Today’s guest is Chiara Colombi, author of Rocket Ship, Solo Trip and the follow-up Rocket Beams, Lunar Dreams both illustrated by Scott Magoon. We chat about marketing your debut, being your own advocate, and asking yourself why you write. But you’ll have to listen all the way to the end to hear our ideas on revolutionizing the query process and to hear Chiara’s Dead Manuscript!

But, really, agents, if you’re listening, please chime in, we’d love to hear your thoughts on querying.

Team Versy is Brenna Jeanneret, children’s lit author, mother, rock climber, outdoors person, and podcaster, Josh Monken, children’s lit author, father, science communicator, and podcaster Jon Seymour, podcast wizard, author/illustrator and family man. 

This episode was proudly sponsored by Tielmour Press

Our guest for this conversation was Chiara Colombi. You can find Chiara here. 

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This episode’s book reviews:

SCHOOL’S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL written by Adam Rex illustrated by Christian Robinson

JONTY GENTOO: THE ADVENTURES OF A PENGUIN written by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Axel Scheffler

PROPER BADER written by Lauren Glattly illustrated by Rob Sayegh Jr.

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our new quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes you can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Thanks and see ya next time. 

You May Contribute a Verse is a homespun production, produced, edited, recorded, conceptualized, and marketed by Josh Monken, Brenna Jeanneret, and Jon Seymour.

Zany hijinks ensue with Kirk Reedstrom! News flash, we had this conversation six months before publishing it, and wouldn't you know it, it's dated because there's now a FOURTH book in Kirk's Duck and Moose series out next year! The man is hustling!

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Our sponsor is Tielmour Press and our reviews happen to be coincidentally for Neigh Kid, by Alan Mayfair and Gabi Moraes, just out as of December 7, 2024 <3

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The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot Versey, and was generously created for us by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes you can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Team Versy is Brenna Jeanneret, children’s lit author, mother, rock climber, outdoors person, and podcaster, Josh Monken, children’s lit author, father, science communicator, and podcaster Jon Seymour, podcast wizard, author/illustrator and family man. 

This episode was proudly sponsored by Tielmour Press

Our guest for this conversation was Phaea Crede. You can find Phaea here. And Phaea’s podcast Brodents can be found here.

DON’T MISS AN EPISODE! Sign up for our newsletter here!

This episode’s book reviews:

THE PIRATE’S BED, written by Nicola Winstanley and illustrated by Matt James

DAVID GOES TO SCHOOL, by David Shannon

SHARING IS UNBEARABLE, by J. E. Morris

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our new quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes you can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Thanks and see ya next time. 

You May Contribute a Verse is a homespun production, produced, edited, recorded, conceptualized, and marketed by Josh Monken, Brenna Jeanneret, and Jon Seymour.

A yoga instructor's guide to demon hunting? Not this time. It's Kat Chen and her Play with Me series! A hoot indeed. Thank you to Joyce Sweeney for hooking up this conversation and - in the intervening months - signing me (Josh) as a client! This conversation serves as a huge endorsement of working with The Seymour Agency through the lens of Kat's super charming experience.

Our little podcast is sponsored by Tielmour Press! For a two-moon special, check out and order Sue Lancaster's Supermoon and/or (preferably and) Neigh Kid by Alan Mayfair!

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This episode’s book reviews:

I HATE EVERYONE by Naomi Danis

NUTSHIMIT: IN THE WOODS by Melissa Mollen Dupuis and Elise Gravel

REAL TO ME by Minh Lê and Raissa Figueroa

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot Versey, and was generously created for us by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes you can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Our guest today is Brian LaRossa editor at Scholastic. We talk about lowering the barrier to entry, mentorships and imposter syndrome. At its core the conversation explores inclusivity at every level and having more voices at the table.

This episode was proudly sponsored by Tielmour Press

You can find Brian here.

DON’T MISS AN EPISODE! Sign up for our newsletter here!

This episode’s book reviews:

If you want to be a part of the #KidlitForKamala movement or want more information click here.

THE FIRST CAT IN SPACE ATE PIZZA by Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris

WHERE ARE YOU FROM? by Yamile Saied Mendez

THE AMAZING POWER OF GIRLS by Maria Marianayagam and Skyler White

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our new quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes you can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Thanks and see ya next time. 

You May Contribute a Verse is a homespun production, produced, edited, recorded, conceptualized, and marketed by Josh Monken, Brenna Jeanneret, and Jon Seymour.

Lucky you if you happen to listen to this episode the day it's released because it's also publication day for Justin Colon and James Rey Sanchez's Impossible Possums!

