How did you break into children’s publishing?

TD: I tried to send sample portfolios from afar when I was an art school grad (back in 1992), but it was to no avail. Angela and I then moved to New York City where I began dropping my portfolio off to the various publishing houses. Even then, it took almost three years to break into this field that I adore.

First off, I called many children’s illustrators to get tips on what to have in his portfolio. I began creating images of subjects I like to draw to fill my portfolio. Next, I created a book dummy to show that I understood how books were laid out and produced. Finally, I began going to the bookstore and library weekly to see what kind of books publishers where publishing. I would cater my submissions to publishing houses I thought would respond positively to my work.

I also began contributing work to children’s magazines. Having my work published in this form started creating a familiarity with my work and name.

But most importantly, I did not give up. Whenever I could, I met with editors and art directors in person. With every rejection I learned something new and changed my approach, until I finally got a portfolio I was really proud of. I continued to meet with publishers until I found an editor who really understood me and my potential.

Although I started illustrating for role-playing games, there was no gaming art in my portfolio. All sample pieces were created specifically to showcase what I was capable of in the field of children’s publishing. You can see some of the samples that I presented in the blog post “Bridging the Gap“.