Illustrations copyright 2000 by Joe Cepeda
by Marisa Montes, Illustrated by Joe Cepeda
Juan Bobo Goes to Work was my first book to be published, but it was a long road to publication. In 1987, I started writing children's books on weekends and after work. I submitted my writing constantly, but kept getting rejections. By 1992, I was getting personal rejections, and the editors asked to see more of my work. In 1994, I retired from practicing law and writing law books and dedicated all my time to writing children's books.
Frustrated that I wasn't getting any contracts, I decided to do what people had been telling me for years to do—write about Puerto Rico. I loved folktales as a child, especially stories about Juan Bobo. I asked one of my aunts in Puerto Rico who is a grade-school teacher to find me Puerto Rican folktales. She sent me old school texts of folktales in Spanish. I spent most of 1995 collecting, translating, and retelling Puerto Rican folktales. I wrote 13 Juan Bobo stories and about 5 other folktales. Unfortunately, I started writing folktales too late—the market had been inundated with folktales from other countries since the late 1980's. Still, I was determined to keep submitting them. I knew that there were very few Puerto Rican folktales published by U.S. publishers.
In early 1996, a friend told me that Fulcrum Children's Books was looking for folktales. I wrote to them, and within a month they replied, asking for a proposal and 2 sample folktales. When they asked for more stories, I sent them several Juan Bobo stories, hoping they would want to do a whole collection of Juan Bobo, and a few of my other folktales. On April 15, 1996—two years to the day after I had retired, I had my first book contract. They accepted 4 Juan Bobo stories and 2 other Puerto Rican folktales. I was on my way!
Juan Bobo Goes to Work was my second contracted book, but the first to be published. I met the editor Rosemary Brosnan In October 1996 at a writer's conference held in Walnut Creek. She asked to see all my books—I sent her nine manuscripts, including novels. She called me in December and said she loved Juan Bobo and would like to buy it. At the time, she was the Editorial Director of Lodestar Book, an imprint of Dial Books, which was under the Viking Penguin umbrella. Even though it was the only book she bought, I was ecstatic.
In the summer of 1997, Fulcrum Children's Books decided to drop their "World Stories" line because the books simply weren't selling as well as they had hoped. My editor called me and broke the news that my contract had been cancelled. I was broken hearted. My career had barely started and already the publication of one of my two books was cancelled. But I rarely wallow in self-pity for long, and remembering how much Rosemary loved Juan Bobo stories, I called her and told her that Fulcrum had dropped my folktale collection. Without missing a beat and sight unseen, Rosemary said, "I'll buy it!" I told her I had 12 Juan Bobo stories altogether, counting the four that Fulcrum had bought, and she said to send them all.
A few weeks later, I had a strange premonition, and I called Rosemary and asked her whether Lodestar was in trouble. She laughed and said, "No, of course not." The next day, she called to tell me that the previous afternoon, Putnum had bought Penguin and in the process Lodestar and Cartwheel Books had been dissolved and she, among others, had been let go. But she knew she'd find another job and asked whether I'd like her to take Juan Bobo with her to her new publisher. I said, "of course," but I spent the rest of the summer in shock. My career barely got off the ground before both my books were cancelled.
In early fall, Rosemary landed a great job as Executive Director with Morrow Junior Books. I was thrilled—Morrow was Beverly Cleary's publisher and had been closed to unagented writers for years. But now I was one of their authors. I got a new contract and a whole new advance, but my publication date was pushed from fall 1998 to fall 1999. Another year to wait before I could hold my first book!
In fall 1999, Rosemary informed me that Morrow had been bought by HarperCollins, but not worry—she and my book were safe. She would be an Executive Editor with Harper, and Juan Bobo would be published by HarperCollins instead of Morrow, which had been eliminated. I wasn't terribly crushed because my second picture book, Egg-Napped!, would be published by Harper, also. I thought it was probably better to have all my picture books with one house. But now the publication date would be Spring 2000.
I awaited Spring 2000 with baited breath, dying to hold my first book, when Rosemary informed me that the deadline had to be pushed back again—this time to Fall 2000—because the illustrator, Joe Cepeda, wouldn't be able to meet the deadline. I was disappointed, but I'd seen the artwork all along, and I knew the wait was worthwhile.
Unlike most picture book authors, I had some say over the illustrations. Most authors have no say, and sometimes there are errors in the artwork when compared to the text. I, however, made sure that my contract gave me the right to see all the sketches, to examine them for authenticity. Rosemary, my editor, was as eager as I was to ensure that the artwork was true to Puerto Rican culture and countryside. I was allowed to send a picture to show what Juan Bobo's pava, or straw hat, would look like. I also sent pictures of the flamboyán, or flamboyant tree—Puerto Rico's national tree—and of the tiny country homes of the jÍraros, the country folk—the one-room wooden houses with tin corrugated roofs, that sit on stilts and have wooden shutters.
Finally in Fall 2000, I was holding my first book—Juan Bobo Goes to Work. It had taken five years after writing the story and four years after signing the contract to publication! Then on January 21, 2002, Joe and I were informed that he had won the ALA's 2002 Pura Belpré Honor Book Award for illustration. The award is given every two years, and of course, poor Juan Bobo had to wait till the end of the second year to receive his award.