For the Fun of It - answering your book questions
FAQ! The questions I always get about all things books!
Hope you’re having a lovely week. It’s about time I do one of these frequently asked questions segments, from both kids and grown-ups alike. I was thinking of it recently, because it’s the ALA (the American Library Association) conference over in San Diego and I’m getting to spend some time with some book folks.
How are you doing?
Heyyy! I’m doing pretty good! It’s been a very strange year, but it’s mellowed out and I’ve been really feeling my art vibe lately. I feel like I’ve been refining what my art practice is, and that’s really cool.
How many books have you made?
I always have to count!! I’m up to 9. I can’t wait til I get to a dozen. Then I can just say “more than a dozen” until I get to two dozen. That’s been my plan since my first book.
Picture books I’ve written/illustrated:
Are We There, Yeti?
No, No, Gnome!
Hedgehog!
Graphic Novels
Shelby and Watts: Tide Pool Troubles
Shelby and Watts: A Mountain of a Problem
Board Books:
Boop the Snoot
Tickle Tickle, Little Tum
Books I’ve Illustrated:
The Grumpy Pirate
Little Narwhal, All Alone.
How did you start making books?
I didn’t actually draw much as a kid. I started drawing when I was a teenager, but I always loved reading and my mom took to me to so many author events. But it wasn’t ‘til I was in my 20s and working in animation that I realised you didn’t need a license or anything to write books. That was a revelation! I’ve been writing and drawing ever since.
What do you use to make your books?
As you can tell by this column, I LOVE mixed media. I generally use gouache (a matte, opaque, water-soluble paint, kind of like watercolor, and sometimes like acrylic). I also like color pencils, crayons, and inks. I almost always finish my pieces off in digital in some way- I usually do the paints/flats in traditional and the final ink-style line digitally (because of the undo button!).
How long does it take to make a book?
When kids ask me this question, I loooove to ask them back “how long do you think it takes to make a book?”. I’ve gotten anywhere from 15 minutes, to 12 weeks. The answer for me, is that because of publishing and waiting and notes, I’d say about a year. Sometimes ideas sit for much longer though- I have ideas I’ve been simmering since I was 15!.
How did you meet your agent?
I’m so lucky to have been working with Kelly Sonnack for many years. I actually signed with her the month after I met my husband, so it’s easy to remember the date- we’re at 10 years this past winter. I was supremely lucky to not have to go through the querying process. I met Kelly at an SCBWI event where she saw my portfolio and we got a chance to chat. I think it helped to talk with her in person first, and we could really get a sense of our creative vibe. The agent/author partnership is a unique one and I feel lucky that we get along well. I recommend visiting events like SCBWI or other author/illustrator events so you can meet agents and see what you’re looking for. I also recommend seeing who represents your favorite author/illustrators! When I looked up Kelly, I saw she repped Joy Ang, one of my favorite illustrators, and that made it easier.
How do you get a book published?
Getting a book published is a multi-step process! I’m going to share my traditional publishing experience because self-pub is a different jam. Here’s how a picture book experience works.
I have an idea! Wow, wow, what a thrill. It can take a while for the dough to come together. An idea might come pretty thinly, or it might come almost fully formed. It takes a while to let it sit- sometimes months, sometimes years.
Once I have the story mostly in my brain. I usually make a pretty rough version first. I will edit that back and forth a few times, and might even give it to my crit group for review. Then I send it to my agent.
My agent will usually let me know right away if she thinks it’s worth pursuing, or if there might not be a market for it. If we go ahead, we usually do some rounds of notes together. I prepare a “dummy”, basically a rough sketched out version of the whole book, and maybe 2-3 finished spreads.
Once it’s all ready, it’s time. We go out on submission (or “on sub”) with the rough dummy. My agent sends it to a select group of editors and we wait to hear back.
Sometimes, it’s a whole rejection! That’s sad. But then, sometimes someone wants it! They’ll make an offer, and we can choose to accept it. If you do, they pay an advance- usually about half up front, and we get started on the book with an editor! I have a timeline of deadlines that we work on together, so I can get the book in for a particularly season (Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter).
You get a bit more money when the book is finished usually, and sometimes the payment is even split between that and the pub date.
That whole process can take… gosh, 1, 2, or even 3 or more years. Publishing is SLOW!
How old are you?
For a little bit, when kids asked me this question, I would ask them “how old do you think I am?” but then the responses were TOO MUCH. Lately I’ve been saying, “I feel like I’m a thousand years old”, and make a tired face. They seem to laugh at that. Anyway, I’m in my 30s!!! That’s all I’ll say.
How many cats do you have?
We once again have 8 cats. BUT let me explain- we have 3 inside cats (Milo, Moose, and Luppy), and 5 feral outside cats (Zeus, Shadow, Squeaky Mama, Nala, and Peanut Butter). Yes, it’s too many cats.
Who is your favorite author?
I’ve loved Diana Wynne Jones since I was very small. I have a tattoo from “Fire and Hemlock”, one of her particularly strange books (I’ll write about that in a later column!). She was pretty popular in Canada but less so in the States, I think. She’s gotten more popular since the Howl’s Moving Castle movie. I’ve read almost everything she’s ever written- including the one-off earth day book (the LA library has one of the few hundred copies), and the first book she ever wrote (at the museum that has her papers in Newcastle).
I don’t have a question but-
One time, I gave a presentation, and I asked if there were any questions, and this girl got up and said “I am a cat. Meow, meow meow.” and sat back down.
What are you working on next?
I am the queen of a long to-do list. I have an unannounced picture book I’m working on illustrating!
For my own work, I’ve been banging away at a graphic novel pitch and another board book. I also have a pile of novels that have been simmering, and I’d really like to try editing something down properly. We’ll see!! I also have a few board books but they feel like they need a bit more time.
They finally added “Strands” to the NYT Games app!!! I’ve been really trying to not go on social media as much (I even installed an app blocker!! :O), and the games app has been my sneaky bit of fun distraction. Anyway, Strands was introduced to me by my super cool sister-in-law Liisa, and I have been hooked ever since.
I hope you like it!!
ok love u bye
Thank you for reminding me of Boop the Snoot - I need to get a copy of that one to my niece!!
Adam and I have this ritual where we'll play Connections on our lunch break on (a self-imposed) "hard mode": try to get the purples first, then the blues, greens, and yellows. (We're fun like that, haha!)