Illustrators, take note!

A comment on a post about our writers' guidelines asked about illustration submissions. I asked art director Bob Lentz to weigh in. Here's what he had to say.

We typically steer prospective illustrators to our illustrator submission inbox by asking them to send jpeg samples of their best work to il.sub@stonearchbooks.com. Some things to keep in mind before sending samples:

• Please send only your best work. Often times we’ll receive a sample from an artist that they created this year, and something that they created 5 or even 10 years ago. Although it may seem like a good idea to show progression in your work, we only want to see what you are creating today.
• Please send a maximum of 5 samples. Some illustrators will send more than 10 (and sometimes in excess of 20) samples, and that not only bogs down our email system, it becomes tedious to look through all of them. We often have a limited time to review portfolios, and we can easily lose interest if there are a lot of samples to wade through.
• Show range. Often times an illustrator works in two or more different styles, and we want to see them all. Remember: we publish books that range from early childhood to picture books to graphic novels and beyond. There’s something for almost any style if the illustrator fits.
• Only professionals need apply. Have you worked with a publishing house before? Have you dealt with demanding schedules and hard deadlines? Do you communicate well with art directors and designers? If you answered “yes” to all of these, then we want to hear from you. The ability to display professionalism and solid communication skills is just as important as the illustrations your create. In the end, the book is jeopardized if it doesn’t get to the printer on time.
• Be unique. We tend to look for styles that are rarely seen in the library and even trade markets. If your style or work makes us say “wow, that’s different!”, then chances are we’ll find the right fit for you somehow.