mermaid treasures

One of my dreams is to do book covers and internals for burgeoning chapter book readers and to help it take flight I’m going to show what I can do. Da Da DAaaaaaaa!

Firstly I’ve created myself a little dummy logo for some dummy book publishing, introducing Platypus Books!

This is going to be used in my dummy book covers as a place holder, so that publishers can see it all laid out before them and they’ll have no option but to commission me to work with them on their next series *fingers crossed*

Then I made up an author name, I have a few, pulling from family names and the like. I settled on L.M. Hoskin, a good robust name that is gender neutral and may be used in other formats for a couple of other projects I have bouncing around in my rather roomy noggin.

For the cover, I took an image which got really great feedback when I posted it on Instagram. I set about finessing it in Procreate so that it could be laid out correctly, making room for the title etc.

original

finessed

I’m also not a writer so I sourced some dummy text using the old faithful Lorem ipsum. This site, https://www.lipsum.com will give you any number of paragraphs for your own adventure if you’re interested. This place holder text allows me to show how a finished page might look with the text in place.

Again, using Procreate, I set about drawing some images to represent other aspects of the imagined story to show I can do consistent characters, provide motifs, some fancy border action and incidental characters.

page borders

motifs and cover border

sketch ideas

From these I finished up three images in a greyscale format.

Working in InDesign I fiddled about. I’m not a graphic designer, but have had cause to use the program before and was willing to have a bash at it.

I used two fonts: MVB Grenadine for the body text and Providence Sans Pro for the titles and page numbers.

Creating shapes I allowed the text to flow around the more organic edges of some, but not all, of the images. The result is below, and I think I’ve knocked it up into something really good (I also had a person give an opinion or two, and they liked it (once I made the changes they suggested)).

sample cover

sample chapter 1

sample page 5

sample page 10

sample page 20

sample page 25

So, if you are a publisher of early chapter books or middle-grade fiction, I’m contactable here.

If you’re not a publisher BUT you know someone WHO IS a publisher of early chapter books or middle-grade fiction, send them this page.

And, if you like what I’ve done, let me know on Instagram or Twitter, give us a follow or just send out some positive vibes.

I’d love to do some of these in real time, but until then, Platypus Books might just dummy up some more!

more drawing!

I really like how the drawings I do, tell a story, showing emotion and a sense place. I’ve really enjoyed developing consistency and simplifying my finish while not losing any of the information. Or at least, that’s what I’m aiming for.

In working towards getting better and building on what I talked about in an earlier post, Portfolio Development, what I’ve found out about myself is that I really, really, REALLY, like drawing old people. Their faces can have such sense of fun and although they have bigger ears, their face structure is quite similar to a child.

To play with this idea I’ve started drawing these oldies in the same situations as the kids and I think they've worked out amazingly well.

Love swings (2021)

Still love swings (2021)

I have a couple more and I’ll put them in my portfolio so you can go to my Work page and see them in amongst all my other pictures. I’ll also be putting them on Instagram.

Continuing to get better and challenging myself is ongoing so keep an eye out for more!

Cheers,

x marks the spot

A little while ago, I was commissioned for one of the best projects. As you all know I’m a bit skeptical of committing to self-published work. Not as a value judgement of the work to be illustrated, it’s that the role of author, editor, book designer, art director, marketer, distributor and seller are usually one person - then me. And the weight of the responsibility and the financial implications are enormous. I’ve written about it here.

So when I was approached by this client I was a bit hmmm?!?!

The request was simple. A surprise gift for their partner who had written a picture book, didn’t want the whole book, but a mock front cover. How could I refuse. It was such a truly thoughtful gift. 

...and a dream client to boot. Every interaction was professional, payment and conditions were met, and the result was so good. 

The brief was to take the title, develop the character with some more form and surround it with images of the things related. The style they wanted was similar to my little birdies and they’d let me have at it.

So I sent through some pencil roughs. 

 Then some colour schemes.

Then finessed for the finished result.

The smaller people in the household liked it so much fan art was made! (I can tick that off the bucket list 😊)

Such a great and fun project, done with no-fuss in a professional and timely way. Perfect!

So if you’re a publisher, this is a cute concept and I’d love to illustrate the whole book. I can put you in touch with the author, contact me 😉 and we can get this done!

Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram and sign up to my mailing list for not-really-regular but rather ad-hoc missives.

Cheers,

SCBWI

So I’ve made the leap and joined SCBWI. This is the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Based in the USA is has a couple of chapters in Australia so I’ve joined the Australia East/New Zealand. How this works in today’s social distancing environment is anybody’s guess, but I’m giving it a go regardless.

SCWBI Logo: Australia East andNew Zealand

I have long looked covetously at their website and it’s been at the top of the list of any person I speak to about children’s publishing. I’d even made the decision to do it two or three times over the past few years. Why I hadn’t joined sooner  was all around time. I just couldn’t get to the meetings. My geographic location and the demands on my time meant it was a (very) convenient excuse.

They’ve all evaporated with our move closer to the city and I actually have no external demands on my time anymore. The kids are all adults now... In short, I have no excuses. I have to take my own advice and be brave. Make some new connections and maybe even friends. It’s strange how the older you get, meeting new people is just as hard as starting at a new school or job or party. So here I go, making new connections. 

