Comments on: A second look at picture book dummies

By: greg gutierrez

greg gutierrez — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:54:08 +0000

Great info. Thanks!

By: Stacey

Stacey — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:12:49 +0000

Thanks a lot for this, it’s incredibly helpful.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:12:00 +0000

Thanks a lot for this, it’s incredibly helpful.

By: Paul Schmid

Paul Schmid — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:26:50 +0000

Jumping in here as an example of a first-timer with printed endpapers.

I’m currently illustrating the first of my two manuscripts picked up by Harper. The stories just need the extra room, (and it’s going to be a blast to design something fun for the endpapers.)

Perhaps an exception to the rule, but I’m usually doodling when they’re handing out the rules anyway, so I miss these things.

By: Paul Schmid

Paul Schmid — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Jumping in here as an example of a first-timer with printed endpapers.

I’m currently illustrating the first of my two manuscripts picked up by Harper. The stories just need the extra room, (and it’s going to be a blast to design something fun for the endpapers.)

Perhaps an exception to the rule, but I’m usually doodling when they’re handing out the rules anyway, so I miss these things.

By: KinokoFry

KinokoFry — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 06:35:27 +0000

Thanks everyone!

This is all useful discussion for me, as I’m writing my first children’s book at the moment and I’m looking for any insights into how best to ready it for publishing.

By: KinokoFry

KinokoFry — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 06:35:00 +0000

Thanks everyone!

This is all useful discussion for me, as I’m writing my first children’s book at the moment and I’m looking for any insights into how best to ready it for publishing.

By: jessb

jessb — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 04:30:49 +0000

Thank you michael for the final final response! It is very painful to hear anything claim to be : THE DEFINITE MODEL.

Especially when we do have exceptions and considerations beyond the full page spread, such as epilogue images (Ward) and illustrated end papers (jjk). Amazing example: The Stinky Cheese Man & other fairly stupid tales.

By: jessb

jessb — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 04:30:00 +0000

Thank you michael for the final final response! It is very painful to hear anything claim to be : THE DEFINITE MODEL.

By: siestadrive

siestadrive — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:55:10 +0000

Thanks for posting, Johnny. I think your summation is exactly right. I hope it was clear from my language (“more likely,” etc.) that I wasn’t putting forth my revised version as *the* way, either. Just (perhaps) more common.

As Adam Rex (whose work I admire) says above, “The least expensive picture book, as far as I know, is one that’s 32 pages with separate, non-printed endpapers.” Yet Bob Staake’s dummy template showed the publisher printing on the end papers (at the front of the book, anyway) as a matter of course, as the default.

While a successful creator like Bob Staake (whose work I also admire) may get “15 spreads and a finale page” as a “rule,” I think it’s unwise for a first-time creator to assume that they’ll get 31 of the 32 printable pages for their story. Fourteen spreads, a single page beginning and a single page finale will give the publisher the two pages (minimum) they’ll need to do their thing.