book update

i thought this would be a good way to share my journey towards getting published.

i started sending out my manuscript and dummy (photo-copied mock-up of the book with pages sketched out) in February of this year (2004). "What Time is it Now?" is my picture book about the concept of time for children ages 2-4 years. It follows a day in the life of a community of monsters.

first I sent it to an editor at Hyperion (owned by Disney) who liked the idea but didn't feel it was right for their list. (a friend of mine met the editor at a dinner party) next, it floated around the art department of Simon & Schuster also in the hands of a friend of a friend who said she may be able to pass it along to someone. i got a few comments from other designers but ultimately an editor is the only person able to make a decision about publishing a book, so this was not a fruitful point of entry. at the beginning of June i sent it to an Art Director at HarperCollins. i had done a portfolio showing with this art director 2 years before i moved to New York when she worked at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. since she gave me comments on the early sketches for "What Time is it Now?" i thought she may be able to advise me on the finished dummy. and sometimes art directors can force it onto an editor's desk if they really like it. still waiting to hear. there's a lot of waiting involved and unlike other businesses, ettiquette dictates waiting up to 3 months for a response.

i was at a my friend Chris' barbecue 2 weeks ago and met a woman whose
friend 's friend was an editor and a Upenn alum. i made a promise to be a bit more aggressive about trying to get published, so i got the editor's contact info and emailed her. interestingly enough, she's an associate editor at Simon & Schuster, so i mailed her a copy last week. (at least now it's in the right department.) and the waiting continues.

you can see a sample spread (2 facing pages) from the book here.

But as an exclusive to gumball readers, here's another page: