Tag: illustration

Today, I’m talking with AWARD-WINNING south-Asian graphic novelist and artist Debasmita Dasgupta. We’ll be diving under the cover of books and art and the powerful relationship between stories and voices and the messages they carry to today’s youth.

But before we do… here are a few things to know about feature interviews.

THE SCOOP: WHAT ARE FEATURE INTERVIEWS & WHO ARE THEY FOR?

Feature Interviews are a free resource for writers and illustrators at every stage of the publishing journey.

Every month, I collaborate with industry professionals—authors, illustrators, editors, and agents— many of whom were or currently are also educators and librarians, to discuss all things publishing.

What can these interviews offer YOU?

These interviews give readers an up-close and personal look at the world of publishing from an array of different perspectives on every side of the desk and offer insight into tips, resources, and advice on how to:

• stay current with market trends
• hook an agent or editor
• find writing community & other resources
• discover workshops, contests, and other events
• figure out which path of publication is right for you
• know if your agent is a good match

And more!

AND… if that’s not enough, every guest offers at least one giveaway prize—sometimes more. This means you have multiple opportunities to win prizes every month! *If you’re interested in entering the giveaway, scroll to the bottom of the interview for instructions.*

Not that we’ve shared a little about what’s in store… it’s time to jump into our interview!

BEGINNINGS & INSPIRATIONS: WHY, HOW, WHEN?

Debasmita, it really is a pleasure to welcome you to the blog. Every month I feel so appreciative of the conversations I’m able to have with different members of the publishing community. Welcome! It’s great to have you with us - all the way from the UK. Today, I’d love to ease into the publishing waters with some pre-publication chit-chat. 
First question. What kind of role has literature played in your life, both as a young child and present day?

Literature has always been my go-to source for inspiration and imagination, both in my childhood and now as an adult. Every time I read, whether it's words or pictures, a new world of possibilities unfolds before me. I absolutely love that experience!

Have writing and illustrating always been something you’ve been passionate about, or was this a later-in-life discovery?

Art, and particularly Art-for-Change, has always been my passion. However, that passion became my profession over the years as I had to hone the craft of storytelling.

Now let’s talk about the “when, why, and how.” When, why, and how did your publishing journey begin? Was it something you always knew you wanted to do, or was it something you realized later in life? And when/how did that journey first take root?

It was on a Sunday afternoon when I heard a TED talk by Shabana Basij from Afghanistan. It was a moving experience. I felt something had permanently changed inside me. Over the next few days, I watched that talk over and over. Her honesty, simplicity, and power of narration moved me. Shabana grew up in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime. Despite all odds, her father never lost the courage to fight for her education. He used to say, “People can take away everything from you except your knowledge”. Shabana’s story gave me a strong impulse to do something, but I didn’t know ‘what’ and ‘how.’ That’s when my red sketchbook and pencil caught my eye. Before I’d even realized it, I had taken my first step. I illustrated Shabana’s story and posted it on a Facebook page, “My Father Illustrations”. It was an impulsive reaction. I found Shabana’s contact and shared the illustration with her. Shabana was so touched that she forwarded it to her students, and then I started getting emails from a lot of other Afghan men! The emails were a note of thanks as they felt someone was trying to showcase Afghan men in a positive light. I realized that if there are so many positive father-daughter stories in Afghanistan, just imagine the positive stories across the world! My journey had started. I started looking for moving father-daughter stories from across the globe. Some I found, some found me. With every discovery, my desire to create art for change kept growing. I shared over 350 stories from 56 countries.

That was the beginning of my artistic career. That Facebook page went viral. Many international media including the Huffington in the USA, wrote about it. And I was recognized as an artist on the global stage. From there I started to receive publishing offers to illustrate children’s books. A new universe welcomed me with open arms.

ROUTES TO PUBLISHING: TO QUERY OR NOT TO QUERY?

