4/11 Grow your hiring network
Picturebook Illustrators get hired by Editors and Book Designers, not just Art Directors and Creative Directors.
And authors have a say too.
The more you have in your network the greater your chance of getting hired.
Picturebook Illustrators get hired by Editors and Book Designers, not just Art Directors and Creative Directors.
And authors have a say too.
The more you have in your network the greater your chance of getting hired.
Comments
3k-25k is not a lot of money...
Illustration advances might sound like a lot of money in themselves but you really need to consider that it's going to have to stretch over long periods of time typically a year or two.
Other illustrators are not 'the competition', they are your secret weapon.
Get valuable feedback and direction.
Get Recommendations for work.
Get Community.
Get inspiration.
Give more than you get.
Children's publishing tackles specific subject matter and values certain qualities more than others. These are the 5 things most valued.
1. Consistent Characters
2. Energetic Movement
3. Sweetness & Humor
4. Bright Color Palettes
5. Happy Animals
But agents do about 20% of the non art making work for about 20% of the fee. So having an agent just means you have more time to focus on the art.
20% of publishers only work with agented artist.
Choose your tradeoffs
Illustration work does allow you to have flexible working hours. And this is one of it's main appeals.
The trade off is erratic work and payment cycles.
Learning to manage both is the key.
Learning to use it well and developing a healthy working relationship with it will lead to more work and more happiness.