Tag: Ryan G. Van Cleave

Author Interview: Mifflin Lowe

On By Only Picture BooksIn Author Interviews

This month’s author interview is with local (to me, at least!) writer Mifflin Lowe who’s an author, singer, songwriter, and musician.

Without rambling on about all that, I’ll just offer this–since a picture’s worth a thousand words, here are three pictures (ergo 3,000 words) that are positively Mifflin-esque.

Okay, let’s zip ahead to the interview to discover a bit more about this imaginative picture book maker!

Mifflin’s website

Mifflin’s Facebook

RVC: When did you first consider yourself to be a writer?

ML: I had to write a paper in seventh grade. I did it late Sunday night, and when I finally finished, I was so tired I fell into bed. My mother saw my bad handwriting so she copied it to make it legible. The teacher called us both in and accused my mother and me of cheating. My mother had not, in fact, changed a single word but he didn’t want to believe that. Since my mom had been an English major in college—and he thought she’d written it–that’s when I knew I was a writer.

RVC: Wow.

ML:  I couldn’t wrestle. I couldn’t climb the rope in gym class. But from a young age, I knew I could write.

RVC: If it makes you feel any better, I couldn’t climb that darn rope either.

ML: And let’s not even talk about rope burns!

RVC: Rumor has it that you went to college for something other than writing.

ML: When I was a freshman at Princeton, I took Modern European Literature in this huge class, about 200 students. At the end of the semester, the professor held up two papers and said, “These are excellent.” I’d written one of them–on Kafka etc.. My roommate, who’d just assumed I was a nincompoop, was blown away. Knowing what I know now, I should’ve majored in English, but the emphasis at Princeton at that time was on 18th-​century English literature, and I didn’t feel like spending four years reading or thinking about that.

At any rate, I took an art history course and loved it, so I chose art history as my major. My father was, naturally, horrified that he was spending a reasonably large amount of money to train me in something essentially useless.

RVC: I assume he recovered when you got a “real” job after college. What did you end up doing?

ML: I got a job as a copywriter and later a creative director for advertising agencies.

RVC: What did you learn there that would prove helpful in your later work as a kidlit author?

ML: Working in advertising taught me a lot about writing. It told me that you had to have a concept. Without a fundamental idea, it’s just a heap of words.

RVC: How did you go from that to writing books?

ML: Very few people actually want to be advertising writers. That included me. I was always thinking about other projects.

I remember driving across Newport Bridge, and I had an idea–The Cheapskate’s Handbook. I realized this could be a book. This could sell. I wrote it and sold it to Price Stern Sloan, which was known for humor and novelty titles like How to Be a Jewish Mother. They got me immense amounts of publicity. I was on a couple of national TV shows and got interviewed for magazines. Along the way, I met Dudley Moore, Erma Bombeck (a wonderful person), and Tom Clancy. It was all great. Price Stern Sloan was definitely the right publisher. We sold 220,000 copies in English, and the book was published in three other languages–Swedish, Danish, and Italian.

RVC: What a fantastic start to a book-​writing career!

ML: I started to think I wanted to write children’s books and create music to go with it, kind of like “The Point” by Harry Nilsson.

By the way, someone once asked me how I could write for children since my wife and I didn’t have kids at the time. I said, “Well, I was one.” With any luck, you don’t forget what it was like to be a kid.

RVC: Music seems to be a big theme throughout your life. When did you first get the music bug?

ML: My love for writing and music happened more or less at the same time. I mean, when you’re a young guy, who doesn’t want to be in a rock band, right? I was in some really good rock and roll bands in New Brunswick and New Jersey. Do you know the song “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)”?

RVC: I do indeed.

ML: When they were putting the group together, I was invited to be the singer. But I was going to school in Princeton and commuting to New Brunswick all the time. It had gotten to the point where I didn’t want to travel so I said no. I kind of regret that, a little bit. It could’ve been fun.

RVC: Speaking of regrets, what’s your biggest regret as a writer?

ML: I was invited to be on Oprah Winfrey’s show. This was well before she launched her book club, though. Her producers called me on a Monday and said, “Can you fly out here to Chicago for a show we’re shooting on Tuesday?”

I’d have to scramble to make all my own arrangements to get from Rhode Island to Chicago. I thought about doing a layover in LaGuardia Airport and all the hassle, and I just said, “Nope, I can’t do it.”

Everybody has at least one egregiously stupid thing that they do in their lives. That was one of mine, for sure.

RVC: In retrospect, that had to hurt.

ML: You’re telling me! I might have sold books in a few more languages.

RVC: Tell me more about how you made the move out of advertising and into the world of writing books?

ML: I started a music company that made jingles for TJ Maxx and other companies. That was fun. But I had two types of writing going–I was doing the children’s books, and I freelanced three days a week on advertising just to make money. One of my children’s book projects was a “ ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” kind of story, twenty-​four pages of rhyming couplets. I sent it around, and it actually got a good response from Maurice Sendak. He was so encouraging and nice.

Around that time, I talked to a publisher and they said, “Well, we already have a story like yours in the backlog from established writers, and, honestly, the chances of breaking into this area aren’t good.” I didn’t quit. I just kept pursuing it. Perseverance is the most important thing in writing, other than some degree of talent. And that was when I came up with the idea for Beasts By the Bunches. It was poems and songs about the names for groups of animals, like a smack of jellyfish, a knot of toads, a watch of nightingales, and so forth. Doubleday bought it.

