![]() I asked her for it because I love it – the little mouse dwarfed by the large costume shop, pictured actively, as he snips a piece of ribbon in the dark of night. She sent me the jpeg of the illustration that tops this blog post. Now that our book Toe Shoe Mouse has been printed, Jennifer A. What will the illustrator do? How will he or she conceive the character? How will the world be imagined? What will the detail look like? These anxious questions are answered when the author first gets a glimpse of the art. Still, whenever the art comes in, it’s a surprise.īut I’m happy to report that most of the time the surprise is a happy one. ![]() Authors can help catch inconsistencies earlier rather than later. Many editors are kind enough to share sketches with the author, and this benefits the book. They also know that it lights a fire under their butts and they’d better revise quickly. ![]() Get me rewrite! “The book is about to go to print – but we just noticed that the text says ‘cat’ and the illustrator painted a dog!” Writers are familiar with urgency they know it’s a critical element in crafting drama. When art comes in that doesn’t jibe with the text, the writer may have to revise. Of course, with picture books, there does end up being some collaborative back-and-forth it’s just mediated. And we no longer have to rely on chance meetings at conferences, and exchanges of phone numbers that often felt furtive, even illicit. The internet has tempered this – authors can now search out illustrators without having to query the publishing house, hat in hand, for contact information. It ensures that the author isn’t dictating or interfering with his or her half of the creative process. Authors are discouraged from contacting the illustrator directly – or even writing extensive art notes – and this has advantages for the illustrator. The author sends the manuscript to the editor, who then communicates with the illustrator. The traditional model for picture books is that the author and illustrator never actually communicate during the development of the book. Of course there are author/illustrator teams who do get to work closely – the occasional husband-wife team or other intimates, or perhaps people who are lucky enough to collaborate on more than one book. Author/Illustrators might be considered the Cole Porters of children’s books, with words and pictures (in place of music & lyric) working together seamlessly, expressing one artistic vision. Blessed are the children’s book authors who are both writers and illustrators. The result? “Some Enchanted Evening” or other arresting standard.īut authors and illustrators of picture books don’t work that way, or at least mostly they don’t. Or did we? Well, that depends on your definition of the word "together." When I think about collaboration, an image springs to mind: Rodgers and Hammerstein, composer and lyricist, with Rodgers at the piano, and Hammerstein leaning photogenically near. Jennifer and I created the book together. And every day I’ve been sneaking looks at my advance copy and marveling at the art. ![]() Bell, is about to arrive in the warehouses. I’ve been thinking a lot about collaboration lately because my newest picture book, Toe Shoe Mouse, illustrated by Jennifer A. ![]()
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