What is a picture book dummy?
A picture book dummy is a mockup of the finished book. (Of course, this is your chance to impress the editor and get a great portfolio piece. Don’t hold back on your book-crafting skills!) It should be done at about the size you envision the finished book. It can be black and white or color sketches and must be the correct number of pages. Most picture books are 32 pages including front matter (title page, copyright and publishing information.) You should paste or type the text onto the pages. A publisher will use this dummy to see how well your book flows. There are many helpful books on creating picture books that include sections on making picture book dummies. My favorite is Uri Shulevitz’s “Writing with Pictures.
