Persistence in Publishing by Teri Roche Drobnick 

At a children’s literature writer’s conference many years ago, the author speaking informed the audience that it took her seven years to land an agent and get published. 

What? There’s no way I can hang in there that long! 

But that’s exactly how long it took me; and an incredible amount of patience and persistence.

When I first began writing children’s picture books, I had no clue what I was doing. So, I devoured every book on the topic I could find, including Ann Whitford Paul’s, Writing Picture Books. I joined a critique group, and I started attending children’s literature conferences. When I finally felt ready, I began the query process, having been told acquiring an agent was the most efficient way to publication. I soon learned that there’s a reason why people call it the “query trenches.” It’s a quagmire.

The rejections started . . . and kept coming (if I even heard back from the agent). It was the most dejecting and demoralizing process I had ever been through. 

What was I thinking getting into this field? That I could just write a book, an agent would immediately fall in love with it, submit it to a publishing house and BAM I would get a publishing deal? 

Yup, that’s exactly what I had thought. But I shortly learned that it wasn’t that simple. It was a herculean feat, requiring an enormous amount of stamina, strength, and energy.

I eventually became more discerning in my querying process. Instead of throwing the pasta against the wall to see what would stick, I did the requisite research and grew more selective. I did a deeper dive into what agents were looking for and whether they were a good match for my work. I also learned not all agents were open to queries, but that if you met them at a conference, you received the golden ticket to submit. So, before I went to conferences, I researched the agents and editors attending to narrow down which sessions I wanted to attend and who I wanted to meet. 

At our local Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Oktoberfest conference, I narrowed the field to a particular agent. When he sat down next to me at a talk, I couldn’t believe it. Were the kidlit publishing gods really listening to me? I stuck out my hand and introduced myself. We chatted about the conference and he said, “I hope my next session, First Pages, goes well.” 

I said, “I’ll be there. I hope you pick my first page to critique.” My heart pounded in anticipation.

At his talk, I sat unabashedly in the front row while he read the first page of my manuscript and commented, “This is delicious.” My entire body vibrating, I went up to him after the talk and told him which manuscript was mine. He asked, “Do you have any others?” 

Prepared for that question, knowing that agents don’t want a one hit wonder, I said, “Yes, I have about ten.” 

“Send me three,” he said. 

I thought my heart would jump out of my chest.

On Monday, I weighed in with my critique group on which stories to send him. I waited until Wednesday to email them since he had just been to a conference and figured his mailbox was probably overflowing. 

He offered representation that same day. I screamed out loud and couldn’t contain my grin.

One year later, he sold my debut picture book, Moving Day, which came out in 2025. That same year, I signed a publishing contract for my memoir, Our Long Goodbye: A Daughter, a Father, a Best Friend, and the Journey Through Alzheimer’s. Although memoir was out of my comfort zone, I became obsessed with telling my story. After learning how to write picture books, I felt the courage to pursue a different genre. The book will be published on November 3, 2026.

My persistence and patience finally paid off. I guess I did have it in me.

—

TERI ROCHE DROBNICK Her debut children’s picture book, Moving Day, about a house resistant to moving, was published by Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House on 3/11/2025.​ Teri’s memoir, Our Long Goodbye: A Daughter, a Father, a Best Friend, and the Journey Through Alzheimer’s, will be published by She Writes Press on 11/3/2026. KIRKUS REVIEWS states, “. . . this memoir is about much more than Alzheimer’s. The author also explores how we choose to remember our loved ones beyond their decline and death. . . . A reminder of the irrepressible humanity that often lies behind individual Alzheimer’s stories.” When Teri’s not writing, she can be found doing school visits, volunteering as a community educator for the Alzheimer’s Association, or rowing on the Petaluma River. She resides in Petaluma, CA, with her husband and her writing companion, Hobie, a Goldendoodle. 

Website: www.teridrobnick.com

instagram.com/teri.drobnick

facebook.com/teri.drobnick

x.com/teridrobnick

OUR LONG GOODBYE

In this deeply emotional memoir, a grieving daughter bonds with her father’s best friend of eighty years—and reconnects with her father—through the stories her unlikely new friend shares with her.

From the moment Teri Drobnick’s father is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she feels like he’s slipping away. As she grapples with an uncertain future and the steady erosion of his memory, Teri leans on Uncle Bob—her dad’s best friend of eighty years.

As Teri navigates the emotional limbo of caring for a parent with dementia, she and Uncle Bob, united by mutual grief, form a deeper bond from the stories he shares of his lifelong friendship with her father. Beginning with their boyhood during World War II, Uncle Bob recounts first dates, college at UC Berkeley, marriages, building a business, raising children, surviving loss. In the present, Teri confronts the anger, loneliness, and role reversal that accompany memory decline—but through tales of the past, she finds a way to reconnect with her father.

With a narrative braided between past and present, Our Long Goodbye is a poignant love letter from a daughter to her father that explores anticipatory grief, enduring friendship, and the profound power of shared memory.

BUY HERE

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: How To and Tips