March | 2014 | Illustrators for Kids

Hi guys,

I am coming into my first picture book contract and I have some questions I am hoping you can help me with. They are requesting 16 spreads, 9 spots and a cover for a below standard fee on a fairly short time frame. They are offering a flat fee (vs. a royalty advance) and THEY retain the rights, offering expense of the book, high cost of the author, etc, etc as an excuse. I am willing to accept the $$ being a newbie, but should I push back on the rights? I mean, what if the characters are wildly popular and someone wants to license them (not likely, but we can dream can’t we?)

Thoughts?

best
Kim Wilson

(sorry, don’t know why the text is displaying so weird!)

and look! I’ll try adding a poll for fun. Don’t let this put you off from just answering though. More info is better!

My husband and I decided we both needed a break from the terrible cold and snowy weather we’ve been having. So we packed our beloved Scottie Gillis in the car and drove to southern Florida. We found warm sunny weather and a relaxed laid back style of life that we took to right away.

Thinking I would have a lot of time on my hands, since I don’t play golf and my husband does, I had packed the car with rough sketches for a 31 illustrations for a picture book I’m working on. I also packed my Mac Book Pro and my Wacom tablet and pen. I thought I could work in comfort, instead of freezing. Read my blog to see what happens…