FAQ’s for Kate Salley Palmer
- How and when did you start writing?
I started writing when I was very young – just for myself. I wrote poetry and lots of letters. I didn’t start getting published until I began working for the newspaper as a cartoonist. Sometimes they let me write a story or a column. - How long have you been illustrating picture books?
I started writing and illustrating picture books in about 1987. - How do you get ideas for your books?
I get ideas from lots of places—and you can, too. Anything that interests you can be the start of an idea. Just ask yourself, “what if?” Your story can build from there. - Is writing and illustrating books fun?
Writing and illustrating are lots of fun for me. I prefer to do things that are fun. Your fun may come from doing something different, and that’s ok. It’s just that for me, writing and drawing come easy – almost like play, so that’s what I like to do. - What kind of materials do you use when illustrating books?
My materials have changed over the years. I used to do my cartoons in pen and ink. When I started doing picture books for children, I drew the pictures in pencil on either smooth Bristol board or 140-lb. hot press watercolor paper. Then I “painted” them in Prismacolors, which are colored pencils. I have used gouache on watercolor paper, and I have done lots of cartoons in color on the computer. My son, James, has illustrated two books for us using the computer. I did two books in acrylic paint on smooth watercolor paper. I did my latest book by drawing pencil sketches, then tracing them in ink on a light tablet. I scanned the ink drawings into my computer, where I typed in words, and shaded the backgrounds. - What was the first book you wrote?
The first book I wrote was The Pink House, But the first book I had published was A Gracious Plenty, which was published by Simon & Schuster. Warbranch Press has published about ten of my books since 1988. - Is it hard to be a writer or illustrator?
Being a writer and an illustrator is easy for me. It’s lots of work, but I love to do the work, so it isn’t hard. There are some things that are easy for you to do that would be hard for me! - Why did you choose to write about black Americans in the Revolutionary War?
I chose to write about black Americans because during a school visit about my Francis Marion book, a 3rd grade student, asked me if there were any black heroes of the Revolution, and I did not know the answer. Whenever I come across something I don’t know about, I think maybe others need to know too. I told the student I’d find out and write a book about it, and I did. - How do you make sure everything in your history books is true?
I do a lot of research, reading books and taking lots of notes. I don’t use a something in my nonfiction books unless I have read it in at least two different books. I keep my resources close by when I’m writing, just in case anything needs checking. I always put a bibliography in my non-fiction books in case anyone wants to do further research on the subjects covered in the books. - What is your favorite book that you have written and/or illustrated?
It would be hard to choose among the books to find a favorite. I like them all for different reasons, yet there are things about each one that I would change if I had the chance. - How do you get a book published?
Many people ask this question before they have even written a book. Write the book first, before you start trying to find a publisher. After you have had a publisher for some time, they may be interested to hear your ideas before you have written them. But if you have never been published, write the book first. Most traditional publishers are publishing books by authors who have literary agents representing them. An author who has written a book should look online for agents and publishers. There are many small publishers looking for new work, and new agents looking for something good to sell.
Agents and publishers generally like to receive submissions electronically. Each publisher or agent has rules about how they want to receive your work. Pay attention to these rules. Send your work out. Send it to as many places as you can find. You will probably be rejected several times, but don’t let that discourage you. You’ll never get published if you don’t send anything out.
There are many other ways to get published as well. You can self-publish or use a print-on-demand company.
At Warbranch Press, we self-publish our books. We write and illustrate our own books. Then we edit, design and digitize them on the computer. We deliver the books in digital format to a printer and the printer prints and binds the books to our specifications. - Many students are interested in cartoons and comics – both reading and drawing them. Do you have any advice or special information for them regarding this popular illustration/information format?
If you want to be a cartoonist, you need to be able to draw anything. Draw everything: trees, furniture, tools, cars, trucks, buildings of every description, and lots and lots of people. Take a notebook with you everywhere and draw all the time. Every successful cartoonist I know does this. It isn’t easy to get a job as a cartoonist. You may have to work for yourself. Many cartoonists do. Some do illustrations, some do comic books, some do political cartoons or cartoon strips. There are many types of cartooning work. - Who are some of your favorite children’s authors or illustrators?
Among my favorite children’s authors would have to be Cynthia Rylant. She’s a poet who wrote When the Relatives Came and some other books I really like. Margaret Wise Brown is another of my favorites. She wrote wonderful books like Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. I also loved Will James’ book, Smokey the Cow Horse. There are many other authors I admire—writers of both adult and children’s books. In order to be a writer, you must first be a reader. - What are you working on now?
I just spent a year illustrating a comic book/graphic novel version of the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It consists of 400 separate sheets. I am sending it out to agents and publishers, hoping to get it published by someone other than Warbranch Press. It will be a big book!
In addition, I just completed a 2020 Campaign Coloring Book for Grownups. In this book are pictures of all the Presidential candidates, ready to be colored with colored pencils.
Another book I wrote has been recently published by the University of South Carolina Press. It is a Native American folk tale called The Lady of Cofitachequi. It was illustrated by my son, James.
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