What publishers reeeeally want to see in your picture book pitch

First, before we jump into the show notes, here's the link to sign up to the Picture Book Pitching Masterclass we've got happening soon! 

🗓️ When: 17th of November at 1 pm UK time

💰 Cost: Freeeee

🚢 RSVP here: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/pbpm 

How do illustrators actually get their picture books published? And what really goes on at Bologna Children’s Book Fair? 

This episode is all about pitching, portfolios, publishers, and… how we each pronounce the word plaster? 😅

Here’s what we cover:

• Bologna Book Fair!  ✈️
• How to submit to the Bologna Illustrator Exhibition (deadline alert! They extended it to the 6th November! Sorry, we said the wrong date in this episode, but do let us know if you managed to submit something so we can high-five you.)
• The Picture Book Pitching Masterclass with Helen and Jane Porter 🎓 https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/pbpm  
• How to pitch your book ideas
• Overcoming the terror of sharing your work 😬
• Building resilience to rejection
• The “myth of being discovered”
• Our excitin' Bologna Book Fair plans...

🕑 Timestamps
00:00 – Bologna excitement (and confusion)
01:00 – What really happens at the fair
02:00 – Snail mail sticker packs & upcoming Picture Book Masterclass
03:00 – Helen’s no-rules pitching philosophy
06:00 – Regional accent chaos: “masterclass” vs “plaster”
07:00 – Getting seen by publishers (and why Instagram still matters)
08:00 – Facing the fear of rejection
10:00 – Mindset hacks: why what others think is none of your business
12:00 – Myths about being “discovered”
13:00 – Good Ship’s Bologna stand & plans for 2026
15:00 – Why every illustrator should go at least once
16:00 – Global publishing inspiration 🌍
17:00 – Dreaming up a “Gone Fishing” Good Ship stall

Links we mentioned:

• The Picture Book Course
• Free Picture Book Pitching Masterclass – 17 November, 1pm UK time
• Bologna Children’s Book Fair

Byeeee for now!
 x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)

Come and say hello!

✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com

p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

Transcript

Picturing Books: Pitching, Processes & Bologna Banter
The Good Ship Illustration Podcast – 7th November 2025

[00:00:00]
Helen: So, exciting news, everyone! Well, we thought it was exciting until about a minute ago. We thought we’d booked a stand at Bologna, but it turns out none of us actually have yet. We’ve just talked about it so much we convinced ourselves it was done.

Katie: Hopefully it’s happening in real time now, which is even more exciting!

Tania: If you haven’t heard of Bologna, it’s a huge international children’s book fair, like the Frankfurt Book Fair but for picture books. Everyone goes to buy and sell co-editions.

Helen: Yes, if you have a book commissioned, your publisher takes it to Bologna to sell rights to publishers in other countries. It’s also a massive hub for illustrators: socialising, eating pizza, and taking their portfolios around.

Katie: There are workshops, exhibitions, and the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition too. How many Good Shippers were in that last time?

Tania: I think six were runners-up, and one, Lisa Lofreddo, actually got in! That was very exciting. We went and found her work and took photos.

Helen: The deadline to enter this year is the 7th of November, so if you’re listening on release day, quick! Grab something and send it in!

[00:02:00]
Katie: Also today, the 7th of November, we’re starting something special. If you join the Picture Book Course, you’ll get real snail mail, an actual sticker pack in the post!

Tania: Not a real snail. Just stickers.

Katie: And we’ve got our Picture Book Pitching Masterclass coming up too, a free session for anyone, not just course students. It’s on the 17th of November at 1 pm UK time with me and Jane Porter. Between us, we’ve had about 70 picture books published.

Helen: You two have pitched a lot of books.

Katie: We’ll cover how to get your idea in front of the right people and how to actually start.

[00:03:00]
Helen: People always ask me how to pitch, and my answer has always been: just send it! Send it to as many publishers as you like, all at once, and ignore the supposed rules.

But I started wondering if my advice was out of date. My first book came out in 1998, and I usually pitch by chatting to publishers, showing sketchbook ideas over a meeting or Zoom, and seeing what sparks.

So I’ve been interviewing other illustrators to check, and so far everyone says the same: just get your work seen. Post samples, email them, send things in the post. Your ideas don’t need to be finished; rough sketches are fine.

Katie: So there’s no secret formula?

Helen: None! You don’t need a perfectly worded letter or to send one publisher at a time. Some publishers only open samples every few months, so you could wait forever. Send them all at once, and don’t take it personally if they don’t reply.

They might love your work but have just published a similar story. Try again next year.

[00:04:30]
Katie: And there is a masterclass coming up. (How are we saying that today, “master” or “mahster”?)

Tania: Depends where you’re from!

Helen: It’s because I’m slightly Geordie, we say “plaster” and “master” with a flat A. I’m halfway between Yorkshire and Newcastle, so I’m a hybrid.

