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description=An honest and authentic newsletter about making books for kids, from author-illustrator Jacob Souva. Loads of encouragement for illustrators, authors, and makers. Inspiration for getting better at waves at everything this together. Click to read Drawing a Blank, by Jacob Souva, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.;
author=Jacob Souva;

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drawing a blank jacob souva substack subscribe sign in home notes portfolio books archive leaderboard about making things better observations on getting better at being a creative person may 6 jacob souva 10 a cruddy week 5 things lessons from a tough week in kidlit may 8 jacob souva 64 33 9 a few good moments under the sea 5 things from the studio this week may 1 jacob souva 27 8 4 creativity hack talking to myself 5 reminders that help me get better at making things apr 24 jacob souva 30 10 3 are you drawing a blank a re focusing reintroduction apr 22 jacob souva 20 1 subscribe free from the archives view all are you drawing a blank a re focusing reintroduction apr 22 jacob souva 20 1 why make things how dare you mar 6 jacob souva 30 1 the publishing golden ticket chasing success in the wrong ways aug 15 2025 jacob souva 56 8 5 the truth about making books for kids according to me just one guy so far may 23 2025 jacob souva 188 24 43 allow me to re introduce myself many many moons ago i auto added my mom and my wife to this newsletter and hoped beyond hope i d add a few more without belly flopping into jan 17 2025 jacob souva 81 27 8 big bike little bike cover reveal as many people come to find out one of the weirder quirks of the publishing industry to outsiders is that there is very little contact if at all jul 19 2024 jacob souva 42 13 5 crafting an illustration portfolio 1 2 part how to 1 2 part don t do jul 12 2024 jacob souva 123 21 18 preparing for querying success a mostly true account of the time i queried my literary agent part 2 jan 19 2024 jacob souva 79 20 7 deep dives view all making things better observations on getting better at being a creative person may 6 jacob souva 10 tales from a kidlit try hard my teenage son has taught me a word apr 8 jacob souva 11 2 1 proof of concept a while back i decided to run a test at my local library mar 25 jacob souva 19 5 1 the one thing you must have to survive in children s publishing imagine an island castle the sea and the cold briny rocks serving as a moat mar 11 jacob souva 25 5 2 the making of a robot world what i learned illustrating the picture book whirby feb 11 jacob souva 18 3 2 100 days of picture book umami an aha moment followed by a commitment to get better at it jan 28 jacob souva 24 5 go deeper on querying a literary agent a tale full of intrigue doubt and success 3 part series lessons from making that book specific things gleaned from books i ve worked on finding picture book ideas a framework for finding and developing book ideas using color how i think about using color in illustration thoughts on style the many twists and turns of cultivating an illustration style goal setting for the wayward inclined pulling a string interviews top posts illustrating with color apr 26 2024 jacob souva 77 21 5 keep going may 24 2024 jacob souva 68 23 8 how i use the internet jan 10 2025 jacob souva 62 28 5 carrying a weight jun 7 2024 jacob souva 63 18 11 art hacks i actually use jan 16 jacob souva 222 21 23 5 things from the studio this week view all a cruddy week 5 things lessons from a tough week in kidlit may 8 jacob souva 64 33 9 a few good moments under the sea 5 things from the studio this week may 1 jacob souva 27 8 4 creativity hack talking to myself 5 reminders that help me get better at making things apr 24 jacob souva 30 10 3 weird books for kids 5 things from the studio this week apr 17 jacob souva 29 15 1 recommendations view all 57 kidlit survival guide kidlit survival guide sharon bottle souva sharon bottle souva the wahlflower phoebe wahl looking at picture books mac barnett jon klassen ️ story makers art club ️ alina chau 2026 jacob souva privacy terms collection notice start your substack get the app substack is the home for great culture this site requires javascript to run correctly please turn on javascript or unblock scripts