We were lucky to catch up with Izzy B recently and have shared our conversation below.
Izzy, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
When I Caught You
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m children’s book author and illustrator Izzy B. I’ve wanted to be a children’s book author since the first grade. We had a competition in elementary school called Young Authors. This was my favorite thing in the world. I put EVERYTHING I had into this competition, and I won every year. As an adult I went to school to be a teacher. It was there that I saw how important books are to a child’s development, and I my passion to be an author ignited along side my love of books. Children’s books are an incredible craft. I often worry that this craft is being lost with the current wave of folks wanting to jump into this world. It takes skill to create a meaningful story that dances along side illustration to tell a deep deep story in under 500 words. I worked on this craft for 15 years before I started fully trusting myself to write the way that my books deserved, and I still have a lot to learn.
I make most of my living off of illustrating books for other people, but I also bring a long side these illustrations a vast understanding of how to write a children’s book. It takes pacing and patience. It takes an understanding of transitions and flow. There’s more to writing a children’s book then just a solid idea. It’s presenting that idea in a way that is compelling and will last with the reader when they close the pages.
Making a book is a beautiful thing. It can be painstaking. By the end, I’m often sick of the book, but when you hold the final product in your hand and you see your toils presented on paper it is one of the most rewarding things in the world. Every time a truck backs up to my warehouse I get butterflies. I can’t wait to see my creation come to life, and most of all, I can’t wait to share it with kids.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I once had a book deal with HarperCollins. I thought it was my big break. I wrote a book called Count Spatula. It was a funny book about a vampire who cooks. He cooks feetloaf, macaroni and sneeze, and snot roast. It’s a super silly book, and I had my own editor and everything. For the three months that we worked on that book I was on cloud 9. All the rejection… all 10 years of rejection! was finally paying off. And then… out of the blue… my book deal was canceled.
And here is the wild part. I’m glad that it happened.
I taught myself how to illustrate. I was so determined to be an author I took up a pencil and began down the path of children’s book art having ZERO knowledge or skill. I wasn’t an artist. But if I had taken that book deal with HarperCollins I would have never made the attempt to do so. I wouldn’t be an illustrator. Now I can make book the way I want to make them, and having that kind of control is worth more than any book deal could give me.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I don’t care about awards. I don’t care about the money. I don’t care about how many likes I get on social media. The most rewarding part of being an author is seeing a kid enjoy my book. When they come up to my table and tell me their favorite part of this or that story. THAT is why I do it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.izzybbooks.com
- Instagram: @izzybbooks
- Facebook: facebook.com/izzybbooks
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IzzyBBooks
- Other: I also have a kids youtube TV show called Stories4Space https://www.youtube.com/@Stories4Space