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Please note: The names below are of the agents who had the most children’s book deals report to Publishers Marketplace by a publisher, agent, or author. It is just a snapshot in time. When I ran the numbers in the beginning of the year, the names and numbers were different. Also you should know for various reasons not all deals are reported to Publishers Marketplace.

Many agents represent children’s books and adult books. Only children’s book deals were used. This is the type of information you can access if you sign up for the paid subscription to Publishers Marketplace. I consider this important information and part of the cost of doing your homework.

1. Jennifer Laughran (Andrea Brown Literary Agency)
has had 27 deals in the this category during the last 12 months - 4 six-figure+ deals Most recent deal in this category: April 9, 2013 – 11 PB – 11 MG – 8 YA

2. Ammi-Joan Paquette (Erin Murphy Literary Agency)
has had 26 deals in this category during the last 12 months - 3 six-figure+ deals Most recent deal in this category: April 3, 2013 - 9 PB – 7 MG – 12 YA

3. Erin Murphy (Erin Murphy Literary Agency)
has had 24 deals in this category during the last 12 months – 1 six-figure+ deal Most recent deal in this category: April 4, 2013 – 19 PB – 9 MG – 2 YA

4. Sara Crowe (Harvey Klinger)has had 21 deals in this category in the last 12 months – 12 six-figure+ deals Most recent deal in this category: April 10, 2013 – 11 MG - 14 YA

5. Holly McGhee (Pippin Properties) had 19 deals in this category in the last 12 months – 14 six-figure+ deals Most recent deal in this category: April 5, 2013 – 16 PB – 5 MG

6. Kelly Sonnack (Andrea Brown Literary Agency) has had 17 deals in this category in the last 12 months  - 2 six-figure+ deals Most recent deal in this category: February 26, 2013 – 14 PB – 3 MG - 1 YA 

7. Tina Wexler (ICM) has had 15 deals during this category in the last 12 months  Most recent deal in this category: March 20, 2013 – 2 PB - 8 MG – 7 YA

8. Rosemary Stimola (Stimola Literary Studio)has had 14 deals in this category during the last 12 months – 16 six-figure+ deals Most recent deal in this category: April 2, 2013 – 3 PB - 8 MG – 2 YA

9. Sarah Davies (Greenhouse Literary Agency)has had14 deals in this category in the last 12 months – 20 six-figure+ deals Most recent deal in this category: March 27, 2013 – 3 MG – 13YA

10.Paul Rodeen (Rodeen Literary Management) has had 14 deals in this category in the last 12 months – 2 six-figure+ deals Most recent deal in this category: April 10, 2013 – 13 PB – 1 MG

11. Brenda Bowen (Sanford J. Greenburger Associates) has had 13 deals in this category during the last 12 months - 7 six-figure+ deals Most recent deal in this category: February 15, 2013 – 10 PB – 3 MG – 2 YA

12. Teresa Kietlinski (Prospect Agency) 13 deals in this category during the last 12 months.  Most recent deal in this category: March 26, 2013 – 12 PB – 4 MG

I spent the last week in Amherst, Mass, for the Illustration Master Class. It's an intensive weeklong illustration boot camp focusing on fantasy, sci-fi, and children's illustration. I was one of fifteen faculty members and guest speakers. Follow the link above to see more about it, and look at pictures from previous years. It's really kind of an amazing program. Faculty assistant Julia Griffin called it "Hogwarts for Illustrators," which could be more right.



I don't have any of my own photos from the week, but here are shots of me working on an assignment at the IMC courtesy of Kim Kincaid. Note that in the background there is original art by Dan Dos Santos, Rebecca Guay, Gregory Manchess, and Jeff Mack.

Anyway, during my lecture I tried something a little risky. I put up the cover to my next novel, COLD CEREAL, and asked the hundred-odd students to critique it. Here's what they saw:



They had a lot to say. It was unfocused. It was like "visual hopscotch," as one woman put it. The row of windows cut the composition in half in kind of an unappealing way. The door should be bigger. The hero should be bigger. They were right about everything.



That's what I ended up with after I'd processed their suggestions. It's a much stronger cover now, in my opinion.

I wouldn't normally show this cover so early, since the book doesn't come out until February, but I want the IMC alumni to see what I've done. Thanks again to the students, and to Rebecca Guay for putting the whole program together.

Hello, hello! Hooray, its my fortieth blog post!

Today, I'm going to change things up a bit; I'd like to get personal. Come, scootch closer.
After this bit, I'll share a new piece!

