Zoë Tucker is our beloved co-teacher of the Make Art That Sells Illustrating Children’s Books course and a highly regarded children’s book art director. Earlier this year she attended the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, so we jumped at the chance to catch up with her and get her insights about the show.
We also asked our MATS students who attended the fair to share images and their experience, so you can read their thoughts here.
Zoe writes: Hi everyone! I haven’t been to the Bologna book fair in years and decided this year it was high time I reacquainted myself with it. It didn’t disappoint! Aside from the fact that Bologna is a beautiful medieval city and a great mini-break, the international Bologna Children’s Book Fair is a one stop wonder of inspiration and excitement – especially if you love children’s books like I do!
You can download this report from Zoë here too!
The annual event is a chance for publishers from all over the world to gather and show their latest, and greatest, books. Each publisher has a stand or booth where they hold meetings with potential customers. These customers are mostly other publishing houses from other countries, but it can also be a place to meet potential artists, agents and authors.
Adam, Vicky and me!
I travelled with my husband, Adam Stower, and my friend, Vicky Woodgate, both of whom are established artists with new books on show at the fair. We stayed in a little apartment in the centre of Bologna, 10 minutes from the station and 10 minutes from the main Piazza Maggiore. It was a great location, only a short walk to the bus/train station and close enough to the centre for dinner and drinks after a long day.
Sketch of the Piazza Maggiore by illustrator Adam Stower
The Book Fair is situated just outside the city centre and only a short hop on the bus. It’s made up of 6 or 7 large halls all situated around a central atrium. When I say big, I mean BIG! Hundreds of publishing companies, agents and artists from around the world gather to show their latest work. There’s lots to see and do, and it gives a great overview of the industry. For artists, it gives a unique opportunity to show your work and pick up potential new clients.
The busy central atrium and illustrator exhibition
The central atrium is where you will find the coveted Bologna Illustrators’ Exhibition showcasing original illustrations from around the world. There were lots of different artwork styles; these are just a very small selection (apologies for the blurry photos here!).
Where are the tickets, by Hsu Kung Liu from Taiwan
Hunting for Cheese by Junko Ogoshi from Japan
Dogs Life by Dani Scharf, from Uruguay.
The City of Animals by Joan Negrescolor from Spain.
There is also an exhibition from the guest of honour country; this year it was China, as well as the final shortlist and winning entries for numerous illustration prizes taking place.
A very busy and lively space, full of discussion, debate and wonderful artwork!
It has a conference space too, so while you are browsing the fabulous artwork there are talks and debates happening in the background. It is lively and busy!
The Illustrators’ Wall
One of the most exciting opportunities for artists is the ‘Illustrators’ Wall’. This runs along the outer walls of the atrium and is a space for independent illustrators to advertise their work.
One section of the Illustrators’ Wall.
It is breath-taking, with every square inch of the walls, doors, and stairwell covered in posters, flyers and postcards. There is fabulous work on show, including lots of pieces from our Make Art That Sells (MATS) students and alumni. Personally, I was very proud of the work the MATS students pinned up. The quality was phenomenal, showing a good grasp of characterisation (something I’m particularly hot on in the Illustrating Children’s Books course I co-teach for MATS with Lilla Rogers) colour and concept. They all stood out as confident and accomplished. I know how much hard work these students have put in and it’s been a joy for me to see their progress over the last year. They deserve every success and I can’t wait to hear how they get on, and to see what jobs come out of their portfolio work!
MATS alumna Shelly Laslo.
MATS alumna Devon Holzwarth.
The competition is fierce so it’s really important to make your work to stand out.
Here are a few top tips:
- Pin your work numerous times, and in different locations.
- Vary your work, and don’t just pin the same image. Showcase several different pieces.
- Big and bold images stand out particularly well. And character!
- Make sure your name is clearly visible and your contact details. If you can, leave business cards for potential customers to take away.
Another part of the Illustrators’ Wall.
