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POP PROFILE: LOUISE GROSART

Welcome to the very first POP Profile post! I'm not gonna lie, I'm very excited about this! In these posts, I'll be pestering lots of lovely publishing folk into sharing little snippets of information about their jobs. If you want to work in children's book publishing, then these posts are for you! And, hey, even if you don't want to work in children's book publishing, you will love having a read. The industry is filled to the brim with wonderful, talented, interesting people, and I hope you'll enjoy finding out more about them.

First up is the rather marvellous Louise Grosart . . .

How did you get into children’s book publishing?

I have always loved books, especially children’s books, and I was in my last year at university when it dawned on me that I could work in publishing. It only took two minutes of research to work out how competitive the industry is, but even that didn’t put me off.  I applied left, right and centre for work experience, hearing nothing until the following October, when Random House Children’s Books offered me a two week placement in the editorial department. It was the best two weeks of my life and I knew it was the job for me. I made sure I did the best job I could on everything I was given, asked lots of questions, talked to all the editors and found out all I could about working in editorial. After the work experience I had to get a normal job (as a bowls tours organizer) but I kept in touch with the editors I’d worked with at RHCB. Six months later they called me to say a PA role had come up in the department and asked if I would like to apply. The skills I’d honed whilst organizing tours were very transferable to the PA job role, and after going through the interview process I ended up getting the job! I could not have been happier and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. Since then I have worked my way up the editorial ranks to editor in the picture book team.

 

How would you spend a typical day at work?

I check my emails first thing and make a list of all the urgent things to get done. Then I will brief books, check layouts, go to meetings about the books I am working on. We work quite far ahead in the picture book team, so the books I am working on now will be coming out Spring/Summer next year. At the moment we are all in book fair lock-down, getting everything ready for the Frankfurt Book Fair in October.

 

What top two things do you love about your job?

Working with authors and helping to create beautiful books!

 

Which stories and/or illustration styles are catching your eye right now?

I’m looking for stories that are quirky and have something different about them – perhaps they’re classic stories told from a different angle or something new, fresh and exciting. The same goes for illustration styles – we’re looking for lots of different things – an illustrator of one book may or may not be perfect for other projects we’re working on. The style has to work for all our sales teams too.

 

Have you ever seen a book and thought I wish I’d published that?

I love Quentin Blake, Oliver Jeffers, Jill Murphy, Ed Vere and Simon Rickerty – so anything by them!  

 

If you could give one piece of advice to someone looking to work in publishing, what would it be?

Really think about what area of publishing you’d like to work in – a lot of people who are new to publishing think that they would be happy working on any type of books, but when it comes down to it, where would you most like to be? Also make sure you read everything big in that genre and look in all the bookshops to see how the shops are displaying these books; look at the covers and ask yourself what makes them part of the genre and what’s different about the ones you like. If you are fortunate enough to get a work experience placement then make sure you research the publisher you’re going to, and if you can find them, check the Twitter of the people you will be working with. That will give you an idea of what they are working on at the moment.

The best thing you can do is get a foot in the door and see how the publishing business works. I started as a PA and learned things about the company that I would not have learned if I had started as an editorial assistant.

 

If you could give one piece of advice to an author and/or illustrator looking to get published, what would it be?

Be yourself – and don’t follow the trends. Be as quirky, silly and interesting as you can and that will shine through in your work and everything you do.

 

Describe yourself in five words

Positive, curious, conscientious, loyal and friendly.

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NICOLA O'BYRNE: WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S PRIZE WINNER

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

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Yasmeen Ismail: V&a Book Illustration Award Winner

Ilustratour 2014

YASMEEN ISMAIL: V&A BOOK ILLUSTRATION AWARD WINNER

Last Monday, the V&A hosted their annual Illustration Awards and us Bloomsbury folk had the chance to give a big old cheer to our lovely friend and author-illustrator Yasmeen Ismail when she won the V&A award for Book Illustration! Time For Bed, Fred!, Yas's very first picture book, was published in July 2013, so it was pretty amazing to celebrate an achievement like this less than a year after publication. I can still remember so clearly my Editorial Director, Emma Blackburn, talking to me about the story of Fred - everyone could see there was something special about the expression, emotion and beauty in Yas's artwork and the imagination in her writing. When we met her last year for the first time, we quickly understood where it all came from - she's a cracking lass. So Monday was a properly exciting evening, for all of us. And - crikey - the V&A. What an incredible backdrop for our bubble-sipping celebrations!

To mark Yas's big win, I fired a load of questions at her and made her answer them . . . oh the trials of being an award-winning illustrator!

Firstly, congratulations on winning the V&A award for Book Illustration! How did you feel when you found out you’d won?

At first I thought someone was pulling my leg, but once that passed I was very happy. 

 

The award is pretty fancy – you’re not going to use it as a door stop, are you?

Of course I will.  It’s the perfect shape and size. 

 

You worked in animation for ten years, and even owned your own company - when did you realise that you wanted to be a published author-illustrator?

I wanted to be an illustrator for a very long time.  But it was never something that I thought I could do.  I didn’t even know when to start.  After running the company I was a lot more confident and I was left with a lot of time on my hands to start figuring out what I wanted to move onto.  It made sense to me to not waste the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change my career.  It was at that point that I understood that Illustration was something that I could start to pursue.  It happened very organically and felt very right. 

I never thought I would be an author too.  We all dream of being allowed to write, but I never thought that I actually would.  I was just very lucky that Bloomsbury took a punt on me as a writer and told me to give it a go.

 

How did you get an agent?

I got the Children’s Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook and trawled the Internet for suitable agencies.  Then I sent out little mailers to the right people.  After sending a lot I received a call from The Bright Agency.  I went in for a meeting and that was it!

 

What is your favourite part of the book-making process?

My favourite part is when it all goes smoothly. Each bit is enjoyable.  I enjoy the writing, planning and the artworking.  They are all great parts when it goes well and I feel like I am getting somewhere.  But equally it’s awful when I am stuck in a rut and I can’t think of ideas or the structure is wrong or I can’t seem to get the characters looking right.  The process works as a whole for me, I can’t pick favourites.

 

Is there a particular review or nomination that has felt extra-special to you?

Actually winning the V&A was the best.  I love a trophy!  I was really pleased to be in the NY Times as the Editor’s Choice as well.  The Greenaway and Waterstones nominations were super too.  So far winning the V&A is best . . . because I won!

 

If you could have cocktails with any author and/or illustrator (dead or alive), who would they be?

I sometimes think about meeting my heroes and what I would say to them, and in every scenario I make a fool of myself or say something stupid.  I worry a lot and I think the pressure of a cocktail with someone I admire could be catastrophic.  But, for the purposes of this question, and if you can guarantee that I won’t make an arse out of myself then I would have to say:

Posy Simmonds

Maira Kalman

Quentin Blake

Kate Beaton

 

What are your views on the picture book market right now?

There are some terrific new artists out there.  And more are coming along.  I think the standard is very high at the moment. I worry that I’ll be old hat soon!

 

If you could change one thing in the world of picture books, what would it be?

It’s a really nice industry to be in.  I sometimes think that the restrictions on what you can write about or show for young kids may be too severe.  I wouldn’t want kids to always be so coddled.  I am all for protecting them, but a more realistic take on things that they experience might be in order. 

 

Describe yourself in five words

Anxious

Ambitious

Loud

Fun

Silly

So huge congratulations to Yas for winning, and a big thank you for answering my questions! Now I'll leave you lovely readers with a rather splendid trailer of Yas illustrating Fred . . .

 

 

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