I know you’re represented by Alice Williams Literary Agency, based in London. Could you tell us about your agenting journey? How/when did you find your agent match? Was it through cold querying, did you meet at a writing event, or was it something else? And what kind of project did you pitch/query/submit- was it art only, or did you have text too?
 
I was fortunate when Alice stumbled upon my work on Instagram through a SCBWI event, and she approached me. Eventually, we met in London and loved speaking with each other. Since then, we have been working together. 

Alice represents me only for my picture book/graphic novels with big press in the UK and the USA. Sometimes, I write and create pitch materials that she submits to publishers. In addition, she also gets me only illustration projects for stories written by other writers. In the second scenario, she is mostly approached by art directors/editors who are familiar with my artwork.

For some of our newer-to-publishing readers who might be trying to navigate the waters of the literary world and aren’t sure which way to go, could you explain a little bit about what a literary agent’s role is in an author and/or illustrator’s career, and some of the benefits of having one?

A literary agent first of all advocates for your work. Artists or creatives are mostly not the best to market themselves. Agents help with that. They study and evaluate your body of work and pitch it to potential clients. When you get a job, your agent manages all the paperwork including fee and other terms negotiation in the publishing contract.

When you first set out on your publishing journey, did you know that you wanted to seek traditional publishing, or did you also consider other routes? And what was the determining factor that led you to traditional publishing as the right route for you?

I was always interested in traditional publishing because I felt that was the most sustainable way forward for my career. I left a decade-long full-time career in international relations before moving into the publishing world. I had managed projects with the United Nations and the European Commission before I found my calling in illustrated literature. It was a big decision for me, so I was determined to get into traditional publishing where there were advance payments plus royalties from publishers. These help me pay my bills.

-MORE ABOUT PUBLISHING- Some authors choose to query an agent for representation so that they can pursue traditional publishing houses for their work. Others choose to submit directly to smaller, select houses or imprints (editors) without literary representation (agents). Alternatively, some authors choose to go it alone and self-publish - which has endless options. And still, others choose to do a little bit of both- which is called “hybrid” - where you might do some independent work, publish articles for magazines, do work-for-hire, AND also have a literary agent representing select projects and genres of your work, to submit to larger publishing houses, that you wouldn’t have the opportunity to submit to directly on your own. *Many large publishers do not accept “unsolicited,” aka “work from authors/illustrators that do not have literary representation.”

IMPORTANT NOTE: Publishing is not a “one-size-fits-all,” and one route to publication may be perfect for one person and not another, so if you’re trying to figure out what route to take, make sure you’re basing that decision on what works best for you, and weigh the variables accordingly, to YOUR situation.

TIPS & RESOURCES

Prior to publication- and even since- have there been any resources you’ve found valuable in the writing/illustrating community that you’d like to share?

I love technology. I think we, the artists/creatives, should use technology to our advantage. Illustration tools such as the Adobe Creative Suite and Procreate are super helpful for my illustration process. There are also free alternatives to these tools that one could use if they are unable to afford licensed tools. 

In general, I am always on the lookout for new free resources (such as newsletter creation & distribution tools, form submission tools, data gathering tools, editing tools, business management tools, etc.) that can enhance my freelance career.

What are some struggles you’ve faced on the road to publishing, and how were you able to overcome them?

The biggest challenge is that you have to do everything on your own. So, the more informed you are, the better time and cost-effective it is. Knowledge and practice are the only ways to keep you going.

If you could share the most precious pieces of advice that you know NOW and that you wish you had known sooner with other authors/illustrators, what would it be?

Happiness is a Habit. Don’t create your stories to compete with another storyteller. Create your stories because that’s your happy place, and you belong there. There is nothing more precious than your happiness, but to be happy, you have to create art every single day.

-I absolutely love this piece oof advice!

“Happiness is a Habit. Don’t create your stories to compete with another storyteller. Create your stories because that’s your happy place, and you belong there.”

