories are good! I remember Tilbury House held on to one of my manuscripts longer than normal, and when I reached out to them, the children’s book editor had liked my story, and sent it back for extra reviewing, but at the end of the day, my story was too similar to one already on its way to being published, Say Something. But the fact that someone liked my story out there in the publishing world gave me hope!

I told myself I’d go back to writing – at that time my daughter entered toddlerdom, so life got busy! I also delved into photography and loved it, but my children’s book writing wasn’t a priority.

When my 2nd daughter came, I told myself I wanted to try again, so send out another round of manuscripts and got rejected again.

So I took another break, but kept wanting to get back in the publishing world. Every time I would visit the library, I would look through books, leaf through the pages to see which authors had made it, which publishers I gravitated to, and think I need to try again. Or I would hear news of another author who made it, one who had four children, and think, Wow! I shouldn’t make my two children a reason for not being able to write. If I want to write or get published badly enough, I should try again! Or it might be a comment that pushed me from one of my brothers: “I always thought you’d write children’s books…”

So I wrote ‘Submit Manuscript’ again on my To-Do List and circled it in neon green pen and starred it as well. But the to-do list remained what it was, a to-do list. Finally, I had another story, but was sending it out to critique groups and waiting.

My aunt, Sana Dossul who specializes in all stuff children, was in town, and I showed her my manuscript Lailah’s Lunchbox along with another manuscript that I thought had potential. My aunt read the story, and said “What are you waiting for? Just send it!”

“But what about my other story?*” I asked.

“I didn’t like that one as much. Send this one in!” she responded enthusiastically.

So instead of mulling like I usually do or sending it for another extra round of critiquing, I listened and sent it in. I plopped my baby on my hip, went to UPS on a rainy grey day, dodged rain drops, printed, reviewed, Sharpied on addresses, and plopped it in a mailbox. And took a quick photo, because What If?

I waited, and submitted my story to 6 agents as well, and waited some more. By this time, it was in the hand of 6 publishers and 6 agents.** I waited some more, and gardened to pass the time.

And one day, I saw the subject ‘Your Manuscript’ in my mailbox. My insides took a quick leap as I sat down to read…

Hello Reem,

Your manuscript arrived in today’s mail, having been rerouted by the post office to our new address. I enjoyed reading it and have taken the liberty of sharing it with our co-publishers, A and B, as well as Editor C.

I think your story is a unique take on Ramadan and I’m glad you thought of us. Please let me know if you’ve had a response from any other publishers as yet.

Best wishes,

D

I got v. excited and the next few days kept checking my email and phone to see if there was any update! Finally I couldn’t wait and checked in with them again…and got this response…

“I was going to wait and have our children’s book editor call you, but I’ll take this opportunity to say that we really like your manuscript and would like to publish it.”

So I had a book deal! My story was in 2015! It was exciting and surreal, and I got to sign a contract, and discuss illustrators (which was so fun). I always placed authors on a pedestal and wondered what life was really like in the publishing world, but have found that one day you can be unpublished and one day, published, or on the way to publishing. We are all the same, just working toward a goal! The publishers, editor, and director had been down-to-earth and wonderful to work with so far.

Here’s a sneak peek of what I sent in my query letter:

When writing Lailah’s Lunchbox, I reflected on my earlier memories of moving to America. When Lailah moves from Abu Dhabi to Peachtree City, Georgia, she realizes her best friends are miles away. She feels even more estranged when she realizes no one else is fasting with her at school. Adding to her dilemma is a note from her mother to her teacher, explaining why Lailah doesn’t have her lunchbox, and Lailah still hasn’t given her teacher the note. Her classmates simply think Lailah has forgotten her lunchbox…again. Will Lailah have the courage to tell her class about this special time for her?

As well as a sneak peek favorite quote of mine from this story:

Lailah knew the sign by the highway said “Peachtree City: You’ll Love to Call it Home!”but she didn’t agree with the sign. Abu Dhabi still felt like home.

During this time I was having chemo for a health issue I was having. (This doesn't make me brave nor inspirational, just unfortunate circumstances.🤲🏼)

I couldn't wait to get better and hold my book in my hands. Once I was well, I couldn't really do school visits because of low immunity.

I'm so grateful for @tilburyhousepublishers for taking a chance on this story when all I had received was rejections so far! I'm grateful for good health, something I don't take for granted, and for all of you readers of my books. 📚

*that other manuscript never made it! Link to Lailah’s Lunchbox : https://a.co/d/hR33HAO

**Lailah’s Lunchbox got rejected by all the other publishers, and got interest in one agent, but by then I had already signed my book deal :) . This story comes to life each year during Ramadan and is my best selling book so far! It’s been so heartwarming to see its reach and to see students empowered to bring the book to school and explain Ramadan to their classmates!