A New Picture Book Contract Awarded

New Picture Book for Author/Illustrator Nathan Clement

For the few of you who are reading, I'm remiss in announcing that July 20, my editor from Boyds Mills Press emailed me to say they want to publish another book idea I proposed:

"We'd love to publish Job Site, and propose that we do it under the terms of

the previous contract. I'll give you a call either later today or tomorrow.

I'm very excited about this. I think it will be a strong follow-up to Drive.

This is an idea that he himself suggested: "why not a book about a bulldozer." I took it and made it a book about construction equipment on a job site. Hence my title will be Job Site. This week, my main tech editor was at our house: my brother-in-law, Bob, who is a heavy equipment operator. Really, he's a crane operator. Since I don't seem to write about topics I actually know about, a tech editor is important. He had me reorder my storyboard to make a little more sense of what happens when on a job site.

My deadline is set for May 2010. I can only hope it will be in the Fall Catalog, but they don't commit to those things until they have project in hand.

This will follow the art medium (digital) and style of Drive.

I Made Fuse 8

Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library's Children's Librarian is someone I'm becoming acquainted with. Not personally, but while I'm learning this business, I'm figuring out she's someone whom people listen to. Drive was sent to her automatically when it was released, but I don't think she reviewed it. However, at the suggestion of my new chum, Joyce Moyer Hostetter (YA novelist) and through the efforts of Brittany Lashinsky (marketing at Boyds Mills Press), my little digital art process video made it onto Ms. Bird's blog today.

   I didn't get a thumbs up/down, but I did get mentioned, and I'm excited about that!

   If you link to it, scroll to near the end.