As someone who was in advertising, I used to work with art directors every day. So when the editor showed me the artist they wanted for the book,  I told them I wanted someone else–somebody with a real cool, distinctive style like Chris Van Allsburg. They got very huffy and made it instantly clear that they didn’t care what I thought about the artwork or the artist. I was astonished. I came to realize that this was how it worked. You send the words, they buy the words, and then it’s “See you later!” while they put the book together on their own with whatever artist they pick.

RVC: What happened next?

ML: I wrote I Hate Fun. It was a humor book, not  a picture book, but ironically, I had a great deal of fun writing it. I loved it. (Still do.) I spent nine months polishing it and getting it just perfect. A big-​time agent got me a deal with a New York publisher. The publishing people said, “We like it. But can you change this, that, and a few hundred other things?” I was used to getting requests for changes in the advertising world, so I tried to do that.

With a humor book, if you take one sentence out of a paragraph, all of a sudden, it’s not funny anymore. You take one word out of a sentence, poof…the magic disappears. I tried and tried to rewrite it, but finally told them that I couldn’t do it. They passed on the project, but I got to keep the advance. Since they’d given me back the rights, I sold it to another publisher myself. Hah hah. I won…but the agent was not happy at all. I guess I’d made him look bad to the publisher.

RVC: It sounds like you’ve had mixed experiences with publishers.

ML: That’s right. For my next few picture books, I decided I was just going to self publish them. I have this one called Cowboy Howie: The Adventure of the Central Park Coyote and Thanksgiving Day Parade. It’s the amazing adventures of a Black kid in New York City who wants to be a cowboy. I thought that was a great concept. I actually wrote it as a movie which won an award down here in Sarasota.

RVC: For those who want to hear the songs he wrote to go with it, here they are!

ML: I really wanted Cowboy Howie to be an animated film. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I moved to Sarasota–I wanted to be near Ringling College of Art and Design. The illustrator I found for the book version was a graduate from there, Martina Crepulja. She’s terrific.

RVC: A picture books of yours that I find charming is also self published and has art by Martina. Little Dog, Big Bark. Could you talk about that one?

ML: The title, Little Dog, Big Bark is a concept, right? As I said, I always have to have a clear concept before I start writing. In terms of how I write, I get up in the morning, walk the dog, have breakfast, and then write for four or five hours. But it always starts with a concept. I’m sure you emphasize this in your classes–you don’t just sit down and start spewing out words. You have to have an idea, a concept behind it so that it that goes somewhere. The idea was generated by our dog, Phoebe, a Bichon Frisee who thought she was the biggest, toughest critter in the world, while my mom had a HUGE Great Dane that was sweet and gentle. I found the concept of two dogs being the opposite of what people presumed was funny and touching. In the end, the two dogs in the story realize they each “complete” each other and they become friends.

RVC: You’ve moved back to working with publishers with picture books like True West: Real Stories About Black Cowboys, Women Sharpshooters, Native American Rodeo Stars, Pioneering Vaqueros, and the Unsung Explorers, Builders, and Heroes Who Shaped the American West.

ML: The art director I had for The Cuddle Book was just great–David Miles. He left that publishing company and he went off to start Bushel & Peck Books on his own, and this new company has a great social impact–for every book they sell, they give one away to an underserved school, library, or neighborhood. And David’s art direction is just terrific. He and I really hit it off.

I sent him Cowboy Howie to see if he’d pick it up and redo it. We decided that I should do a similarly themed nonfiction book because people were really interested in the subject of Black cowboys. And so we did True West, which has brief biographies and photos and information.

The book is doing so well that David has ordered two more books from me. One is about the forgotten founding fathers–all the women and people of color involved in the Revolutionary War, of which there were quite a few, you know. The other is a kid’s encyclopedia of art, which connects back to my degree in art history. So, if my dad was still around, I could say “See? Art History isn’t completely useless!”

RVC: How do you measure success as a kidlit author?

ML: As a musician, I used to do 200+ school and library visits a year. I’d play, sing, and tell stories. I always measured my success by the looks on the kids’ faces. I remember going to one library, for instance, and the librarian said, “Oh, God, please just keep them happy.” Apparently, an author had come in the week before and just read a book to them. Do that, and you lose kids in two or three minutes. They’re bouncing off the walls, they’re not paying attention to you, they’re running all over the place.

My mantra was always this: you don’t perform at kids, you perform WITH kids.

You can always tell if it’s going well because kids will respond if they’re treated like human beings. So, I worked hard to make them part of my show. If they sing along, dance, laugh, or smile back at me, I’m doing fine.

RVC: Kids are the best audience.

ML: Kids are also the toughest audience. If they don’t like what you’re doing, they don’t hide it. On the other hand, if they’re into it, you can see it in their faces.  People send me pictures of kids reading my books. For example, a local tennis teacher’s son LOVES The Cuddle Book. He insists that it be read to him every night. He even told his mom he wanted to take it into the bathtub with him.

RVC: Clearly, The Cuddle Book is that kid’s favorite. When people ask YOU which of your own books is YOUR favorite, what do you say?

ML: The humor book, I Hate Fun. It just amuses me.

RVC: Okay, it’s time for the speed round. Fast questions and even faster answers. Mifflin Lowe, are you ready?

ML: Oh jeez. Let’s do it.

RVC: If we overheard you singing in the shower, we’d hear…

ML: The Donovan song, “Under the Greenwood Tree” (lyrics by William Shakespeare!). Or maybe The Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye.” Lately it’s been “Amanda Jones” by The Rolling Stones from Between the Buttons–an underappreciated album.

RVC: Your favorite local place for oysters?

ML: Crab & Fin in St. Armand’s Circle.

RVC: If Netflix made your life story into a movie, who’d play the role of you?

ML: Ben Stiller. Or maybe Steve Martin.

