Interview with Illustrator Claire Sedovic

Today we welcome illustrator Claire Sedovic. She is the amazing artist who brought the Odd Animal ABC's to life.  Thank you for joining us today. So, inquiring minds want to know...

How did you become the illustrator for Odd Animal ABC’s?

After quitting my job as a graphic designer for a major media company last spring, I began sending postcards featuring my art to potential publishers. Blue Manatee Press was one such publisher whose work I admired, so of course they received a postcard from me. A couple of months later I heard from Amy Dean (Editorial & Marketing Director at Blue Manatee Press) that she was looking for an illustrator for a manuscript she had just acquired and wanted to know if I would like to submit my work for consideration. Of course I said yes, and almost exactly a year later, Odd Animal ABC’s was published featuring my art!

I feel very lucky that Blue Manatee had that postcard! Have you always wanted to illustrate?

Indeed I have. As a child I often wrote and illustrated sequels to my favorite picture books or crafted my own original stories complete with detailed illustrations in marker or paint.

Can you describe your process of taking this story text and developing it. 

I must say I feel very fortunate that you and I were able to correspond as often as we did while I developed the illustrations for the text as I realize now that is not typical of the author/illustrator relationship. I think our collaboration succeeded because I was receptive to the illustration notes you offered, and you were willing to change the text in some instances that I interpreted it a little differently with my illustrations than you expected. As an illustrator, I see my role as someone who can visually fill the gaps in the story. And because this story text is all dialogue (and a lot of humor!) I felt like I had a lot of room to play. 

I started the process by reading the text over and over to get a good feel for the story. I then created thumbnail sketches to determine the flow and layout of the book. Once those sketches were approved I proceeded with the full scale art, but even then, I continued to make adjustments as the story evolved and I received feedback from you and Amy.

I've told lots of people how you helped shape this into a better book. Without some of your requests due to art, I wouldn't have my two favorite jokes in there! 

So there are 53 real animals (and one imaginary unicorn) in this book. Was the large cast of characters a problem?

I wouldn’t say the large cast was a problem, but it was certainly a challenge. I loved researching the different animals to ensure that I drew them accurately, but it took some time to figure out when and were certain animals should reappear in order to drive the narrative along. In some cases, this was already written into the text, but throughout the illustration process I took some liberties to add or omit for visual appeal and to help integrate the ABC letters into the illustrations.

I love the coloring of the letters themselves too. So what do you hope readers take away from this story?

I hope that the book widens kids’ understanding of just how diverse the animal kingdom really is. Of course I hope they laugh along with all the wonderful, and often weird critters as they travel from A to Z, but on a deeper level, I also hope that it sparks new curiosity about the natural world and a desire preserve and protect it for future generations.

That was my hope too. Now, a very important question,
 what is your favorite chocolate or dessert?

How about chocolate dessert?

Where else can readers find you and your art?

You can find more of my work on my website (clairesedovic.com) and follow me on Instagram @clairesedovic.

Wish you were on Twitter more. You are missing some major book love!  Thank you so much for giving life to these odd and amazing animals and for joining us on the blog. Best wishes that your illustrating career is long, prosperous, and full of happy readers!!

Agents, Inspiration, and Sales, Oh My!

A while back I posted about how I got my agent. It came down to a combo of good timing, her #MSWL post (which really summed up the type of MS I was just sending out to agents), and just really jiving well with each other.

While we all know Agents sell your work and cheer you on, sometimes they are your source for inspiration.

Back on International Woman's Day, March 8, 2018, Rebecca shot a simple tweet my way.

 

Of course I said, "I love elephants!" and we had a fun little back and forth where, like all highly evolved creatures, we spoke in GIFS and pictures.

 

 

But now I had a problem. I couldn't get this idea out of my head. Like I'd told my agent, I'd done a good amount of research on elephants already for a possible Chapter Book Series. I even went to meet one and interview a caretaker. But did I have enough info? I had only done generic research and it was mostly about captive elephants. Was there a solid story here?

 

I couldn't stop thinking about the elephant I met, the elephant matriarch, and their beautiful and complex family structure.

 

On March 12th, 2018 I emailed my agent a REALLY rough draft and asked, "Should I pursue this further?"

 

Her response was simply, "YES!!! Please pursue this !!!! :-)"

 

So I put everything else I was working on to the side, stayed up way too late watching elephants on the internet, Animal Planet, Net Geo, pulling every elephant book off the shelf at my library and pulling out all my old notes. After fast tracking it to my critique buddies I gave my agent on April 12th.

 

I was so attached to this piece. I lost sleep over it. I reached out to trusts in Africa to have it vetted. I was terrified that she'd say it was all wrong. (Not because she is mean or harsh, but every writer worries their stuff is crap at some point, right?)

 

She read it on April 16th. This is what I got back.

 



OH MY GOSH THIS IS AMAZING AND IT'S EXACTLEY WHAT I WAS WANTING WHEN I SHARED THAT PICTURE WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, I'm done writing

We sent it on an exclusive to an editor who ultimately didn't offer. Then we sent it on its first round of submissions.

