We might be reading Hera too many books (just two or three a day) as she has started narrating what she is doing! The last couple weeks, Hera has been ending most things she says with “said Mommy.” She says things like: “Have a glass of water, said Horton the Elephant?” or “I go to the library, said Mommy?” Hmmm, might have to crack the playdough out more often.

I was pleased to discover that the first four stories of Little Land Adventures, which I illustrated a few years ago, has now been divided into four separate books. Little Bird, Little Pig, Little Iguana, and Little Raccoon are now available on Amazon.com for $9.99 each. (Have a sneak peak at the illustrations inside.)

Question: How do you show publishers glitter throughout illustrations? Answer: Typically you would show this in a separate printout simply in black. If you have design software such as InDesign, the easiest way to do this is to create a layer for the illustration and text, and a separate layer for the glitter/foil. Then you just block in the area you want glittered in black on that separate layer. Otherwise, you can simply tell the publisher in your cover letter that you want the book to have glitter throughout. You can send a small sample of it with glitter hand applied on a copy of the illustration, but I wouldn’t recommend mocking up the whole book this way… if your book gets picked up by the Publisher, then you can discuss your ideas for the rest of the book. (I’ve posted screen shots with examples of foil and emboss on a real greeting card mockup here.)
Question : Who decides the shape of the book (square, landscape, portrait etc.) - the illustrator or the publisher? Answer : The publisher usually has specific sizes they work with, but there is some flexibility there if the illustrator has their own great ideas!

Question : I plan on approaching publishers with my finished artwork… what if they want a square book when i have drawn on a rectangular page, or vice versa? will i have to redo all my illustrations? Answer : I wouldn’t recommend submitting your manuscript with all the artwork finished… a potential problem with the size is the least of your worries, as most publishers don’t like to receive the illustrations and manuscript together. In most cases either the illustrator can’t write, or the author can’t draw! Occasionally you get a person who can do both, but it’s best if you submit the two separately. If you want to send one sample of your illustration that would go with the book that would be alright. Also… Publishers have a wealth of experience, and their tips and feedback can actually improve your illustrations, so illustrating the book after the manuscript is accepted is a great way to go.

Question: Does the publisher/ author tell u what media they want u to use? Answer: Usually publishers select an illustrator based on their style… so if they hire you, they already like the media and style you use! If you have more than one style, they will tell you which they were drawn to. Often there is flexibility there if you feel your illustrations would look better in a different media, that’s open for discussion with the publisher.

Just received an email from a fellow illustrator with some questions about sending samples to publishers…
Question : I have recently written and illustrated a children’s book that has been rejected across the board. But aside from, I am deeply interested in illustrating books that other authors have written. Would you be able to offer any advice as to how else I could go about getting recognized in the industry? I have sent illustration samples to almost 200 publishing companies and still nothing.

Answer : Thanks for your letter… Would love to give you heaps of advice, but am a full time mum now so haven’t much time on my hands…

The main tip I have is to make sure you are doing research so that you are sending samples to publishers who actually handle children’s books, and that you comply to the way they want manuscripts sent. (Publisher Catalogues is an extensive online database.)

Publishers don’t really want illustrations and manuscripts sent together… they often find either the illustrator cant write, or the author can’t draw! (See my notes from a meeting with Omnibus Books Editor here.) Try submitting your samples and manuscripts separately.

Also… Have patience! Sometimes your samples just arrive at the wrong time… It took me two years of sending samples out to get my first kids book job. Publishers often have their books planned for a couple years in advance, so they may just not have the work yet.

You can also include a response card in your samples, so that they can tick it’s been received, or even leave a comment if your work isn’t suitable for the types of books they publish.

I’ve also posted lots of tips for illustrators including ideas for how to send samples and approach publishers.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted as I’ve been on holidays with my family for a few weeks in Canada. While away was delighted to have my copies of Spotty & Eddie Visit Percé arrive! Trafford did a wonderful job, the sequel looks even better than the original Spotty & Eddie Learn to Compromise, in that the new printing has a lovely laminated cover and brighter colours. Hera gives it two thumbs up, and now requests to read “Spotty Eddie” frequently… she especially likes looking for “Mama’s shoes” and searching for the little turtles on each page.

Eeeeee! So excited, my copies of Riley’s Lost Tooth (Written by Diane Cantrell, Illustrated by moi) arrived in the post! Hera was right into them, opening up each one up, flipping through the pages, then declaring “The End.” I’m really pleased with how they’ve turned out, Brown Books did a great job. Riley’s Lost Tooth now available online at Amazon.com. Book launch party in San Antonio is planned for March 27th… I’ll post details later!

Reading books with my toddler is one of the most satisfying things as a mum… and she quite eagerly hops off my lap after each book to grab another, asking “read a boop?” There are five books on my bookshelf that make me cry every time I read them they are so touching.

Love You Forever, Written by Robert Munsch and Illustrated by Sheila McGraw. This one’s a classic, and I’ve actually yet to make it through reading it to my daughter without getting choked up. My grandmother bought it for Hera, who thinks it’s funny seeing the “mama” in the story peeking at the baby over the edge of the bed. It’s the story of a baby from when he’s born to when he’s an adult, and shows the change of the mother caring for the baby son, to the son caring for the elderly mother. It makes me cry because it’s just so beautiful seeing the relationship change, and seeing how that cycle of life continues from one generation to the next.

