Nicky O'Byrne flew into the limelight earlier this year when she won the Waterstones Children's Prize for Best Picture Book. Open Very Carefully, the brilliantly interactive story of a crocodile who falls into the wrong story, was published by Nosy Crow, to a host of positive reviews, capturing the imaginations of many. Nicky took time out of her rather busy schedule to answer some questions for me (thanks, Nicky!).
First off, I have to ask how it felt to win the Waterstones Children’s Prize for Best Picture Book! Was it a surreal experience?
It felt amazing! I couldn’t quite believe it, I felt so excited, happy and nervous all at the same time. It took a while to sink in, and I walked around with a massive, dazed smile on my face for several days not really getting anything done.
You’ve been represented by the Bright Agency for a while now. What drew you to that particular illustration agency?
Bright approached me when I exhibited at D&AD after my degree show. I went to their office with my portfolio and was struck by their enthusiasm and by the quality of the artwork on their website. I had met with a couple of publishers before I met Bright, and although they were all extremely encouraging, it was clear that I didn’t quite understand what they were looking for. Bright was willing to put time into developing me, not only as a children’s book illustrator, but as an author, and in licensing work too. Vicki was also quite upfront with me about what was good in my portfolio and what was lacking, and I liked that!
What advice would you give illustrators who are trying to crack into children’s book illustration?
Spend time researching the publishers you want to work with, and make your self-promotional material relevant. Publishers are so busy, anything you send needs to be something special to entice them to pick it up. Competitions and exhibitions are also a good way to get your work seen, as are book fairs. If you are not represented by an agency, I would strongly encourage an AOI membership, they are so helpful, friendly, and they have a wealth of knowledge. And of course, have a website!
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Sometimes inspiration arrives by itself and sometimes I have to work to get it. I try to keep regular working hours because I think inspiration is probably something that comes with practice, and I try to be receptive to ideas when they do arrive. If I’m not feeling inspired, I research my subject matter and draw more. Sometimes being uninspired is actually just feeling tired and run down, and inspiration arrives after a good night’s sleep.
What do you enjoy most about the book-making process?
All of it! I usually quite enjoy editing the roughs. I find that this is the stage when I most improve with my drawing, because you can get very specific feedback about making relatively small changes that improve the image a lot. The final artwork is the most challenging aspect and I can get quite stressed over it. Getting the pdfs back from the designer and that first pre-published copy of your book in the post is pretty awesome, too!
If you could meet any authors or illustrators, alive or dead, who would they be?
Dave McKean, Catherine Rayner, Neil Gaiman, Sara Ogilvie, Shaun Tan, Emily Gravett, and David Almond. Of course if I actually met any of them I would be way too excited to speak to them and I’d probably just grin and stare. I met Catherine Rayner once when she came to my college, and all I managed was to blush furiously and ask her for her autograph.
What are your views on the picture book market right now?
I think there are so many amazing books coming out right now! The standard of authors and illustrators is very high; this is both exciting and terrifying at the same time.
If you could change one thing in the world of picture books, what would it be?
This is a wonderful industry to be part of, but I think there is a lot of pressure on publishers to produce books that will sell well, and so sometimes important stories don’t make the cut because they are difficult or controversial, or just not commercial enough. If I could change one thing I would invent a budget for stories that might not sell but should be told.
Describe yourself in five words
Excitable
Ambitious
Cuddly
Anxious
Cake