UK author launches competition to find illustrator

Published UK author Brian John has announced a competition in his search for an illustrator. Most of us won't be able to enter since he's looking for West Wales talent, but I do find his approach intriguing. He has published about 30 books under the Greencroft Books label (his own publishing house).

As more authors start considering self-publishing (because of e-publishing possibilities, print-on-demand options, etc.), this may be one way for them to find illustrators. Because an illustrator would need to be willing to do work on spec upfront, however, they may only attract less experienced illustrators.

Testing our new Twitterfeed: @KidLitArtists

For those on Twitter who would like an easier way of getting notified when we update our blog, I've set up a Twitter account called KidLitArtists.

In theory (we'll see when I publish this post), any post made to our blog will automatically get posted to our Twitter account within a few minutes.

Comic: Picture Book Dummy

If you're not sure what a picture book dummy IS, check out Dummies For Smarties by Sarah Brannen.

The Idea Book

Authors have journals. Illustrators have sketchbooks. What about author/illustrators? Below is what I keep: a large scrapbook full of patterns, inspiration, drawings, writings, and 99.9% of the ideas that'll never-ever be published.

Where do you store your ideas?

Kerlan Children's Literature Research Collection, University of Minnesota

The Kerlan Children's Literature Research Collections at the University of Minnesota looks like an amazing place! Here's a video about Kate DiCamillo, using the collection to step back in time and see first drafts and illustration roughs for a few of her award-winning books: