Art agent and educator Lilla has tons of experience of nurturing creative people to create their very best work, both through her Make Art That Sells courses and through mentoring the artists that she represents.
Plus, as an art agent who assigns tons of illustration jobs every week, she sees exactly which markets are booming right now, and non-fiction illustrated books are one of those markets. Today we’re sharing some non-fiction book ideas to inspire you!
Q. Why did Lilla write My Arty Book Pitch?
A. Because she knows that creative people like you have amazing, original ideas – and she’s always looking for new income streams for creatives. In fact, a ton of our students have already written and illustrated their very own incredible arty books, often using the knowledge that they gained during Make Art That Sells courses.
Q. So do I really need My Arty Book Pitch?
A. Yes! My Arty Book Pitch will make it even easier for even more Make Art That Sells students to write, illustrate and pitch their own arty books, by breaking everything down into simple steps, with loads of interactive quizzes, live Zoom events, worksheets, and more, all aimed at the non-fiction book market.
HUGE NEWS!!
Here’s another tantalising little snippet about My Arty Book Pitch: every week, you’ll enjoy an interview with a leading industry expert – such as Frances Soo Ping Chow, VP & Creative Director at Running Press and Ame Verso, Publishing Director at David & Charles – plus arty book artists including Lisa Congdon, Meera Lee Patel, and Lilla Rogers Studio’s very own Flora Waycott and Erica Root. They’ll be sharing their top tips for success, talking about their experience of the arty book market, and spilling the insider details. Don’t miss it!
6 non-fiction book ideas from Make Art That Sells students
Looking for non-fiction book ideas? Here are 6 fabulous examples of stunning art-driven non-fiction books by Make Art That Sells students that are all very different but all have one thing in common: they are all about something that the author felt passionate about and wanted to share with the world.
In My Arty Book Pitch, art agent Lilla will lead you step by step to create your own wonderful book idea.
P.S. Look out for our fab FREE #MATSprep warm up exercise in next week’s newsletter and blog, when we’ll be giving away a FREE taste of Lilla’s My Arty Book Pitch course: a brilliant interactive quiz that will help you home in on your unique arty book idea.
Erica Root’s creative guide
A Year of Weeks by Erica Root, a Make Art That Sells student who is now represented by Lilla Rogers Studio (Make Art That Sells courses are an amazing opportunity to get your art directly in front of art agent Lilla and maybe land representation yourself!).
Erica is a Make Art That Sells student who is now represented by Lilla after Lilla fell in love with her art in class. Her first author-illustrator book, A Year of Weeks, is packed with ideas and exercises to help you discover new hobbies, find new passions, reach personal milestones, and to keep your mind open to new ideas that you may not have thought to explore.
Erica told us: “It’s all about trying 52 new things by exploring everything from your creative side, to list-making, to goal-planning, and everything in between!”
See more of Erica’s art on her website and Instagram.
Sharisse Steber’s guided journal
The front cover of Sharisse’s guided journal (left), the dream client that she created for the MATS MBA (Money BadAss), who now appears in her book (centre) and her card to Lilla (right).
Sharisse got in touch to let us know that a character she created for MATS MBA (Money BadAss) inspired her to combine her passions for art and outdoor adventure. Her pitch for Rise & Roar: A guided journal for outdoor adventure was picked up within 24 hours!
See inside Sharisse’s guided journal. What are you passionate about? What will your book be about?
UPDATE: We’ve just seen that Sharisse has also released a set of illustrated A Woman’s Place is in the Wild playing cards. Card decks are a huge market for your art and a fantastic spin off from your illustrated book (this is something else Lilla will talk about in My Arty Book Pitch)!
See more of Sharisse’s work on her website and Instagram.
Sarah Allen’s nature books
Sarah with her first author-illustrated book, Busy Beaks.
Sarah has written and illustrated two beautiful non-fiction books for children: Busy Beaks, which showcases some of Australia’s most vibrant birds, and which was shortlisted for the Book of the Year – Early Childhood by the Children’s Book Council of Australia in 2021; and Jumping Joeys, all about some of Australia’s fascinating marsupials, which was declared a Notable Book – Early Childhood by the Children’s Book Council of Australia in 2022.
Art from Busy Beaks (left) and Jumping Joeys (right).
See more of Sarah’s art on her website and Instagram.
Amy Frazer’s embroidery how-to
Amy wrote and illustrated Empowered Embroidery, which includes instructions on how to embroider portraits of eight iconic women including Malala Yousafzai, Michelle Obama, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Maya Angelou.
(Fun fact: Lilla actually bought this book without realising it was written by a Make Art That Sells student!)
Empowered Embroidery by Make Art That Sells student Amy Frazer. Do you have a craft you’d love to share?
Amy told us: “I’ve taken quite a few Make Art That Sells classes, starting with Hot Markets for Your Art Part A. I had just left my corporate job at Nike and wanted to build a new community of support: I met some of my best art friends during those early days with Make Art That Sells! Make Art That Sells courses are intense and push me to show up every day. I love the way we break down big projects into daily bite size pieces. And when I actually do show up and do the work, it really pays off. Make Art That Sells has helped me to merge my hopes and dreams with my skills and talents.”
Amy’s portrait of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Amy says “It was such a great honor to work on her portrait and learn so much about her life and history.”
See more of Amy’s work on her website and Instagram.
Kimberley Kay’s instruction
Kim with her first author-illustrated book, Ski A to Z. Write and illustrate your very own non-fiction book with My Arty Book Pitch. Photo by Dan Egan.
Keen skier Kim wrote and illustrated Ski A to Z, which is packed with information, tips and insights, alongside her fabulous illustrations.
Kim used the learning she picked up from Illustrating Children’s Books and My Kid Book Pitch when pitching her book. She told us: “I followed the steps and pitched my illustrated introduction to skiing book concept for publishing. Many thanks to Lilla, Zoe and all the team, it’s wonderful to have this book dream coming true. The wonderful course content, and the supportive community gave me the knowledge and confidence to be able to see my book through from idea to publishing.”
Front cover and some of the art from Kim’s first author-illustrated book. What will YOUR book look like? What do you want to share with people?
See more of Kim’s art on her website and Instagram.
Cynthia Cliff’s recipes
Cynthia’s first author-illustrator book, Pie for Breakfast, features simple dessert recipes from around the world alongside a powerful message about family, diversity, and helping others.
Front cover and art from Pie for Breakfast. Do you have recipes you’d love to share with the world?
Cynthia told us: “I began making art about four years ago for fun. I became entranced and decided that I wanted to turn art-making into a second career, but, I had no idea where to start! So, I began taking various Make Art That Sells classes and they have given me a great foundation. I believe that without Make Art That Sells, I would probably still be wondering where to start and would not have been able to catch a publisher’s eye!”
See more of Cynthia’s art on her website and Instagram.
We hope that you enjoyed the show!
Lots of love
The Make Art That Sells team xxx
