Publishing is slow. I sign contracts for things 2 years in advance. When the time to write or illustrate the book comes around, I spend 3-6 months making it. Once I make it, the publisher has to do their bit: design, layout, print, and distribute. The time between signing a contract and having an audience for the book can be almost 4 years. (In Queen Celine’s case, it was two years).
Four years ago, I was a different person. Most of us learn from our experience and, over time, change into new variations of ourselves. Sometimes, the change is transformative (like going from not being a parent, to being a parent), where the person you were before – the things you valued – might be markedly different to those now. But others are gradual or incremental, like becoming a better drawer or painter over time.
So, when someone reviews or critiques a new book when it’s finally released, they’re reviewing and critiquing the skills and experience of a me from four years ago. One that was less skilled and less knowledgeable than the me on the day the book is released. What people don’t know is that I’ve already moved on.
So reviews and critiques come with a grain of salt. Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing how people engage with the work; what they loved or what they didn’t love about it. But a review won’t change the work I choose to make, it can’t, because I’ve left that old me behind and I’m already someone different.