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Here's the interview I did with Megan Tingley, Executive Vice President and Publisher at Little, Brown and Company Books For Young Readers.

National Book Award-winning author Sherman Alexie plans to write this debut picture book, Thunder Boy Jr. Artist Yuyi Morales created the illustrations for this project.

Publisher Megan Tingley negotiated this deal with literary agents Nancy Stauffer and Charlotte Sheedy. Editor in chief Alvina Ling and associate editor Bethany Strout worked on editing the manuscript together. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will release this book on May 03, 2016.

Here’s more from the press release: “Thunder Boy Jr. tells the story of a little boy who is named after his dad. But Thunder Boy Jr. doesn’t want to share a name; he wants a name that is all his own, and he goes through many possibilities—Not Afraid of Ten Thousand Teeth? Touch the Clouds? Old Toys Are Awesome? Just when all hope is lost, his dad helps him find the perfect name, one that celebrates the love between father and son.”

Recent Children's Publishing News (just in case you haven't seen it)...

• Christy Ottaviano Books. Joining the likes of Richard Jackson, Wendy Lamb, Megan Tingley and others, Henry Holt's Christy Ottaviano has been promoted to editorial director of her own eponymous imprint, Christy Ottaviano Books, publishing "literary and commercial picture books and fiction for all ages. Books that encourage imagination and free-thinking, foster a sense of family and community, target the feelings of children, and speak directly to children’s interests as they explore various milestones. Books that are reassuring as well as those that challenge readers--intriguing books for inquisitive kids."

• Jon Scieszka's new post. Children's book author (and funniest author I've ever seen in person) Jon Scieszka has been named the U.S.'s first national ambassador for young people's literature by the librarian of Congress, James Billington. He'll act as "an evangelist for reading." This is a deserving post for Scieszka--check out his Guys Read site, a web-based literacy program to help boys find stuff they'd like to read.
  

How to become a published writer, as I understand it:  Practice, Patience, and Persistence.

I've been reading a LOT of middle grade (MG) and young adult (YA) novels to try to get a feel for the current market.

When I'm between novels, I read THE SELECTED JOURNALS OF L.M. MONTGOMERY.

Last night I finally arrived at the entry in which she describes the journey to the publication 
of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. 

Here's a snippet of the entry from THE SELECTED JOURNALS OF L.M. MONTGOMERY, Volume I:
"in the spring of 1905 I was looking over this notebook in search of some suitable idea for a short serial I wanted to write for a certain Sunday School paper and I found a faded entry, written ten years before:--'Elderly couple apply to orphan asylum for a boy. By mistake a girl is sent them.' I thought this would do."

Indeed! But, the writing of Anne, which she described as a "labor of love," wasn't enough. She had to find someone else who loved Anne enough to publish her. A simple task, my fellow fans might think. But, the publishing world apparently wasn't much kinder 100 years ago than it is now.

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES  was rejected by four different publishing companies, both large and small.
Although she was already well-published in magazines and journals--and had worked for a major newspaper--Montgomery
received several form rejections for AOGG and one handwritten rejection which damned it with faint praise. 
She subsequently stuffed it in a hat box in the closet (much like what is now known as the proverbial "drawer" by writers).
She planned to rewrite it as the Sunday School serial for which she'd originally intended it--be still my reader's heart!

When she eventually got around to re-reading the manuscript, Montgomery found that she still liked it. She figured if it 
intrigued her, it may intrigue others as well, so she sent it off one last time. 

It was accepted by the L.C. Page Co.  Whoopee! She'd finally met her long-held heart's desire to write a "real live" book!

But wait, the publishing industry wasn't done yet. Montgomery was only offered a royalty of ten percent of the wholesale price. And, they bound her to the same terms for all her books for five years! Phhhtt!

Montgomery wrote, "I didn't altogether like this but I was afraid to protest, lest they might not take the book, and I am so anxious to get it before the public. It will be a start, even if it is no great success."

If only you knew, dear woman, exactly how successful you would one day become!

Thank heavens for literary agents!