28 DRAFTS LATER
The Zombees Unusual (and Very Undead) Journey from R&Rs to Publication
INTRO:
Welcome to my guest post for Kidlit Zombie Week, a week-long event filled with informative and inspiring posts to help you bring your “dead manuscripts back to life.” Last year, I shared TEN WAYS TO FIX YOUR ZOMBIE MANUSCRIPT. This year, I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing the process (timeline, editorial notes, challenges, and more) for my forthcoming picture book with
MEET TEAM ZOMBEE
HOW IT BEGAN
The Zombees was technically under contract before it was born. That’s because my debut picture book, The Quacken, was part of a two-book deal, with the second book to be determined. Simon and Schuster later expressed strong interest in me producing a story in that met the following parameters in the vein of my debut book:
Creature feature
Punny portmanteau protagonist
Epic escape-style structure
Humor and [light] horror for a young audience
Now you might be wondering, “Justin, why didn’t you just write a sequel to The Quacken and call it a day?” It’s a question I get asked often at schol visits. My answer is, “I did.” In fact, my agent loved it even more than its predecessor, which was the book she signed me on. But S&S passed on it. Multi-book deals are thrilling, but they can be tricky, too.
TIMELINE & PROCESS:
INITIAL OFFER (September 15, 2021): It’s mid to late afternoon on a Friday before a holiday weekend. I’m walking into the gym when my agent calls me and says the editorial director at Simon & Schuster (who will later become VP as well) is interested in a phone call to discuss my manuscript, The Quacken. I squeeze in a quick workout, race home, and immediately hop on a Zoom call. Within an hour I get a phone call from my agent. I’m being offered a two-book deal. I’m going to be a traditionally published children's author! Here’s a screenshot of my contract header:
THE CALL/PITCH (February 21, 2023): My editor and I are discussing sketches for book one, The Quacken, during a Zoom call (it took a while to secure the perfect illustrator). By now the team has already passed on a few manuscripts I submitted as contenders for book two. So, I seize the opportunity at the end of our chat to informally pitch two character concepts that could double as titles for book two. I don’t even have potential plots in mind yet. Luckily, my editor lights up upon hearing the first one, which is “The Zombees”. Almost immediately after she and the editorial assistant vanish from my screen, I get to brainstorming.
And that second concept I pitched? Vampurr—a tender, lyrical tale about a vampire kitten and the mysterious boy she bonds with. Eight months from now it will find itself in a multi-house auction. It’s lovingly hand-painted by Lenny Wen and will be published by FSG/Macmillan in 2026. Here’s a sneak peak at her:
THE FIRST VERSION (February 21, 2023 - March 10, 2023): I draft and polish the original version of The Zombees. It follows Hector, the protagonist from The Quacken, as he attempts to grow a prize-winning pumpkin. Frustrated with the crows that keep eating his seeds, he concocts a special formula to rid them from his farm, only to raise an army of zombie bees instead. Like a true creature feature, the zombees have an insatiable appetite and devour everything in sight, until the crows swoop back in and gobble them up (before turning into zombies themselves on the final spread).
THE RESPONSE (April 13, 2023): My agent shares my editor’s feedback. The team quite likes the story’s villains and don’t want to see them die at the end. ←- a good problem to have, I suppose. Instead, they wonder if the zombees can be redeemed and ultimately become a solution rather than a threat. Then there are their overall notes: The setup is slow, the plot is too complicated, and there are too many characters and other elements in the mix. My editor requests an r&r (revise and resubmit). She says she is still confident this will be my book two. And I’m confident I can make these revisions easy peasy.
Below is a screenshot of the original ending that was too dark:
THE REVISION (April 13 - June 5, 2023): I cut some characters, adjust and distill the plot, strengthen the pacing via snappier scenes and language, and alter the ending so the zombees don’t die, while still keeping them as true villains. I think it’s a compromise that addresses their concerns while honoring both our visions. I submit it to my agent, who forwards it to the editorial assistant (my editor is now on maternity leave).
THE SECOND RESPONSE (July 20, 2023): My agent’s email to me opens with "[the] response is not the one we were hoping we'd receive.” The editorial assistant has shared the manuscript with the acquistions team at S&S. Despite my editor’s initial confidence, the team isn’t sold. They have two primary concerns:
Showing bees dying in order to become zombees
The framing of the story - portraying bees as villains when we should be portraying them in a positive light
They say the “consensus was the revision wasn’t quite able to overcome these concerns.” They are valid concerns.
They go on to share several ideas of their own for different directions I can take the story, including one that will become the final twist at the end of the published book (I won’t share any spoilers here). They ask for me to keep the concept of zombees but craft an entirely new story. One that focuses on bee positivity and a takeaway related to the good bees do in the world. Shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for me, right? After all, I’m a beekeeper who catches and relocates wild swarms for residents while educating them all about bees in the process.
THROWING IN THE TOWEL (August 8, 2023): Revision is my favorite part of the creative process. R&r’s are something I usually do with ease. But this one’s stumping me. I’ve brainstormed potential ideas almost daily. But none would fulfill S&S’s requests while honoring my vision and the brand I want to establish as a creator. Finally, I email my agent for the first and only time with the subject line ‘Throwing in the Towel’. My plan is to axe the concept and produce something new in its place.
My agent immediately emails me with a supportive response like this:
why don't you take a break from picture books and either focus on your MG [middle grade novel] or just enjoy a week off. It's August, and rest is warranted. Then we can plan next steps and gear up for fall. Sound good? . . . I'm here for you.
