Making samples for publishers

Dear Helen

Dear Helen,

I’m working on the sample of a thing, and I find samples really challenging, just because it’s so much about the result, and not the process... I think a good result comes from going through a process, but there’s simply not the time and space to do that in a sample. Maybe there is, I don’t know... it’s always a rollercoaster ride with these things.

Hmm did I ask a question? Do you do samples? How do you handle them?

I think publishers think samples are like going on a date, I think they are more like a fling. Thanks for having this page:)

From

Adam's Notes

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Dear Adam,

I love that comparison. Yes a making a development piece is like a quick fling that might have a future, or it might not. It’s risky to invest a lot of your time and energy, because development fees are usually small. BUT it could turn out to be an amazing relationship, THE ONE you have always dreamed of!

I am a UK picture book writer and illustrator, I’ll share my own experience here, but’s a big old world and I imagine every illustrator has their own experience of making development pieces and every publisher has their own expectations. I am really curious to hear how this is for other picture book makers.

From a personal perspective I have rarely been asked to do samples. I think it’s happened maybe six times in my whole career, going back to 1998. Perhaps that’s because I usually write my own texts, so I’ve already made thumbnail sketches and character studies by the time I approach a publisher.

On the rare occasion I have been asked for samples I usually charge about