RVC: Your picture book philosophy?

ML: To make kids smile.

RVC: Who’s your picture book hero?

ML: Maurice Sendak. And Chris Van Allsburg, too. He gave one of my books a real good blurb, and his art is just great. Amazing.

RVC: What’s the best thing a kid ever said about your writing?

ML: The kid who wanted to take a bath with The Cuddle Book is at the top of the list. I mean, he insisted on having it read to him every night. That’s what an author wants to hear. It doesn’t get any better than that.

RVC: Thanks so much. This was a real treat!

Picture Book Review: Hurricane by John Rocco

On By Only Picture BooksIn Picture Book Reviews
Author: John Rocco
Illustrator: John Rocco
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
7 September 2021
48 pages

This month’s PB review is by Ryan G. Van Cleave (Owner/​Operator of Only Picture Books) and Ringling College of Art and Design Illustration Professor (and OPB pal) David C. Gardner.

 

–Ryan’s Review of the Writing–

I chose this book to review because John Rocco’s art is consistently luscious and delightful (I enlisted David Gardner to explain the hows and whys below!), and Rocco’s new picture book, Hurricane, is no exception. What grabbed me on the first page of text is how the boy walking to the end of a decrepit dock remarks “It’s very old and splintery.” Wow, that last word is spot-​on. It’s the sort of exactitude of language I don’t encounter often enough in picture books by author-illustrators.

The boy we’re following in the story returns home after a lovely day of fishing and swimming off that dock to find his dad boarding up the house in preparation for a hurricane. Does the father seem a bit too calm (both in his visual appearance and not using an exclamation point in telling the boy to go inside)? Maybe. Being in Florida for more than a decade now, I know all about hurricanes–intimately so. I’m not a fan of seeing the boy with his face pressed up against a top-​story window during the actual storm. That’s dangerous stuff, I’m afraid, since windows are very susceptible to blowing out in hurricanes. Plus, we just saw the dad boarding up the downstairs window for safety reasons. In a hurricane, EVERY window is a source of danger. Rocks and debris get kicked up and fly around like bullets–any one of them could shatter any window at any time.

But again, in this very same moment where the boy looks out at the storm from the upstairs window, the language is once more quite evocative: “The rain doesn’t fall in drops–it slashes sideways as if shot from a fire hose.”

I don’t want to harp on bad parenting in a picture book, BUT letting the boy outside in the post-​storm wreckage of the neighborhood the next morning (witness flooding, felled trees, and damaged houses!)? That’s hard to swallow in this age of helicopter parenting or just general common sense. I fully appreciate that it’s a story about a child, so getting adults out of the way is helpful in terms of keeping it the child’s story, but this stops me. There’s not a single adult anywhere when he first goes outside. Yes, he could’ve sneaked out before anyone noticed, though adults tend to go outside to assess damage the moment it’s safe to do so.

I often think about the obligations of authors and illustrators in picture books. While we don’t want to make our stories too didactic, can we err too much on the other side by having kids so completely in their own kid-​world bubble that they miss growth opportunities or seem to exist in a world that’s not quite our own? Maybe I’ve seen too many big Florida storms to easily buy into the casual response here in an otherwise real-​world setting with realistic characters. Maybe picture books should be more aspirational and inspirational than realistic? Or maybe we can do all three at once? It’s an interesting conundrum for sure for which there’s no easy answer.

The boy is quite concerned with how the “monster”–meaning the storm–gobbled up the dock he loved so much. Since no one else ever used that dock, it easily explains why everyone has more pressing things to do than deal with that ruined dock. So, the boy decides he’ll try to fix it. That’s a lovely moment since the dock is so special to him and him alone. It’s almost like a friend who needs help.

I won’t spoil the ending, but there’s a strong sense of community in play through both words and visuals–it’s quite compelling. I’m also charmed by the back matter, which includes an image of a note the author wrote at six years old.

To Mom and Dad–

I have gone fishing. I will come back with a fish. John

P.S. I hope I will come back with a fis!

In quality STEAM fashion, readers are also given double-​page spreads that reveal how both a dock and a hurricane work. Like the rest of the illustrations in this story, these schematic-​like images are impressive and memorable.

This is a gorgeous picture book that feels visually on par with Rocco’s other fine titles (including an OPB favorite, Blackout). The story feels somewhat less potent in comparison, however. Overall, this is a fine book that can spark useful discussions about dangerous weather, community, and fear, as well as kids who have “secret” places. And do I need to mention yet again how fine the images are? Rocco is a supremely talented visual storyteller.

4.25 out of 5 pencils

 

–David’s Review of the Illustrations–

John Rocco is perhaps best well-​known for his beloved, iconic illustrations for the Percy Jackson book series, so it’s no surprise that his cover for Hurricane is a knockout.

The cover promises a dramatic story: the low camera angle, the slash of lighting across the boy on the pier, the monochromatic background and characters in near silhouette in poses suggesting urgent anticipation of something terrible. The hurricane is referred to as a “monster” in the text, and the kids on the cover could easily be witnessing the arrival of Godzilla.

The story unfolds cinematically, shifting from wide shots to close-​ups. Small panels, like storyboards, show progression. The depiction of the river creeping up the street is clear and exciting––we see the boy’s point-​of-​view looking through his window. Like a fixed camera shot, the first picture shows a red car in the rain, the second shows the same car, flood water rising fast all around it.

Plenty of generous double spreads are put to good use. I found two layouts especially effective: The hurricane devastating the boy’s street, full-​bore, and the boy dreaming of the ocean creatures stirred up and sailing beneath his pier. It’s a moment filled with wonder.

