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Hi everyone!

The illustrator I had scheduled for today did not get the interview questions into me, so since I usually pick my favorites for the first half of the year in June, I decided to post those illustrations a few weeks early. I have provided the link to each illustrator’s featured post, so you can link over if you missed visiting on their Saturday and to make it easy for you to see if you would have chosen a different picture. Believe me it’s not easy to pick just one illustration when so many are exceptional. I listed them in chronological order.

MICHELLE HENNINGER

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/illustrator-saturday-michelle-henninger/

ANA OCHOA

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/illustrator-saturday-ana-ochoa/

SUZANNE KAUFFMAN

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/illustrator-saturday-suzanne-kauffman/

BOB MCMAHON

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/01/25/illustrator-saturday-bob-mcmahon/

CAROL HEYER

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/illustrator-saturday-carol-heyer/

KAREN LEE

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/illustrator-saturday-karen-lee/

JENNIFER THERMES

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/illustrator-saturday-jennifer-thermes/

MICHAEL DOOLING

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/illustrator-saturday-michael-dooling/

WENDY MARTIN

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/illustrator-saturday-wendy-martin/

ELISABETH ALBA

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/03/08/illustrator-saturday-elisabeth-alba/

MIKE CRESSY

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/illustrator-saturday-mike-cressy/

MELANIE HOPE-GREENBERG

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/03/22/illustrator-saturday-melanie-hope-greenberg/

LYN STONE

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/03/29/illustrator-saturday-lyn-stone/

CHRISTOPHER DENISE

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/04/12/illustrator-saturday-christopher-denise/

DANA MARTIN

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/04/19/illustrator-saturday-dana-martin/

ERIC FREEBERG

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/illustrator-saturday-eric-freeberg/

OMAR ARANDA

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/illustrator-saturday-omar-aranda/

DENISE CLEMMENSEN

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/05/10/illustrator-saturday-denise-clemmensen/

ALISON JAY

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/05/17/illustrator-saturday-alison-jay/

Let me know if you would have picked other illustrations. Hope you have a great long weekend, kicking off summer.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Jersey Farm Scribe here on…

Researching Agents

A completed, polished and ready to be submitted manuscript is a beautiful thing. Now it just has to find a home! But not just ANY home. It has to be just right.

You want the world to see this manuscript! See it’s creativity, it’s uniqueness and the joy it will bring others!

You’ve written your query letter and you’re ready to track your submissions.

But who should you submit to?

If you’re like me, the first thing you think to yourself is…

ANYONE AND EVERYONE!!!!

Then I have sit back… rein in my crazy… and remind myself… absolutely nothing is for everyone.

Plus, agents want to know that I’m submitting to them for a reason specific to my manuscript and not feel like I’m just going down a list sending to everyone who popped up when I Googled “Picture Book Agent”.

And wouldn’t you?

Some agents receive 100s of queries a DAY! That’s a LOT to shift through. It’s important that they immediately know that you are submitting to them because there is something special about THEM that makes the manuscript a good fit.

Okay, okay. So I’ll only submit to agents who are a good fit. How do I find that out??

Research!! Research!! And more research!! 

Newsletters like Publishers Lunch and sites like Publishers Weekly contain valuable information about deals being made and what’s going on in the industry. This can keep you in the loop about what specific agencies are looking for, or where they think the industry is trending.

Websites like Writer’s Digest have all kinds of agent lists to give you a good starting point of who to look into.

Social media like Twitter or Facebook are excellent ways to learn a bit about the agent personally. You can learn a lot from reading through their posts. You may even find them talking about their MSWL (manuscript wish list)!!

Blogs like this one! Kathy frequently has wonderful posts about what an agent or publisher is looking for. You can also check out blogs like Guide to Literary Agent, and Literary Rambles.

GOOGLE THEM! (Did you know Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary officially listed “Google” as a verb in 2006? Crazy!!)  

Before submitting to ANY one, I do a THOROUGH Google stalk… I mean search. I read and re-read every interview I can find with them it. I look at what conferences they attend and what organizations they are a part of. I look up who their past and current clients are and read interviews of them.

And it’s worth it. Being able to say in my query letter that I was drawn to their definition of literary development in their 2007 interview with such-and-such is a great way to show that I’ve done my research!

Which leads me to my last…. And possibly most important point:

BE HONEST! Most of this is obvious. Don’t say you attended a conference they were at if you didn’t, don’t say you were referred to them by someone if you weren’t.

But it’s more than that.

You don’t want to portray yourself as someone you’re not. Don’t say you align with their thoughts on where MG novels were trending towards if you really don’t.

Oh why not? What’s the harm of buttering them up a bit? It doesn’t REALLY matter.

But it does.   In this relationship, trust and honestly MATTER.

While there is obviously no need to tell them you do NOT agree with a comment they made, or hated the last book deal they signed, it can be detrimental to the future relationship to say anything that is not an accurate representation of who you are, as both a writer a professional and a person.

The relationship with your future agent will be a give and take that will rely on trust and mutual respect. As innocent as it may seem, you do not want this connection to start off based on a bait and switch tactic.

