Next
on our journey following a picture book from concept to completion is the art
director.
Joining
us today is Jim Hoover with Viking Books. Jim, thank you so much for being
willing to be a part of this series.
Let’s
start at the beginning. What happens when you get a call from, or have a
meeting with, an editor?
I have worked with my team
of editors for many years now, and I am proud to call them my coworkers,
colleagues, and friends. So—often, a meeting isn’t so much ‘called’ as it sort
of morphs from a casual conversation where we turn from shooting the breeze to
“oh, you actually wanted to talk about work. Cool.”
Other times, someone shows
up at your door with a stack of printouts or proofs, and it’s like “hey. What
did we decide to do about this?”
“I dunno.”
“Okay, let’s figure it
out.”
I truly think the world of
my team and enjoy their company. We love our work, and it is completely
collaborative. I always say that the fun and love we have for our books shows
through in the final package. We work
hard, but most of the good days we barely notice.
And like any relationship,
communication is key. If some snafu happens along the way during the process of
a book it almost always boils down to miscommunication.
Above is a
picture of me holding court with some of my coworker peeps. This is a picture
from a very important meeting where we discussed the end of the last Game of
Thrones season. I’m sure we did real work that day, too. To my right: Maggie
Rosenthal (editorial assistant), Abigail Powers (copyeditor), Mariam Quraishi
(design assistant), Amanda Mustafic (associate publicist), Krista Ahlberg
(copyeditor), Nancy Brennan (associate art director), and Kate Renenr (senior
designer.)
Sounds like a wonderful way to work. When working on a picture book do you communicate with
the illustrator, the editor, or both?
With both. An art
director’s job is to mediate comments from the editorial, sales and marketing
teams to the illustrator and keep them on task and on time. We usually have a
few ideas of our own, too.
What is your process when getting
started with a new manuscript?
It actually still can
surprise me after fifteen years how much the process can shift from one book to
another. But GENERALLY, when I get a manuscript and need to find an
illustrator, I have a few sources that I start with.
1.) I have a running list
of illustrators that I have either always wanted to work with or am dying to
work with again. Sometimes, it can take YEARS to find just the right (or another)
book to work on. Patience is a virtue on all sides.
2.) I have a number of
illustration agencies that I have worked with and trust. (I also have agents
that I avoid like the plague.) I will go through their sites and
(re)familiarize myself with their clients, and in many cases, reach out and ask
for recommendations.
3.) I’ve usually found
someone by this point, but every now and then, I’ll talk to other art directors
and we will recommend folks to each other. Again, we also all have a running
list of whom to avoid.
I’ll try to stay off the list of
people to avoid. :-) Easy since I’m not an illustrator. What is your favorite part
of the process?
Oooo, tough one. My
favorite part of the process is probably when I get a few hours to sit with
some good tunes on and just play with type and color. There is this wonderful
‘quiet before the storm’ moment when you are onto an idea for a cover or
something when the whole thing is just YOURS to develop and work with, before
anyone has weighed in on if it works, or needs to change, or just pulls the
whole thing apart and sends you back to the drawing board.
I’ve lost days chasing an
idea that I am pretty sure won’t make it past the first round of feedback, but
I just want to let it breathe for a bit and enjoy it. Sometimes you can push
through and really find something that’s special.
That sounds fantastic. I’m really
seeing that every person on the path for a picture book is wildly creative. So
when is your job finally ‘done’?
I guess when the book
finally comes in from production as a finished, printed, bound object—that book
is done. Otherwise, I am Sisyphus pushing that big ol’ boulder up the hill.
I think it’s like that at every
phase. There is always ‘one more thing’ we can do, or tweak, or change. Now my
favorite question; what is the longest and shortest time you’ve worked on a
manuscript?
This really varies in an
old skool hardcover imprint like Viking. We seldom push something through too
fast. I would say the shortest has been five or six months. On the flipside of that, I have one project
that I have been working on for three years and it’s STILL not done. I know
editors closing in on FIVE YEARS with some manuscripts. Some books just need
more room to develop and grow than others. One of my favorite
author/illustrators once lamented that she wishes she could do one picture book
a year, and it usually takes her a year and a half, and occasionally two. But
her books are perfect and beautiful. I am a quality over quantity sort of guy.
Six month to 5 years. That's a pretty big range. Publishing = Patience.
Do you deal with any other people
within the publishing house? If so, who?
Publishing is a team
effort. We work with marketing, sales, publicity, upper management, sales reps
out in the field, authors, estates, stock houses, foundations, sometimes even
spouses. It takes a village to raise a child and a House to make a book.
It takes a village to raise a child and a House to make a book.
Best. Line. EVER.
Every author needs to know, are
illustration notes evil? This is something we hear conflicting info on.
Here’s what authors need
to know about working with illustrators on a picture book. Once an illustrator
has been assigned, you both become COAUTHORS. They are going to bring something
to the table that you could not have counted on. Illustrators turn word documents
into living, breathing things.
So, as you write, breaking
a story down by spread is a great idea (I do know some art directors and
editors that disagree with me here) but breaking down a manuscript by spread
allows you to control the pacing of a story. There are some broad illustration
notes that may be necessary, but beyond these two things, it really is best to
keep illustration notes down to a minimum. This is not something that should be
micromanaged, and it could even work against you in finding an editor.
Is there anything you wish authors
knew that would make your job easier?
The biggest frustration is
when an author doesn’t understand that once a publisher is signed up, their
book is no longer their own thing existing in a vacuum. We have teams of people
with decades of experience and direct knowledge of what will do well out in the
market and what won’t. Have faith in the team that has faith in your book.
Have faith in the team that has faith in your book.
No I in team. Check.
Is there anything you wish
illustrators knew that would make your job easier?
Deadlines are SO
important. There is always a few days or even a week or two grace period, but
some illustrators will blow deadlines by MONTHS. Understand that you are
shooting yourself and the book in the foot the further away you get from an
agreed-upon deadline.
*Double checks calendar to see if
I’m late for anything.* No, I’m safe for now. What fuels your creative
time? Chocolate, coffee, music?
Are you a mind reader? :o)
This is the holy trinity of my creative fuel. Sometimes I get caught dancing in
my chair while making boring corrections to a novel interior, and I keep a
chocolate stash in my top drawer, but shhh! Don’t tell anyone!
Shh. Don’t blow my mind reading
secret. And thank you for that image. Now I’m going to imagine everyone
chair dancing as they work on their books. :-P
Thank you again Jim for sharing your
part in the publishing journey. Thank you for what you do! And P.S. I’m totally snagging some chocolate if I ever come visit your office.
and
The great part is cats are curious. All I had to do was set the book down and they all came to sniff, bat, and bite this new toy.
