These are some of the highlights from Ben Long's CYA Conference session on Self- Publishing Picture Books.

Ben Long http://www.benlong.com.au/ shared his experiences in the physical printing and selling of two picture books. Some of us had high hopes given the title of the session that we would learn something about the online self-publishing of picture books. That was not to be. However there were still several worthwhile tips from Ben's session that are worth passing on to you.

Blank Dummy. When getting quotes from printers, you can ask them to give you a blank dummy of your book according to the quote specifications of paper size, finish, weight, binding and quality. That way you can inexpensively test the feel and appearance of the your of book and tweak the specifications if need be.

Payment plan for illustrator. This needs to be mutually agreed and included in the contract. One way is to pay a defined amount upfront according to a schedule of deliverables eg $3000, and then to pay a fixed amount per book eg $3 once a certain sales target has been reached eg 1000 copies. Another way is to pay a defined amount upfront according to a schedule of deliverables eg $3000, and then to share profits 50/50 once all the agreed expenses and upfront fee have been recouped. (Ed. How to account for the various contributions of illustrator and author in terms of time, talent, reputation, finance, marketing and risk underwriting may not be as clear cut as 50/50.)

Drawing up a contract. Things to consider: Are all the upfront expenses detailed, together with who is responsible for paying for them? Is it clear how the royalties/profits would be determined and distributed, and how often? Is it defined who has intellectual property rights over what? Are the expectations of the parties to the contract listed and quantified? Is there a detailed schedule for the payments to be made at each stage of the contact? Does the contract deal with who would be responsible or liable in the event of a lawsuit under various scenarios (eg for breach of copyright)?

School visit tips. Send book order forms to the classes you will be giving presentations to beforehand. On average you will get about 7 sales per 20 students per class. $15 is an important price point. Above that price point sales drop off sharply.

Distribution. Have you notified library vendors and suppliers about your book? They are likely to purchase your book in multiple copies. Details of Australian library vendors and suppliers are on this web-page: http://www.nla.gov.au/librariesaustralia/services/cataloguing/library-vendors/



If you would like a copy of the more detailed Conference Notes that are being sent out to CBHunCC members via email, send through your name and email address through the Contact page.

There is something that makes a successful illustrator stand out from the rest of the wannabees, and Wendy Martin has put her finger on what that is: http://wendymartinillustration.com/wordpress/2014/03/14/location-location-location/ . If you take your main character/s out of the picture, can the background hold its own? To see how important this is, visit @cillustrators and scroll through the illustration work they feature.

She also has five ideas for moving out of your illustrator comfort zone: http://wendymartinillustration.com/wordpress/2014/01/14/portfolio-builder-jump-your-comfort-zone/ . Commit yourself to quarterly promotional mailings. Enter illustration competitions. Do some guest blogging. Prepare a portfolio for a market outside children's books. Have a go at sharing your passion through teaching.

Here is a useful list of things independent authors can do to increase their chances of success, together with reasons why they can make such  difference: http://www.richardstephenson.net/?p=85 . The bullet points are: recognize the monetary limits of your genre; hire an editor; use proof readers; get a professional book cover; begin by going exclusively with Amazon and KDP Select; use social media; master the art of advertising; interact with your readers; when you receive praise, ask for a review; and advertise your other works at the end of your book. 

Some take-home quotes from Richard Stephenson's article are:
"In terms of paid advertising, my primary piece of advice is to never gamble what you can’t afford to lose because there is no guarantee that you will get it back." 
and " Get your name out there whenever you can. It might seem like a complete waste of time that gives nothing in return at first, but plant those seeds early on and they will bear fruit in the future."

This week we feature something for our writers and something for our illustrators - because these articles were so very good.

The first one called '21 dumb mistakes to avoid when writing your first e-book' is a must read. Thankfully the writer has grouped the mistakes under sub headings, and gives both the common mistakes and how to fix or avoid them. http://myexpertdesk.com/21-dumb-mistakes-to-avoid-when-writing-your-first-e-book-2015/?utm_content=buffered7b7&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer The tips I like most are a) writing your introduction when you have finished your manuscript, b) copying your draft before you start making any edits (so you can find the bits you cut out and want back in), and c) proofreading your work in a different format, and font and font size to the one you wrote it in.

The second one is this wonderful set of annotated photographs of an illustrator's process in producing a double page spread for a picture book. http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2015/mar/24/korky-paul-how-to-illustrate-books?utm_content=bufferedef2&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer It takes you on a journey from the text to go on the spread, to the first A4 rough draft and all the way to the final artwork, with notes on paper selection, graphite pencil selection, on what makes a good eraser and other tips. For an author, reading it will help you understand why the artwork takes so long to prepare and costs so much. For an illustrator, there is always something new that can be learned from another professional in the same field.