How do I develop an illustration style? How do I gain confidence as an artist? Welcome to my Picture Books 101 post series, in which I talk about the basics of writing and illustrating picture books for young readers. This is part of my Creating Picture Books Resource. I began this series . . .
Earlier this year, I asked agents, artist representatives, and others how they found illustrators. Please note that this was an informal survey conducted across my social platforms, and not meant to represent all agents, art reps, and those who hire illustrators. Thanks to those who participated. Also see Part 1 . . .
(Last updated February 28, 2025) Shortlink to this post: https://debbieohi.link/kidlitlaunches It’s a challenging time to be launching children’s books, not only because of what’s going on in the world but also because the kidlit community is scattered across so many different platforms. I’m mainly on Bluesky these days (see my . . .
November 15, 2024: This post has been replaced by Debbie’s Unofficial Guide To Bluesky (Last updated June 23rd, 2024) – Shortlink to this post: https://debbieohi.link/bluesky-tips Quick navigation: Book Launch threads – Bluesky Lists – Bluesky Feeds – Feed Index – Hashtags – Community event hashtags – Changing your handle to . . .
Quick navigation: Bluesky Lists – I’m mainly on Bluesky and Substack these days. Please see Debbie’s Unofficial Guide To Bluesky Spoiler alert: As you can tell from the image above and screenshot below of Melissa Stewart’s article in School Library Journal, Bluesky is currently my preferred social media watercooler of . . .
PLEASE NOTE: Much of the info in this post is outdated. Please see my updated post about the kidlit community and social media. (Last updated November 18, 2023 – I’m now at https://bsky.app/profile/debbieohi.com; here’s how and why I converted to a custom domain Bluesky handle. Also, Bluesky now has PUBLIC . . .
(Last updated January 1, 2023) [EDIT: I am no longer active on Post.news. Ongoing tech issues and a changing user profile format (you’ll notice that none of my Post profile links in this article work anymore) discouraged me, but it was mainly the negativity that turned me off – the . . .
When people talk about developing essential skills that will help them become a successful writer or illustrator in the traditional publishing industry, goals usually involve the practical aspects of the craft or business, like how to craft a compelling story or how to find an agent. I believe that learning . . .
?? Also see Debbie’s Main FAQ index: Frequently Asked Questions This is a question I often get asked, so I thought I’d finally write a post about it. Also do check out this excellent post by Naseem Hrab that includes answers from various Canadian publishers. In all the books I’ve . . .
Ah, rejections. It’s part of the business, before and after publication. If you’d like to get straight to the poll results, feel free to browse the original Twitter thread about writer rejections. As someone who has received many rejections over the years, I am well acquainted. In the years I . . .