- Joined
- Jul 3, 2006
- Messages
- 1,197
- Reaction score
- 327
- Location
- North Carolina
- Website
- www.ursulavernon.com
Oy, an unwieldy title, but brevity was never my strong suit.
I'm an artist. I paint lots of cute animals and weird critters and whatnot. I do it for a living.
That's not the problem. I love my job.
The problem is that now and again--oh, fairly regularly, once a month or so--I get an e-mail from a writer who says something along the lines of "Hi, I'm working on a kid's book, I love your stuff, I'm hoping to get my book published and I think it would really impress the publisher if I had illustrations, what do you charge?"
And then I have to get out my spirit crushing hat and try to explain as kindly as possible to this nice person that as much as I'd like to take their money, Publishers Don't Want No Stinkin' Illustrations (unless, so far as I know, you're the writer/artist, in which case you wouldn't be talking to me anyway.) I usually also try to explain that the publisher is the one who should be paying for the illustrations, not the author, and that if anything, having them include my illustrations would mark their submission as unprofessional, and might hamper their efforts.
Worse is when they try to hire me to do a cover for a novel for the same reasons, but that may be another kettle of fish.
The problem is that here I am dumping all this practically-unsolicited advice on some well-meaning soul who had the misfortune to like my art, and I get the impression that many of them smile and nod and go on to the next artist. After all, why should they listen to me? I draw hamsters wearing fezes, I'm not a publisher.
So is there any handy link that anyone could point me to that I could then point these nice people to? A children's book writer's guide to working with artists, or Why You Don't Hire The Artist, or something like that?
And if I'm totally out to lunch in my assessment of the field, I'd like to know that, too!
I'm an artist. I paint lots of cute animals and weird critters and whatnot. I do it for a living.
That's not the problem. I love my job.
The problem is that now and again--oh, fairly regularly, once a month or so--I get an e-mail from a writer who says something along the lines of "Hi, I'm working on a kid's book, I love your stuff, I'm hoping to get my book published and I think it would really impress the publisher if I had illustrations, what do you charge?"
And then I have to get out my spirit crushing hat and try to explain as kindly as possible to this nice person that as much as I'd like to take their money, Publishers Don't Want No Stinkin' Illustrations (unless, so far as I know, you're the writer/artist, in which case you wouldn't be talking to me anyway.) I usually also try to explain that the publisher is the one who should be paying for the illustrations, not the author, and that if anything, having them include my illustrations would mark their submission as unprofessional, and might hamper their efforts.
Worse is when they try to hire me to do a cover for a novel for the same reasons, but that may be another kettle of fish.
The problem is that here I am dumping all this practically-unsolicited advice on some well-meaning soul who had the misfortune to like my art, and I get the impression that many of them smile and nod and go on to the next artist. After all, why should they listen to me? I draw hamsters wearing fezes, I'm not a publisher.
So is there any handy link that anyone could point me to that I could then point these nice people to? A children's book writer's guide to working with artists, or Why You Don't Hire The Artist, or something like that?
And if I'm totally out to lunch in my assessment of the field, I'd like to know that, too!
