Kelley McMorris

Hello Jennifer, I wonder if you could give a brief description of how you like to see picture book queries from writer-illustrators. How much detail should there be in each ‘dummy’? How many different picture book ideas are good to send in a query? Any advice about an attractive query pitch?

I would send one manuscript / dummy in a query. If they are interested, they will ask to see more - but keeping it to one dummy will be a lot less daunting.

If I were querying picture books as an illustrator - in the body of the email (or the form) I’d have the manuscript of the book - and then I’d provide a link to my portfolio so they could see my artwork - and a link to a dropbox with the Dummy in it (such that anyone who has the link can view, but it isn’t just up on the internet randomly).

The dummy should be a sketch dummy -- doesn’t have to be PERFECTLY tight sketches - but shouldn’t be totally unlegiblely loose, either. You should also have a couple of finished pages to show what your color palette and finished artwork looks like. 

Dear Art Director, I want more than anything to be an illustrator, but I'm afraid. I'm afraid it's too risky, not a stable career as far as income goes, and that there are already too many illustrators out there, and I'll never get into the business. Any advice for someone starting out with these fears?

Everyone starts out with fears. And continues with fears. And ends with fears. Sometimes your fears change, but you’ll always be scared, insecure, and have doubts about something. No arbitrary level of fame or success quiets those voices. So get used to it. If you are not ready to face down your fears every day, I do not think art is a good career for you. Do other careers have fears too? OF COURSE. But there are definitely safer, easier careers. Accounting, for one. People always need accountants. (No one ever wonders if there will be enough jobs for them as an accountant.) Or really any career where you’re not literally putting your deepest emotions and self-worth out in public view for judging by literally anyone with an internet connection. That really turns up the volume on any normal doubts & insecurities you have and pumps them up to deafening level.

You know who else has voices in their head? People who give up their creative dreams for “safer” careers. Just the other day we answered a question from a 43 year old woman who gave up on being an artist, but it’s still haunting her decades later. She’s desperate to know if it’s too late for her to try to be an artist in her 40s. 

So it all boils down to this: You are going to have doubts and fears no matter what. You have to choose: Would you rather be secure and have fears that you wasted your creativity? Or would you rather be an artist and be scared that your career is not secure? You have to choose what scares you more. And don’t be brainwashed by Pinterest motivational quotes: Either choice is valid. You are still an artist even if you don’t do it full time or you just do it for a hobby. It’s YOUR choice. You have to live with it.

And this is also not a black and white decision. There’s plenty of middle roads to take. There are many kinds of art jobs — many more than you probably realize. Some are riskier than others. But some are pretty solid. You don’t have to be a freelance illustrator to be a professional artist. I have plenty of friends that have very stable jobs in art. You should not be basing your decision on what other (especially non-artist) people think is stable. You should talk to people who are real working professional artists and ask them what they think. They will probably tell you that it is both very rewarding and very very hard and scary to have a job making art — the judgement really wears on people, but many artists feel it is still preferable to having a non-art job. Some will definitely say making art a job (and not keeping it a hobby) sucked all the fun out of it. 

Unfortunately, no one can make this decision for you. Ignore all the non-artists trying to convince you not to be an artist. Ignore all the Pinterest platitudes trying to convince you that you’ll never be happy if you’re not a full time freelance artist. What do you want more? Or, more accurately, what do you not want least?

—Agent KillFee

People tell me im good at what i do. I feel like im good at what i do. Ive even been educated with a degree for what i do, and art directors tell me they like what i do, that they will keep me in mind for future projects. The work never comes. I keep in touch with my work, i get responses but no jobs. im at a loss here. I thought i was born to be an artist, but the market shakes its head. Truthfully I'm lost as a person. I don't want to quit you, illustration, but I'm literally dying here.

I have seen many artists in your position. I have often been the AD who has said to artists “You’re doing everything right, when the right project comes up I’d love to work with you.” — And I never say that to people unless I mean it. Unfortunately the time between “ready to be hired” and “hired all over the place” is variable. I have seen it happen so many times: An artist develops their work and gets to a unique voice and a hirable skill level. They have all the right connections. Multiple ADs have their eye on the person. We all know they’re going to “break through” all at once and get hired a ton of places…but it’s just a matter of timing. Once they get that first job or two the momentum quickly picks up speed and their career is off and running. A year later no one even remembers that they were struggling to find work.

Unfortunately I don’t know what to say other than hold on. If you’re getting responses and people are saying they’re keeping you in mind then trust that and hold on. ADs don’t say that shit to be nice. I can’t tell you how long you have to hold on. It may take a while for the right manuscript or Magic card or magazine article, etc. to land on that AD’s desk that says YOU on it. You may need to get a side job or take non-art work to hold on but please hold on. You are pushed right up against the glass and you just need that one commission to break through the crust. Do a good job or two well, communicate well, hit your deadlines, and the gossip machine will click into effect and all those ADs who told you they were keeping you in mind will start seeing that job and hearing from the AD that hired you what a great job you did. Chances are, some of the other ADs will be jealous that they didn’t get to hire you first. We seriously do gossip about you artists all the time. And we root for you too. 

Just hang on. Keep making great work. Keep showing it around. Send out that newsletter quarterly. Keep networking. A year from now, you’ll go back and read this post and will be surprised you doubted this much.

Just.

Hang.

On.

—Agent KillFee