Last week of December (I think): My editor returned from maternity leave a few months ago, surprised by her team's pass on the story she was confident would be our book two. By this time, I've written and submitted even more manuscripts as book two condenders. The total is at 6 different stories. From a humorous book about how to hypnotize your parents to a lyrical, allegorical tale about saving stars in a world that steals them from the sky. Even a nonfiction biography about Eric Carle. But nothing gets the greenlight.
The zombees is but a distant memory in my mind. I have since abandoned it. Placed it in the coffin, given its eulogy, and laid it to rest. Or so I think . . . I am showering one morning when all of a sudden the opening stanza of The Zombees shuffles into my brain. I immediately feel I have something special. Before I know it, the entire story has flowed onto the page and . . . its written in RHYME?!
I’ve never written in rhyme before. But it was fun. And the rhyme seems strong. Even better, the story is somehow fully formed, beginning, middle, and end. It's a whole heck of a lot better than the original. I might even love it, even as a newly written draft (that's rare). Still, rhyme requires skill, and bad rhyme carries with it the stench of a thousand and one decaying zombies. And as I know from my acting training in Shakespeare, meter is a challenge for me. I put out a tweet on X (back when I was there). And many generous writers (none of which are my usual critique partners) offer to help me. Including people I have never spoken to before. The kidlit community is generous like that. To my surprise, the revisions are minor. Together, we polish up the story until its publication-ready.
JANUARY 3 & 4, 2024: A week later I share this rhyming manuscript with my agent, which is a surprise to her. She didn’t know I could write in rhyme (to be fair, neither did I). And she thought I scrapped the project (to be fair again, I did say I threw in the towel). She responds the same day saying she loves it. She sends it to my editor the following day.
JANUARY 16, 2024: An email from my agent hits my inbox. The subject line reads:
The opening of the email begins with, “THE ZOMBEES is a GO!” My editor and her team love the new version and are all on board. The Zombees is officially greenlit as book two. My agent shares a lot of enthusiastic praise for my persistence throughout the process and her love for the story since its inception, before ending her email with this:
“I am CELEBRATING this afternoon. Gosh, I'm so happy, I am going to listen to the Zombies and watch Zombie movies and enjoy lots of honey all week!”
JULY 15, 2025: Publication day!
WHERE’S THE “UNUSUAL” PART OF THE PROCESS YOU PROMISED, JUSTIN?
Because the revision and acquisitions took longer than expected, the book would need to be delayed a year. BUT . . . after thorough discussion, our editor, AD, and other higher ups of Team Zombee graciously agreed to crash the book. Meaning, we would speed up the publication timeline. It's rare and would require strategy and extra effort.
Kaly Quarles was hired in less than a week and illustrated this entire book in only three months. Wild right?
I plan to share more about that part in the future. So be sure to subscribe to my blog.
ZOMBEE EVOLUTION:
The book has evolved quite a lot from its original iteration. Maybe there weren't 28 drafts. But this blog title was too good to pass up. Cm'on . . . a reference to the horror zombie film 28 Days Later (which has another sequel out this year) AND my post is on the 28th day of June?!
The original version of The Zombees was written in prose, 3rd person point of view, and featured a male protagonist. The soon-to-be published version is written in second person point of view and rhyme. Because no specific narrator/character is described, illustrator Kaly Quarles had creative freedom and made the protagonist a girl dressed as a witch. The entire plot has changed, and it’s gone from being a dark tale to one that is much more playful and sweet (something new for me). There’s still a surprise ending, but there’s no death involved. I’m really pleased with the story and how it will connect with an even younger audience than the one I usually write for. This process pushed me to develop my craft and explore and play even more as a creator. And quite honestly, I’m relieved that original version didn’t get the greenlight.
MY FIRST STARRED REVIEW!
I never planned to write in rhyme even though I enjoy reading it. This was my first rhymer. So, I’m surprised, grateful, and somewhat amused that this is the story to earn me my first starred review [from School Library Journal]. Most of all, I am incredibly honored.
Of course, none of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for the r&r process with my editorial team. Or the writers who generously helped me when I reached out asking if they would lend me their rhyme/meter expertise.
WORDS OF WISDOM:
As my agent says, sometimes you have to write in the wrong direction to figure out what doesn't work so that you can figure out what does.
PRIZES
Below is the prize package I’m offering to one lucky winner. For more information about eligibility and how to enter, please click here.
A signed/personalized copy of his next picture book, The Zombees, a rhyming, Halloween tale illustrated by Kaly Quarles, published by Simon & Schuster (July 15, 2025). DETAILS: Will ship to US-based addresses only.
A full picture book manuscript critique. DETAILS: Manuscript must be under 800 words and submitted for critique within one week of Kidlit Zombie Week's prize announcements. Please no rhyme—it is not Justin's editorial strength. He is especially adept with humor and darker, spookier tales but is open to nonfiction and lyrical stories, too. For full guidelines and additional information, please visit www.justincolonbooks.com/editorial-services.
GIFS, GRAPHIC DESIGN , & EDITORIAL SERVICES
Do you like the GIFS and graphic design you saw throughout this post? I can do the same for you. Email me at justin@Justincolonbooks.com to discuss your project.
I also offer manuscript critiques, query letter edits, consultations, classes, and mentorships. Please visit justincolonbooks.com/editorial-services to learn more.
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Wow, what a wild ride! Thanks for sharing and being such an inspiration. I'm so glad you brought Zombees back to life and can't wait to read it! Your tenacity and dedication are incredible btw!
That is such a neat story about Zombees! It's such a great story of perseverance, and doing work that works :)