Interview Barbara Senenman

SCBWI Interview

Barbara Senenman has been writing for decades. She keeps up with the industry and continues to develop in her craft. She’s also one of our chapter’s notetakers and one of my critique partners. Where many people have given up on getting published, Barbara is persistent, and I’m certain she will break through. I wanted to know how she keeps going despite so much rejection.

What was your inspiration for writing for children, and when did you start?

The inspiration to write started when I taught 2nd grade back in the 90s. The lesson was about Thanksgiving. I’d asked, “What is one thing you learned?” A child answered, “The penguins came to America on the Mayflower.” That was my first story idea. I had no knowledge of how to write a picture book nor how to get published, but I thought it would be fun to have one of my books on library shelves.

What was your path to SCBWI? How has it helped you?

My sister bought me a book about how to write for children. After a few rejections, I realized I needed a “how to” class to see what I was doing wrong. I first took one at Nassau CC. But picture books weren’t the instructor’s specialty. Hofstra had a Saturday class on writing for children. The instructor was Connie Epstein, who had written a book on this topic. Connie wrote the marketing portion of the SCBWI BULLETIN. From this class, I discovered what writing for children was really about and the importance of critique groups. My first group contained my classmates. Because of Connie, I joined SCBWI. The organization had a yearly conference at Hofstra which I attended. I loved meeting other writers, published and non. I learned so much. Since then SCBWI has been my primary education source and pathway into the writing and publishing world. I’ve been inspired by so many wonderful people.

What other resources do you use to stay abreast of the industry?

I have subscriptions to Publishers Lunch and Publishers Weekly where I also follow Children’s Bookshelf. I get Query Tracker’s weekly email, which states if agents are open to submissions, updates the genres they represent, and shows who leaves an agency. I’m on a lot of email lists, such as Children’s Book Insider and Kathy Temean’s Blog. I also attend a lot of online workshops and conferences.

When did you start submitting?

I started submitting too early, before taking writing classes. This was back in the 1990s when you sent submissions on computer paper printed on one long sheet with perforations by snail mail. My first story was the penguin story. I got standard form rejections as well as some positive feedback.

How do you keep records of your submissions?

I have a binder organized by manuscript where I keep a copy of the manuscript and a list of where, when, and to whom submitted. I do have to find a better way to cross reference which manuscripts I’ve sent to a particular editor or agent.

How do you decide where to send your next submission?

If there’s an editor or agent I’m interested in, I go on the publisher’s or agency’s website and read about the person. If I find titles of books they’ve worked on, I look for commonalities and ensure I wouldn’t be competing with one. If I find a common theme or genre, I might want to match it and use that in my query. I constantly check Publishers Marketplace. I look to see if the agents/editors have a Manuscript Wishlist and how recent it is. I’ll search online for any recent interviews. When listening to webinars, if an editor/agent has a submission opportunity, I jot down what they’re looking for at the moment. The key is “at the moment.”

How many rejections do you have, and what is the best rejection letter you’ve received?

I don’t know how many rejections I’ve received with all the manuscripts I’ve sent out. Is it cliché to say I could probably wallpaper a room with them?

I did receive one for my first novel that said something like, “While I enjoyed reading the story and loved the voice, tone, and concept, I don’t think the story is strong enough in today’s market. I know you will be published someday.”

Fantastic letter. Have you considered self-publishing?

I haven’t considered it for many reasons. This might sound odd, but my vanity is I want to know my story is good enough and marketable enough that an agent or editor would pick it up. Sure, it would be nice to have a copy to hand to the grandkids, but I want to know my story is good enough. The other reason I’ve avoided self-publishing is my current focus is writing picture books, and I’m not an illustrator. I would need to find an illustrator’s style that I think would match the story, and that would be time-consuming and costly. Then there’s the marketing. I would have to figure everything out myself.

Can you describe your dream agent in case they are reading this?

There are a few agents and editors I’ve heard speak that made me think they would be great to work with. I’d love to find someone who understands me and my sense of humor. I perhaps need someone who’s editorial or doesn’t mind bouncing ideas around. One who is willing to answer questions. I’m not sure if I need hand-holding, but I don’t think I’d want someone who is all-business.

How do you stay motivated?

These days it’s hard to stay motivated. There are so many changes in the industry, and I’ve always felt my timing was off. At the beginning, when you didn’t need an agent, I wasn’t sending because I kept working to get my manuscripts perfect. Then when I felt ready to send, I needed an agent. Finding one now when publishers are consolidating and the education/library market has been slashed is harder than it was.

When I do lose motivation, I put my work aside for a bit. Then, it’s time for, as the late-great Jane Yolen said, “BIC” (Butt in Chair). Time to either reread and revise or start something new. An idea could come from eavesdropping, a noticing, a memory, a webinar, a prompt, anything. I jot them down. I’ll look over these lists for an idea to jump out and make me smile. The biggest motivation is enjoyment. I enjoy the thrill of an idea and playing with it. As long as the enjoyment of the writing is still there and I continue to amuse myself, I’ll keep writing. Perhaps one day, I’ll amuse others as well.

The joy comes through in your writing. And I’ll be cheering for you when you do break through. Thank you for sharing with us so we can see how to stay motivated despite the changing publishing landscape and rejections. We are all in this thing together.