Agent Jamie Weiss Chilton Visits our Schmooze Group

Our Westside Illustrators Schmooze meeting was Monday night, and the guest speaker was agent Jamie Weiss Chilton.  She gave a clear, informative talk on her work as an agent at Andrea Brown.  She is looking for writer/illustrator combos.  Some of the interesting things she told us:

At Andrea Brown they’re feeling good about the publishing industry this year, after last year’s ‘financial collapse of the universe’!

Although in the past longer picture books were marketable, now the general trend is for short, snappy, energetic, action-packed picture books – 500 words or less.  (Long storybooks are a harder sell, but long biographies can still be sold).

Combination writer/illustrators are the ticket.  If you can do both (well), you have a real niche, and they’re looking for you.

Continue to be very wary of selling electronic rights.  There have been claims that even when your book goes out of print it’s not really out of print if they have e-rights.  You might never be able to regain your rights even though your book may not be ‘out there’.

She thinks picture books are here to stay!

It was a fun, comfortable evening chat, with a big turnout.  Thanks Jamie!  And thanks to our fabulous Suzy Engleman Block for continuing to plan great events for our group.