Portfolio reviews
Some publishers hold open portfolio reviews offering artists the opportunity to show their work. These reviews are advertised on the Bologna programme, and by the individual publishing houses, usually on Twitter or Instagram. You can also try contacting a publisher ahead of the book fair to see if they might have time to meet. Each artist gets 5 minutes to show their work. It’s daunting, but exciting and these reviews can offer great feedback.
UK publisher Nosy Crow offering portfolio reviews.
Here are a few top tips if you are visiting The Bologna Book Fair as an illustrator:
- Show your best work. Bring your portfolio with you and take every opportunity to show your work. Printed or digital images are fine but make sure they are clear and good quality.
- Produce fresh work for the book fair and if you have a book idea, make it up into a dummy book to properly show it off.
- Bring lots of promotional materials with you that you can leave with potential clients. Think postcards, posters, business cards, stickers, etc. Try to think outside the box and make your material unique.
Italian publisher Topipitorri. Beautiful books, and an interesting and eye-catching display with books hanging from the front of the stand.
I spent two full days at working at the book fair. I had lots of appointments with my publisher Alison Green (Scholastic UK) where we met with agents and artists to look for new projects to take on. I also squeezed in a couple of meetings with other publishers as well as caught up with some of our MATS alumni.
Each publisher has its own stand. They range in size; some are huge, like Penguin Random House, and others are small. The bigger stands are like fortresses, and it’s hard to get on them for a peek at the books. Only the brave dare! The smaller ones are much more accessible and as long as you are sympathetic to the business meetings that are going on around you, it’s ok to step on and look through the dummy books.
The David Fickling stand with their sales team in full swing.
The Scholastic stand where I was based is mid-sized and has both the UK and US sales teams working on it. Most of my time was spent meeting up with agents and artists to look through portfolios. Appointments are strictly 30 minutes long and you’d be surprised how quickly the time goes. The best agents know what we’re looking for and tailor the meeting to our needs. They show us new artists, plus any new work from artists they know we like.
The MATS crew
Tuesday afternoon and a quick chance to catch up with MATS students (Isabelle Follath, Devon Holzwarth, me, and Tanja Stephani)!
A particular highlight for me was meeting up with the MATS students and hearing how they were all getting on. All of them brought new work to show at the Book Fair. Several are now agented and have book deals coming in. It was great to hear their progress, I felt very proud to see how much they have achieved and grown!
Wednesday afternoon and a welcome break with the MATS students.
A great chance to catch up with each other and hear how everyone is getting on.
MATS Team photo, left to right: Devon Holzwarth, Tanja Stephani, Margaux Kent, Isabelle Follath, Shelly Laslo, Constanze Guhr, Vicky Woodgate, Mateja Lukezic, Anabelle Tempest, me and Sophia Moore.
Our final day in the city was a chance to relax, walk, sample the local food and drink, and of course, do some sketching. It was bliss. Before I leave you, here are a few snaps of the things we saw.
Hidden canals – beautiful colours!
Amazing architecture (and some long-awaited sunshine)!
Little lanes, with hidden churches.
Ham and cheese, plus a bit of sketching.
Beautiful sketch by Adam Stower.
Gorgeous details all around the city.
A happy moment sketching with MATS students Devon Holzwarth and Sophia Moore.
A rare glimpse of my sketchbook!
There are also some wonderful bookshops dotted around the city, with a very diverse selection of books. Lots of different styles and something for everyone. This is a very small selection to give you a flavour.
I really enjoyed my trip to Bologna, it presented so much more than I expected and I would definitely look forward to visiting again in the coming years. It was great to see old friends, make new friends, connect with new clients and just walk the halls and be inspired. You can’t underestimate the power of human connection, and it really surprised me how much business came from this alone, opportunities that might not have come about if I hadn’t gone to the book fair.
I’ve come home inspired, excited and a teeny tiny bit tired. Once I catch up on my sleep, I look forward to following up on all the exciting ideas and projects I’ve scribbled in my notebook.
Go! You will have a very fun time!
Zoë xx
