Notes from Picture Book Heaven

Readers,

Today I want to share with you one of the most delightful experiences I’ve had as an artist in the picture book world: Milkwood 

 

The big dining table, where we gathered for every meal
(Photo courtesy of Milkwood)

Happily snuggled in a golden meadow of wildflowers and dotted with quacking ducklings is Milkwood, a dreamy haven in the Catskills for the children’s book community. Sophie Blackall and Ed Schmidt have created quite the sacred place, where authors and illustrators can let their inner child come out and play.

Looking at our artwork together was one of
my favorite activities!
(Photo courtesy of Milkwood)

The retreat I attended was ​​called “Playing Nice with Text and Image,” a workshop for author-illustrators led by the wonderful and talented artists Lisa Brown and Dasha Tolstikova. My cohort included ten brilliant authors and illustrators from across the country, and we got to adventure into an enchanted weekend filled with writing and drawing exercises, artist presentations, and hundreds of children’s books! 

Preparing to launch our wish lanterns into the night
(Photo courtesy of Milkwood)

In between the workshops, art-making, and scrumptious meals made by Sophie, Ed, and their crew of fairy-like helpers, somehow, pure magic would find us all over again. It started from the very first hour, when I met fellow artist Margaux in the cool, ankle-deep water of the nearby stream. When fellow artist Brian came by to say hello, a local frog also bowed and made an appearance! Throughout the four days at Milkwood, we also befriended a shy rainbow, a moody brotherhood of fogs who’d roll in before breakfast, and quiet evenings that watched over as we scribbled under the stars. 

The moody and lovely writer's desk in my room.

Seeing other artists work on their craft, whip up exquisite sketches, and share their personal stories made my heart swirl with inspiration. And truly, just being there, surrounded by artists and butterflies, holding a little glass of rosé, sitting by the fire, I learned to relax my grip, have fun, and trust the universe even more. 

A timed self-portrait exercise

While the harsh and painful realities of today may at times feel endless, from the climate crisis to the countless wars that rage on across the world, let us remember that we as artists have a very important and special power: the ability to create beauty and possibility in the world. 

In order to do this and keep doing this, I believe more than ever the importance of play, as this encourages us to imagine utopias that are centered on love. These imagined worlds often do not stay trapped in our children's books; in fact, they can inspire real people and create change in the real world. And it is not a tight grip that will lead to collective joy, but an inviting hand, a warm embrace. The community I experienced at the Milkwood retreat was and is just that. 

I will conclude with something that one of my favorite poets, Ocean Vuong, recently shared in a speech he gave at the Apex for Youth Inspiration Awards: 

Nations will rise and fall as they have done in our species. The Romes and the empires will come and go. But the only nation that I truly believe in, the only nation that will be here long before any country that we understand is the imagination. It is the one that I have absolute allegiance to, and it’s the only one, it’s the only nation on this planet that will remain unstoppable. 

(You can listen to his full speech here.)  

 

A moment of unbridled joy,
seeing Sophie's cardamom rosewater cake!
(Photo courtesy of Milkwood)

Ah, readers. This post here marks the final one in my series. A big flower toss to Lee Wind and SCBWI for inviting me to take over their blog for the month, and thank you, dear readers, for listening to my story and coming along for the ride! 

Keep shining, friends, 

Haruka

About the Author

Haruka Aoki (she/they) is a queer Japanese artist and poet-illustrator who is local to Lisbon, Portugal, New York City, and Kamakura, Japan. Their debut picture book Fitting In, which they co-wrote and illustrated with John Olson, was published by Sky Pony Press in 2022. 

Their narrative artwork, often featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post, aims to inspire individuals with both wit and sincerity as their hand-drawn characters engage the world around them. Growing up often unsure of where “home” would be next, Haruka found and continues to find comfort in nature and community, a constant starting point in their work. 

Haruka received her BA from Brown University and her MS from Pratt Institute. They are a Fine Arts Work Center Scholar and a recipient of the SCBWI BIPOC Scholarship. She often feels deeply grateful to be an earthling. 

Website: harukaaoki.com 

Instagram: @thecosmicharuka 

On Being a Writer and a Publisher: Austin Ross Shares at Publishers Weekly

Seeing Novels from Both the Writing and Publishing Sides by Austin Ross, published earlier this month, includes some hard-earned wisdom. Some insights that resonated for me:

I have to constantly remind myself that it’s the writing that matters most. What becomes dangerous is when I focus my creative energy on the publishing circle of that Venn diagram—thinking of what might sell or attract an agent’s interest rather than what I want to write. —Austin Ross

and

We have no control over whether our work will be remembered or not, so we may as well have a little fun along the way....  I find myself wanting to go back and tell the eight-year-old version of me this same thing: writing should be fun, damn it. I would tell him, “Worry less about being ‘a writer’ and just write. Write what you love, and let the chips fall where they may.” —Austin Ross

It's well-worth reading.

