Writing and Publishing Books about Animals
If you open a catalog from any bookseller today or go to any bookstore, you will find a wide variety of books about animals. Some are fictitious; some are based on real-life experiences. Some are about domesticated animals; others are about farm or wild animals. Still others are on training, grooming, and care of animals. Others cover one breed of dog, cat, or horse.
A growing number of books are concerned with animal rights, animal behavior patterns, and animal pathology. Some are geared toward adults, others for children. Some are primarily used as textbooks for veterinary schools. Others are about specific career tracks with animals.
For every book published, there is a writer, editor, artist, designer, and photographer or illustrator. All of these creative people collaborate on books on dog astrology, obedience training or training in police work, naming your animal, jogging with your dog, or showing your pet. Other books take you through the history of a particular animal or breed.
Deciding to Become an Animal Writer
A real writer, it could be said, can write about any topic, but a true love of animals must compel you to write exclusively about them. All writers must have very specific skills which, though rooted in creativity, are generally honed with academic courses such as grammar, spelling, vocabulary building, research, and composition. In addition to these skills, a writer has to be able to tell a story, describe a process, or factually detail a character or situation in words. Writers who work for a trade magazine or newspaper should also possess interviewing skills and the ability to meet deadlines.
If you possess these skills, you need to decide on your career aim, such as whether you want to write books or articles for magazines or newspapers. You may also be interested in writing scripts for films and videotapes about some phase of animal life.
Then you must decide whether you want to write fact or fiction. Fiction writers invent unique animals in unusual circumstances; other writers tell of real animal heroes rescuing people and saving lives. Some nonfiction writers are veterinarians, trainers, breeders, scientists, or animal behaviorists who are experts in their fields and who share their knowledge with the general public. Some writers devote their careers to writing about animals; others do it because of an irresistible angle.
If you decide upon factual writing, your research skills will be very useful, in addition to your powers of observation, curiosity about various topics or subject matter, and ability to organize the results of your research into a coherent presentation. Your purpose will be to inform or educate.
If you decide to specialize in animal fiction, research skills and mastery of grammar are also necessary. But your research may be more for background material to support your soaring imagination and ability to create new characters in the context of a story line. Since the purpose of fiction is more to entertain than to educate, humor, irony, metaphor, descriptions, and emotions, such as fear, sorrow, love, and hate will enhance your narrative. The ability to conjure up animal characters with distinctive characteristics is also essential to the animal fiction writer's craft.
Textbook writers should be experts in the field, but will also need to establish the scope of the book, organize a vast amount of material into a teachable whole, and be thorough and accurate in presentation. Depending on what level of readership the textbook will have, the textbook writer must also use appropriate vocabulary and terminology.
Humane societies, professional organizations, small businesses, corporations, and governmental agencies that deal with animals produce information packets, pamphlets, brochures, and descriptive literature to disseminate information and educate the public. Sometimes these organizations employ a full-time staff of writers, or they may hire free-lance people. The requirements for all writing jobs are essentially the same as far as language skills are concerned-these skills must be highly developed. Knowledge of the subject will often be necessary, which may mean further study, either formally or informally, and a firm grasp of technical vocabulary if necessary.
Writers also may decide on what they want to specialize in a particular animal or breed, and which aspect, angle, or approach they want to cover. Then they may make a choice between writing for children or adults. If you decide to write animal stories for children, you should be familiar with the needs and psychology of both.
Editing Animal Books
Every writer hopes to have a good editor, one who knows even more about the mechanics of the language, has superb spelling skills, knows and understands the subject matter, has a coherent and organized mind, and does not hesitate to improve the manuscript. For fiction, an editor also needs to be able to feel the emotions evoked by the author and respond to them. Editors have to work well with a variety of people including the author, designer, copy editor, illustrator, proofreader, and word processing operator or typesetter.
Creating Animal Illustrations
Illustrators, artists, and designers are needed for books, encyclopedias, pamphlets, movies, brochures, and medical charts. Some may have to know how to draw the anatomy and physiology of many different animals realistically and accurately. Others may invent stylized versions or whimsical imaginings of animals for works of fiction or animated movies, cartoons, or greeting cards. These may be instructional and educational or purely entertaining pieces. Computer artists create simulations of treatment and operating techniques for animal health care.
Artists may specialize in either domesticated, wild, or farm animals. If they choose to do realistic studies of particular animals or birds, either for books, portraits, or calendars, they need considerable artistic skills in addition to a detailed knowledge of the animal's anatomy, coloring, habitat, proportions, dimensions, and sometimes performance and personality. For example, a wildlife artist may want to capture the exciting physical appearance of an eagle about to descend on its prey, whereas a pet portrait artist may want to find out more about the pet's personality, preferences, and relationship to its owner in order to recreate the animal on canvas.