Katie: Between the three of us we’ve got three different accents, all in one masterclass!

Tania: The class and the accent lesson.

[00:06:00]
Katie: So, back to pitching, there’s loads more in the masterclass. Jane and I spent two hours in a café brainstorming all the most useful parts of the process. We’ve made a slideshow and we’re ready to go.

Helen: It’s free too, right?

Katie: Yes, because pitching often feels like voodoo. People say “just get a meeting with a publisher”, which feels as impossible as saying “just get a million pounds”. But it’s not impossible if you start putting yourself out there.

When I interviewed art directors and editors for the Picture Book Course, they all said the same: they’re looking on Instagram. So post your work, then make sure you’ve got a clear portfolio on your website for them to click through to.

[00:07:00]
Tania: Also look at groups like SCBWI, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. They run brilliant workshops and invite publishers, so you can meet people face-to-face.

Once you’ve met someone and they’ve seen your work, they’re more likely to remember you when you follow up later. All those little touchpoints, Instagram, competitions, exhibitions, help you stay on their radar.

Helen: Exactly. You’ve got to be in it! Don’t be shy, just do it.

[00:08:00]
Katie: Someone in the Picture Book Course said this week that they find it excruciating to send work to publishers, like actual tears-level fear.

Helen: Oh, that’s so common. We used to call it “pants-down time” when your work gets published, that vulnerable feeling when everyone can see it.

The only way through is practice. Do it ten times and it stops feeling scary.

Tania: It’s like desensitising yourself. When we started The Good Ship, we hated hearing our voices or seeing ourselves on camera. Now we don’t even think about it.

Katie: You just have to do it anyway. Your work is enough.

Helen: And what’s the worst that can happen? They don’t reply? Fine! Most people who don’t like something won’t say so, they’ll just move on.

Tania: Exactly. And what other people think of you is none of your business.

Katie: Love that phrase.

Helen: Keeps you sane!

Tania: Everyone’s got opinions, and some of them stink.

Helen: Like armpits. Or worse.

Katie: The key is: you’ll never know what anyone thinks, and it doesn’t matter.

Helen: Exactly. You’ll be dead soon, so crack on!

[00:10:30]
Tania: Even if you did everything perfectly, the right email, the perfect pitch, someone would still not like it.

Helen: I’ve seen amazing work rejected by art directors, and you think, how?! But maybe it’s not to their taste, or they’ve done something similar, or they’re just in a bad mood.

Katie: Like those studies showing judges are harsher before lunch. Maybe your art director was just hungry!

Helen: Exactly. And if you want to be an illustrator, just get on with it. No one can stop you except yourself.

[00:11:30]
Tania: People also worry about publishers stealing their ideas. But if you don’t send your idea, it definitely won’t happen.

Helen: And publishers are not going to make their lives harder by copying you, they want you, the person with the original spark.

Katie: There’s also this myth that if you’re talented enough, someone will magically find you from your living room. That’s not how it works.

Helen: I used to believe that after art school, that if I just drew quietly, someone would discover me. Nope. You have to market yourself.

Tania: Nobody’s floating through your studio window at night to find you!

[00:13:00]
Katie: Back to Bologna, I’m most excited about Tania’s gorgeous graphics being blown up huge for our stand.

Tania: Yes! And freebies, maybe sweets from my brother-in-law’s sweet shop? “Good Ship rock”, literally!

Helen: We’re also thinking of doing pop-up workshops or talks, and recording podcasts there too. If you’re going, come and say hello.

Katie: And if you’ve got ideas for what we could do at the stand, tell us.

Helen: Last time we met everyone in what turned out to be a smelly ditch between halls. This year we have an actual stand!

Tania: We’ve graduated from the sewer to a real booth!

Katie: If anyone knows a good tote bag company, please get in touch. We want to make Good Ship bags, badges, and of course, stickers.

[00:15:00]
Helen: And dinners! Lovely Italian dinners with everyone.

Tania: If you’ve ever thought about going to Bologna, do it. It’s exhausting but completely inspiring.

Katie: It’s like a huge global gallery, the best figurative and narrative illustration from around the world.

Helen: Yes! You’ll see work from Chile, Argentina, Portugal, Korea. It’s breathtaking. I used to be told my work was “too sophisticated”, then I went to Bologna and realised, no, it fits perfectly somewhere in the world.

Tania: When you see the variety, you realise there’s space for everyone.

[00:16:30]
Helen: Maybe we should have a “Gone Fishing” sign for when we go wandering around the fair.

Katie: And a little psychiatrist-style booth where people can come and ask us questions!

Tania: Yes! Two-minute creative therapy sessions.

Helen: Perfect.

Katie: See you in Bologna, or next week on the podcast. Bye!

All: Byeeee!