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

More Than “Just” a Book Reading

Readers,

When I first started booking events to promote my picture book, I expected the audience to be children, teachers, and librarians, and the events to be held in school classrooms or children’s reading rooms at libraries. After nearly a year of sharing my debut picture book Fitting In (co-authored and illustrated with my friend and fellow artist John Olson), I realize there is a much bigger and very diverse world of audiences that would be interested in listening to our story! 

Sharing my book with children at an art gallery in Manhattan
(Photo courtesy of Civil Art)

It all clicked for me when Civil Art invited me to participate in “Warmth of Tea,” an event during Asian Pacific Islander Month that brought together a matcha demonstration and tasting, a ceramic and teaware display, and a book reading, all to offer a moment of peace in the busy metropolitan life of New York City. It made perfect sense that adults would appreciate relaxing with a cup of tea at the end of their work day. And when was the last time they were the ones being read to? 

As inspiration often leads to more inspiration, I came up with an idea: 

What if I led the audience through a breathing exercise and meditation after my reading? This could allow for further relaxation and a deeper sense of peace…

Et voilà! Here we are meditating together. I led the audience through a meditation and closed the event by humming a lullaby. 

Creating time for inner reflection after the reading
(Photo by Johnny Le)

A few months later, Civil Art invited me back for a reading timed to “And The Moon Be Still as Bright,” an art exhibition about loss, rebuilding, and hope from a contemporary Asian American perspective. The event included a walkthrough of the exhibition and a reading by yours truly at Harper’s, a gallery in New York City. This time, I got to interact with an audience from CIDA, an organization that serves individuals with disabilities and their families. 

When I was preparing for the event with the Civil Art team, works by one of the featured artists in the exhibition caught my eye. Alexa Hatanaka is a Japanese-Canadian artist based in Toronto, and her practice “brings together historical craft technologies of her heritage including ink, natural dye, printmaking and papermaking.” When I looked through her website, I was mesmerized by her wearable kamiko works, which are garments sewn out of washi, or Japanese paper. Ding ding! Time for another ah-ha moment: 

This exhibition, Alexa’s work, and my book explore the idea of embracing change and recognizing the various forms our spirits take as we pursue our dreams... What if I wore her artwork for the reading to highlight this beautiful overlap? 

And after a conversation with Alexa, Civil Art, and Harper’s, it was done! 

Wearing Alexa Hatanaka’s fisherman’s vest
artwork as I read Fitting In
(Photo courtesy of Civil Art)

If you told me even a few months ago that I would be leading a meditation at a tea room in Brooklyn or wearing an art piece at a gallery in Chelsea as part of my children’s book tour, I really would not have believed you! But now, thanks to my inspiring collaborators and their open-minded approach to storytelling, I feel that I can let my imagination run free when I brainstorm ways to share my book with an audience. If an idea you have could make an experience for readers, audiences, and yourself even more meaningful, why not give it a voice and bring it to the table? As I grow as an author and illustrator, I am excited to dream up more magical collaborations with fellow artists, audiences, and venues! 

P.S.: Have any burning questions or interesting stories from literary events you’ve participated in? Leave a comment on this post! 

May we connect with readers in imaginative ways,  

Haruka

About the Author

Haruka Aoki (she/they) is a queer Japanese artist and poet-illustrator who is local to Lisbon, Portugal, New York City, and Kamakura, Japan. Their debut picture book Fitting In, which they co-wrote and illustrated with John Olson, was published by Sky Pony Press in 2022. 

Their narrative artwork, often featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post, aims to inspire individuals with both wit and sincerity as their hand-drawn characters engage the world around them. Growing up often unsure of where “home” would be next, Haruka found and continues to find comfort in nature and community, a constant starting point in their work. 

Haruka received her BA from Brown University and her MS from Pratt Institute. They are a Fine Arts Work Center Scholar and a recipient of the SCBWI BIPOC Scholarship. She often feels deeply grateful to be an earthling. 

Website: harukaaoki.com 

Instagram: @thecosmicharuka 

Simon and Schuster Is Sold for $1.62 Billion

The new owner of the nearly century-old publisher is the private investment firm KKR. You can read about the deal here in Publishers Weekly.