When you DO land an agent, it will become an important relationship in your life.

Like other important relationships, not everyone is the perfect match and there is some vetting out that is done on both sides before coming together.

You and your agent will join forces and present your manuscript — your blood, sweat and tears, your creation — out into the world. You don’t want that to be a person you just picked off of a list!

It’s worth it, to do the footwork, see who’s out there, and truly find the place your work will be happiest to call home.

______________________________________________________________

Erika Wassall is a writer, a farmer and a liver of life. She is a member of SCBWI and a proud Mad Scientist, bringing science experiments right into children’s classrooms, and hearts. She has a small farm in New Jersey with sheep, chickens, pigs and vegetables. Check out her new website at www.TheJerseyFarmScribe.com where as a first generation farmer, she often takes the long way, learning the tricks of the trade on The Farm. On her website is also The Shop page with tips and a free Q/A from her husband’s mechanic shop, and The Writer page where she shares stories, experiences and characters from the heart. Follow her on Twitter at @NJFarmScribe. She’d love to hear from you!

Thank you Erika for another great post.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Hope everyone has a wonderful July 4th. I am sure you will want to help the two illustrators in this post celebrate their recent successes. First, I want to show off and congratulated illustrator Tory Novikova for her new book. She has a BFA from Pratt Institute in Communication Design: Graphic Design & Illustration and is the mastermind behind Torynova Couture- uniting art with fashion.

http://torynovacouture.com/

Illustrator Michelle Kogan is having a solo painting exhibit in Chicago: Narratives of Nature Watercolors by Michelle Kogan. It’s going to be at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago. Congratulations, Michelle. Please let us know all about it.

Enjoy the holiday!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

We’ve been toiling away to get everything set up for this years New Jersey SCBWI Conference registration. We’ve got a lot of cooks in the kitchen trying to get this feast on the table. Since every detail of what is going to happen during the conference will be on the online registration form, it has brought things up to the beginning that we would have done in April and May. Thus, the heavy lifting started in November. It’s more than just putting in the schedule. Example: Lots of applications had to be filled out so you could pay as soon as you register. One of the hold ups is on the approval end of making this happen. Meanwhile, we are working on the set up.

You will be able to click a button and read the bios for each faculty member and see their likes and dislikes before clicking the button to sign up for one of the times still available.

Each workshop will have a detail button that will describe the session.

I have set up an email for everyone on the faculty doing critiques, so this year you will not have to spend money mailing in your manuscript, because you will be able to e-mail it anytime before the deadline to the e-mail provided on the registration form. In years past, some of you had made plans for a vacation with your family, which made it hard to submit your manuscript in on time. This method eliminates these problems and it also reduces the amount of manuscripts we have to juggle. I think we had close to 300 critiques last year, so many hands had to be available to get them out the door and in the right hands.

There have been corrections on the schedule from last week. I have made some of them, but check again on Friday. I should be able to check and correct what I put up, so you can get ready for opening day. Also, I made a few changes in the individual faculty schedules. This was made with an eye for trying to put as many critiques on the schedule that would not take you out of a workshop. There still are some, but many less than last year. Also check the individual schedules later this week. I am working to get more information about their likes and dislikes on each schedule.

If you sign up for an Intensive, the three critique option, take a consultation spot, register for a First Page Session, do a pitch, and sit with a different editor/agent at lunch on Saturday and Sunday, you will meet 9 different editors/agents without even counting the workshops, Pitch Critique Session, and other networking available.

We are including a box lunch with the Intensive Workshops on Friday. The editors and agents will be eating their lunches with you before the start of the workshop. This provides another opportunity to network. This year we have included a beginners level Children’s Book Writing 101 for all the new people starting out. There is so much to learn. Most of us have spent years learning all the things we need to know. You should be able to cut off a few years by attending this 4 hour session. Anita Nolan is teaching it and she does a great job. If you are new to the field, you will learn so much.

Last year we had our first Mix and Mingle with all the editors, agents, art directors and authors. It was a tremendous success. I personally introduced members to editors and agents. I know of two where I made a match, so you should try to attend. It is fun on top of providing a lot of time to talk with everyone.

You can sign up to do the Writer’s Critique Group on Saturday night after dinner. The only thing I ask is that you do not sign up if you do not plan to do the critiques for the other people in you group. It is very disappointing to the other member who have spent their precious time to critique your writing and then not show up.

I started thinking, what about the poor illustrators? Why haven’t I planned a group for them in

I will have a piece in this show, “Snow Queen” Mixed Media original.

Date: Friday, April 29th
Time: 7PM-11PM
Location: Dogwood Studio & Art Gallery

Pistol Productions presents BOUND! A one night group art exhibit inspired by your favorite books, stories, and characters! The show takes place Friday, April 29th @ Dogwood Studio & Art Gallery in Ventura (next to Architexture Hair Salon).