TIMEFRAMES & EXPECTATIONS

Could you share the timeframe of your publishing journey from the beginning to the first book publication for our readers?

My first picture book was published in 2010 (illustrated by me), and my first graphic novel, “Nadya,” was published in 2019 (words & pictures by me).

Here's the full timeline for my first graphic novel Nadya:

In September 2018, I attended an art residency in Spain. During that residency, I developed the story of "Nadya" along with some character sketches and sample frames. After coming back from Spain, I was super pumped up so I posted a sketch on my Instagram sharing my state of mind and the fact that I have completed drafting a manuscript for my first GN. Next day, I got a message in my inbox from an editor at Scholastic India. She was following my work for a while and was wondering if I would want to share the MS with her team. I was thrilled! Without any further delay, I prepared a pitch deck with my MS, sample sketches, colour palette, and query letter. They liked my proposal and within 2 months, I signed my publishing contract with them. Editing, polishing, proof-reading, and fine-tuning of the script happened over next two months, after which I immediately started working on the illustrations. "Nadya" was finally launched in September 2019.

What are some publishing expectations vs. realities that you’ve experienced? And what common publishing misconception have you noticed?

Myth: Publishing illustrated stories is a complete immersive artistic process and you don’t need to know your audience / market / industry. 
Reality: Publishing an illustrated book is 50% art and 50% business. As a creative, you don’t have to understand the whole business implementation part. However, to stay in the business, you can’t ignore it completely. 

Myth: If only I have 50k followers on Instagram, I will get many publishing contracts. 
Reality: Aim for some quality Instagram followers, such as editors/publishers, who will offer you paid work.

Myth: Picture books are easy to write and draw.
Reality: Every picture book is a labor of love, and it takes months (if not years) to create one quality book.

MOTIVATIONS & HEART

Earlier, I asked you about the “why, when, how.” But I always love to dig deeper into the why, BECAUSE… the why is where our HEART and MOTIVATION lives. That magical place holds all of the reasons WHY we’re writers and illustrators, to begin with. So, I’d love to ask… what do your stories mean to you on a personal level? 

My stories are my raison d'etre, my identity. 

And what do you want your readers to feel/experience/learn when reading them?

I want my stories to help readers start a dialogue, if not with anyone else, at least with themselves. A dialogue may not give you all the answers, but every dialogue will open a plethora of possibilities.

EMPATHY, AWARENESS, DIVERSITY

As we progress into a newer era of understanding, empathy, and awareness of differences around us, ranging from everything from cultural identity to different abilities and more, we’ve been able to see that shift in publishing where there’s been a push for amplifying and raising up previously underrepresented voices. Which just makes my heart GLOW with excitement for all of the children who are now seeing themselves reflected on the page, as well as for all the educational awareness and early-developed empathy that this is creating in our culture of young readers, who may not otherwise have had the access or influence to learn about these things, and now, thanks to these powerful voices and stories, they now have that opportunity. It’s just… so beautiful. Could you share in your own words what effect you think this change is having on young readers and why having inclusive and diverse voices in books- especially children’s literature, is so important?

When children read and see characters who resemble them, share similar backgrounds, or face similar challenges, it affirms their importance and validates their experiences. Having diverse voices in children's literature also challenges stereotypes and combats prejudice. It helps children appreciate diversity and learn to discover more bridges that connect people and less walls that divide them.

BOOKS!

That brings us to the book portion of the interview. We’d love to hear all about your books! Inspiration? Publication? In the works? Share it all. 


My inspiration for my most recent YA graphic novel, Terminal 3, written and illustrated by me and published with Penguin Random House India:

The seed idea for Terminal 3 germinated in 2013 when I created a passion project, a Facebook page called ‘My Father Illustrations’, to feature stories of fathers defending the rights of their daughters from across the globe. Some stories I found, some stories found me. With every discovery, my desire to create art kept growing — I’ve shared nearly 350 illustrated stories of fathers and daughters from 54 countries. During that time, one day, I came across the story of Tajamul Islam, a kickboxer from Kashmir’s Bandipora district, and how her father had supported her. That was the beginning of Khwab’s story, which finally took the shape of Terminal 3.