I want to talk about an experience I had a while back that has somehow slipped under the blog radar. It was in June that I attended the Illustration Master Class' Open Studio with my buddy Scott Brundage. First off, I really enjoyed hours of car-ride with Scott talking about art and illustration, business practices, and everything else under the sun. Its always nice to have someone to talk to who is in the same boat as you. Anyway, this year's IMC featured Rebecca Guay, Greg Machess, Irene Gallo, Scott Fischer, and Charles Vess. What a lineup. The Open Studio is basically that: after a week of workshop and lecture, the studio is open to the public so that you can see some sweet paintings.

All of the artwork is fantasy-based as that is the focus; I gathered that the faculty gives a choice of assignments and the artists produce a piece within the week. First, let me say that the paintings were really intimidating. Not being a painter, what they do is a magical mystery to me. So many pieces were so impressive and inspirational. However, the most inspirational aspect of the open studio was the first thing I saw upon walking in the door:

Everyone was sketching! Like madmen! IMC provides a complimentary sketchbook to anyone who attends the workshop, and the artists were passing them around getting and giving sketches. Wow. I think I spent most of my time there just watching so many artists sketch! Doing so really opened my eyes; their skills and confidence were amazing. Its really inspired me to just attack my sketchbook as much as possible. I'm really enjoying it, and I think its helping my confidence in my work.

Also, just seeing actual physical paintings by the faculty was also quite inspiring. They really make you want to pick up a brush and join in. Also making you want to be a part of the group is the genuine friendliness of everyone there. All of the faculty and "students," were so familiar and friendly with each other. It was like being in a room filled with a giant group of friends. And they are so welcoming of new faces to the field; there does not seem to be the competitiveness I associate with editorial illustration. Everyone there just shared a passion to make beautiful images.

That really spoke to me. Artists working as illustrators that put creating a beautiful image before a clever concept. Its really something else, and it is very appealing. Its made me want to focus more on that type of imagery with my self-initiated work. I was going to work on a body of fast black/white newspaper editorial work in hope of getting into some of the larger newspapers, but I think I will focus on more poster/book oriented images.

We'll see what happens! And here's the artwork for the post:

Football illustrations during summer? Seems to be a trend for me.

Dennis Huynh, art director of Cincinnati Magazine, emailed me recently with a new illustration challenge. The article was to be about Cincinnati's semi-pro football league. It consists of mostly blue-collar workers volunteering to live out their football dreams. I was very excited about working with Dennis again after our "Nerdcore" collaboration so I readily accepted the challenge. Dennis lined up a blurb for me to work from, and I provided these sketches:
The blurb described the league's players as "heroes" for football fans that were tired of watching the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals lose. I latched onto that sentence, and I sketched up this idea of the players as heroes a la Superman/Clark Kent.
Continuing the "secret identity" motif, this sketch was a play off of helmets. I liked the idea of a welder flipping up his helmet to reveal a football helmet facemask beneath.
This last sketch is more action-oriented, however, I also felt it was the obvious solution; its the "safe" sketch: the sketch the art director can choose if my other concepts are too abstract.

Luckily, Dennis and I think alike! He chose the first sketch, and I was so excited to render the final art:
I provided two versions (a different color background), and Dennis chose the brighter of the two. I was super-psyched to add this piece to my portfolio, and I look forward to working with Dennis and Cincinnati Magazine again in the future!

Enjoy the Day,
Chris

I'll try to add more IMC info/pictures if/as I have time. But intro stuff went well. I'm only half-way jet-lagged/sleep deprived. Is great to see how many people I know from last year. Plus many more new friends to make. AND I have a fan in my dorm room + one in the studio (thanks to generous friends who were driving) - so I may survive the humidity. :-)

I'm going with the steam-punk Wicked Witch of Oz (I was critiqued by Boris Vallejo and Scott Fischer)-

(I have one more revised version since this scan, but ah well - Will post as I can.)


Which my darling mom posed for when she was visiting last month. Isn't she cute? And the best.sport.ever.!!

-has just opened registration for its 2009 incarnation. I debated and deliberated a bit - it not being that many months since the *last* one, but have decided to register for this years' as well. Partly because it was just a terrific, creative kick in the pants, and partly because Charles Vess is coming as faculty this go 'round.

I've made it through more than half of the goals I came back with from the last one, and am working on most of the others. If nothing else, it should help me to continue to refine and focus my professional energies and direction.

All good.