Rocco is at the forefront of the visual storytellers who currently work in children’s books and in visual development for animation. His extensive work as a concept artist for studios like Dreamworks is evident. Mood and emotions are essential elements in concept art, and they are conveyed masterfully in Hurricane, from the sunny beginning to the turbulent storm to a sparkling, hopeful resolution.

Much of this is in his depiction of light––the changes from blue skies and French vanilla clouds to the shadowy, dimly lit, desaturated palette of the storm. For the aftermath, light sparkles on the calm water in a lovely, well-​observed play of light.

The painted effects, done in watercolor, line and digital painting, are delightful. Wind and rain, tumbling leaves, waves and splashes––there’s is dynamic movement on every page. Rocco’s loving and carefully studied rendering of water, clouds, the swirl of debris, and the details of the smallest props, such as the boys rod-​and-​reel, all ground the story in a realistic setting, which heightens the impact of the storm.

A recurring seagull character adds a funny (but believable) lighthearted touch. Technical illustrations describing hurricane formation and pier construction serve as bookends. They’re not essential to the story, but they round the book out into a perfect study guide for classrooms.

4.5 out of 5 crayons

David C. Gardner is an award-​winning illustrator and visual development artist. A former artist for Walt Disney Animation Studios, he has illustrated numerous picture books, including his latest from Sleeping Bear Press, Write On, Irving Berlin! by Leslie Kimmelman (which appeared on OPB in May 2018). It tells the true story of little Izzy Baline, who immigrated to New York City in 1893 and grew up to become Irving Berlin, one of the most well-​known composers of popular music in America. David teaches illustration at Ringling College of Art and Design.
To learn more about David’s own work, please visit FlyingDogStudio.com.

Agent Interview: Emily Mitchell (Wernick & Pratt Agency)

On By Only Picture BooksIn Agent Interviews

This month’s Industry Insider Interview is with Emily Mitchell, an agent at Wernick & Pratt Agency. Emily began her career at Sheldon Fogelman Agency where she says she “handled submissions, subsidiary rights, and coffee.”

Emily then spent eleven years at Charlesbridge Publishing as senior editor, contracts manager, and director of corporate strategy. Things get wonky from there (details on that below) before she eventually found her way to Wernick & Pratt Agency, where she’s been since 2013.

But that’s all just the stock bio material. Let’s gamify this getting-​to-​know Emily thing by playing 9 Biographical Truths and 1 Whopper! Ready?

Emily:

  1. is the shortest person in her family.
  2. considers herself a “terrible eater.”
  3. unironically believes Grease 2 to be a Top 3 movie.
  4. has a playlist that’s an even balance between show tunes and Kesha.
  5. thinks that in her heart of hearts, she’s a twelve-​year-​old kid.
  6. ran five overnight, 200-​mile relay races before she got old and lazy.
  7. can juggle any fruit smaller than grapefruit (she has tiny hands).
  8. regularly conflates loungewear with sleepwear, especially in the past year.
  9. has a fave gadget—a desktop coffee mug warmer.
  10. enjoys an ALL CAPS relationship with the Cubs and Red Sox.

Here are some URLs to get to know Emily and her agency even more, if you’re so inclined. But let’s delay no longer. It’s time for the interview!

RVC: Let’s deal with the career elephant in the room. Not only do you have an MBA, but you left publishing at one point to join corporate America. What the *!$#^ happened? 

EM: I had a little midlife crisis in my early/​mid thirties. I got my MBA and stuck with publishing for a while, but I was determined to branch out—if only to make some more money, and to prove to myself that the skills I’d developed in publishing really were transferable to other industries. I ended up doing marketing communications strategy for a large printing company.

I liked my coworkers, and the work was fine, with some new challenges I enjoyed. But the job and the industry didn’t inspire or motivate me the way publishing did. And then I got laid off. Wheeee!

RVC: It happens to the best of us. I’m glad you found your back to the book world.

EM: Me, too! Fortunately, my former coworkers from my first publishing job had since started their own agency, and were willing to take me on.

RVC: In some of your bios, you claim that you were supposed to be a teacher. What’s the story there?

EM: I grew up in a family and a community full of teachers. I really didn’t understand till I was like nine that there were, in fact, other jobs in the world.

I went to college expecting to become a high school English teacher, and after undergrad, went directly into a master’s program in secondary English ed. I graduated in the middle of a school year and moved to the NYC area to be with my fiancé (now husband). I figured I’d get a job for a few months, and then look for a teaching position for the following school year. Instead, I found a job at a literary agency specializing in children’s books, and that was that.

RVC: Let’s talk agenting. What does a typical day look like for you? 

EM: *snorty laughter* There is no typical day. Most days include a bunch of emailing: follow-​ups on submissions, follow-​ups on contracts, follow-​ups on permissions. Then there’s redlining contracts, working on sub lists and pitch letters, and drafting foreign rights agreements and permission letters. Sometimes I have client calls or editor calls, and I have regular Skypes with my colleagues a few times a week. If I’m lucky, there’s reading and commenting on client manuscripts, and/​or reviewing non-​client submissions.

Sometimes, there’s also handling tech issues (I am the IT department), making website updates (I am the webmaster), waiting on hold with the IRS (I am the foreign-​tax-​exemption filer), and posting client news online (I am the social media manager). Working at a small company means we all wear many hats.

RVC: Wow!

EM: Oh, and there’s also normal life stuff, like doing laundry and taking the dog out and getting a kid to the orthodontist and helping with musical rehearsals and going to the post office and watching the other kid’s softball game and putting out various fires in my volunteer life. I would be nowhere without my phone, which lets me be reachable and work-​able even when I’m not at my desk.

