In my previous blog [can visit here] I mentioned that I wanted my publisher to give me insight before I had submitted my editor approval letter. Unfortunately, I had missed my call window and the form was due that same evening. I decided to still email my publisher and ask for her suggestion on setting the approval or not.
She ended up getting back to me very quickly. She suggested I definitely submit my approval and she would help me with the storyboard. Want to hear something awesome? When I originally wrote out the story and made the descriptions for the illustrations I had pictured my entire book. The size of each illustration, some illustrations thrown into the text portions and some just tiny little icons at the bottom of pages to give you some examples!
However, when I received the layout for their children's books it was extremely generic and very boring for me. I had read thousands of books by this point in my life especially with all my work with children and having my own. Each book was unique to the next and the text versus illustrations proved no different. I did not want my book to fall flat simply due to layout preferences of a company. That was actually one of my biggest step backs from selecting this company but I decided to trust the process. I decided that if later on in life I ever wanted to make a second edition to this book and make said changes - I could and would.
So as I drafted up the storyboard I felt things were so pushed together. I aimed to reimagine the story and layout. I didnt LOVE it but I certainly did not hate it! It still worked. So I submitted that and my approval letter without anymore overthinking.
My publisher got back to me and said she'd love to have the text spread across TWO pages aka illustrations mixed with TEXT!!!!!!! YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!!
This made me so happy. I do not know for sure what that will mean for this story but it already feels GREAT! As of now I am sitting back and awaiting anything else they may need from me. Monday will be the day I go over storyboard and a new possible layout with my publisher so I am stoked!
In the mean time... I have something else in the works so I'll be using my current knowledge to go tweak that! EEK!
