Number 5 and Stonewall Honor!
Another rejected comic from the New Yorker which I wrote about here.
I woke up very early this morning because our picture book STRONG won a Stonewall Honor from the American Library Association!
After the announcement, I was in a stupor partly from tiredness and also from the knowledge that in a time when LGBTQ+ books are being banned across the country, this acknowledgment means so much. Teachers and librarians are the backbone of the book world, they’re on the front lines facing unbelievable opposition. I’m so proud of our book and librarians work diligently to keep our stories visible and accessible to all. There’s so much to fight for right now I often feel crushed by exhaustion.
But today I will celebrate.
Rejection #3
Another rejected comic from the New Yorker which I wrote about here.
Rejection #2
Rejection #2! This is one of my many rejections from the New Yorker which I wrote about here.
Thank you all for your kind words after the above post! It makes me feel a little less vulnerable sharing my failures to know that so many folks are cheering me on. I hope you have a lovely weekend!
Books, calendars and commissions
This is my last post of the year.
Before Thanksgiving I finished inking my next middle grade graphic novel, Super Boba Cafe. Between that and Shark Party, I inked roughly 300 pages of comics this year. In addition to writing and revising upcoming books, I’m ready for a long break.
When working on long projects like a 200+ book, I need focus. So it took awhile to prep and print my yearly calendar. But it’s finally here! A new spin on my usual calendar with ink and watercolor art. I hope you like it!
Also for the first time in years, I have a small number of commissions available. My schedule is packed with books until 2025 so I’m unsure when this will happen again, but I’m happy to take a few now!
My final note is a new addition for each newsletter, which is to share my favorite reads. I am a lifelong book lover and tend to read 30-50 titles a year. I will link to bookshop.org, which is a great alternative to amaz*n that supports indie bookstores. If you can’t shop in person at a local independent bookstore, I recommend bookshop. I also maintain some graphic novel lists there as well.
My top 3!
Swim Team – a wonderful middle grade sports graphic novel that follows the journey of a girl on a swim team and delves into Black history and identity
Garlic and the Vampire – An adorable story of a little garlic who must leave her comfortable garden to confront the town vampire. This book is sweet and feels like a warm (garlicky) hug
All My Rage – This is the book I’ve recommended the most this year. Powerful. If I had this when I was growing up, I would’ve clutched it to my chest to feel less alone. It’s a story about two teenagers who experience more than their share of bad luck and how they journey from hurt to hope. It’s beautifully written, captivating and honest.
Thanks for reading this far – I hope you have a wonderful rest of the year with your loved ones.
See you in 2023,
Nidhi
100,000 books
When an author sells to a publisher they’re paid an advance, which is an amount of money before sales. That money (ideally) is to make the book because the publisher purchases an idea or a rough draft. Often it’s not enough money to live on (which is why authors seek paid author visits and try to sell multiple books a year). The advance amount depends on many factors (the subject of the book, an author’s reach, whether other publishers are interested, etc). The book releases and the sales of the book pay back the advance. After that, the author will earn royalties on that book. That’s profit minus the publishers cost to print, ship, distribute copies. In a recent legal hearing with Penguin Random House, they stated most books only sell 2,000 copies. For most publishing deals, an author would need to sell 10x that, or 20,000 books to earn royalties.
Twice a year I receive a royalty statement from my publisher. Inside are the numbers of sales and my earnings (if any, remember most books only sell 2,000 copies). I received my statement for Pashmina, which earned out (which is publishing speak for “paid back the advance”) in its first print run in 2017, almost 5 years ago. I was stunned to see that in that it crossed 100,000 copies sold!
When I pitched Pashmina in 2013, I was pregnant. I lost that pregnancy. Everything felt tenuous and difficult. In between dozens of exchanges with my editor, refining and revising the story I felt so unsure. I never made a comic longer than 5 pages prior to Pashmina!
We had our rainbow baby in 2015. I signed the contract for Pashmina and my first 200 page deadline descended. As I worked, Leela crawled through the studio. I was full of worry and doubt – about my book, life, everything! I held high hopes and dreams for Pashmina but I was unaware of the challenges within the publishing world.
Despite the challenges, five years later I’ve released 10 books with 6 more signed up. It feels wild to write that! Life still feels tenuous but knowing that my first book reached so many people makes it a little less terrifying. I celebrated yesterday with a small cake from the grocery store. Because even though the days and deadlines overwhelm, it’s important to celebrate the good things.
And 100,000 books is very good.
San Francisco and Santa Clara
I will be at the Cartoon Art Museum with Corey Peterschmidt (Amelia Erroway: Castaway Commander, Scholastic Books), Dana Simpson (Phoebe and Her Unicorn, Andrews McMeel Publishing), and Judd Winick (Hilo, Penguin Random House) for the YAY Comics! Artist Reception! Real Live Cartoonists! this Saturday, October 8, 2022 from 5-7pm. We will draw live, take Q&A and draw in folks books. I hope you can join us! Advance registration is recommended.
These days I am hyper focused on finishing Super Boba Cafe. Sparkles is always in the studio making sure I’m keeping on task.
Meanwhile I am enjoying the dip in temperatures as we slowly ease into fall and took a moment away from comics to draw with ink.
Later this month, on October 22nd, I will be at the Santa Clara Library Comicon. My panel and signing will begin at 12:30pm and I will lead folks in a drawing demo.
I hope to see you at an event in the near future!
