I'm A Beginner On Something New Almost Every Day

In my last blog I gave beginners a hard time.

But the fact is as I journey through this self-publishing world I become a beginner on some new facet of the business almost every day. Unless your self-publishing for fun or as a hobby it really should be a last resort option for making something a business.

I read a blog the other day from an author who had a 300 book pre-order on his new children's book. That's amazing success. But he was still willing to say that if he knew how much work it would be he wouldn't have done it.

End of today's sermon.

So I needed an illustrator for our first book. In a past life I had hired artists and worked with them for years. So I knew the terrain. The problem was if you're going to have any chance as a self-publisher the product has be as good as the best books at Borders. And in children's picture books the art is obviously pretty darn important.

The Internet made the search a tiny bit easier. I was able to see 3,000 plus portfolios online at various illustrator websites. Out of those 3,000 I wrote down about 10 names.

You have to remember that an artist working for a mid-size publishing house is going to get at least $5,000 for doing a picture book. Those folks have agents. You can't contact them. I wasn't paying that much anyway so there was no way. I contacted a few artists on my list that looked like they were still accepting projects. No I don't work with self-publishers. No I don't work with authors, only editors. No I don't work for that much. If you want a few illustrations I could do that but not a complete picture book. No I'm booked up because I'm so darn good. No, how did you get my email?

So what about those other 2,900 artists? I didn't see my main character in any of those portfolios. There was plenty of skill being demonstrated but as a graphics editor I'm after a look, a tone, a style. Or overwhelming talent. I didn't see it. There is such a big gap between good and professionally good. A lot of struggling artists don't get that. Writers are the same way. But if I don't find a professionally good artist my book is doomed before it's ever published.

For the first time in my adult career I was unable to fill a postion.

In desperation I put an ad in the SCWBI forums saying what I needed and how much I was paying. I really didn't want to do that because it was going to attract other people who were desperate. I was shocked and relieved at how few inquiries I received. A lot of people must have been to that rodeo already and been bucked off the horse.

Luckily for me Angela Ursillo sent me an email. Angela had never done a children's picture book. She was working as a production artist at a film company and wanted to try something else. I saw my main character - Daniel - in her portfolio. She did a professionally good job.

Unfortunately, I was a beginner at being a graphics editor of a children's book. More later.

Michael LaLumiere