Visiting the Bologna Children's Book Fair
Notes to self for next year
Hi everyone!
This is going to be a long one, because I want to share everything that I learned at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair last week. It will help all of us to be more successful next year! I was thrilled to have attended, and I went in with an open mind, minimal expectations for reviews, and a readiness to eat lots of delicious Italian food.
Because there’s so much to share, I organized this email into categories:
Postcards
Business Cards
The Illustrator Wall
Portfolio Reviews
Visiting the Booths
And lastly… Enjoying Italy
Postcards
It’s standard to have both postcards and business cards to give out to publishers, agents, other illustrators, and anyone else you might meet.
How many? I printed 150 postcards, and I used about half. I liked having a lot though because I wasn’t worried about running out of cards.
Different Designs? I printed 6 different designs, but I would only print 3 designs next year. I would choose a character sheet, a spread, and one that shows another market, such as a journal cover that I recently designed. That way I have options to match the publisher or agent that I’m speaking with. On the other hand, if you’re pitching a dummy, maybe just do one design and really promote your story.
The company Moo is great for getting designs printed! They allow you to print up to 25 different backs on a single postcard order for no extra charge. I’ll be using them this year! Here’s a link for 25% off your first order with Moo.
Improvements for next year: Put your QR code on the FRONT of your postcard! I thought I was being super cute by putting the QR code on the back where a stamp would go. But when I taped the postcards to the wall, you couldn’t see the code or my name. This was a huge oversight on my part, so I hope sharing it will help you to avoid the same mistake!
Business Cards
How many? I printed 100 and used almost all of them. If you’re going to attach a box to the Illustrator’s Wall (more on this below), then I would recommend getting more business cards.
Improvement for next year: Have some business cards on you at all times. At the airport, out at dinner, etc… As someone who’s new to having cards (I was an elementary teacher until a month ago!), I’m not used to carrying business cards. There were a few times I didn’t have cards when I met someone outside of the fair, so I’ll be sure to change that for next year!
The Illustrator’s Wall
At the SCBWI party on an evening after the fair, it was shared that an illustrator was getting agented because they were found on the wall. So it could happen. Don’t put all your eggs in this basket, but putting your work on the wall means it will be seen!
Improvement for next year: It’s true… you do need to get there early on the first day. After taking our sweet time to enjoy a cappuccino and cornetto at a local cafe (where we met an ex-Hollywood body guard!), we leisurely strolled to the fair (with only a few wrong turns…), and finally arrived a couple hours after it had opened. We went straight to the illustrator wall. We easily found spots at the very top and very bottom of the wall for small postcards, but if we had anything larger to post, there would not have been space. So next year I would get there a little before the fair opens on the first day.
Another improvement: A lot of people talked about attaching little boxes to the wall that could hold business cards. I hadn’t thought this was necessary, but it’s something I would like to do next year.
made a box, and nearly every time we checked it, she needed to refill it with more cards!
Portfolio Reviews
An exciting part of the fair is the opportunity for portfolio reviews. I was able to sign up for two reviews ahead of time. One was via an email from SCBWI and the other was via Twitter from Andersen Press. Other illustrators got reviews from other publishers via email and social media. You secure these reviews by keeping an eye out before the fair. Portfolio reviews are highly sought after, so a publisher might post something on Twitter, and if you’re one of the first, you’ll get a spot. Or maybe they will ask you to submit your portfolio via email, and then they will select people to review. The last way to get reviews is to queue at the fair. Many booths with have pieces of paper taped to the wall with a date and time. If you show up at that time, you wait in a line for a chance to get a review. Reviews are quick, 5 minutes max.
Go into the reviews with an open mind and thick skin. Your work is a specific style, so your work will not be a match for everyone. There were two reviews that lasted less than 30 seconds for me. Both were hard passes. But I also had some really promising reviews, including publishers taking my information or people suggesting specific agents that I should submit to immediately. So that’s a big range of responses!
During reviews a certain piece would be a favorite and during the next review, that same piece would be declared the weakest in my entire portfolio. Remember that reviews are subjective! Reflect on what makes that specific piece strong and weak.
, a fellow member of , looked at this specific piece with me, and she made a good point: the silhouette of the character wasn't clear even though the environment was moody. Now I have an action step for future spreads: make sure the characters silhouettes are readable.Visiting other booths
The fair is huge. You might get lost. You might get overwhelmed. I did! But I also got to discover books from around the world. Allow yourself some time to settle into the fair - it’s four days, so no need to rush on your first. I tried to sit down at a talk, but I was so intrigued by all the booths that I couldn’t concentrate, so I got up to go explore.
The fair is mostly about publishers selling the rights to their books to be published in other languages, so you, as an illustrator, are far from their top priority. It’s tough to hear, but important to understand. Some booths will have a greeter and they are extremely open to chatting and accepting your postcards and business cards. Other booths will be strictly foreign rights business. It also changes throughout the day depending on their meeting schedule. Be respectful, read the situation, and you’ll be good.
Improvement for next year: Join more of the talks! I was so busy exploring all the stands that I didn’t stop at a talk for more than 5 minutes.
, another member of , joined multiple work shops and made beautiful collage work.Lastly… Enjoy being in Italy!
Since the fair has a bar, we all enjoyed an aperol spritz in the afternoon, because why not?! Remember that you’re there to network with publishers, agents, etc… but also to enjoy yourself and connect with other illustrators! The fair is more about publishers selling foreign rights to their books and less about signing illustrators, so take a minute to sit down, sip a spritz, and chat with other artists. You won’t regret it.
Another suggestion… dinner in Florence, anyone? It’s a 37 minute train ride from Bologna, and if you’re not too exhausted from a day at the fair, it’s absolutely worth going. I studied in Florence all the way back in 2012, so I transformed into a tour guide for the evening. It was magical to see the Duomo by moonlight, stroll by the illuminated Ponte Vecchio, and eat a delicious bowl of pumpkin risotto. So 10 out of 10, would recommend doing a dinner trip to Firenze!
That wraps up my major takeaways for illustrators.
If you went this year or in the past, do you have other tips or anything to share about your experience?
If want to go in the future, is there anything you’re wondering?
We can continue this conversation in the comments, and I will see you all next week to talk about greeting cards!
- Katie
What have others said about the fair?
Read posts from the
here:
I saw lots of stories on instagram from all over the world on Bologna! So exciting!!! I definitely want to go, maybe next year? I would have to start saving now and get my passport, which here in Vnzla is almost like trying to win the lottery.
This write-up is amazing! It was so wonderful to spend time with you and so many of our friends in Italy. To expand on your business card tip: carrying a small amount of business cards on you at all times when you leave your house is very helpful, even when not at the fair. You never know who you're going to meet at a cafe, bookstore, museum, etc.