You're also lucky in the future because now you can go read Impossible Possums and then use this episode as a behind the scenes sneak peek into the possum sausage-making, which I guarantee is more fun than it might sound like.

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DON’T MISS AN EPISODE! Sign up for our newsletter here!

This episode’s book reviews:

ABZUGLUTELY! by Sarah Aronson, illustrated by Andrea d'Aquino

WHAT'S IN THE COOKIE TIN? by Yolanda T. Marshall, illustrated by Golnoush Moini

WHOLE WHALE by Karen Yin, illustrated by Nelleke Verhoeff

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot Versey, and was generously created for us by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes you can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Our guest for this conversation was Maria Marianayagam, kidlit author, known for her STEM and girl power books. We talk preempts, option clauses and subbing on proposal.

You can find Maria here.

DON’T MISS AN EPISODE! Sign up for our newsletter here!

This episode’s book reviews:

If you want to be a part of the #KidlitForKamala movement or want more information click here.

SPIDER IN A WELL by Jess Hannigan 

THE NOTEBOOK KEEPER by Stephen Briseño and Magdalena Mora

A SONG FOR NOLAN by Rushie Ellenwood and Sally Chen

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our new quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes you can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Thanks and see ya next time. 

You May Contribute a Verse is a homespun production, produced, edited, recorded, conceptualized, and marketed by Josh Monken, Brenna Jeanneret, and Jon Seymour.

Bedrooms, bathrooms, and bookshelves. All other people's places we should be staying out of unless invited. Especially if you're a fascist.

Martha Brockenbrough is here! Talking Kidlit for Kamala, continuing children's lit education, and the frankly shocking number of books about bigfoot that one person can write.

But mostly Kidlit for Kamala!

A reminder from Martha: everything is political. All the things we take for granted, all the comforts and joys and holidays and benefits ingrained in our lives were things our forebears had to fight for until codified through political processes.

Politics isn't the start of change, it's the end result of action.

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DON’T MISS AN EPISODE! Sign up for our newsletter here!

This episode’s book reviews:

THE LAW OF BIRTHDAYS by Brenna! Illustrated by Marina Kondrakhina

A COSTUME FOR CHARLY by CK Malone, illustrated by Alejandra Barajas

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot Versey, and was generously created for us by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes you can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Our guest for this conversation is Anita Yasuda. We chat about her start in the educational market, her journey to an agent and her new book UP, UP, EVER UP JUNKO TABEI: A Life In The Mountains illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. 

You can find Anita here.

DON’T MISS AN EPISODE! Sign up for our newsletter here!

This episode’s book reviews:

If you want to be a part of the #KidlitForKamala movement or want more information click here.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE JUNGLE  by André Rodrigues, Larissa Ribeiro, Paula Desgualdo, and illustrated by Pedro Markun

THE BOO BOOS OF BLUEBELL ELEMENTARY written by Chelsea Lin Wallace’s and illustrated by Alison Farrell

STRONG written by Rob Kearney and Eric Rosswood illustrated by Nidhi Chanani

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our new quokka mascot, Versey, and was generously created by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes you can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!

Thanks and see ya next time. 

You May Contribute a Verse is a homespun production, produced, edited, recorded, conceptualized, and marketed by Josh Monken, Brenna Jeanneret, and Jon Seymour.

All it takes is one person to believe in your work for you to break through this crazy industry.

And all it takes is several hundred persons to listen to this interview with kind soul and skilled author Dianna Wilson Sirkovsky! 

Dianna's books, James's Reading Rescue and Just One Pebble, are kind acts of writing based on kind acts of goodness. Give them a read and get inspired!

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DON’T MISS AN EPISODE! Sign up for our newsletter here!

This episode’s book reviews:

WE ARE DEFINITELY HUMAN by X Fang

ON A MUSHROOM DAY by Chris Baker, illustrated by Alexandra Finkeldey

JET THE CAT (IS NOT A CAT) by Phaea Crede, illustrated by Terry Runyan

The artwork for You May Contribute a Verse features our quokka mascot Versey, and was generously created for us by the great Maddie Frost! Find her on IG @hellomaddiefrost or on her website Maddie-Frost.com 

Our theme music is So Happy by Scott Holmes you can find more of his music at scottholmesmusic.com  

Love the podcast and wanna support more episodes like this? Find Community Shoutouts, Merch and our Patreon here!! 

Find us on Bluesky @joshmonkwords, @brennajeanneret, and @jonseym0ur as always, let us know what you think via a rating, review, or comment!