AMY FREUND “Your story has value and deserves to be heard and read, so keep trying!”
Kelly’s Writerly Q&A December Author Interview is with Amy Freund, a multi-talented Melbourne creative who has worked as an editor and ghostwriter, she’s studied journalism, designs toys and is now a picture book author of Amigo The Capybara!
Kelly: Welcome Amy, it’s so great to chat! Thanks for taking the time to answer some writerly questions. Congratulations on publishing your first picture book, Amigo The Capybara, what’s it about?
Amy: It’s lovely to chat with you too thank you so much for having me!! Amigo the Capybara is a rhyming story about a fun-loving capybara who tries to get his grumpy Chinchilla neighbour, Mila, to be his friend by putting on a performance—but it goes terribly wrong! It's a light-hearted read, touching on friendship & compromise.
Kelly: Thank you for sending me an ARC and introducing me to capybaras, they are the funniest and cutest animals; it’s such a joyous book! What inspired you to write a picture book?
Amy: I personally love capybaras and knew I wanted to write about them in some way! At first, I thought the book might be about capybaras in general. But as I researched these quirky rodents, I started to imagine what life would be like for a super friendly capybara and the antics they would get up to, as well as the sorts of animals that might not love having such a loud and friendly neighbour living next door!
Kelly: The different character personalities give the story a great foundation! How long did it take to write Amigo The Capybara?
Amy: It took me about a day to write the first draft, but I actually started writing the first manuscript in August 2023! Amigo began its life as a story about finding a capybara in the jungle (a little like ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’). It then quickly became a character-based story, and I finished the manuscript by late August and started submitting the manuscript almost immediately!
Kelly: It’s great to hear that it still took time - months! What does your typical day of writing look like?
Amy: Ooh good question! A typical day of writing for me is very chaotic. I find I work best at night as I can actually block out the time to sit and focus on a piece of work and not be distracted by life, work and procrastinating thoughts! I’ll normally jot down ideas in my phone notes when random moments of inspiration come to me during the day, and at about 9/9:30 pm once my partner goes to sleep, I’ll sit on the couch with a tea, my laptop and puppy curled up on my legs and start randomly typing ideas onto the page. Once I have a bit of a structure to my ideas, I’ll start writing out proper sentences! So, my best writing times are really 10 pm-2 am and I’ll normally do this for a few nights in a row if I’m having a good-inspiration week!
Kelly: Wow! Writing through the night must be so peaceful. Let’s talk about querying and publishing, how did you get your yes?
Amy: It was a hard slog! It took over a year and a lot of no’s (almost 20 I think, I counted!). I had the privilege of knowing the Five Mile list from having worked there a few years ago and felt that the book could sit really well amongst the picture books they already had. I submitted and after a few weeks sent a gentle nudge, and the wonderful publisher Kate replied saying her kids loved capybaras and were intrigued by the story! After a few rounds of changes, it went to acquisitions and thankfully the rest of the team also believed in the story to put on the list!
Kelly: Thank you for sharing how hard and long it took. I’m glad you took the initiative to nudge Kate, there’s a lesson to be learned there.
Kelly: There’s nothing like celebrating a publishing win but I believe it’s even more important to talk about what came before, can you share a rejection story?
Amy: I definitely can, there are so many! One of my hardest rejections was getting a yes on two manuscripts from an international publisher, only to chase the contract about 6 times, and have the publisher say ‘Our team don’t believe they’re a good fit, who told you they were acquired’. I forwarded the email where he told me he wanted to acquire them—and never heard back!! That was hard! Rejections are unfortunately just part of the author journey. Something I’m learning to have is a ‘growth mindset’ about the process and understanding that every ‘no’ isn’t a reflection on me or my writing, it’s just not right for the publisher’s list at this time, and that’s ok!
Kelly: The good old miscommunication trope. Thank you for sharing, and I love your advice! As someone who’s worked in the publishing industry, how important do you think it is to know the market and what’s trending?
Amy: I think it is definitely important to know what the market is looking for and what publishers might be scouting, as it helps push your manuscript to the top of the pile. Publishers are always responding to market trends in order to keep the buyers happy and consumers engaged. For evergreen ideas/concepts and tropes like fairies, dinosaurs, early learning, etc, trends aren’t as important, as these are always in demand, but if your book can relate to a trending topic or idea, it really does help to get your work seen in the first instance!
Kelly: Good tip! Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Amy: Keep going!! Dedication and determination are the two main things I’ve had to practice growing in myself, as well as the courage to put my work out there in the first place! It’s an amazing feat writing something, and to be prepared to put it out into the world for others to critique is tough!
Your story has value and deserves to be heard and read, so keep trying!
The Australian writing community is so welcoming, kind and supportive, if you’re ever having doubts or feeling like you need a pick-me-up/advice, there are heaps of amazing Facebook groups and local writer’s groups out there to join. I’ve personally found them to be so helpful on my publishing journey!
Kelly: Totally agree. Find your tribe, do as many courses as you can, and just keep writing and submitting! What are you currently reading and loving?
Amy: I’ve just started rereading Looking for Alibrandi and am loving it all over again!
Kelly: You’re making me want to reread it now! So, what can we expect from you next?
Amy: I’ve got book 2 of Amigo rattling around my brain, I just need to put pen to paper! I’m also shopping a middle-grade series about a group of kids living on a sub-Antarctic outpost who find secret treasure, so I’m keeping all my fingers and toes crossed that a publisher likes it!!
Kelly: How exciting! I can’t wait to read another Amigo story! And good luck with your middle-grade series. You are so prolific and it’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know you. Thanks so much for your time.
Amy: Thank you so much for having me!