This means we still have a "big five" of corporate publishers in the US, avoiding the consolidation of giant publishers which isn't particularly good for we creators of children's, tween, and teen books.

Part of being a creator is keeping up with the big news in our industry...

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Why You Should Befriend Your Fellow Artists

Readers, 

If you are an author or illustrator reading this, you know how solitary our work can be. At times, it feels like a blessing: Finally! Time away from the busy world to focus on my book. And other times, your desk has turned into a land of coffee mugs and you haven’t talked to another human for a couple of days. (In this scenario, talking to your children’s book character or your cat unfortunately does not count.)

But know that the artist’s life does not have to be a lonely one. During my recent work trip to the U.S. I had the chance to meet up and befriend a bunch of artists, from cartoonists to painters to novelists, and each interaction left me inspired. 

Here are some reasons to put down that pen, go to your local poetry reading, and start a conversation with a fellow artist.

Accountability: let’s get our work done together

I am a big fan of having an accountability partner or study buddy. This may come from my days at school where my friends and I would go to the library to do our work together. I love planning study sessions with my fellow artist friends at a favorite cafe or library. 

The New York Public Library, one of my favorite places to work.

Taking lunch, stretch, or walk breaks together also helps me remember to get up and away from my work for a little bit. These study sessions can be done remotely too, from weekly group writing sprints to day-long muted Zoom sessions where everyone in the meeting is there to get things done.

Gossip (also known as the sharing of wisdom)

Artists, especially those in your field, will have firsthand experience of the industry. Whether it’s managing contracts, working with editors, changing agents, or figuring out how much to charge for a commissioned project, each artist is packed with knowledge! 

Sharing that knowledge with your artist friends will not only help all of you, but it will also help the industry become a better version of itself. By chatting with an author friend about a term your agent added in your recent book contract, you could help protect them and their work. By sharing your rates for a commissioned illustration project (like on Freelance Solidarity or Lite Box), you could help an illustrator colleague be paid fairly. Every time knowledge is shared in a productive way, you are creating a new precedent for yourself and the industry. 

Inspiration galore!

A few months ago, I received a Fine Arts Work Center Scholar Award to take part in one of their summer workshops during their inaugural Queer Week. While I was collecting and pressing local flora as part of Paloma Barhaugh-Bordas’ “Lavender Press” workshop, other students were taking workshops such as “Queer / Trans Fabulism: Writing the Mythic from the Margins” taught by Andrea Lawlor and “The Intimate Portrait,” a photography workshop taught by Jess T. Dugan. 

Scanning hands with my studio mates at The Fine Arts Work Center
(Photo by Paloma Barhaugh-Bordas) 

While each student was there to dive into a workshop of their choosing, it was during our communal breakfasts, student presentations, lectures, and coffee breaks where our magical worlds collided. Poets and printmakers were sharing what they had just learned in their morning session; novelists and photographers were obsessing over the beauty of dusk. I found myself incorporating lines of poetry into my prints and by the end of the week, I was posing for one of the photographers in Jess Dugan’s workshop. Isn’t it amazing, what happens when artists come together? 

Camaraderie: we are all artists here and we get it!

Almost every author and illustrator will have gone through a pitch or query process, rejections, uncertainty about where their next paycheck will come from, thoughts about changing their medium, moments of self-doubt, and the list goes on.

You do not have to suffer alone! Talking things through with a fellow artist will help clear up some of that mental fog. And if you’re looking for help, they may have just the advice you need.  

As a neurodivergent and introvert artist who enjoys speaking with cats, I once thought that I would be perfectly content in my safe and cozy studio, scribbling away at my manuscript alone. But what I’ve discovered is that artists need artists. By lifting each other up, we can encourage each other to be the best versions of ourselves and actually make the world a kinder and more tender place for everyone.

P.S.: Have any burning questions or interesting stories of your life as an artist? Leave a comment on this post! 

May we find community in each other, 

Haruka 

About the Author

Haruka Aoki (she/they) is a queer Japanese artist and poet-illustrator who is local to Lisbon, Portugal, New York City, and Kamakura, Japan. Their debut picture book Fitting In, which they co-wrote and illustrated with John Olson, was published by Sky Pony Press in 2022. 

Their narrative artwork, often featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post, aims to inspire individuals with both wit and sincerity as their hand-drawn characters engage the world around them. Growing up often unsure of where “home” would be next, Haruka found and continues to find comfort in nature and community, a constant starting point in their work. 

