Any advice for struggling writers, illustrators and cartoonists?
Keep at it. Keep trying to make your work better, no matter how good it already is. Take jobs you don’t like, to keep money coming in while you work toward creating your career (but don’t lose sight of your dream). Join writers’ and illustrators’ collectives, to get more support for your dream. I hang out with the Illustrators group on Yahoo and the Class of 2k7, among others. Here’s a note I sent to a new writer-illustrator last year: I went the traditional route. I waited to submit my work until it was the best I could do (still trying to make it great). I held out for the best publishers and for me it paid off. Others take different routes — everyone’s path is different. My publisher is BloomsburyUSA. I’m deliriously happy with them. I’m in it for the long haul, to make a career of it. It’s a huge grind, a lot of very hard work. Good thing I love doing it. Don’t go into kids’ books if you don’t love it, and if you aren’t willing to work like crazy to make it work. It’s not worth it
