You Don't Need to Go to Bologna

A gentle reminder for those feeling left out

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is going on this week, and if you follow a bunch of children’s book people as I do, your social media feed is probably on fire with amazing Bologna pics. Suddenly it feels like anyone who’s anyone in kidlit is there, meeting up with each other, meeting with publishers, sketching in ancient porticoes, eating pasta, and clinking glasses of Aperol spritz.

It’s a lot of fun, and I can’t help wishing I was back to hug all my illo buddies. But the FOMO might just make it seem more important than it is. So if you’re feeling left out, this post is for you.

Here’s what Bologna is great for:

Creating and strengthening friendships
Bologna is a great place to meet other illustrators. I met some of my all-time favorite people there. Nothing beats taking a friendship to the next level like sharing some solid floor time while waiting in a long-ass line to see a publisher for 5 minutes.

L-R: Louise Anjou, Me, Devon Holzwarth, Kathryn Durst, Andrea Stegmaier, Tanja Stephani

Getting light portfolio feedback
There are plenty of opportunities for portfolio feedback at Bologna, but be forewarned: much of it is pretty rudimentary. If the publisher is very popular and the line is super long, you might not get much more than “this is good,” or “it’s not for us.” But if you’re lucky, you’ll get a solid ten minutes with someone who will give you real insight into what isn’t working in your portfolio and how you can improve it. That kind of feedback is precious!

Left: Ema Malyauka getting a portfolio review at Flying Eye. Right: Ema and I with our new copies of Ivy and the Raincloud by Katie Harnett

Being inspired
You will see an absurd amount of art while walking through the exhibit halls and through the city itself. Much of it will be new ideas you’ll want to explore. You may even be so inspired you decide to burn your portfolio with the hope that an illustrated phoenix will rise from its ashes.

Left: Felicita Sala signing a book for me. Right: Beatrice Alemagna signing a book for Devon

Feeling validated
Being at a conference with your peers feels like a rite of passage. There’s a collective sense of belonging that lifts you from the realm of wannabe to dare I say…emerging talent? “Oh, you’ve been to Bologna? Then clearly you’re serious about this work.”

L-R: Sofia Moore, Isabelle Follath, Nadine Colin, Tanja Stephani, Devon Holzwarth, Katie Chappell

All of that is worthwhile, and it’s certainly enough to justify going if you can swing it. But…

Here’s what Bologna is not so great for:

Getting book deals
It may seem like Bologna is very illustrator-focused, but we’re seeing it through a bubble. The hosts and exhibitors do a lot to support creators through things like showcases, panels, and portfolio reviews, but Bologna itself is mostly about licensing and selling existing titles to publishers and retailers. So while many publishers are thrilled to find potential collaborators, that’s not their primary focus.

The Harper Collins Booth

Networking with publishers
Although there are hundreds of publishers exhibiting, most of the staff you see working the booths are part of the marketing and/or sales teams. Many publishers don’t have editors or art directors in attendance at all.

Your best bet for networking (assuming you don’t have an agent who can get you a meeting) is to wait in line with a kajillion other artists in the hopes of getting some brief facetime with the art directors and editors who do attend. If they like your work, you can hand them a postcard, in the hopes they remember you six months later. If they really like your work, they just may give you their business card so you can send them a reminder that you exist.

The famous illustrator wall(s)

Being a good financial investment
This is going to vary depending on where you live, but as an American, Bologna is expensive. The fair itself is absurdly cheap when compared to the various illustration and kidlit conferences stateside, but you still have to get there and find a place to stay. If you can take the train down from Switzerland for the day, then by all means, GO NOW, but for the rest of us, it’s a pretty big investment.

And since many of the exhibitors are international publishers who don’t pay nearly as much as US publishers, it’s a big investment in predominantly low-paying jobs.

Managing overwhelm and imposter syndrome
While you’ll feel inspired, and somewhat validated as I mentioned above, you will also likely become super overwhelmed by the sheer Bolognaness of it all. Some part of you may want to pack it all in, because with so many amazing artists out there already, how will you possibly compete?

Does the world even need your art? It’s probably safe to assume most of us deal with this thought from time to time, but if you’re particularly sensitive to this kind of thinking, or if your reviews don’t go so well, you may come out feeling pretty defeated. Possibly even crying in the bathroom and looking up how much it’ll cost to change your flight so you can go home this second defeated.

So there you have it. Bologna is super inspiring, but it doesn’t need to be part of your career strategy. There’s a lot you can do that will give you a similar payoff without “requiring” a trip to Italy.

How to fake your own Bologna

Make actual plans with actual illustrators
If you know of any illustrators near you, make a plan to meet up. If you don’t, you can meet some by joining a sketch group in your area, or by joining your local chapter of SCBWI. If those aren’t options, ask your followers if anyone knows nearby artists, or set up a sketch night with your peers over zoom. Hosting a not going to Bologna pity party seems like a very reasonable excuse to meet up!

Left: Tanja cracking me up as usual. Right: A round of Exquisite Corpse

Get feedback on your portfolio
A lot of professional illustrators, editors, and art directors offer paid portfolio reviews. And many who don’t will set one up if you ask. If money is an issue, you can always ask if they’ll give you some feedback, but make sure you’re considerate about it. Take the time to engage with their content and let them know why you’d like their specific input. Then, let them know you value their time by asking something super simple like, “what’s one area or skill you think I could focus on improving?”

Find new inspiration
Get off of Instagram. If you want to simulate the feeling of Bologna, you need to get out of your bubble and look to other sources for inspiration. Go to a museum. Go to a used bookstore with a good children’s book section. Try looking for different illustrators on Google and Pinterest by getting creative with your search technique. Try translating “children’s books” into a foreign language and see what happens. Or try “childrens illustration 1977.”

Get your art in front of art directors and editors
As far as connections go, Bologna isn’t much different than anywhere else. At the end of the day, it’s all about your postcard. At Bologna you get to drop off a postcard in person. But outside of Bologna, you can mail them, which is more special than you think. After all, what’s going to stand out more, one postcard in a pile of hundreds, or the only postcard to be hand-addressed and delivered via snail mail this month?

If you don’t have a mailing list yet, it’s time to build one!

L-R: A flower shop, Eating cornetti and bombalone with Louise, Un cane molto buono

Have some pasta, preferably with a spritz
Finally, with all the money you saved by not going to Bologna, you can at least splurge on a nice Italian dinner, right?

And who knows, there’s always next year!

Ciao!