A Pet Portraitist
Kay Alport is a pet portraitist, specializing in dogs and cats. She has successfully combined her creative talent with her love of animals. She began studying art as a girl and majored in fine arts in college. After that, she was a successful fashion illustrator for major retail stores, both as an employee and as a free-lance illustrator.
Much of the market for fashion illustrators has, however, dissolved in the past few years. Several major retailers closed down during that time and others were bought up by companies with corporate headquarters elsewhere. Even Kay's freelance work began to disappear.
But creative people can often adapt to adversity by turning their talents in other directions. So Kay, out of some experience in oil painting and her love of dogs, began to explore the possibility of pet portraiture. She feared, though, that nobody would like her work, so she started out by painting a portrait of a favorite dog as a gift for a friend, Jim Morgan, her dog's trainer. Jim liked the painting so much that Kay started painting portraits of certain breeds, although she didn't yet feel secure enough to enter the field of personalized pet portraiture as a career.
But Jim displayed her "generic" paintings and Kay started advertising her craft in national trade publications. She went to pet shows, and Jim kept exhibiting her paintings at his shop.
Then Kay started to advertise in local publications, which was less expensive than advertising nationally, and the customers started coming in. Kay also says that dog owners are easier to find than cat owners because dogs must be taken out for walks. Sometimes these walks turn into networking sessions for Kay and her neighbors.
When potential customers are interested in having their pets portrayed in oil, they send Kay a good photograph of the animal, or more than one if a particular setting or background would depict the pet more naturally. At that time, they specify whether they want a full-face or full-body portrait. Kay has samples of different backgrounds, such as indoor, outdoor, or 19th century, for the owners to choose from.
The customer pays a fifty-percent nonrefundable deposit. Kay says it may take her from two days to two weeks to get the kind of portrait she wants. She then sends a photo of the almost finished portrait to the owner. At that time, the owner can phone or write in any changes to Kay. When all is agreed upon, Kay frames the painting, includes the nail and hook, and ships the painting COD by UPS to clients all over the country. Many of these customers become friends because of Kay's personalized treatment of their beloved companion animal, even though it was just from a photo.
Kay has also developed a line of note cards with pen-and-ink sketches of pets. These come in boxes of 50, 100, or 150 with envelopes. She also arranges for gift certificates to be sent to family or friends on special occasions.
Although Kay was in advertising for years, she says that the most difficult part of her job is self-promotion. She was well accustomed to telling the potential customer how wonderful someone else's products or services were, but it's another story when it comes to saying good things about herself. In most cases, though, her work speaks for itself and her clients are always satisfied. Publicity and promotion are vital parts of an entrepreneur's existence, so brochures, fliers, and business cards have to appeal to the pet owners and have to be displayed in the places where dog and cat owners see them. Kay has a permanent exhibit at Jim Morgan's and a good deal of her publicity comes from satisfied customers. Advertising in local newspapers also brings in business.
Some people, as we know, have more unusual pets, such as rabbits, gerbils, horses, snakes, pythons, and pigs. Some pet portraitists will paint them, too, and not all of them work exclusively with oil. Sometimes a pet portraitist will be commissioned to be the official painter at an exhibition or competition. The possibilities for further opportunities unfold if you keep up on trends, read trade publications, and stay current with upcoming events.
In her studio, which has representations of animals in one form or another all around her easel, Kay enjoys the best part of the job-painting. Kay can envision herself painting cats and dogs for the rest of her life-and looks forward to it!
Wildlife Photographers
Wildlife photographers are in demand for books, videotapes, movies, and television shows. Individual photographs can be exhibited at art galleries and museums or published in books. Pictures of animals, including birds, fish, and reptiles in their natural habitats, are needed to realistically portray behavior patterns, socialization, and foraging. These are usually informative and educational in nature and often relate to the total environment.
Pictures of domesticated animals may be used to illustrate grooming and training techniques, breed characteristics, anatomy, healthcare, and surgical techniques. Pictures of race horses and horse races are not only attractive but demonstrate winning characteristics. Photos often determine which horse won a close race. Working around horses at horse farms or stables and talking with trainers and owners will give you a feel for the animals and enhance your photos.
Photographers of wild animals also must become familiar with the animals' social habits, behavioral patterns, feeding routines, and care of their young. Knowledge or predator-prey relationships will be helpful in stalking the animal for an action shot.
Some wildlife photographers have branched out from picture-taking to producing videotapes of workshops on nature photography. These videos can be geared for the beginner or the professional and may share tips on exposure, composition, close- tips, and marketing. Other photographers conduct wildlife photography trips to national parks in the United States and photo safaris in Africa and other parts of the world. Some expeditions may be geared toward gathering specific photos for particular publications, such as magazines, trade publications, or books.
