Deanna Caswell
Picture Books
Coming soon....(see side article)
FIRST BALLET (Hyperion) is a poem about a child's first time attending a ballet. It is currently in the capable hands of illustrator Elizabeth Matthews and is scheduled for Fall 2009.
TRAIN TRIP (Hyperion) is a poem about a child's first time traveling by rail. Illustrator to be announced soon.
Picture Books Take a LOOOOOOONG Time!
'Soon' is a vast underestimation of how much time it takes to publish a picture book. I have friends that sold the book seven years ago and it's coming out THIS year.
But, on average, it takes two to three years to come out. This book, written by my best friend Boni Ashburn, was sold November 2005 and came out in March of this year. I think that's about average turn around time.
The contracts we sign commonly say that the publisher has 18 months to publish after the final art is accepted. So, how long do you think it takes an illustrator to make fifteen to thirty perfect paintings? Now add 18 months to that.
Picture books take time. So, by 'coming soon,' I mean FIRST BALLET, sold April 2007, will hopefully come out Fall 2009. And, TRAIN TRIP, which was signed early this year, will probably won't appear until the end of 2010, beginning of 2011.
