Mesa Book Festival
A couple weeks ago, I attended Mesa Book Festival. It wasn’t a very big event, and yet, it was huge for me. Why? Because it was the first in-person event that I’ve attended and networked at as a professional illustrator. And that felt like a major milestone.
Over the past year, as I’ve gotten more serious about pursuing illustration as a career, I’ve strived to socialize with other people in the business. This has largely taken place online because of (a) Covid, obviously but also (b) it doesn’t seem like there are many in-person events taking place in Arizona. So I was thrilled when I heard about Mesa Book Festival.
The experience was amazing. I listened to interesting panels about publishing. I got to chat with a lot of likeminded people. As expected, there were many books for sale. Also, as expected, my self-control was lacking. I’m perfectly okay with that, though! Here are the titles I picked up:
Bad Monkey Business and Found: One Dinosaur by Michael Hale.
Michael Hale is the SCBWI Arizona Illustrator Coordinator and he’s written and illustrated several picture books. I got to have a really interesting conversation with him. These books are so adorable and funny. (I mean, I like pretty much any story with a dinosaur in it.) Definitely check his books out.
Michael Hale’s Website: www.michaelhale.me
Lostuns Found by Sharon Skinner and The Guardians of Iceland by Heidi Herman
I am on a personal quest to read every single Peter Pan-type book in existence. (If you have any recommendations, please let me know!) So when Sharon Skinner described her book as Peter-Pan-meets-Oliver-Twist-meets-Steampunk, I was already hooked. I’m really excited to dig into this one.
Sharon Skinner is also the Regional Advisor for SCBWI AZ, so it was really exciting to meet her!
Sharon Skinner’s Website: sharonskinner.com
This book is a collection of Icelandic folktales. I’ve already skimmed through a few and they are so different than a lot of the folk tales that are more popularly circulated in the United States. I’m looking forward to potentially gleaning some story inspiration from these tales.
Heidi Herman’s Website: heidihermanauthor.com
Debunked by Dito Abbott
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a book presented in such an intricate and beautiful way. Every single copy that Dito Abbott had for sale was wrapped to look like a vintage mail parcel, complete with a wax seal and stamps that match the world-building of the novel. The attention to detail is stunning. I can only hope to achieve a fraction of this level of creativity.
Dito Abbott is the writer and illustrator of Debunked. I am absolutely in love with the quirky monsters on the map. And, of course, I’m obsessed with the steampunk-y vibes of the book. I am so excited to read through this one.
Dito Abbott’s website: ditoabbott.com
I think my favorite part of the event was that I got to meet some of the folks from the SCBWI Arizona chapter and had great conversations with them! (Thus reminding me that Arizona is not totally isolated from the kidlit industry.) In January, I’m going to start attending the online SCBWI AZ meet-ups and I’m looking forward to getting more involved in the group.
More than anything, Mesa Book Festival was an excellent opportunity to practice my networking skills before the SCBWI conference in New York. It was a small event - maybe a couple hundred people at most - and it was close to home, so it wasn’t overwhelming. Thus, it was the perfect environment to learn how to converse with publishing professionals. (Because, as this was my first major in-person event where I was networking as an illustrator, that was new territory for me!)
I came prepared. I had a printed portfolio ready to go. (Nothing too fancy-schmancy. A simple black folder with sleeves holding prints I made on my home printer.) I also had sets of postcards with my website address on it. I cannot emphasize how exhilarating it felt to have those two things. It felt as though my dream of becoming a working illustrator was becoming tangible. I could see it taking shape in front of me.
I practiced chatting with people. Asking to show them my portfolio. Handing them a postcard. If every single person went and threw my postcards in the trash - that’s okay with me. Because the whole point was practice.
I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced something similar, but I find the idea of pitching my portfolio to complete strangers and offering them my card to be an uncomfortable experience. It feels narcissistic and presumptuous. (I suspect this is a variation on the imposter syndrome that we all know and love.) So gaining that experience was so valuable. I now feel much more confident heading into this SCBWI conference in February. (Because, I think it goes without saying, the imposter syndrome there will be intense.)
I feel like I’m paddling around the shallow end of the pool, and in a month and a half, I’m going to be jumping off the high-dive. But for now, I’m not going to worry about that jump. I’m just going to keep getting acclimated to the water.
Thanks for reading!
Bailey Vidler