RVC: That’s it. I AM impressed. But I’m curious–what’s your agenting style like in terms of how you deal with current and prospective clients?

EM: I’m much more of a writer than a talker—I do most of my communications with my clients over email. That said, I’m always happy to hop on the phone with a client when they need it.

Apart from that, I try to adjust my style to whatever the client needs. I have some clients who don’t want any updates about their projects on submission: once it’s out of their hands and in mine, they don’t want to hear anything unless and until we have an offer. For other clients, I send regular submissions check-​ins, and we brainstorm ideas for other editors and imprints together. Some people have lots of questions about their contracts; some people just sign and return with little fanfare. I try to be flexible.

RVC: If you had to summarize the most important thing you’ve learned about agenting, what would it be?

EM: Don’t lie. I mean—I’m not a lying person anyway, or at least I try not to be. But I have found my strongest negotiating tool is just to be honest and clear about we want and why. I hope that’s my reputation with editors and contracts departments, and I think my clients appreciate knowing that I’m neither sugarcoating nor catastrophizing whatever news I have for them.

RVC: You recently scored a multi-​book deal for the Arithmechicks. What do you like most about that series?

EM: Honestly, the title sold itself. Chickens! Math! ARITHMECHICKS! Ann Marie Stephens uses her experience as a first-​grade teacher to make books that are so engaging, and so clearly trade (as opposed to textbooks or educational books). They’re just terrific.

RVC: How do you go about crafting a pitch for a series? What’s your strategy?

EM: Arithemechicks notwithstanding, I don’t actually do a ton of series or multi-​book deals, at least for picture books. I’ll often sell a book that has series potential, which I’ll mention in the pitch, but in my experience, publishers are hesitant to make a big bet on a full series off the bat. They’d rather buy one or two and see how those do before acquiring more.

I’ve also found recently that some publishers are open to multi-​book deals where the subsequent books are untitled or unspecified—an open contract, essentially. While this can demonstrate a commitment on the publisher’s part to support the author for a medium- to long-​term, in practice, it can end up being more of a burden than a boon. There’s not necessarily urgency on the publisher’s part to line up a manuscript for that second or third book, so the author ends up submitting story after story that the publisher can reject, which can stall momentum or cast a pall on the relationship. It’s one of those things where both parties go into it with the best of intentions, but the outcomes can be less than ideal.

RVC: A good number of OPB readers are writers who want to land an agent. What’s a question or two most don’t ask prospective agents…but they should?

EM: I think agents and authors need to have clear expectations going into a working relationship. How long could it take to sell a project? What are the likely terms for a picture book acquisition? How many books can a client reasonably work on in a year? What happens if an agent doesn’t sell a project quickly, or at all?

RVC: That’s a good list of questions, for sure. Readers? Take note!

EM: Publishing is a deeply weird industry, with lots of historical practices that don’t really make sense anymore. It’s also an extremely slow industry: books acquired today aren’t likely to be published before 2023. (My MBA classmates who work in high-​tech and finance were flummoxed when I explained that our time-​to-​market was measured in years, not weeks or months.)

RVC: I, too, am flummoxed by this. Clearly we have the technology and infrastructure to go from manuscript to finished book in a few months, or less. Why not make that the norm? Why insist on the wait?

EM: Well, part of the waiting for picture books is art: illustrators need time to create and perfect their vision for the text. Another part is production: most picture books are printed in Asia, so it takes time to get books physically to market on container ships. But it’s true: in publishing, we wait All The Time—for responses to submissions, for draft contracts to arrive, for revisions to be done, for monies to hit the bank account, etc.

People hear lots of buzz about high-​stakes auctions and rapid-​fire acquisitions and books being crashed to market, but that’s not the reality for most books or most creators. We don’t do ourselves any favors by setting our expectations based on the latest deal announcement or Twitter thread.

RVC: How important is it for picture book writers to have an agent these days?

EM: It’s more important than it used to be, as houses have consolidated even further, and more imprints are closed to submissions. It’s still not 100% necessary, but having an agent makes it easier to get your work seen by editors, and gives you protection and perspective when it comes to contracts.

RVC: Brag time. What’s a picture book project you’re really excited about? 

EM: This is the “who is your favorite kid” question, isn’t it?

RVC: Yes, indeedy!

EM: I can’t possibly pick just one. I’ll cheat and name a handful of upcoming 2022 titles:

RVC: Two last questions for this part of the interview. If I asked Marcia (Wernick) and Linda (Pratt) what they thought your agenting secret weapon was, they’d say…

EM: I think they appreciate my experience working at a publisher. I’ve got behind-​the-​scenes knowledge and an understanding of the “other side” of the negotiating table, which can be helpful in sorting through certain issues.

RVC: What’s your ACTUAL agenting secret weapon?

EM: A painful aversion to an inbox that’s more than one screen full (i.e., if I have to scroll to see all the messages, I AM BEHIND AND THAT IS BAD).

RVC: Okay, Emily. Here we go—it’s the LIGHTNING ROUND! The questions will zip. The answers will zap. Are you prepared?

EM: Zop.

RVC: Best place in Massachusetts to get a Fluffernutter?

EM: Fluffernutters are disgusting. Our go-​to apple-​picking place is Carlson Orchards in Harvard, MA. They have excellent cider donuts and hard cider.

RVC: A theme song that describes your agenting life right now?

EM: “BusyBusyBusy” by Sandra Boynton, from the brilliant Philadelphia Chickens.

RVC: You’ve got four extra Hoodsie Cups. Which four figures from the world of picture books gets invited over for an ice cream social?