Haruka received her BA from Brown University and her MS from Pratt Institute. They are a Fine Arts Work Center Scholar and a recipient of the SCBWI BIPOC Scholarship. She often feels deeply grateful to be an earthling. 

Website: harukaaoki.com 

Instagram: @thecosmicharuka 

Jane Friedman's Fight Against AI Generated "Garbage Books" that Fraudulently Claim to Be Authored by Her

Jane reported this on her website, and it's been picked up widely in the publishing media: Five books, claiming to be authored by her, remixing her own work and pretending to be books BY her, when they're not.

Jane has immense standing in our industry, and the press and pressure brought to bear are most likely what made Amazon/Goodreads act to take the fraudulent books down. But as Jane writes, "What will authors with smaller profiles do when this happens to them?"

There's a call to action here:

"We desperately need guardrails on this landslide of misattribution and misinformation. Amazon and Goodreads, I beg you to create a way to verify authorship, or for authors to easily block fraudulent books credited to them. Do it now, do it quickly." —Jane Friedman

Jane's advice if you're in a similar situation? "start by reaching out to an advocacy organization like The Authors Guild (I’m a member)." 

**update Aug 16, 2023: Jane has a new post with much more detailed advice for authors here.**

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

How I Became a Picture Book Author-Illustrator

Hello, dear readers! 

My name is Haruka Aoki, and I am a poet-illustrator based in Lisbon, Portugal. My debut picture book Fitting In was published in 2022, and I am currently editing the manuscript for my second picture book. Outside of picture book land, I regularly write and draw comics for The New York Times and The Washington Post and illustrate for clients including The Lycée Français de New York and The New York City Department of Sanitation. 

Lovely to meet you! 

Signing the first batch of my debut picture book, Fitting In

My wonderful colleague Lee Wind has kindly given me the keys to the SCBWI blog, so for the rest of August you will be hearing from me! And what perfect timing. I just returned from a 2.5-month-long work trip to the U.S., which included a bunch of story time readings in New York City, a printmaking fellowship in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and a retreat for picture book author-illustrators in the Catskills in upstate New York. 

We will be chatting about all of that here! 

The Beginning of My Picture Book Journey

But first, I’d love to kick off this series by addressing a question I get quite a bit:

“How did you become a children’s book author-illustrator?” 

When we attend a story time at a library or a book signing at a bookstore, doesn’t it look like the authors and illustrators have been working as authors and illustrators their entire lives? Plus, they get to do this full-time? Maybe they even have their own cozy cottage where they write and illustrate their books? Well, for some of us, that is true. And for others, we juggle our picture book lives with other jobs, grants, and residencies that support us. 

But what all of us do, whether we work as a barista, a big time lawyer, or a famous illustrator, is to make time for our picture books. And we often do this because we have a story to tell, or a something real and deep inside that we want to express.

Fitting In book launch at Yu & Me Books in Chinatown, New York City

The idea for my first picture book came to me in 2015 when I was working as a graphic designer at a cancer center. As an immigrant who grew up in four countries and eleven cities, I often felt different from the communities I was entering and felt the pressure to conform. I wanted to express this feeling of otherness while sharing the beauty of self-acceptance and self-love. Isn’t it our differences that make us special and unique? 

The desire to share my story led to Fitting In, a picture book about a little red square born into a world of blue circles. With the encouragement of their parents, Square tries to fit in by wearing extra shapes, but as we may have experienced in our own lives, pretending to be something you are not is very hard work! It can even hurt us.

Writing, Illustrating, and a Full-Time Job 

From the very beginning, I knew that I wanted to work on my first picture book with a colleague—someone who not only understood what it felt like to be different, but also someone I respected and trusted. While studying communications design at Pratt Institute, I met John Olson, who stood out as one of the most talented graphic designers in my cohort and inspired many with his LGBTQIA+ activism. I was nervous to approach someone so shiny, but I worked up the courage and pitched my idea to him. Luckily for me, he accepted my request, et voilà! That was the beginning of our partnership. 

We both knew that we wanted to write and illustrate, that the book would be a full collaboration between us. This especially felt natural for me and still does, as I loved both writing and visual art since I was a child.  

Both John and I had full-time jobs, so we created bubbles of time in the evenings and weekends to narrow down our story, write the manuscript, sketch out characters, and make a book dummy. With all of my coworkers sticking religiously to the “5” part of the “9 to 5” schedule (you could hear backpacks being zipped around 4:58pm), I had plenty of time to think about and work on the book. John and I also created a fun routine of having our picture book meetings at diners across the city, and this turned into a beloved tradition. 

One of our many picture book meetings held at diners across New York City!

