I became seriously interested in a career in children’s books after leaving my job as a background designer at DreamWorks Animation in 2020. My daughter had just been born and the pandemic began shortly after. I was looking for a more flexible creative path that I could pursue while staying home with my daughter. I had my sights on children’s books, which had always been a career goal to pursue.
At first I thought it would be easy to find an agent with my animation background. I had seen a lot of other artists who had made the transition. Though I do feel being a professional artist was beneficial, I quickly discovered I had a lot more to learn about the industry before I was ready for an agent.
My first few submissions to agents were met with either radio silence or feedback about my portfolio. One agent said my website was not focused enough on children’s books. It didn’t matter how many years I have been a professional artist. My portfolio needed to be specific.
So I went back to the drawing board, doing more research on the industry, reconfiguring my portfolio, and adding one more kiddo to the mix in 2022. I started submitting to agents again in late 2023 and signed with my agent, Kaitlyn Sanchez in April 2024.
Here are my essential tips to landing an agent as an author/illustrator:
1. You need to have a children's book illustration portfolio website. Include narrative images that show one or more expressive characters interacting in a scene. Basically, these images should feel like they came straight out of a children’s book. Each standalone image can and should tell a story! You can also do a sequence of images with the same characters to show you can be consistent across a book. A variety of children, animals and even adults in your drawings will make a stronger portfolio.
2. Writing at least one children's book is another key step to getting an author/illustrator agent. Do research on children’s book structure, including word count and age range. Check to see if your story idea has already been done. It is good to fit in with books in the market, while also being unique in some way. Get very familiar with current picture books, especially ones from recent years. The library is where you live now. Don’t forget to write a book and get some trusted feedback! I wrote three, which was very helpful when agents asked for more writing samples. *You will not want to publish your stories online, but feel free to share one (your strongest) when you are ready to submit to agents.
3. Create a rough “dummy” which is a mock-up of your book with illustration and text laid out across pages. You will want to look up guidelines on the standard number of pages and common book sizes before you start. You should be able to understand the action and characters on the page, but all the drawings do not need to be finished. Only finish 2-3 images in your intended illustration style. Phew..if you are thinking this all sounds like a lot, you might hear from insiders that author/illustrators have it easier getting their foot in the door. Even if that’s true, it is still a lot of work! *Of my three manuscripts, I only had one dummy completed before submitting.
4. Once you have items 1-3, you are ready to start “querying” agents for representation. Head over to a site called Query Tracker to find agents specific to your genre. Only reach out to agents accepting picture books. Check out the agency and bio of the agents. They often post helpful tips for what they are interested in or a link to their “Manuscript Wishlist” profile. Keep a running list of who you want to submit to. Most importantly, follow their agency AND agent submission guidelines if you hope to be considered.
5. Write yet another thing… a query letter. It is essentially your cover letter to agents as to why you want to work with them. You will be tailoring each submission to individual agents, so this process can take a while. You will greet the agent by name and introduce yourself. Tell them why you are interested in working with them. Pitch your book with a compelling 1-2 sentence synopsis. You don’t want to necessarily give away the ending, but instead want to make them read the manuscript. Also give a brief bio on yourself especially pertaining to your writing or illustration experience. It is helpful to see a couple query examples online.
6. You are ready to start sending those queries and keep in mind this frequently used kidLit industry motto: “Hurry up and wait.” Agents are busy people. Even if they are open to queries, they may take months to respond. They often have hundreds (or more) queries in their inbox on top of their other work. It's best to put the submission out of your mind and keep moving forward.
Fingers crossed, my friends. If you are dedicated to writing and illustrating children’s books, I have no doubt you can!