Most influential picture book

When I read Harold and the Purple Crayon last year, a lightbulb went off in my head.


This book is wonderful on so many levels:

• Its theme of imagination -- Harold's wild imagination draws us into his magical adventure
• How it surprises and delights with the random creatures and objects that Harold draws to help him out of sometimes sticky situations (pun intended re: pie scene)
• The likable character of Harold, who has mad reasoning skills, yet is still believable as a 4-year old
• Crockett Johnson's subtle wordplay that I never caught as a child, but tickled me when I recognized it as an adult

Harold and the Purple Crayon is so different from today's vividly-colored picture books. Inside, the illustrations are black and white with the only exception being the purple crayon and its marks. However, its muted color scheme reflects the gentle nature of the book.

Also impressive is its staying power -- enough to inspire numerous adaptions including an HBO series, an episode of The Simpsons, and an iPad app -- not to mention Harold Underdown's popular kidlit resource website, "The Purple Crayon".  Did Crockett Johnson ever imagine how far reaching his little book would be?

I'd read Harold and the Purple Crayon as a child, and enjoyed it; but as an adult and a budding picture book writer, I would call it the book that has influenced my picture book writing the most.

What picture book(s) has influenced or inspired you?

What exactly is self-publishing?

I admit, I am curious about self-publishing. It no longer carries the stigma it once did. Technology, like e-books and print-on-demand, makes getting published accessible to almost everyone -- without passing the traditional gatekeepers of agents and editors.  And, the press highlights self-publishing "Cinderella" stories, making self-publishing all the more enticing.

So, I thought I’d check out self-publishing and share what I’ve learned.

What did I learn?  Self publishing is confusing -- especially because some companies call themselves self-publishing providers, but actual self-publishing doesn't involve these providers at all.  This is my understanding:

•  Vanity publishing, subsidy publishing, or co-publishing: An author hires a "publishing house" to print books for a fee under their imprint. These publishers make money from the fees they charge authors, not from sales of the published book. The term "vanity press" has a negative connotation.  Therefore, most companies that publish for a fee call themselves providers of self-publishing services. These publishers may offer other services like editing, cover design, marketing, and distribution. 

• Self-publishing or independent publishing:  An author publishes a book independent of any third party publisher. The author is responsible for the design, editing, printing, distribution, pricing, marketing, and publicity, all or none of which may be contracted out to specialists. The author may also create and register an imprint.

Below, I outline the pros and cons of self-publishing:

Pros

Cons

- Faster time to market: a self-published book can be available within weeks vs. years - No gatekeepers to block authors from getting published - Author retains full control over all aspects of the book – editing, design, pricing, etc. - Author retains all rights - Higher royalties per book - More timely payment and updates on sales than if traditionally published - Book is available until author decides to take the book off the market - There may be no upfront costs, especially if selling an e-book

- Upfront costs - Lack of prestige (assumed that traditional publishers would not publish) - Being responsible for everything that goes into creating and selling a book requires a lot of time, effort, and thought - Reviewers often will not review self-published books making it more difficult to generate sales - Don’t have access to all the publisher contacts or distribution.  - Missing the key learnings gained by many years of publishing and selling books - Most self-published books don't sell well

This is great food for thought as I move forward in the path to publication.  I'm probably not ready to self-publish, but someday, when I have more time and experience, I may try it.  Will you?

The great debate

I have four polished manuscripts, and I'm debating which route to take – submit directly to publishers or try to retain an agent.

This debate has been building in my brain for months, leading to a state of overwhelmed Inertia (note the capital I). Recently, I mustered up enough energy to sweep Inertia aside and take a step toward actually making a decision.

I compared the two routes and am sharing my notes with you.

Submit directly to publishers	Retain an agent
It's possible, but it's difficult.	It's possible, but it's difficult.
Many unpublished writers are first published this way.	Some agents are open to unpublished writers, but many are not. In fact, many agents don't represent picture book authors at all.
Some publishers accept picture book manuscripts directly from writers. Some publishers (especially the larger and more well-known publishing houses) only accept manuscripts that are submitted through an agent. However, it may be possible to submit a query directly, depending on the house's submission policies.	With an agent, you gain access to the publishers that don't normally accept manuscripts directly from writers.
You will find greater success if you tailor your submission to the right publishing house and editor. The information you'll need is available, BUT it is scattered across books, blogs, forums, and writers' web sites, and it is time-consuming to gather. In addition, the publishing industry is dynamic -- people are on the move, getting promoted, etc., which means it may be difficult to stay current.	It's an agent's business to know the publishing industry including the types of stories that compliment specific publishers' catalogs, editor preferences, what kinds of manuscripts are getting sold and what will be a harder sell, which publishers are downsizing and which are acquiring books, etc. This can be a time-savings.
You save on commission, BUT you will need to negotiate your own contract and deal with any business concerns that come up. Sometimes, this makes it difficult to maintain a good rapport with your editor. You may choose to hire a literary lawyer to review your contract.	You will pay commission on earnings of your book (provided it gets sold). But, this money may be well spent as agents open doors to bigger, well-known publishers, may negotiate better contracts, handle all the business issues that could overshadow your relationship with the editor, etc. In addition, some agents are editorial and will help you refine your manuscript. BUT, not all agents are great, and they may end up being more of hindrance than a help.
You will need to be your own advocate should your manuscript get held up or potentially killed at the publishing house. This may be hard to do for someone with little to no knowledge of how publishing houses operate and no insider connections/information.	Agents can advocate for your book to help ensure it makes it through the publishing process.
Editors may take several months to respond to your queries. If they are passing, you may never hear back.	Agents can often get faster responses from editors. BUT, you have to retain an agent first and there is likely to be the same lengthy waiting period or non-response on your queries to agents.
You are your own career, publication, and marketing guide. If you need guidance, resources do exist to help -- you just have to find them.	A great agent will help guide your career, your path to publication, your marketing efforts, etc. BUT, agents have several clients and you may not get the attention you want.

Sigh. There is so much to consider. It's enough to make me run screaming into the night. I have to continuously remind myself, "There is no one right answer. There is no one right answer."  

And, there are always other options -- like self-publishing. But that is a whole 'nother blog post.