How to Find an Incredible Illustrator for Your Picture Book

Mar 26, 2013 by Karen Doniere

Are you searching for a great illustrator for your picture book? If you’re like me, the initial search was daunting and frustrating. The awesome thing that worked in my favor is I’m married to a fantastic artist. But before making a final decision on an illustrator, you must honestly answer the following questions:

• what is your vision for the book?
• is a sequel in the works?
• how much are you willing to pay?

What is your vision for the project?

How have you envisioned the physical appearance of the characters? Can you carefully and tactfully relay this vision to the artist? How will you handle things if a disagreement arises? Communication is paramount to resolution of any disagreement. But, is a compromise possible? Just because you’ve compromised on an aspect of your illustrations doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve given up your vision. It simply means you chose an alternate route to accomplish your dream. There’s been several times where I’ve made concessions on how I’ve envisioned my characters and how my artist wanted to draw them. It was very personal for me to accept his adjustments, but they greatly improved the appearance and effectiveness of the illustrations.

Is a sequel in the works?

An important aspect of selecting an illustrator that I think many new writers overlook is IF they’re planning a second book, they may want to work with the initial illustrator again. Although I’m married to an artist, we debated about the difficulties we would face if we worked together on my first project but didn’t work together on the follow-up project. Would it compromise the integrity of my vision or the books’ characters? Would I have the funds to pay another illustrator? And, would I trust another illustrator with my characters? It hurts me to even think about Baby Bear and the gang looking different or less than stellar because I think they’re beautiful now.

How much will you pay?

I’ve often wondered how much I would be willing to pay for a free lance illustrator. At this point, we’re moving into the last round of revisions and my illustrator is working on the FINAL drawings. Yay! I guess the real question is how much would he or she charge for their services? I’m the kind of person who often fights for what I believe in no matter what obstacles are apparent. Based on what I know about me, I’m certain I wouldn’t mind paying for a reasonably priced experienced illustrator. How would I know if I picked the perfect artist for the project? I really think that when a situation is right you can just feel it. I’m certain my illustrator (the hubby) is the perfect person to bring Baby Bear and the gang and the challenges of surviving bullying to life for children ages 5 – 9. What’s your take?

Artists who rock!

1. Jenn Bower
2. Stacy Gray
3. Laura Zarrin
4. Vanessa Brantley-Newton

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Enjoying the process

Sep 24, 2012 by Karen Doniere

Maybe I’m in denial or I’m just rushing things, but I feel overwhelmed about the duration of the revision and illustrating process of my first children’s book. Yes, it’s true; I tend to rush through things once I become excited and then lose the excitement somewhere in the process. Has that happened? This summer my editor recently completed another round of revisions of the story which is the ninth revision by the way. She has literally transformed my bullying story into a mini-movie. Am I upset, frustrated, or grateful you may wonder? I’m extremely grateful for my editor, yet somewhat frustrated that it has taken so long to revise the story because I thought it would be completed by now. Although I’m not afraid of the revision process, it is duly wearisome; especially when I think the story is great the way it is and I don’t want to stray too far from the original concept.

Previously, I selected Author House to assist with self-publishing the children’s book because we shared a similar vision for the project. I do not regret my decision. I think I’ve mentioned this before…my illustrator is talented and awesome. My only issue with him is he has additional projects so he can’t dedicate his ‘all’ to my illustrations. When the book is finally completed, everyone will be in awe of the illustrations because he is a seasoned underground artist. I’m proud of him and honored to have him working with me on this project. A colleague emailed me recently and said I should enjoy the entire writing process. Is that too much to ask at this point? What’s your take?

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Daily Motivation

Jun 14, 2012 by Karen Doniere

How do you stay motivated to reach both your short-term and long-term goals when roadblocks often greet you along the way? Let’s face it, at one point or another, we’ve all felt like giving up on our dreams. Maybe you have a dream of losing weight, starting a blog, becoming a published author, joining a writer’s group, or climbing out of financial debt. Those are all commendable goals. What are some things you and I can do to stay positive on a daily basis when things aren’t going our way? What’s your take?

Top 6 things I do to help me stay positive:

• keep a mantra or favorite quote in mind or in visible sight.
• call a friend who can help motivate you.
• surround yourself with positive people.
• play a favorite motivational song.
• revisit the goal again tomorrow.
• take time to go for a walk.
• positive self talk.

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My Dirty Secret

Mar 9, 2012 by Karen Doniere

I wanted to share a poem I wrote last March when I was feeling some kind of way about debt. At some point, we’ve all had at least one negative encounter with debt herself. I wrote this poem in about five minutes. Afterward, I decided to finally get rid of my debt. I’m usually hesitant to share my poems because they are very personal and emotional. What’s your take?

My Dirty Secret

so empty, dead, and hollow
just black inside
some say simply shallow
can’t shake this sickness
alone in this world
to bear this illness
wanna run and hide
don’t know what else to do
credit card was declined
who can help me
mom and pop don’t know
but oh,
how embarrassing
and it feels so good
when it goes down
if only I might,
I could
do it on my own
just leave that card at home.

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Being Supportive Matters

Mar 7, 2012 by Karen Doniere

How do you deal with unsupportive people in your life? It’s not easy as we’ve all had to endure the negative or contrary attitude of a colleague, family member, or friend. I realize that everyone is not going to love my projects. It’s human nature to be envious of someone who is making more professional strides than we are. For example, if Sarah has recently found an agent who is pitching her book after just two submissions and you’ve submitted over 30 times, jealousy and envy may ensue. But what’s important is how you deal with those negative feelings. Are you going to be unsupportive of Sarah because she now has an agent? Or are you going to continue to support Sarah and possibly learn more about how she found an agent? It always makes more sense to support one another as writers and as human beings. I tend to agree to disagree with unsupportive and negative people because their attitudes are contagious and poisonous. Life is stressful enough, so why make it more stressful by enduring the antics of a nay sayer? What’s your take?

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Business Card Blues

Mar 2, 2012 by Karen Doniere

As a writer or blogger, do you have a business card? Unfortunately, I don’t. A few weeks ago I was speaking with a Nook representative at Barnes and Noble, and upon completing our conversation she asked if I had a business card. I was stunned because I had just recently read about the importance of having a business card on a blog. I felt like a fruit cake because I didn’t have any quick contact information to give to her. I still don’t have a business card but I plan to have my public relations representative design one for me and have it printed at either Vistaprint or Moo. I have used Vistaprint for previous business cards many moons ago, and they turned out great. But Moo comes well recommended. Do you have a business card? Is it really necessary? What’s your take?

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The Secret Top Ten Part 2

Feb 29, 2012 by Karen Doniere

1. I love Michael Jackson music videos.
2. I eat peanut butter and anything with peanut butter until it becomes a compulsive issue.
3. I’m extremely shy.
4. I didn’t start writing until I was in college.
5. My husband is my illustrator.
6. Whenever I fly, I sneak snacks on the plane in my backpack.
7. I’ve never been a tourist in my own city.
8. I have a bad habit of biting my finger nails.
9. I dance with my Doberman by holding his paws in my hands while he’s standing on his back legs. He can really go in hard.
10.  I don’t like confrontation but some how rise to the challenge.
11. I really can’t stop at ten.

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