“We’d love to publish your book!”

After sending our book to a big list of publishers and agents that we found on the internet, receiving many a rejection, excitedly signing with a literary agent but getting no publishers to bite, we decided to leave our book on the shelf, quite literally, and take the time to rest. 

A few years later, it was not an agent or a cold call that connected us to a publisher, but a friend from elementary school who had become a culinary artist, writer, and cookbook author. Two weeks after I had left my big corporate art director job, we received the news we dreamt about for so long: “We’d love to publish your book!” 

And there, dear readers, is a short story of how I became a picture book author-illustrator. 

Since a fantastic picture book idea will not write or draw itself to become a book, we must put in the work to draw the characters, build their worlds, and give them a voice. We must also be the ones to support them by querying agents or editors, making marketing materials, speaking with librarians, and traveling on book tours. 

It’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of love. 

P.S.: Have any burning questions or interesting stories of your journey as a picture book author/illustrator? If so, you can leave a comment or question on this post. I’d love to hear your stories too! 

May we create and inspire from the heart, 

Haruka Aoki

About the Author

Haruka Aoki (she/they) is a queer Japanese artist and poet-illustrator who is local to Lisbon, Portugal, New York City, and Kamakura, Japan. Their debut picture book Fitting In, which they co-wrote and illustrated with John Olson, was published by Sky Pony Press in 2022. 

Their narrative artwork, often featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post, aims to inspire individuals with both wit and sincerity as their hand-drawn characters engage the world around them. Growing up often unsure of where “home” would be next, Haruka found and continues to find comfort in nature and community, a constant starting point in their work. 

Haruka received her BA from Brown University and her MS from Pratt Institute. They are a Fine Arts Work Center Scholar and a recipient of the SCBWI BIPOC Scholarship. She often feels deeply grateful to be an earthling. 

Website: harukaaoki.com 

Instagram: @thecosmicharuka 

Check out highlights of the goodness and inspiration from the SCBWI Summer Conference

Where to find it?

Well the first place to go is the Official SCBWI Conference Blog - at https://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/

Jolie Stekly, Debbie Ohi, Jaime Temairik, and Justin Campbell have you all set... 

You can also check out your favorite social media channel with the hashtag: #scbwiSummer23

We hope you'll be inspired, too!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Final Call to Join the Online Summer 2023 SCBWI Conference!

First timer orientation is today (Thursday Aug 3, 2023 at 4pm Pacific) and then the virtual conference starts on Friday Aug 4 at 8:30am Pacific. You can see the full conference schedule here.

Don't miss out on Keynotes (Lisa Yee, Frank Morrison, Doug Salati, and Angeline Boulley!)

Panels (Agents & Editors, Art Directors, Debut Authors!)

Breakout Sessions (More than 35 of them!)

A Half-Day Intensive Just for Illustrators (With amazing faculty!)

Pitch Sessions with Acquiring Agents and Editors (Make sure to addend the "How to Pitch to Editors and Agents" breakout session first!)

Portfolio Showcase for Illustrators (So many illustrators have advanced their craft and career by participating!)

Website and Social Media Consults (one-on-one 20 minute expert advice!)

Online Socials and Peer Critiques (find more of your community!)

And make sure to bookmark the SCBWI Conference blog, where Jolie Stekly, Debbie Ohi, Jaime Temairik, and Justin Campbell will be live-blogging the conference!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

A New Business Model - Bindery's Influencer Curated Imprints Where The Influencers Get a Stake In the Success of the Books

On July 28, 2023, Sophia Stewart reported in Publishers Weekly about a new start up publishing house, Bindery.

The goal is to have micro-imprints where an influencer, in concert with their fans/followers, chooses one book that will get published by the publishing house that year. The success of that book, ostensibly driven by the influencer's authentic enthusiasm (a.k.a. promotion), is then shared 50% for the author, 25% for the publishing house, and 25% for the influencer.

From my perspective, this changes the game in a few ways: 

Seems that the way publishers interacted with influencers in the past was to try to get the influencer themselves to write a book. But they're not necessarily good at being authors. (No shade, it's a different skill set).

And previously, when influencers got behind a book they didn't write and the book succeeded, the influencer didn't share in that success in any material way.

Since no one's been able to harness the viral enthusiasm of book influencers on social platforms like TikTok (even folks who've had their books succeed in that way aren't exactly sure how it happened, and no one has the formula to do it on demand) this is new attempt to leverage that influence and set a book up for the kind of viral success #booktok has become famous for.

However this shakes out, it will be fascinating to follow!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee