“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!” Part 6: Meet Your Illustrator!

This is Part 6 of my blog series on publishing a children's book.  If you missed the first articles, read
“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!”: Part 1!
Part 2: Know your Publishers!
Part 3: Two Ways to Self-Publish
Part 4: Self-publishing Author’s First Step
Part 5: Choosing Your Self-publishing Company

Yes!! NOW it’s time to get the art together for your book! Incidentally, this is usually the part people are most excited about and try to do first. If that is you --yes, YOU-- go back and read the last 5 posts! There are a bunch of other things you need to deal with first. Trust me.

You can hire a freelance illustrator yourself or use someone provided by the self-publishing company. Hiring a freelancer yourself will most likely give you the most choices, though if you want to get an estimate for the publisher’s illustration service rates and see their artists’ portfolios, you can determine if their work quality and cost would be right for you. So either way, let’s figure out who Mr. or Ms. Right will be...

Okay, wait, I lied. One more thing:
Call your publisher and find out this important info your illustrator will need to know:
• What are the specs for the size book you are going to produce?
(Specs are the measurements an illustrations will need to be, including a bleed edge. Ask for single page and spread (double-page) sizes as well as the cover. Some people will tell you that it doesn’t matter, they can work with any size but that could become an image quality issue later. Artists usually create the illustrations in actual book size so that the art will be as true to what was created when reproduced as possible.)
• Is there a design format for the cover the artist must use?
• Do they provide scanning services? If yes, you may need to pay them an extra fee for this  If not, ask at what resolution will the art need to be scanned. Usually 300 dpi is the norm for art, but it varies.

To choose an illustrator, start by doing some internet research:
• Check out illustrator web sites for an online portfolio or book list.  Try looking through the illustrator portfolios on SCBWI (Society for Children’s Book Illustrators and Writers).  (I'm listed here, too!)

• Visit your local bookstore and look for books with art created by illustrators in your community. Often, contact information can be found in or on the book itself or from the publisher. If you are interesting in using an illustrator who is from your local area who does not have a web presence, call and ask to arrange a meeting where you can view his or her portfolio in person.

• Look for an illustrator whose work catches your eye. The illustrator’s site may have samples of different styles and materials in which the artist works and maybe a listing of the type of projects the illustrator is interested in working on.

• If the illustrator’s current work doesn’t look like the type of style you had in mind, move on. Some artists say they are willing to work in or copy “any style”. My advice is be wary of that claim and stick with an artist who shows a consistent approach so you can better know what to expect when they create the art for your unique project.

• Styles in illustrating are widely varied and good illustrators pride themselves on their unique personal styles. It’s difficult to categorize, but you see everything from highly realistic (Chris van Allsburg) to abstract (Eric Carle), minimalist (Roger Priddy) to painterly (Tasha Tudor) to cartoonish (Dr. Suess).

• The materials used often dictate the overall look of the final book as well. Typical materials include watercolor, pencil, charcoal, colored pencil, acrylic or oil paint, ink/marker, pastels, and digital software. Block printing, textiles or photography can also be used in illustration.  Again, select an illustrator whose work shows experience in using the style and materials that most reflect your vision for the book.


Okay, so now you have found the perfect person to bring your book to life! What next? Check my next blog post for the answer...

“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!” Part 5: Choosing Your Self-publishing Company

This is Part 5 of my blog series on publishing a children's book. 
If you missed the first articles, read
“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!”: Part 1!
Part 2: Know your Publishers!
Part 3: Two Ways to Self-Publish
Part 4: Self-publishing Author’s First Step

First, you had your manuscript makeover. Now, choose your publisher!

The best thing to do next if you plan to use a self-publishing company is to research which companies will be able to produce the product you want, figure out all of the technical aspects the company needs from you, and get an idea of cost.

Self-Publishing Companies:
Here is a list of some popular self-publishing companies out there today:

AuthorHouse

Dog Ear Publishing

Infinity

iUniverse

Lulu.com

Outskirts Press

Trafford Publishing

Wordclay

Xlibris

I have used and recommend Dog Ear Publishing. I found that their design options, product quality, internet sales set-up, POD convenience and overall cost worked the best for me. I know authors who have used other self-publishers for different reasons and have had good experiences with them as well. Who you choose depends on what your wants and needs are, what works for your project, and what you want to spend.

Be wary of companies that claim no costs at all. They should be straight-forward about what they charge, and believe me, they will charge you something. Dog Ear actually has a good cost/services-comparison resource for this on their site. (Mind you, they are trying to sell you their company's services, but it has honest stats.)