Hopefully the advice and support this group may give will help in getting my illustrations under the right noses. Although I won’t be putting carts before horses as I have been wont to do. I have to let this stuff just work the way it works and stop vacillating between forcing and hiding at any opportunity that presents itself. And, I can’t stress this enough, no leadership positions for me. NO LEADERSHIP POSITIONS EVER AGAIN . It’s just exhausting.

Chin-chin,

Self-publishing

or I've written a picture book and I need some pictures done…

You’ve put in the hard yards in and taken some words, massaged them into place and created a beautiful story. It’s a great thing to do and it’s something you’re very passionate about. You know you need some pictures for the story and so you’ve landed here. That’s great, and I’m looking forward to our adventure together.

Before we start, there are a few things I need you to understand and there is no judgement in this, but from many requests I and many of my illustrator colleagues get it is clear that there is a gap in the information available to writers as to how and what it takes to get a book published.

Let me be very clear, If you are going to submit your book to a publisher, they will want to chose their own illustrator. Employing me to draw anything will be a waste of your money, the drawings will be discarded. Publishers do not want illustrated submissions unless the author is an illustrator, illustrating their own writing.

Publishing houses exist is because it takes a lot of work to get a book published and involves a lot of people. Looking clearly at how the industry works will protect you emotionally and financially. It will help you clarify what you want out of me and what other things are involved in getting your book out into the market place.

• Editor: Basically, the project manager, pulling all the parts of the book together. Managing expectations of the author, illustrator and book designer to get the best result

• Art director: Like and editor, but for pictures

• Book designer: A specialist graphic designer who lays in the text and places the illustrations getting the item ready for print

• Author: Writes the words with editing guidance from the editor

• Illustrator: Draws the pictures under direction from the editor (and/or art director)

• Marketing: Assess the book for sales potential, deciding on print run and distribution

• Printer: Prints and binds the book

• Distribution: Delivers the book to the shops

If you are going to self-publish, you take on all of these functions or you pay someone to do them for you.

Illustrators and anyone you ask to do work on your book will expect to be paid. Your passion project is not their passion project. By all means you can ask for advice, almost everyone is happy to share their knowledge (if they have time) but it is not right to ask them to work for free or at a discount.

It can cost thousands of dollars to get a book published and the person doing the publishing will bear this cost.

Economies can be made with the scope of the project, but the illustrations alone can cost $5000 to $15000 (maybe even more), depending on the illustrator, the number and complexity of the illustrations and how soon you want them.

I am not trying to step on your dream or be nasty, this is an industry and there are, few (if any) short cuts.

There are successful self-published authors, it is a lot of hard work and an ongoing commitment to your project is needed.

Find a few and talk to them.

Join the ASA and/or SCWBI, these are your network. You will meet lots of people who have lots of information and advice to get you on your way. They are your peeps!

SO, when you’re ready and you’ve learned all you can about publishing and want to go ahead and get a quote for me there is one more step (sorry). Fill in this form and send it through when you request your quote.

It will help you clarify what you’re asking for and it will help me put together an accurate figure for you.

I want us to have a fun and rewarding working relationship, getting the best result and realising your vision. Having a comprehensive understanding of what’s involved and clear communication paths is the foundation of a really positive experience for everyone.

See below for some further information to read and listen to. Good luck and hopefully I haven’t done myself out of too much work.

Cheers,

Further information…

On publishing…

Sarah McIntyre 'Can you illustrate my book?' Some tips for writers approaching illustrators, 25 April 2016 https://jabberworks.livejournal.com/744387.html

Tania McCartney, The Happy Book Children’s Book Podcast, 2 January 2019
http://taniamccartney.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-happy-book-childrens-book-podcast.html

Australian Society of Authors, Find and answer, Publishing https://www.asauthors.org/findananswer/publishing [5 March 2019]

Australian Publishers Association, Getting Published
https://www.publishers.asn.au/resources/getting-published [5 March 2019]

Join…

Australian Society of Authors (ASA) https://www.asauthors.org
Contract advice, workshops, industry information

Society of Childrens Writers and Book Illustrators (SCWBI) https://www.scbwi.org
Meet your people, network and learn.

Keep and eye out for…

CYA Conference https://www.cyaconference.com

KidLitVic http://www.kidlitvic.com

Next chapters

With submissions to agents and publishers opening in earnest in February I’ve begun to put together a new portfolio. This is why I’ve been a little distracted and not quite so active on the socials. 

I’ve been developing a new style and exercising my thoughts attending intensive courses with Australian Writers Centre. So I have researched the literary agents I would love to work with. Very scientifically, basing it all entirely on the illustrators who I admire and are represented by them. 

In this process I've also listed the Australian publishers who I see my work fitting neatly into their lists. Most of course don’t take unsolicited manuscripts but it is good to have goals.

Soon I’ll be updating my portfolio and bringing it all together as a package for attendance at KidLitVic again this year. The line up this year looks great, I'm hoping to meet a lot of people!

Cheers,