About me

Who are you? What’s your story?

I’ve been working as an author and an illustrator or over thirty years, but I’ve been drawing and making up stories for as long as I can remember.

I grew up outside of Albany, New York and I live not far from there today. I went to college at Alfred University, then graduate school at the University of Buffalo. I have a studio in my home which I share with my wife, Christy, and a small group of animals.

When I’m not working on illustration and children’s books, I teach as a professor at Russell Sage College in Albany, NY.

Here’s a short interview I did for WMHT’s AHA program.

Publishing

Can you illustrate my book?

Unfortunately, my schedule (my editor, my family, etc.) just doesn’t allow me to take on any new projects. If you’re looking to illustrate your manuscript before you send it to a publisher, you should understand that most publisher don’t want to receive illustrated submissions. Rather, they decide whether or not to buy a story based strictly on the text; the illustrator comes later, and is usually selected by the publisher. For more information on this process, I recommend this article: http://www.underdown.org/picture-books-illustrations.htm

Can you take a look at my manuscript?

Due to the number of requests I get, I’m afraid this just isn’t possible. I recommend trying to connect with a local group of writers and prospective writers where you can get together to critique and workshop ideas. SCBWI and similar organizations can be a big help in this area, as can local colleges and libraries. Ask around – the odds are there’s a group in your area that would welcome a new voice.

I’ve written a manuscript and want to get it published. What do I do next?

Again, I’m going to pass this over to Harold Underdown. His Purple Crayon website has numerous articles which cover this question much better than I ever could. Here’s a sampling:

I’m a writer, not an illustrator. Do I need pictures when I submit my story to a publisher?

Not at all. In fact, most publishers prefer to receive a manuscript without pictures. (See above)

Do I need to copyright my work before I send it to a publisher? What if they steal my idea?

First of all, understand that publishing is a buyer’s market. Publishers have no shortage of ideas for books, and they generally don’t need to steal yours. (One of my editors told me he receives nearly 8,000 submissions every year.) As far as copyright is concerned, here’s what the U.S. Copyright Office has to say:

Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.

In other words, the second you draw that picture or type out that manuscript, it’s legally yours and protected by copyright law.

However – and this is important – registering your work with the copyright office affords you significant additional legal protection.

Here’s a great article from the Graphic Artists Guild: An Introduction to Copyright Law.