Mutt Dog, by Stephen Michael King. I first loaned a board book copy of this one from the library, and Hera loved it, and I loved it so much I went out and bought a copy. It’s a heart warming story of a stray dog in the city, and how he finds a new place to belong. The parallels between the stray dog and the homeless are really touching, and it makes you conscious of the charity of halfway homes and very generous individuals. The illustrations are just beautiful… and another book by Stephen Michael King, “Leaf,” is well worth a read. And also makes me cry, but not every time I read it :)

The Leaf Men, by William Joyce. This is a book I fell in love with at college, both for the beautiful illustrations and the way it’s written. The story is about an older woman who has a beautiful garden that she loves… when the woman falls sick, the Leaf Men in her garden go searching for a way to make her well again. It makes me cry because that act of kindness rekindles hope in the older woman.

Santa Calls by William Joyce. It must be something about William Joyce’s work, but again it’s the beautiful illustrations and the wonderful way the story is written that makes it so beautiful. The story is about a brother and sister who go on an adventure to the North Pole. It makes me cry because (spoiler alert!) at the very end of the story, you discover the little girl has forfeited her Christmas present wish for the sincere desire for her brother to be her friend.

The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams, Illustrations by Donna Green. This is a timeless classic story of a little stuffed bunny who believes he is real, and no matter which version I read I end up in tears. It is about a little boy who falls sick with scarlet fever, and all his soft toys have to be burned to avoid spreading the disease… the little velveteen rabbit manages to escape and with some magic, becomes a real rabbit.

I stumbled across this interesting discussion on Amazon.com, where someone asks “Is there a chance that the physical books will become useless use because of Kindle edition digital books?”

I’ve wondered the same thing, whether children’s picture books will become obsolete in the new wave of digital book readers. I’m all for novels, newspapers, and magazine content being digitized, and think it is an excellent way to reduce paper waste. (I also think it would be awesome reading in bed at night, too, as the book acts as its own night light :) I do love paper books, but think that paper novels will soon become collectors items (or print-on-demand) for those that love that smell & feel of old paper, as the digital copies are just so practical and sustainable.

But for children’s books I think digitizing them to read on a screen is a horrible idea!

Being a children’s book illustrator I’m just a little biased… I love picture books, and think there’s something wonderfully tactile about turning the pages with anticipation of what’s on the next page. I tend to cringe at books with added bells & whistles like electronic noise and lights, as I feel there is so much creativity to be enjoyed in the 2D illustrations, subtle textures, and die cuts. Not to mention where will the line be drawn in the future between static digitzed illustrations and animated books? It would be SO tempting for publishers to animate parts of children’s books, and essentially turn digital books into tv.

Being a mum, I value reading and want to pass that onto my daughter. Paper books are also wonderful for helping a child develop their coordination… I’ve enjoyed watching my toddler grow from learning to turn the chunky pages of a board book to now carefully turning pages of regular picture books. The enjoyment I see her have in finding the ladybugs I’ve hidden in the illustrations, to even reciting bits of the stories we’ve read together is hard to imagine on a small digital screen. Heh, I can clearly imagine the blank stare she would have staring at a digital book… it’s the same stare she gets when the tv is on! Nowadays I think we parents rely a lot on electronics to entertain our kids, and I would love books for children to remain tactile.

Wow, I just watched the trailer for Riley’s Lost Tooth… I’ve never had an animated trailer made of my work before, is a bit weird and cool at the same time seeing your characters come alive and move! Here’s the Riley’s Lost Tooth trailer on YouTube. RLT is currently at the printer, am waiting eagerly to see how the finished product turns out!

I received an email from another aspiring children’s book illustrator with a bunch of great questions…

Question : How do you find publishers?
Answer : I look at the back of books that I like and note the name of the publishers, often there is a website listed there so I’ll go visit it to see what their submission guidelines are. But my “secret” resource is an online publisher catalogue I blogged about here.

Question : Do you use a contract or a non-disclosure agrrement (so they won’t use your work without pay you…I have heard horror stories from other artists…)
Answer : Yes, I always use a contract, I actually just recently wrote a post about children’s book contracts here.

Question : Do get get some pay up front?
Answer : Yes, as a rule of thumb I  ask for 50% up front when working with authors. Publishers normally have a set amount they pay in advance on your work.

Question : Usually low long it takes for all your part of the work to be done?
Answer : Before becoming a full-time mum it used to take me about 3 months from first contact to artwork / artfiles delivered to the publisher. You could easily add on another month or two if you’ve done the graphic design and are working directly with the printer. But now that I am illustrating part-time it takes me 3-6 months to complete illustrations for a children’s book.

Question : How long it takes to get the book published?
Answer : The books I’ve worked on seem to take at least a year from first contact with the publisher to when I receive the printed books in my hand. But that’s not counting the time BEFORE I am involved when the author and publisher are working together editing the manuscript, not to mention the author’s initial pen to paper with their ideas!

Question :  How long does it take to get “finally” paid?
Answer : When the work is done! In the final invoice I note at the bottom that payment is due 30 days from the date on the invoice… but it’s good to keep in mind that when working with publishers / major companies that 90 days is normal.

Question :  Do you use Photoshop?
Answer : I use Photoshop for touching up my illustrations (I’m an old-school illustrator so like to do the majority of the work by hand, and just use PS for stitching together scans and adjusting the colour for the printer.) But it’s a wonderful tool, there are many talented digital artists (like Jason MacKay!) who do things with Photoshop I can only dream about!

Question : It would be great if you had an e-book with all the details (how-tos) and sell them…to people like us.. I would love to see step-by step samples of work - drawing, color and photoshop in your e-book.
Answer : That’s a lovely idea, kind of you to think I’ve enough tips to share! At the moment I’m enjoying sharing my experiences (free!) through my blog, I keep the Tips for Illustrators page updated with a list of all my new tips :

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions, eh:)