Assuming you have an experienced editor, do take on board what they have to say, even if it’s sometimes painful. Take time to consider it. Take a step away and pretend you’re reading someone else’s book. Maybe suddenly it makes more sense.
If you’re still not in agreement, discuss it with your editor. A good editor will respect and listen to what you have to say. And generally, together, you will find an even better solution that makes everyone happy.
And whilst you should be very open to what they have to say – after all they want to help you make it the best possible book – also don’t be too shy or too lazy to stand up for your book and what you’re trying to get across. As your book’s creator you likely know it better than anyone else and it is therefore your responsibility to explain your reasoning and work hard to find the very best solution together with your editor.
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Generally, picture book deadlines revolve all around the two major book fairs, Frankfurt Book Fair every October, and Bologna Children’s Book Fair in March/April, as well as printer, delivery and publication schedules. Because of this deadline driven environment the creation process can get very stressful.
People often think making picture books is a doddle. Far from it. I have previously worked in very fast-paced TV, marketing & design roles and normally excel under pressure, but so far – also being the perfectionist I am – I have found making picture books overall the most challenging and relentless, but also the most fulfilling, job I’ve ever done.
Because I wanted to convey a lot of deeper / layered meaning in Red and the City, before setting to work turning my rough dummy into the best possible book together with my publisher Oxford University Press, I wrote down bullet points of what I ideally wanted to get across on each spread.
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I still believe this was one of the best things I could have done for the book. My fantastic editor, Peter Marley, was really interested in helping me convey these messages better, despite the fact that they weren’t your typical picture book material. These spread notes gave us a great roadmap to keep referring to whilst working on the book to make sure we weren’t going off path (pun intended) too much.
Because the structure of Red and the City follows an existing fairytale text there wasn’t too much work we had to do on my proposed text, and my storyboard / page flow was also already in good shape. We mainly worked on the artwork, and some of the wording, to make sure my deeper intended messaging was really coming through.
I was delighted when Pete said that I could be bold with showing that the wolf is the city/system and that the wolf can manifest itself in lots of different things throughout the city. Following that, I just loved going crazy depicting the wolf, whether it’s in the bus station that watches what the people are doing on their smartphones or in the cash point with the sharp teeth that promises a loan with huge interest rates. Suddenly, I really saw the wolf everywhere! And think about it, the wolf really does hide everywhere in our modern lives…
Celebrate Children's Authors And Illustrators Week
One thing that was challenging was trying to make sure we get all my intended deeper meanings and atmosphere from my roughs across whilst still making the book accessible, and not too scary, for younger children.
With both of us liking to explore different approaches before settling on the right one, we went through lots and lots of different iterations of possible artwork for each spread and also actual artwork style. In a way we almost made various different books instead of one. In the end we returned to more of the atmospheric feel and layouts from my initial roughs, but with many more details to convey the deeper messages and also make it a little less scary.
Also some publishers had expressed concern over Red going into the city on her own, which is why, following a suggestion from my agent and another publisher I’d met, we introduced Woody. Initially, I couldn’t see that working at all – after all, Little Red Riding Hood goes through the wood on her own – but when my editor started talking about this cute little dog wagging his tail and doing this and that, I was suddenly sold. I also immediately saw in my mind what the dog should look like and what his name should be. And now I can’t imagine the book without Woody. It’s a great example of how the different inputs from your agent, other publishers you’ve met, your editor and you can really lead to the best results.
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A challenge, which I wasn’t aware of, is that black and dark grey artwork is notoriously hard to reproduce well in print on uncoated paper whilst maintaining textures and details. So after I saw the digitally printed proof (also called digital proof or blad) of the book, I had to go and lighten and re-setup each image as well as work closely with the production team to make sure my artwork was reproduced as intended.
Also as I had put a lot of reversed-out handwritten and typed text (white text on black backgrounds) into the artwork, it took me and the production team an extra long time to make all the final print files as this requires a special setup since picture books need to be printable in lots of different languages at the same time.
Overall, I’d be lying if I said the whole process wasn’t very hard, round-the-clock work. But trust me, it’s all worth it when you finally hold your first finished picture book in your hands!
Author Illustrator Cut And Glue
I can’t wait to finally let Red and Woody loose into the world now, to hopefully delight and inspire young and old alike. Which is why in our 7th and final step tomorrow, we’ll be sharing tips on how to help promote your book to help get it into as many hands (and hearts) as possible …
7 steps to become an author illustrator – Step 5: How to get the best publishing deal 7 steps to become an author illustrator – Step 7: How to promote your book
I am using cookies on my website. By continuing to use my site you agree to my use of cookies. Please read more for cookie controlling options.OkRead moreToday we’re talking about how to help promote your book to hopefully get it into as many hands as possible. And even though this may be the final step in our journey to publication and how to become an author illustrator, in a way, this may also just be the beginning …
Author And Illustrator Poster (teacher Made)
, your publisher will need at least one nice finished illustration of your new book for their ‘Rights Guide’. Foreign publishers look at this to decide which books they may be interested in prior to the book fairs and the catalogue will also be picked up by people during the fair.
Not many author illustrators do this, but I find it can help with attracting extra interest from foreign publishers in your work, especially if you wear your work on your sleeve! 😉
Your publisher should actively be promoting your book to booksellers, but often they don’t go around too many of the indie bookshops. However these are important in my view, especially when your book is initially published in hardback only with the paperback following 6-9 months later. Picture book hardbacks aren’t generally stocked by Waterstones and are more difficult to sell during school events.
Illustrator As Witness: A...
In hardback. Most of them are stocking the book as a direct result of my brilliant partner and assistant Graham calling them and showing them the book. It turns out most of them weren’t aware of the book and expressed gratefulness for having it brought to their attention. Bookshops also deal directly with schools and local communities and getting these booksellers all across the country behind you and your book to me feels like a very important piece of the puzzle to help your book succeed.
Schools and libraries can also be a great channel for your book, after all there are over 30, 000 schools (over 20, 000 primary!) and over 4, 000 libraries in the UK! As
Lends itself well to be used in schools, my publisher should be actively marketing my book to these. But as always, additional personal promotion probably doesn’t do any harm. So once Graham has finishing calling all the independent bookshops, he will also call library services, schools and libraries to try and get the book stocked with them. I will report back how that’s going a bit down the line. He did a trial with Library Services in Devon and it worked, they’re stocking the book now. So fingers crossed.
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So please, if you haven’t already, go buy our book (this is Red and Woody speaking!) in your local bookshop or online 🙂
We hope you’ve found our little 7 step
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