Friday, August 3rd, 2018 it went out.

Tuesday the 7th we had interest and they wanted to call and speak with me. Within a month we had another editor who wanted a call. We received multiple offers but we chose to publish with Familius.
That they offered is still a little shocking since I'd never spoken with an editor or publisher on the phone so I nervous giggled for half of the conversation and forgot the English language a few times. Thankfully they still loved SHE LEADS. (Whether or not they think I'm nuttier than a peanut shell... we can't be sure.)

I signed the contract on Friday, September 14th. Six months after my Agent playfully pitched me an idea on twitter.

Agents are more than the person who can get your MS seen at big houses. They are more than a contract translator. They are friends and inspiration and cheerleaders and editors and I for one am thankful!

DISCLAIMER FOR WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS: This is not a normal timeframe! Six months is ridiculously fast!!! It took me about three years to sell my first picture book. I've been seriously writing for two to three years prior to that.

SHE LEADS: THE ELEPHANT MATRIARCH will be published in Spring, 2020 by Familius.




Happy New Year 2017

I'm here to say goodbye to 2016 and welcome 2017. 

This year I want all you writers to make realistic resolutions.

Write more.
Write without distractions.
Write without fear.
Write with your heart.
REVISE, REVISE, REVISE.
REVISE.

Yes, it is a lovely thought to say, "This year my resolution is to become a published author." Unless you are self publishing there are too many things out of your control.

This year I hope to polish, revise, write, research. All of which are in my control. Patience, focus, and drive are within my control. Dedication is within my control.

Don't beat yourselves up with things don't go to plan. This business is subjective and slow, which is difficult for us to grasp in a time of instant gratification. 

I wish everyone a productive new year. I wish you inspiration. I wish you peace.

Happy New Year! Happy Writing!

Invest in Yourself

Wow this year is flying by already. Why? Because many of the classes I wanted to take this year piled up here at the beginning.

If you are a writer, who's endgame is being traditionally published, you need to invest in yourself and your craft. I don't mean you need to get a PhD in writing (although, hey that would be pretty awesome). I do mean you need to invest time, energy, and if you have some to spare money. I've touched on this before but lets look deeper.

Ways to invest in yourself:

Online Blogs (FREE)

Google is your friend. I found Query Shark while googling about queries. There aren't many picture book examples, which is what I was looking for when I found it, but WHO CARES. The information there can be applied to anything query related.

This is just one example. There are sites for rhyme, rhythm, word counts, agent research, pacing, plotting, structure, illustration. Put in the time but be focused. The internet is full of white rabbits that can lead you astray from your original goal. We've all been there. Looking for a dinner recipe and then ending up looking at cat videos.

Some that I have found:

12 x 12

Manuscript Wish List

Nathan Bransford

Writing for Kids While Raising Them - Tara Lazar

Writers Digest

There are MANY MANY more but those are a few go to's for me.

Conferences (Not Free)

It goes almost without saying that conferences are a great resource for writers and illustrators. You can learn about craft, publishing as a whole, what agents and editors are looking for and in many cases you can sign up for critiques from industry pros and even intensives.

We can't all afford to go to the big ones but check your local SCBWI or whichever group you are a part of.... which is a great Segway too...

Writing/Illustrating Organizations (Usually an Annual Fee)

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators aka SCBWI is outstanding. They have conferences, regional groups-which can help find you local critique partners, online discussion boards, awards and grants, and more.

This is the only one I am a part of but find one for your genre. SCBWI helped me find critique partners who are AMAZING! My work only gets stronger as others help me see the weak spots in my WIPs. I have attended conferences where I've schmoozed with writers, illustrators, agents, editors. And by schmoozed I mean bonded over long bathroom lines and shared love of the amazing dessert brownies. At a meet and greet I even ended up on a trivia team with THREE editors and another author. It was great fun and no pressure to pitch.

Books on Craft (Free at Library or Purchase at Your Local Bookstore)

Many people have favorites. Agents and Editors will post their recommendations. Seriously, hop on Twitter or Facebook and ask and I'm sure other writerly folks will be happy to suggest books. Look in your genre or for the specific area you need. There are books galore.

Classes ($$)

There are classes online, intensives at conferences, webinars, and at colleges. I've attended four webinars so far this year. All were helpful, two were exactly what I personally needed for my manuscripts. Sometimes these are free, or low cost. More often than not you will need to invest money. I used gift cards from the holiday to splurge on two that I wouldn't have otherwise taken. Instead of shoes for your birthday, ask for a class.

This is another area where writing organizations can be helpful. I found a chapter book webinar for $10.00 on the SCBWI discussion boards, know as the blue boards. Another writer was kind enough to post about it and seriously, $10.00 is an easy investment.

Larger investments need to be worked into your budget but that doesn't make them a pipe dream. Just a goal you may need to save up for. But really, if you want to be something, then you need to DO something. So grab a book, hop onto a craft technique blog, or finally look into that class you are always telling yourself you'll take. Invest in your writing.

A word to the wise though. Don't let all the research and learning get in the way of the actual writing.