WE’RE HAVING A BOOK DRIVE FOR WRITE ON! FOR LITERACY! DONATE A BOOK TO WRITE ON! AND YOU COULD WIN A FREE TATTOO AND MANY MORE GREAT PRIZES!!
Write On! For Literacy is a Ventura-based organization founded in 2001 to empower youth through reading and writing. PLEASE DONATE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN, MIDDLE-GRADE READERS, AND YOUNG ADULT BOOKS. Books must be new or in very good condition.

The notion of art inspired by literature is certainly nothing new. Just as Michelangelo was moved to pick up his paintbrush after reading Dante’s The Divine Comedy so countless artists have been inspired in his wake by the written word. Join us and see an amazing collection of art inspired by literature!

Music by DJ Also
BURLESQUE performance by Lucille Highball! She’ll be performing a routine inspired by a character in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland”! Come to the show to find out who she chose!

More than 15 So Cal artists, have searched the recesses of their bookshelves and will be creating something inspired by a certain title or character that has impacted their lives…..

LIKE Pistol Productions:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pistol-Productions/125592074140176

LIKE Dogwood Studio:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dogwood-Studio/106261389412731

For more information about Write On! For Literacy, please visit www.writeonbooks.org.

Juried Art Exhibit and Portfolio Display and Contest June 4th and 5th.

Come out and meet Leeza Hernadez, Former 2011 Tomie dePaola Award winner and Katia Wish 2011 Tomie dePaola Award winner at the conference.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Only 10 days left to get the “Early Bird” pricing for the June 3-5, 2011 New Jersey SCBWI Conference being held in Princeton, NJ.

http://www.newjerseyscbwi.com/events/110604%20conference.shtml 

You may pay by using PayPal.  Just go to www.paypal.com. Figure up your total, add $10 and send it to [email protected]. PayPal does not charge the sender a fee for using their service.  You will still need to snail mail your registration or if you have a scanner, you can scan and e-mail.  
 
FIRST TIMERS:  We have a special session for you to get the most out of your conference experience. Sign up on the registration form near the bottom of the first page.  

BOOKFAIR: If you are a published author and plan to participate in the book signing, you need to let Kelly [email protected] know what books need to be ordered.  We are having a bookstore in Princeton sell the books. This is another reason to sign up early.  We are planning to do local promotion this year, so if you register late, you may miss this important opportunity.
 
ILLUSTRATORS:  We are having our Fourth Annual Logo Contest.  The winner will be recognized, receive an award at the June Conference and will have their artistic logo with their name appear printed on the tote bags given to the faculty.  The top three winners will be invited to the Faculty Dinner on Saturday night. Here is how you can enter:
 
Tote Bag Logo will need to be 4″ wide by 6″ high and submitted at 300 dpi resolution. 
 
Other possible sizes for additional give-a-ways:
6″ wide X 2″ high
3″ wide X 4″ high
5″ wide X 3″ high
4″ wide X 6″ high
 
There isn’t any shadowing in logo art, so it must be solid one color art.  Print color white.  If you can use Photoshop, send the art with a transparent background.  If not, we will take out the background. The picture on the left is this year’s faculty bag. You can submit more than one design, so even if you don’t get chosen for the tote bag you may get your work printed on one of the other size items above.  

Please e-mail to: [email protected] by April 8, 2011. Make sure you use your name in the file names you submit.  And put ” 2011 Logo Contest” in the Subject area.   

See Last Year’s Winner

Click for Runners-ups

Other Submissions

Illustrators’ Exhibit: 

3rd Annual Illustrators Day
Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010
Princeton Hyatt Regency, NJ

Back by popular demand, Laurent Linn, art director at Simon&Schuster BFYR returns to NJ SCBWI. We invite illustrators to participate in this exciting and exclusive day to help them perfect their craft and hone their skills all for the love of art and children’s books. The day involves a pre-assigned illustration project supplied by an allotted art director from a major publishing house which encourages artists to expand their minds—and portfolios. Portfolio reviews, networking opportunities and specialized workshops are also on the line-up. If you haven’t attended one yet, make this YOUR year. Numbers are limited and the spots sell fast, so hop to it and reserve your place today! Second art director and further details to be announced soon.

How it Works:

We have two Art directors.  Each will have 10 illustrators in their group. 

1.  Weeks before the Day, Leeza Hernandez (Our Illustrator Coordinator) will send out the text from the books that each AD submits. 

2.  Each illustrator will reveiw the text to see which book and double page spread they want to work on.

3.  Then each of the illustrators do a preliminary sketch from what they chose and that is submitted back to the Arit Director to critique. 

4.  The AD suggestions get sent to the illustrators.  Then the illustrators use the suggestions and complete the artwork for the double page spread.

5.  Everyone brings their finished double page spread with the original sketch on the day.

6.  Each is displayed and discussed during the morning.

7.  Everyone gets a portfolio critique in the afternoon with the other Art Director.

8.  Leeza will fill you in on other workshops going on during the day.

I have participated in the past and it is a lot of work, but it is a great experience and it give you a true idea about the process of working with an Art Director and creating a picture book.  Hope you will come out.

Talk Tomorrow,

Kathy

2 Comments on Illustrators’ Day – November 14th, last added: 8/2/2010