Ponderings after attending the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
In case you’ve come directly here from a Google search or link or something, you should know that I was only really popping into the Bologna Children’s Book Fair for a few hours, rather than full-on attending it (another time, for sure), because I’m (at the time of writing, of course) in the middle of a 5-week interrailing adventure around (some of) western Europe.
Random ponderings and notes
I overheard an illustrator managing to pitch to an art director on the bus! I can’t imagine having the nerve to that. Then again, a few years ago I hadn’t imagined being able to email art directors with my work and now it’s pretty much a built-in habit.
The fair itself felt quite overwhelming, as book fairs tend to for me (been to my fair share over the decades – in fact, I met my husband at the Frankfurt Book Fair, which I always think sounds cool!). Illustration, unsurprisingly, has a really big place at this one, though, whereas I think that’s definitely less so at London and Frankfurt and Paris (unless I’m not looking in the right places).
The illustration wall (s – there were a bunch of them) was immense. So much amazing art on there and such a wide variety of styles. There were also many displays up of illustrations that had won various prizes (I can’t keep track of all the different prizes) or in specific sections.
I couldn’t work out, in the moment, whether to feel very inspired or completely daunted by the huge amount of truly stunning illustration and the number of illustrators there looking to get work. With hindsight I am choosing inspiration, because that is the more positive and constructive one (not from any logic).
I went and said hi to someone I’m working with currently, which was nice. And, as my husband reminded me when I chatted to him later that day, I was one of the illustrators with work on display and being pitched at Bologna, which is pretty cool.
I took quite a few photos of the names of publishers that ‘called out to me’. I’m hoping they were calling out because they felt like somewhere my style would fit, and not just because I loved the work. Though surely it could, or even should, be both?
I did not go with the plan to pitch at all. I think my portfolio currently is still probably skewed toward illustration for adults, rather than children, and I would want to have more children-focused pieces in there if I did. I did load up my portfolio on the iPad, just in case, but it didn’t come up and I definitely didn’t go stand in any portfolio review queues, though I really love how many there were around and I would totally plan to do so if I were to (WHEN I) go ‘properly’ (aka not while in the early stages of a 5-week interrailing trip round Europe!).
I did sit and listen to a couple of talks. One by the art directors from the Folio Society (actually quite fortuitous to come across that, as they are adult-focused rather than children- and they run a very good, and free-to-enter competition). That was interesting. Another was by an illustrator (Loes Riphagen) about her process on a book, which was great (love to find our more about others’ processes).
The atmosphere was buzzing for sure. I think, if I go next year or the year after, I would:
- book accommodation early and in Bologna.
- aim to book AirBnB (or similar) so I could cook and wind down well
- maybe consider sharing a flat for the week with one or two other Illustrators, so we could go round together a bit
- put together a children-focused portfolio that really shows characterisation, scenes, movement, versatility (and probably some other things!)
- get some postcards printed (or maybe something more exciting than postcards?)
- have something ready to go up on the illustrators’ wall
- go to portfolio review open calls
- buy some books (couldn’t do that this time, as have a 30-litre backpack to take me through the five weeks).
I would love to hear others’ experiences of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, either this year or in previous (or future) years. If you’ve written a post about your experience, drop a link in the comments! And let me know if you’re planning to go next year.
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