EM: James Marshall, Frances the badger, Jan Thomas’s Fat Cat, and Ashley Bryan.

RVC: A recent picture book that really caught your attention?

EM: Since COVID kept our library closed to the public till just recently, I haven’t had the chance to do a lot of serendipitous browsing. That said, I’m intrigued by Home Is in Between by Mitali Perkins, illustrated by Lavanya Naidu.

RVC: Five words that sum up your picture book philosophy?

EM: “Can we tighten this up?”

RVC: A favorite line from a recent picture book you repped?

EM: “Except when the drag coefficient causes the end of fun.” From Frank Dormer’s forthcoming. We Have a Playdate (Abrams).

RVC: Thanks so much, Emily! Oh, and for those who wanted to know what the Whopper of a Lie was in the introductory bio, it’s the juggling (though she does have tiny hands). No joke!

Educational Activities: Mars Is by Suzanne Slade

On By Only Picture BooksIn Educational Activities

Mars Is: Stark Slopes, Silvery Snow, and Startling Surprises
Author: Suzanne Slade
Illustrator: NASA photos
1 April 2021
Peachtree Publishing
48 pages

Book description from Goodreads: “Award-​winning author and former mechanical engineer Suzanne Slade (Countdown, A Computer Called Katherine) explores the remarkable beauty of Mars in this timely photo-​packed space extravaganza.

For young readers eagerly following NASA’s Mars Exploration Program and awaiting continued discoveries on the Red Planet.

For centuries, people have been intrigued by Mars, and over time, scientists have made exciting discoveries, such as the planet’s Earth-​like weather and seasons. But curious earthlings want to know more. Does Mars have deserts? Volcanoes? Or signs of life? Could people live there someday?

Scientists decided to take a closer look. They built a powerful camera called the HiRise (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) and loaded it onto a rocket. The rocket blasted off on August 12, 2005, and seven months later, the camera began orbiting Mars. It sent back astounding, revealing photos showing the world what Mars really is.

With elegant spare prose, award-​winning nonfiction author and former rocket engineer Suzanne Slade leads readers through some of these stunning photos taken by the most advanced camera ever sent to another planet. A visual feast for space enthusiasts and STEAM fans that will expand readers’ assumptions and understanding of Mars.”

Need some reviews of Mars Is?

As a bonus, here’s the book trailer for Mars Is.

Educational Activities inspired by Suzanne Slade’s Mars Is:

  • Before Reading–From looking at the front and back cover: 
    • Do you think this will be a fiction or nonfiction book?
    • What do you already know about Mars?
    • What “startling surprises” are you hoping for?
    • Does Mars seem like an inviting place? 
      • If not, why not?
  • After Reading–Now that you’ve read the book: 
    • Where are we getting our best pictures of Mars from?
    • What type of different weather does Mars have?
    • What kind of land features might we find on Mars?
    • Why does the author believe that Mars “is more amazing than anyone ever imagined”?
    • A lot of people are trying very hard to get to Mars. Would you like to visit Mars?
  • Art–The nice people at NASA are as interested in Mars as you are! Get out your crayons and have fun with these coloring sheets that they’ve created: 
  • Crafting–Try your hand at one or more of the following Mars- and space-​themed crafts. Ask an adult to help, and use recyclable materials when you can! 
  • Further Reading–Which of these other picture books about Mars have you read? (Click on any book cover for more information on these titles!)

Author/​Illustrator Interview: Todd Sturgell

On By Only Picture BooksIn Author Interviews, Illustrator Interviews, Picture Book Debuts

This month’s interview is with Todd Sturgell, an author/​illustrator whose first book, Except Antarctica, hits bookshelves this month. While he’s originally from Ohio and then spent some time in Texas, Todd now lives in the North Carolina mountains with his “wife, kids, and an overactive rescue dog named Max.” Yes, the dog’s name comes straight out of Where the Wild Things Are.

Let’s be honest–anytime you start naming your pets (or children!) after famous picture book characters, you’re committing to a certain path in life. And we’re glad Todd did because his debut book looks terrific. Let’s find out more about it right now!

RVC: When did you realize you were going to do art for a living?

TS: I was either going to be an artist or a paleontologist. Around 10 years old, I settled on art. Up until then, it could’ve gone either way.

RVC: Did you go to school for art or are you self-taught?

TS: I went to East Texas State (now Texas A&M University-​Commerce) for art direction, specifically advertising and design. I’ve really enjoyed all the opportunities I’ve had to illustrate within the advertising and design world. Eventually, I admitted that I’ve got a calling to make picture books, and I needed to get after it.

RVC: How’d you end up in North Carolina?

TD: I worked at a very large advertising agency in Dallas and wanted a change. Since we always loved visiting the North Carolina coast, I started looking for smaller design firms there. I found one, so we moved out. And then the economy tanked, so it didn’t last.

I wasn’t going to go back to a big agency again. I’ve been freelancing since.

RVC: Let’s get to the book, which is called Except Antarctica (Sourcebooks eXplore). What’s it like being a debut author/​illustrator whose book isn’t yet out?

TS: I vary between panic and joy. I’m like, “Am I doing enough? Do I need to reach out to more people? Am I posting enough on social media?”

If I let myself sit back, take a deep breath, and hold my advance reader copy? Then I’m delighted. I’m so happy to be a part of the picture book world.

RVC: The “Am I doing enough?” question is one many writers face. What ARE you doing to help get the good word out about your book?

TS: I have a great marketing team with Sourcebooks–they’ve really reached out to a lot of people and made a lot of connections.

RVC: To people like me. That’s how I learned about you.

