Earning a living. Week 5. pitching insight

Transcription

1 make art that sells illustrating children s books pitching insight Earning a living Week 5 Oliver Jeffers studio space in New York. Image from the Guardian newspaper. Theguardian.com/uk Earning a living as an artist can be hard, there s no doubt about it. It s hard graft, and initially the fees aren t great. Personally, as a human (and not just an art director) I have found it difficult at times to strike a balance between paying the bills and doing what I love. It can end up being quite stressful! But The good news is it won t always be this hard. You re here on this course, willing to learn and together we re getting you all set and ready to launch into the publishing world. And you know what? There are lots of other ways to maximize your earning potential while you re working in books. So this week I want to show you just a few of those options to get you started. Selling internationally Did you know you can sell your book internationally? Well you don t do the actual selling, the publishing team handles this for you, but it s a great way to earn more and raise your profile. Pitching Insight Earning a Living :: 1

2 The Bologna Book Fair, a specialist trade fair for Children s Books here in Europe. Each publisher has a stand where they showcase their books for international customers. blog.graphe.com Every publishing company around the world has a team of sales people, dedicated to selling your books to other companies around the world. The aim is to create a print run for the book that includes not just the UK edition, but perhaps the French, Spanish, German, Russian and US too. We call these foreign editions co-editions. Here s what you need to know about co-editions: You can earn money from your foreign editions, without having to do any more work hurray! These deals are subject to contract, but you will always be paid for the usage of your work. (Sometimes this is a flat fee, other times an advance + royalty) Co-editions are a great way to raise your profile and gain an international following. You might get commissioned for other projects as a result. You get to see your fabulous book all over the world, which is a treat. I still get excited when I m travelling and I see my own books or friend s books in the shops. :-) Here is one of my titles The Snatchabook. This sold in over ten languages around the world. The foreign publishers are allowed to tinker with the covers to make them best suit their book market. It s interesting for me to see the subtle changes between countries. Pitching Insight Earning a Living :: 2

3 How do my books sell internationally? Good question! Sadly there isn t a magic formula, but the publishing team will help steer your project to hit the mark. Sometimes an idea just doesn t work internationally an alphabet book for example won t translate (A is for Apple translates as pomme in French)! A rhyming text can be tricky too for the same reason. What about a book with cars and trucks which side of the road should they drive on? Which side of the car should the driver sit in? TOP TIP: To maximize international sales try to keep your idea universal and not locationspecific. thingamababy.com The answer? Well, we fudge it, and make the cars drive down the middle of the road, with the driver sitting somewhere vaguely near the center! There s always a way around the problem. As the Art Director it s my job to steer the visuals to hit the intended target audience and the editor will steer the concept and any text issues. You just need to be aware why one thing might work better than something else. The lovely Emma Carlisle at Bologna Book Fair in Pitching Insight Earning a Living :: 3

4 Can I go to these trade fairs? Yes! And I would absolutely recommend you do. They are hugely inspiring and insightful, giving you a quick snapshot of publishing from around the world. It s also overwhelming just how many books there are! The main ones to consider are: Bologna Children s Book Fair Frankfurt Book Fair Book Expo America (BEA) You can find lots more information online, and you will need to book tickets. TOP TIP: Trade fairs are a great place to network. If you are going, be prepared and make the most of the opportunity. There is a very helpful SURVIVAL GUIDE on Emma Carlisle s blog. Check it out! The artist/illustrator wall at the Bologna bookfair. Arists pin up contact sheets and business cards in the hope that they will get picked up for a new commission. nanna koekoek.com If you attend a trade fair put your work up on the illustrators wall and see if you get any fresh contacts. Or try and set up some appointments with publishers or agents. If you get a meeting, make sure you are properly prepared. Refer back to our previous weeks and make that portfolio knockout! Fiction covers and interior b&w illustrations Fiction work is an excellent way to supplement your income. The jobs are usually quick turnaround, and pay well. You might be offered a cover job as a standalone piece, or the brief might include some black & white spot illustrations for the interior too. They can be quite fun to do, especially after a long slog on a picture book. Look at these lovely examples on the next page! Pitching Insight Earning a Living :: 4

5 Top left to bottom right: Julia pickledink.com; Carson Ellis; Karl James Mountford@brightagency.com; Anna Bond@RiflePaper.com The black & white interior work will improve your drawings skill enormously. To get more work in this area make sure you show some good strong line work in your portfolio. Look at these inspiring examples: euan cooke /arenaillustration.com Pitching Insight Earning a Living :: 5

6 katehindley.com Beautiful mark-making in the Moomins by Tove Jannson. phoebe-bird.tumblr.com There s no right or wrong style when it comes to b&w artwork, but the most important thing to demonstrate is good, confident characters, that can move and have life! Licensing and products Lots of you have already done some of the other MATS courses, but if you haven t, then do check them out. Lilla knows her stuff and she has bags of information about how to get your art out there on different products in multiple markets, which can massively expand your income potential. Pitching Insight Earning a Living :: 6

7 TIP: Look through your sketchbook and drawings for characterbased icons that you can use in other formats, like stationery, or bolt fabric. You might see products in the shops that are derivatives from picture books, for example: Moomin, Peppa Pig, Beatrix Potter. These are usually created around a strong central character or a brand. If you design a character or concept for your book that has longevity and life beyond the printed page into apps, animation, TV etc, then GREAT! Definitely include those ideas in your killer pitch. If you can t come up with a brand character then don t fret it s really tough! I ve done this with the launch of the DYLAN series by Guy Parker-Rees, and I know just how much work goes into it. This is what you need to make a series book: A lot of time A lot of tinkering A lot of people A lot of patience TIP: TV and animation is big business right now in publishing. It was super hard work but so far so good. We are working on book 3 in the DYLAN series and in are development talks with an animation firm. We are all looking for characters and concepts that might diversify into this area where we can partner with animation and TV companies to develop the concepts. Pitching Insight Earning a Living :: 7