TODAY'S FEATURED POST

Making Books is a Team Sport – On Becoming a Author

Kirbi Fagan

The submission process for writing illustrators isn’t a linear path. Today, I thought I’d outline the process on becoming an author-illustrator while sharing a bit of my own experience of emerging from the slush pile. Submitting Solo Most illustrators will relate to pitching their artwork to an art director. I walked that path standing in line or paying for portfolio reviews to get my work seen for many years. Mailing or emailing an art director…

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EVERYDAY ORIGINAL

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YESTERDAY’S POST

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Second Time’s the Charm

Lauren Panepinto

October 30, 2025 - Alright, I've been avoiding writing this post because it's going to be some tough love. But I was just at IlluXcon this past weekend, and I had a few good conversations that came up around this topic, so I want to get it down in words so more folks can see it. And if doing portfolio reviews for 20 years has taught me anything, it's that if a topic comes up over and over again, it's in the zeitgeist and a lot more people are dealing with it and/or need to think about it. Here we go... Most of my posts — and my portfolio reviews — focus on that getting that first big job. When you haven't gotten that first legit pro job yet, it feels like it'll be the key to everything. If…

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