Question about book dummies.

Kim Rosenlof

Hi. I have been working on a book dummy and am not sure about something. Does anyone know if when you submit an unsolicited book dummy and have no previous books published, if you need to finish one or two illustrations to send to publishers/agents so they can see what your art looks like? Based on what I have seen, if it is solicited by a publisher and under contract, then you don't have to have to do a finished illustration for the book dummy part, just later on. I was wondering if that applied to a dummy that you send to a publisher on your own, or if you can even send unsolicited dummies anymore. Thanks for any help.

Asyas_illos

@Kim-Rosenlof I’m not sure about the unsolicited part, but everything I’ve read and heard suggests have at least one fully finished illustration. Out of curiosity are you planning to send a digital dummy or paper?

Kim Rosenlof

@Asyas_illos Thanks. I haven't gotten that far yet . I am not sure what I will do, but doing it digitally might be quicker.

AngelinaKizz

@Kim-Rosenlof I just finished my childrens picture book course at Emily Carr University, and they instructed us to completely render 2 pages, and that the rest of the book dummy should be more polished (not too finished though) than rough sketches or thumbnails.

Melissa_Bailey

@Kim-Rosenlof every publisher has different submission requirements. Before submitting, it's a good idea to check and make sure that you're following their submission guidelines.

Most publishers want to see at least 1 or 2 finished illustrations in the dummy. This makes sense, as you're submitting both as an author and an illustrator. They will want to see your work before deciding whether or not to acquire that title, with or without you as the illustrator. Also, most do not want to see a fully illustrated cover -- one or two fully illustrated interior spreads is a safe bet.

Most publishers also want digital dummy PDFs from author-illustrators. Both SCBWI's "The Book" The Essential Guide to Publishing for Children and The Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market have market surveys with a comprehensive list of publishers, their submission guidelines, and other useful information.

The Book also has a chapter all about creating digital dummies. There are quite a few YouTube videos about it too.

Short answers to your questions:

Yes - include one or two finished illustrations in your dummy.
Yes - some publishers are still accepting unsolicited dummies. Check their submission guidelines and make sure to follow them when submitting.

Hope this helps. All the best to you in submitting!

Griffin McPherson

@Kim-Rosenlof a dummy should have 2 to 3 totally finished illustrations and the rest should be just done to the point where they’re clear enough and get the gist across (from what I’ve learned in CBPro). I’ve never heard of sending unsolicited dummies but that’s not to say it isn’t a thing. I recall learning recently that publishers aren’t really interested in author/illustrators unless they have a rep.

This is purely based on what I’ve learned from others and not my own experience. Just wanted to note that. I believe it was @Will-Terry who said you should get a rep if you want to an author/illustrator.

Kim Rosenlof

@AngelinaKizz Thanks. I wasn't sure how polished everything should be, so that is helpful info.

@Melissa-Bailey Thanks for all info. I am actually doing the dummy for the SCWBI Critique with an art director, so they aren't specific on what you need to submit as far as a dummy goes. Eventually I will do a dummy for publishers, but for now, it is for this specific event. I am new to SCWBI, so thanks for listing all the great resources; I really need to go and look to see what they have to offer because I didn't know about all this.

@Griffin Thanks. I will definitely keep that in mind. I will have look into sending my info to reps.