SPECIAL FEATURE Things I wish I'd known before

To learn from others and avoid pitfalls on the path, we're asking what authors and illustrators wish they’d known before being published.  This month we hear from writer/illustrator Tita Berredo.

Hi Tita, what things do you wish you had known?

 

I’ve learned that publishing factors are relative, subjective, uncontrollable and constantly changing. There is only so much you can learn before facing all of that so it’s more important to adapt than to prepare. Some lessons must be lived to be learned.

 

So on that note, here are some things I’m glad I know now.

 

Tita in her studio

#1 Goals and Productivity

 

Make your goal to create what you are really passionate about — it’s hard to get disappointed with that — and keep asking yourself what you want. That’s the best way to know your next step. Your goals will involve a lot more than just crafting your projects. Be open to all opportunities ahead — everything moves you forward.

 

Always aim to produce something instead of the-thing. Focus on your immediate step instead of the final target. It’s more productive, stimulating, and rewarding. It’s okay for goals to change, even when you are achieving them.

 

Butterflies: illustration by Tita Berredo 

Explore projects that excite you and keep you engaged and tailor your productive time and space to whatever keeps you working. Have fun and experiment with genres, ages, subjects, and materials. You’d be surprised at the amount of things you are good at.

 

Editing never ends, only deadlines do! Give yourself a deadline so you feel like you can start, respect it so you feel like you can stop.

 

#2 Rejections and Competition

 

Pay attention to whom you show your work to. You might be feeling rejected by someone who has no authority on the subject.

 

Submit your work to exhibitions and contests. The chance of winning might be small, but the jury will see your work.

 

Self Care: illustration by Tita Berredo 

Comparison is joy's thief! If you want to develop your work, don't compare it to the others but compare it to your former work. Instead of racing others, work on your own marathon. There’s a lot of work out there, which means a lot of competition but also a lot of opportunity.

 

Commercial publishing is not personal. It’s a business, first and foremost, about sales. Rejecting your work doesn’t mean rejecting you. The more rejections you get, the more you understand it’s not about you.

 

Look for publishers who would like the work you do rather than looking for publishers you'd like to work with. There are many factors that go into a publisher’s decision when considering a project. You might be good, but you might not suit their time/subject/style. Look for publishers who like works like yours.

 

Work backwards if you’re tired of rejections — consider self publishing first, then an independent publisher, then a small traditional publisher, and only then to a big one. Give yourself some credit. If you honestly think that you have a genuinely good story, go out there and self publish it!

 

#3 Honesty and Self confidence

 

Be realistic. Being harsh on yourself is as easy as being avoidant. “I am not good enough” and “the universe is against me” are lies from the same book. Consult your mind and body all the time. Take good care of yourself physically and emotionally. Your work is only as good as your relationship with yourself.

 

Ask for help and directions. Be open to feedback and offer it back. Be brave with criticism and take responsibility for your own growth. It’s hard for people to tell you that your work might not be ready, so if you’re getting contradicting messages, you might need to tell it to yourself.

 

Love for Books: illustration by Tita Berredo

Nothing is perfect. If you keep trying to make things perfect, by definition you will end up making nothing.

 

Start celebrating the small achievements — from finishing a first draft to sending a query letter. These are the small steps that matter the most, because they are the ones in your control and you can take full credit for them.

 

Impostor syndrome is like avoiding a dance floor, the only result is missing out on the fun whilst your favourite music plays.

 

Surround yourself with books, with people who love books, with people who love making books. Are you here because you love it? Then make it lovely being here.

*Header Image: Ell Rose

**All other images: Tita Berredo  

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Tita Berredo is a Brazilian picture book writer and illustrator based in Glasgow. Her illustrations feature across publishing, editorial, packaging, products, and advertising. She won the House of Illustration contest for the best-illustrated alphabet in 2019, and her wordless picture book, The Dress, was selected by dPICTUS for the Unpublished Picture Book Showcase. Tita is the Art Director for Words & Pictures magazine and you can find out more on her website titaberredo.com  and Instagram @titaberredo

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Loretta Flockhart is Features Editor for Words & Pictures. You can find her on Instagram and X/Twitter.

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Ell Rose is the Illustration Features Editor of Words & Pictures.

Find their work at https://fourfooteleven.com 

Follow them on Instagram and X/Twitter

Contact them at illustrators@britishscbwi.org