TS: That’s good to know! You can see why I’m kind of just following their lead. They find opportunities and ask if I’m interested. And I’m almost always interested.

I’m also part of STEAMTeam Books–it’s a group that supports each other with STEAM-​related book launches. And they’ve been doing this for a couple of years now. We lift each other up and share each other’s social media posts, that kind of thing.

RVC: That’s a terrific idea. But let’s talk about the post-​contract reality a debut author faces. What has surprised you the most about the whole process AFTER signing on the dotted line?

TS: How slow everything moves at the start. And then, when it all comes together, how fast it speeds up. You feel like you’re waiting and waiting and waiting, and then suddenly, okay, it’s almost here, and now you have a million things to do.

I would also say that debuting here on the back end of the pandemic has been something. I don’t know how typical my experience has been in 2021. Is it always this crazy?

I think my next book will feel as much like a debut as this one because the whole process could be so different.

RVC: That’s a good point. Plus, who doesn’t want to have two debuts, right? Back to your book. What’s the elevator pitch?

TS: What if you were watching a nature documentary, and the animals suddenly started doing the opposite of what the narrator says they’d do?

RVC: You’ve got a fun book trailer for Except Antarctica that explains a bit of this, but let me ask it outright–how did the idea for this book come about?

TS: I love nature documentaries, so I tried to expose my kids to as much of that as I could. And the phrase “except Antarctica” crops up over and over. There are so many species found all over the world, and you’ll hear the narrator say, “they’re found on every continent except Antarctica.”

One day, I was watching a show about owls. The narrator said that phrase, and I’m like, just yesterday, I heard that about turtles! Once I connected the concept of habitats to the idea of animals going off script, Except Antarctica was born.

RVC: What’s your favorite thing about the book?

TS: Even though the animals realize maybe they’ve made a mistake, I’m rooting for them the whole way. I especially love how they get to the ocean and the narrator’s like “Yeah, you’re done!” but on the very next page, they’re crossing the ocean! I loved putting that illustration together.

RVC: In terms of Except Antarctica, how will you measure success?

TS: Gosh, I already feel like a success just getting this far!

I hope that it’s successful enough to let me keep making more picture books. But I think the most important measure of success will be if kids–either having this book read to them or reading it themselves–laugh out loud. That’s the win right there. That’s the best type of success for me.

RVC: What was your pre-​contract experience with this book? How did the drafting process go?

TS: I have three other authors in my critique group who really helped the manuscript along. When I first started out, I knew the animals were going to break the mold. Still, it took a couple of versions until I got to the point where they were defying the narrator directly. Once I came up with that, the manuscript in its current form almost wrote itself. I’ve actually been shocked at how few changes I’ve had to make in the text since that point. There was a lot more emphasis on helping me develop the illustrations for these characters.

RVC: So, having a critique group made a real difference.

TS: Absolutely. I had a real sense of the stumbling blocks within the book thanks to valuable input from a lot of helpful people. The interaction with the narrator solved almost all of them! Utilizing a “meta” concept isn’t new or unique, but it was absolutely the right decision for Except Antarctica.

RVC: How many drafts did it take to get to the point where the book wrote itself?

TS: A lot. You’ve got to try different things. There was a point where I had a character who could be found on any continent except Antarctica AND Australia, but he wanted to come along. The others said, “Hey, maybe you should go to Australia first!” because they were afraid of him. That was an interesting little thing, but it really bogged down the book. I had to work that out and get through it before finally dropping it. I go through a lot of these moments where I try different things, and I pull back to see if it works or not. It’s a process.

RVC: Speaking of a process, care to reveal a bit about the actual process you use to produce a picture-​book manuscript?

TS: I’m drawing and writing at the same time. I don’t do one and then the other. It’s not like I develop characters and write or develop the manuscript, and then draw the characters. It all comes together in a storyboard format, rather than a Word document. For me, the art and the writing move forward together.

RVC: Any advice for young writers or illustrators?

TS: When they get started, a lot of people feel very competitive, very protective of their own ideas. The quicker you figure out that most of the people in the kidlit world want to lift each other up and make everybody better, the sooner you start to feel comfortable here. This is a great community. I love almost everyone I’ve met since starting this journey.

RVC: What’s something you know now that you wish you knew back when you first started out?

TS: Worry a lot less about agents and the business, and spend more time focused on craft. Thinking about submissions and gatekeepers felt overwhelming–it probably slowed me down quite a bit in trying to figure it all out. If I had just let some of that fall off, I think I would have enjoyed the process more.

RVC: Last question for this part of the interview. What are you working on now?

TS: My contract with Sourcebooks is for two books. They’d really like to see some of the elements from this book in the next one, so that’s what we’re looking at right now.

RVC: Alrighty. It’s time for the Speed Round. Are you ready, Todd? We’re looking for the opposite of turtle-​slow Q&A here!

TS: Ready!

RVC: Favorite place to go hiking in North Carolina?

TS: Graveyard Fields.

RVC: Best place to get North Carolina BBQ?

TS: North Carolina BBQ has too much vinegar in it for me. There’s a place around here called Haywood Smokehouse that has good Texas BBQ. I love that.

RVC: What secret talent do you have?

TS: I play a pretty mean pirate. I was a pirate guide for a ghost tour one summer!

RVC: Five things we’d see if we sneaked a peek at your writing and drawing studio?

TS:

  1. A mess (incredibly annoying!).
  2. Koh-​I-​Noor drawing pens that I have to clean incessantly, but they’re so great I can’t let them go.
  3. Lots and lots of books.
  4. Club soda. All the time.
  5. My dog, waiting impatiently for me to take him out on a trail.

RVC: What’s a recent picture book that really got your attention?

