Picture Book Path

In our newest episode, we talk with Andrés Cosarinsky Campos about his nonfiction picture book Kaimiloa. Illustrated with dynamic brush and ink artwork by Inês da Fonseca, Kaimiloa uses surfing to teach readers about subjects such as wave formation and conservation.Our discussion covers topics from the joy of collaboration to having faith in your project. Andrés’ first book, Sobre Tormentas y Tornados or About Storms and Tornadoes, became part of the national reading program in Mexico. More about him and his current work can be found at www.kaimiloaproject.com.The Richmond Young Writers 2020 Picture Book Project, including the book Phil illustrated, can be be seen at www.richmondyoungwriters.com/picture-book-project/

Betsy Bird, the amazing librarian, podcast host, and author, joins us to pull the curtain back on the mysterious machinations that power libraries. We discuss the many ways libraries discover new titles, acquire books, and work with indie authors.In this episode, Betsy mentions indie publisher Path Press, Indie Author Day, and Biblioboard. We also talk about Library Journal’s daily newsletter BookPulse (that we accidentally misidentify as Book Life).

In this week’s episode, we speak with Christina Newhard, writer and designer behind Sari-Sari Storybooks. She writes bilingual books highlighting the islands and peoples of the Philippines.We cover a wide range of topics from the importance of representation, sharing regional folk tales, and working with collaborators. In the second half we get into how to run a successful kickstarter campaign, public relations and media coverage.Sari-Sari Storybooks can be purchased at etsy.com/shop/NewhardDesign or Arkipelago Books. Christina mentions taking a PR workshop through PapaLoDown. Our music is by scottholmesmusic.com.

In this episode we speak with Bonnie Lemaire, an illustrator with fifteen years of experience in indie publishing. In that time, she’s illustrated A TON of books. How many? We’ll let her tell you.Bonnie also discusses how she guides writers through the illustration process and balancing multiple projects at once.Her enthusiasm for the work is infectious.Bonnie mentions the Facebook group “Children's Book Authors and Illustrators: Publishing, Marketing and Selling”, and is a member of the Canada East chapter of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Her work can be seen on her website, www.bonniella.com.Our music is by www.scottholmesmusic.com.

We don’t have an interview this week because we wanted to have a discussion around our different approaches to project planning, experimenting with new approaches to time management, and doing what comes naturally. Everyone is busier than ever with the pandemic putting new demands on our time. In this episode, Aijung talks about brushing up on her perspective skills using YouTube videos, tutorials, and books. Those included Perspective Made Easy by Robbie Lee, "How to Draw a Room in 1-Point Perspective" and "How to Draw a Kitchen in 2-Point Perspective" by Circle Line Art School, and the "How to Place Vanishing Points" tutorial by Martina Cecelia.Phil mentions Getting Things Done by David Allen, learning from illustrator Casey Wise, Adam Rex’s character sculpts, and YA author Bill Blume.

Larry Issa is a professional book designer who used his experience to indie publish his first picture book. He persisted, despite message not to pursue the project and self doubt. Larry has since received several industry awards and is now trying to help other authors produce beautiful books.

We interview Ali Pfautz, aka The Story Lady. Ali is a storyteller who performs original works for live audiences. We delve into Ali's journey, how she started writing, tips for performing live, and the inspiration behind several of her books, including Butterflies Keep Flying.

In our first episode, we explain why we're making this podcast, our careers as image-makers, and what's inspiring us to try self-publishing. Picture Book Path is hosted by Aijung Kim and Phillip Hilliker. We can be reached at picturebookpath@gmail.com. Our music is by scottholmesmusic.com.