A new series is underway, and, with that, comes a new book designer! I'm very excited to announce that I've officially hired a book designer for One Little Squiggle. Her name is Lauren Gallegos, and she's both a talented illustrator and freelance designer. I'm stoked about working with Lauren, and I think she will be an excellent addition to this creative team. Here's more information about Lauren's background and design style:
Lauren Gallegos is a professional, award winning designer and illustrator of children's books, with several books where she has filled both roles. She is dedicated to creating books for kids that are high quality and thoughtfully made.
Lauren earned her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Illustration from Cal State Fullerton in 2009 and has been illustrating ever since. Over the last 15 years, she has illustrated more than 30 books including several series, board books, historical fiction books, biographies, licensed characters, and educational books. Lauren also has extensive experience designing children's books from cover-to-cover including title design, interior layout, and prepping files for print.
When it comes to stories, Lauren has always loved those that warm the heart and touch the soul- timeless narratives that speak to one's inner child. As a young girl, she loved to pour over illustrations that were rich and full. Lauren still loves books that take readers to mysterious places and let their imaginations run wild with possibilities. Her biggest illustration influences are Chris Van Allsburg, Loren Long, Chris Sheban, Arthur Rackham, and Scott Gustafson, but she continues to be inspired by many new and current illustrators as well.
Lauren is always looking for opportunities to illustrate great stories with the desire to see how her work will impact the young minds of our future. She is a proud member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She lives in Southern California with her husband and two young children, where she loves to tend to her edible and flower garden, play piano, and hike in the California mountains.
To give you a taste of Lauren's previous design work, check out these books:
I'm Glad for What I Have
Publisher: Ramsey Press
Author: Rachel Cruze
Illustrator: Lauren Gallegos
Cover and Interior Design: Lauren Gallegos
Pebbles and the Biggest Number
Publisher: Joey Benun
Author: Joey Benun
Illustrator: Laura Watson
Cover and Interior Design: Stephanie Drake and Lauren Gallegos
Branding/Marketing Material Design: Lauren Gallegos
Ernie's Wish Trail
Publisher: AugPix
Author: Maia Orion
Illustrator: Lauren Gallegos
Cover and Interior Design: Lauren Gallegos
Kobee Manatee: Wild Weather Adventure
Publisher: Thompson Mill Press
Author: Robert Scott Thayer
Illustrator: Lauren Gallegos
Cover and Interior Design: Lauren Gallegos
The Circus Thief
Publisher: SparkPress
Author: Alane Adams
Illustrator: Lauren Gallegos
Cover and Interior Design: Lauren Gallegos
Pretty amazing, huh?! I can't wait to see what she does with One Little Squiggle! 😁
How I Found Lauren
Last winter, I was looking for an illustrator for One Little Squiggle, and I ran across Lauren's portfolio on the SCBWI Illustrator Gallery. I was really impressed with her artistic style and her ability to capture the energy and adventurous spirit of her young female characters. I also appreciated that she could fulfill both the illustrator and book designer roles. So, I took a chance. I contacted her agent and asked if she would be willing to illustrate and design One Little Squiggle. (This was before I had asked Christina Wald (Illustrator of The Train Rolls On series) for artist recommendations, so Polina Gortman had not yet entered the picture.)
Lauren's agent graciously responded to my email and informed me that Lauren's illustration schedule is jam-packed for the rest of the year and that her price tag for illustrations would not likely fit my modest self-publishing budget. Bummer! But...she also informed me Lauren really liked my manuscript and would be happy to provide book design services if I was interested in that. So, although I was bummed about the illustrations, I was uplifted by her interest in the book and her offer to design it!
At this point, however, I was primarily focused on finding an illustrator, so I went back to the drawing board. This was when I decided it was time to contact Christina Wald to ask her for illustrator recommendations. She's been in the illustration business for a long time, and she knows a lot of people. I was confident that she would point me in the right direction...and she did! She introduced me to Polina Gortman, whose artistic style (although different from Lauren's) fit this book to a "T" and whose illustration services I could afford without breaking the bank. Beyond that, Polina was both available and eager to illustrate this book! 🙌
So, I hurried up and hired Polina Gortman as illustrator, and then I turned my attention back to hiring a book designer. At this point, I felt like I had two great options: re-hire Veronica Scott (book designer for The Train Rolls On To The North Pole and The Train Rolls On To The County Fair) or give Lauren Gallegos' book design services a shot. While it's been a pleasure working with Veronica over the last two books and I've been very happy with their final designs, I was looking forward to starting fresh with this series and making new connections in the world of children's book publishing. So, I took Lauren up on her offer, and, in July, I hired her to help me design One Little Squiggle! It's funny how some things just seem to work themselves out! 😊
Even though it was a wild (and sometimes stressful) adventure to hire a new creative team, I'm so thrilled to have found both Polina Gortman and Lauren Gallegos, and I'm so thankful that they've both agreed come on this journey with me. Together, I think we're going to create a really cool, really uplifting, and really innovative book! So, welcome to the team, Lauren! Let's show the world the amazing potential of One Little Squiggle! 😊
For more information about Lauren Gallegos, visit her website: LaurenGallegos.com. If you're still wondering what a book designer is, check out this blog article: What In The World Is A Book Designer & Why Did I Hire One? It should clear up all of your questions.
For more information about One Little Squiggle, read the book description and follow the publishing journey here.
To meet Illustrator Polina Gortman and view examples of her stunning artwork, check out this Illustrator Spotlight article.
Comments