TS: The Wanderer by Peter Van den Ende is stunningly beautiful.

RVC: Your mission as a picture book creator?

TS: I want to connect with readers the same way that my favorite picture books connected with me when I was a kid.

RVC: This was terrific, Todd. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story with OPB. Best of luck with Except Antarctica!

Picture Book Review: King of Ragtime by Stephen Costanza

On By Only Picture BooksIn Picture Book Reviews2 Comments
Author: Stephen Costanza
Illustrator: Stephen Costanza
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
24 August 2021
56 pages

This month’s PB review is by Ryan G. Van Cleave (Owner/​Operator of Only Picture Books) and longtime OPB pal (and Ringling College of Art and Design Illustration Professor) John Herzog.

–Ryan’s Review of the Writing–

King of Ragtime, the new picture-​book biography by author/​illustrator Stephen Costanza, drives home the point that Joplin created his music by using his own creativity as well as the sounds and music of the world around him. From the start, Scott Joplin was a quiet boy who “hardly spoke above a whisper” because he preferred to listen instead. And listen he did, to the “Buzzz-​zuzzz!” of a wasp’s nest to the “Chhh-​chhhipp!” of a cicada or the “Rrrrrrummm-​bum-​bum!” of a thundercloud that could just as easily be an unseen train in the distance.

Because sound is so vital to this story, Costanza employs subtle rhymes and onomatopoeia to emphasize the rhythms and music of life that Joplin took as source material. It’s clear that the King of Ragtime heard things in a way no one else quite did.

It’s a little surprising that Joplin’s parents were so supportive of his musical interest despite facing profound poverty. Yet his father didn’t insist his son join him for the dependable work on the railroad, and his mother traded cleaning services for piano lessons. They even “scrimped and saved” enough to buy a dusty, old second-​hand piano so that Joplin could make his own music versus asking to use pianos in the homes of wealthy white families where his mother cleaned.

“Who knew a piano could roar like a train or sing like a nightingale?”

Joplin did, of course. And he soon went from being a local sensation playing for church socials, dances, and Juneteenth celebrations, to living in St. Louis and working as a pianist in saloons and dance halls. He even played outside the 1893 World’s Fair–“Black pianists weren’t allowed to play at the fair, but in the nearby cafés a red-​hot piano sound filled the air”–and that seemed to help introduce the music known as ragtime to the world. Later, Joplin studied music in college and published “Maple Leaf Rag,” the first of his many popular songs.

The book’s Back Matter includes a Recommended Listening list of Joplin’s music and a short Bibliography, as well as 2+ pages of historical information that includes the story of how the author became interested in Joplin and his life. This material provides welcome context for how Joplin and his music was received in his own time, too.

Throughout King of Ragtime, Costanza doesn’t shy from issues concerning race. In both images and words, he shows many of the challenges that newly free Black people faced. Through it all, they returned to music “for solace and celebration,” which is something Joplin’s own beautiful music offered them, too.

This book is visually stunning from start to finish–so much so that I find myself imagining a wordless version, especially in those moments where the text and image line up perhaps a bit too linearly. I’ll let John say more about the art, but wow, it’s really evocative and memorable.

With King of Ragtime, Costanza has created a lively book that does justice to Joplin, the King of Ragtime, whose work inspired generations of jazz musicians. Libraries and teachers, in particular, should have a copy on their shelves. (I can also imagine amazing read-​alouds of this book with music introduction and accompaniment to help young readers appreciate just how different ragtime is from so many other types of music.)

4.25 out of 5 pencils

 

–John’s Review of the Illustrations–

Stephen Costanza’s King of Ragtime is an absolutely beautiful picture book and–dare I say it–an instant classic.

There. That’s my review.

What? You need more? All right…

From an illustration perspective, this book is an incredibly enjoyable combination of the surreal and the traditional. It’s a fever dream of bright colors, captivating perspective, and appealing characters. I suspect that Costanza’s mixing of popular art styles from the time of Joplin (Fauvism, Expressionism, and American Modernism) is not a coincidence. Instead of using a more classical illustrative approach for this reverential story–which, let’s be honest, would’ve been a bit hokey–Costanza’s illustrations reflect the style and methods of the time, trading in digital illustration for wax pastels, collage, and gouache. It not only feels true to the time, but also to Joplin and his music.

Each illustration is a feast–so much so that I often forgot there were words to read. The written story is perfectly fine, but the reality is that I was consumed by the art. And honestly, the illustrations do such a good job of telling the story that I feel this could’ve easily been a wordless picture book. There is so much story to mine from the visuals that the text almost feels a bit redundant.

Now, to acknowledge my bias: I am a massive fan of Mary Blair. Her use of color, design and composition–all of it is perfect in my opinion, and right up my alley. If you’re unfamiliar with Mary Blair, click here to learn more. While reading King of Ragtime, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Blair’s wonderful work. And while I don’t know if Costanza overtly referenced her art while making this book, he’s done an amazing job of capturing all of the qualities that makes Blair’s work so amazing and fun.

In conclusion, and I know I’m going to sound like a broken record here, but Stephen Costanza’s King of Ragtime is an absolutely beautiful picture book and–dare I say it–an instant classic.

5 out of 5 crayons

John Herzog is an award-​winning illustrator and educator. 

His clients include Hasbro, Dreamworks TV, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic, and Highlights for Children. He also teaches illustration classes at Ringling College of Art and Design.

John is a member of the National Cartoonists Society and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, where he received the 2018 SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for his Highlights High Five cover illustration. He lives in Florida with his wife, two kids, a pair of geckos, a bearded dragon, and a tarantula.