How I did it

Eustace & Clyde was a project I wrote and illustrated entirely by myself. I created a dummy, presented the project to several publishing houses, and had the opportunity to travel to the Bologna and London Book Fairs to connect with editors and promote my project. Eventually, I received a call from a boutique Australian publishing house, Five Mile Press, which seemed ideal since both characters were koalas. The book was printed in Australia, the USA, and France (with differences in the names!).

Takeaways 

• Research: I did some initial research on Australian plants and animals to make sure the settings, plants, and animals in the book were realistic.

• Storytelling: Writing the book meant making the story fun and keeping a good rhythm while using visual metaphors and letting the images suggest ideas.

• Colors: Showing the real colors of the animals was important. I focused on the animals first and then created a vibrant color palette to match.