My first upcoming graphic novel this year is:“ZardoZi - stitched with love” with HarperCollins India.

Why I want to tell this story: 

Most of the time, people we know tell us who we are supposed to be. They create borders around us defining our gender, sexuality, characteristics, identity --- and this list is endless. Both men and women fall prey in the hands of patriarchy. Under such circumstances, what happens when a boy finds his passion, which is considered to be feminine? He is bullied, shamed and forced to run away from his dreams. “ZardoZi-stitched with love” is a story that questions such archaic values with humor and hope through a stylish timeless tale.

My next graphic novel releasing soon is: Faiza is a Fighter, with Soaring Kite Books (SKB) USA 

My inspiration behind the story of Faiza: 

The word "Faiza" means victorious / winner in Urdu. Sometimes you're broken. You're left orphaned at a dead end with a crushed confidence. However, that end could be a new beginning if you discover your inner strength. You can knock out the murmur of terror with a silent roar of courage. Then even if you lose, you will still emerge victorious from the depths of fear.

Thanks so much for sharing your inspiration behind these stories, Debasmita!
Below, you can browse a list of Debasmita's books along with pictures and blurbs:

Do you have any favorite illustrations? If so, we'd love to steal a peek at a few!
Check out some of Debasmita's illustrations below.

Captions:
Top left illustration: "character illustration"
Top middle illustration: "Cooler colour palette-going out of my comfort zone"
Top right illustration: "Incorporating cultural details"
Bottom left illustration: "One of my favourite colour palettes"
Bottom middle illustration: "Showing collective action by children"
Bottom right illustration: "Use of fabric motifs"

Have you been able to host any fun book events at local bookstores/libraries/schools/somewhere else?
Regular online workshops with updates on my Instagram.

Any final words of wisdom that you’d like to share with readers today?
I would like to share a few words from my graphic novel, “Terminal 3” –
“Failure is never the last answer. It only means, you have to try one more time.”

Thank you so much, Debasmita. 
And now… 
It’s time for a GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY

For the month of August, Debasmita is offering one giveaway prize to TWO winners!

PRIZE 1: Picture Book giveaway- 1 copy of Ganesha Goes Green

PRIZE 2: Portfolio Review for an emerging illustrator via Zoom (preferably a POC)

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

• Leave a comment on this post!
• And if you haven’t already, like this post and subscribe to the blog and/or newsletter!

That’s it!

DEADLINE TO ENTER: August 31st, 2024, 11:59 PM CST

PLEASE NOTE: IF THE HOST IS OFFERING MORE THAN ONE GIVEAWAY PRIZE, SPECIFY WHICH PRIZE YOU WOULD LIKE IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. THIS DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL WIN THAT PRIZE.

FAQ:

What if I was already subscribed to the blog? Does that mean I won’t qualify for the Prize Giveaway? Not at all! If you subscribed before this month, all you’ll need to do is LIKE this Feature Interview and leave your COMMENT below this post within the deadline (the current month/year entry was posted).

Did you enjoy this interview?

Thank the author & host by purchasing a copy of one of their books or by requesting it be purchased at your local library! Using the sponsored links below supports this blog.

To learn more about Debasmita, connect with her using the links below.

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Looking for a specific topic? Browse the list below to find a link to information on one of these topics:

Pros and cons of small publishers, hybrid (or indie) publishing, and being agented VS. unagented.

Where to find FREE and PAID for writing memberships, craft workshops, contests, and other resources.

How to query agents and editors and what they’re looking for.

Where to find kidlit community and support from other writers or illustrators.

Diversity, empathy, and kindness in kidlit and why it matters.

Writing across genres.

Purchase a copy of Chelsea’s Book, ADHD AND ME HERE.