This is a personal entry. As I work on my comics and Kickstarter (rewards included), I have revisited the idea of doing children’s picture books.
Why would I want to do a picture book?
It is something I’d genuinely want to do.
I possess two talents that made me ideal for work in picture books – I draw in a humorous cartoon style and I can communicate an idea instantly. Children like funny pictures and I draw that way.
I’m not alone. Many out there have drawn children’s books using a humorous style – Mort Gerberg, William Steig, Whitney Darrow Jr, Mike Thaler, and many more.
The motivation for me doing a children’s book is not just to get rich. In case anyone out there gets delusions of grandeur, I need to warn you of something right now.
You can’t get rich writing or illustrating a children’s picture book.
You probably can’t get rich even with two children’s books. Now when you do twenty, thirty or forty books, that’s another story. Those who do it make a successful and often profitable career. Look at Dr. Seuss, Richard Scarry, Marc Brown (Arthur), Mercer Mayer (Little Critter) and Katharine Holabird (Angelina Ballerina). Those individuals have produced tons of books and crossed over into other venues like merchandising, animated adaptations, etc.
Sometime ago, I did a mock-up of a children’s picture book titled Hilda and Richie as a challenge to see if I could actually do it. While I am satisfied that I have the capacity to write and illustrate such a book, that isn’t quite publishable material. Lucky for me, I have made notes for about four more book ideas. Along with sending out some more art samples to advertising agencies over the weekend, I plan to investigate children’s book publishers.
That’s it for now. Stay tuned for more blog posts over the weekend as I have news on Sunnyville and the Kickstarter rewards.