What to ask:
Research, and if you can talk to a representative, do so. Ask a lot of questions if their web site does not give you all of the information you need. Make sure you find out the following things:
• Does the author retain all copyrights, publishing rights, and ISBN number (If no, look elsewhere.)?
• What retailers and e-retailers will your book be listed with?
• Does the publisher provide a web page or publisher web presence for you or your book? Is that included in cost?
• How are author royalties determined and paid? *
• What document formats will they accept for manuscript/illustration submissions?
• Do they provide image scanning services? Is there an extra fee for that service?
• How long will it take to produce the book and have it print- and sale-ready?
• How long does it take for the company to complete author web site and other marketing materials?
• Does the company do any marketing of your book at all as part of their publishing package?
• How quickly does their POD service print and ship a book?
• How many children’s book authors do they publish at this time?
• Are there extra fees for producing a full-color children’s book?
• Is there a paperback or hardcover option?
• How long will the book be listed in their catalog?
• What if you want to pull your book from their catalog?
• Who owns the digital productions files used to create your book?
• Is there a way for you to track your sales?
• Ask the publisher if they could send you a sample of a book similar to the type you wish to publish, or purchase one yourself.

*Most publishers (traditional, too) pay royalties in yearly quarters, well after the quarter is finished. It’s not unusual to be paid in March for the quarter that ends in December, and so on.

Questions for YOU:
As far as gathering information on what the company will charge for their publishing services, you have to have some idea of what you're going to need.  The information you will need to give your publisher to determine cost will be:
• # of pages
• Size of book
• Hardcover or paperback or both
• Will you need them to provide a cover design and/or illustrations?
• Will you need to use their editing services (You should have already done this but if not, last chance!)?
• # of images
• Color or black and white
• Will you want extra marketing services and merchandise?

Decision time:
This information should help determine your cost of services and your per book cost. Now, compare the services from each of the candidates and decide which one produces the best product and services for the money you will spend.
Check the Better Business Bureau where your publisher is located, Predators and Editors web site, and if possible, contact other children’s book authors who have used that publisher and find out if they recommend their services.

It’s almost the time to finally choose that illustrator who will magically bring your children’s book idea into reality. I’ll blog about what you need to know to find just the right person for the job in my next article!...

“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!” Part 4: Self-publishing Author’s First Step

This is Part 4 of my blog series on publishing a children's book. 
If you missed the first articles, read  
“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!”: Part 1!
Part 2: Know your Publishers!
Part 3: Two Ways to Self-Publish


So, you’re going to self-publish! Congratulations! You join a growing community of people who are taking advantage of modern technology to make their voices heard. This is my advice for you if you are going to self-publish a children’s book.

Start with a Manuscript Makeover:
The first thing you should do is have someone else read, correct and critique your writing. You may need to hire a professional editor. Hire your own person from your local community, or some self-publishing companies have those services available. (I’d prefer to have the editing done before I even deal with the self-publishing company. Traditional publishers use their own in-house editors so if you are submitting to agents/commercial publishers I’d would not bother hiring your own editor.).

• Especially for children’s book genre, read it OUT LOUD. Read it to yourself and to others, preferably to children who are the age for whom your book is supposed to appeal.

• If you don’t know anyone who can help with this, there are critique groups out there you can join, or try social networking sites or children’s book/writers organizations where you might be able to contact fellow writers who are willing to read and give feedback.

• Know any teachers? They might invite you read to their class. They can also give good feedback on appropriate vocabulary and length of the writing.

• Your local children’s librarian may be a good resource for feedback about your wiring as well. He or she may be willing to critique your story themselves or read it to a story hour group.

• If you ask professionals to do editing for you, you should offer them fair compensation. Remember that this is just part of the investment in your project you may have to make.

• Be prepared to make changes for all sorts of reasons. Follow your vision but be open to advice about your writing style, mechanics, organization and concept. It’s not easy to take criticism, and you have to take personal opinions and taste into account, but remember that the people giving you feedback mean well and want you to succeed.

It takes me at least a half dozen drafts, and even then the editing process can continue for me throughout the process of doing my illustrations. I usually end up with at least 10-12 revisions, sometimes suggested by my editor, sometimes my own changes. I also like to step away and let some time go by, then re-read when I feel like I can look at the manuscript with a fresh eye.

Once your manuscript is truly ready for print, then it’s time for the next step. I’m going to walk through the process of using a self-publishing company in my next post...