Starting Your Creative Animal-Related Career
Whichever of the career paths mentioned you choose to take, you will have to combine both creative and technical skills. It is not enough just to have ideas--you must be able to translate those ideas into a sentence, an image, a photo, or a painting. Each process requires different talents.
Education and Training
Writers, editors, artists, illustrators, and photographers, therefore, have to have formal training in their craft first. Writers and editors must know what makes a good sentence and how to use sentences to form paragraphs; they also need to be skilled in the use of a typewriter or computer. Artists and illustrators must know how to select and use paint brushes, pastels, oils, or watercolors; how to combine colors; how to create perspective; and how to portray animal activities, qualities, and personalities. Or they have to know how to operate a film or video camera; which lens to use; and how to compose the best picture according to light, exposure, and purpose.
Most of these careers require a college degree in English, journalism, or fine arts or at least formal instruction in photography, art, or design. Further education might entail attending workshops and seminars, reading trade publications, networking with others in the field, attending exhibitions, and entering into competitions with other professionals.
Writers should read and write about animals in any context, just to develop writing skills and to learn more about animals. Artists should draw or paint regularly even if they are between assignments, and photographers should always have a roll of film in their cameras--you never know when the perfect shot will occur. If you are multitalented, you may be able to combine writing and photography or illustrating and videotaping. But the necessary technical skills must be learned before any of your creative ideas can move on to paper, canvas, film, or tape.
Employment Outlook
If you decide on any of these creative careers relating to animals, you will have the opportunity to work as an employee on a full-time basis or as an independent contractor. If you are employed full-time, you will receive a steady salary and benefits, including insurance, paid vacations, and sick days. You may even receive a pension plan or tuition reimbursement to further your education.
However, if you choose to work independently, as many creative people do, you run the risk of not having work during certain periods of the year. You will also have to pay for your own insurance and supplies and be responsible for your own advertising, promotion, and publicity. Each choice has decided advantages and disadvantages--you will be the one to make the decision according to your own temperament and financial requirements. If you can exist with little or no income for certain times during the year, but love to work by yourself at your own pace, freelance work may be for you. If, on the other hand, you like working with other people for a set number of hours a day, being employed by an organization should suit you. Or you may start out with an organization and eventually become independent. For example, you may begin by illustrating books for a publishing company and then branch off on your own, after you have saved up some money and built up a good reputation in your field. By this time, you may even have fostered a clientele who will supply you with work.
Selling Your Work
As a writer, artist, or photographer who decides to work on your own, you will have to generate ideas on your own. These ideas then have to be sold to a book, magazine, or newspaper publisher or to video or film producers for their approval. This may entail some research on your part to see what has been done on the topic you want to cover. Your angle or approach or particular specialty may be just what the publisher or producer is looking for. If you want to submit your idea to a magazine, try to determine if it has recently published an article on that topic. If it has, you may want to submit the idea to another publisher. Or you may want to expand your ideas to make a book-length piece on a particular topic. Then you should check to see which book publishers specialize in your particular field. Local bookstores, libraries, and magazine stands will give you a good idea of what has already been published.
You can also check your local zoo, aquarium, humane society, or animal-rights organization to see if they need writers, photographers, or illustrators for their information kits, press releases and packets, pamphlets, and brochures.
Textbook writers always need writers or illustrators to hire on a full-time or freelance basis. These books are usually technical and realistic in nature, so you may need to take further courses or seminars in medical terminology or drawing to qualify.
Trade publications for animals include the following:
Dog Fancy
Cat Fancy
Horse and Horseman
Horse Illustrated
Wildlife Art News
Wildlife Conservation
Ducks Unlimited
Outdoor Photographer Audubon
The Audubon Society, in addition to its magazine, also produces videotapes on birds of the different areas of the United States. CBS/Fox produces videotapes on dog and cat care. Other smaller videotape producers are advertised in trade publications. But if you have an idea for a videotape about animals, there is no reason why you should not submit your proposal to a producer for review and possible approval. Videotapes require the combined work of writers, artists, and illustrators, and sometimes musicians and composers. For the future, videotapes will probably be as popular and as plentiful as books.
Some creative people opt to work in natural history museums. Here they will be responsible for researching and setting up exhibits relating to specific animals and birds. These exhibits are largely educational and informative in intent and purpose, but can be quite creative in execution and appearance.
Still other creative people own or are employed at art galleries that exhibit the best in regional, national, or international painters, photographers, or illustrators of animals. These are the people who can spot talent in someone else, but who prefer to remain in the background to showcase that talent. As a gallery owner and/or operator, you would be concerned more with scheduling and setting up exhibits, transporting, publicizing, and administration. You will make it possible for other painters and photographers to make a living with their talents.
And for each business that produces T-shirts, sweatshirts, coffee mugs, note cards, ashtrays, calendars, bank checks, greeting cards, scarves, belt buckles, watches, clocks, or baby products with animal pictures on them, an artist is needed.
Advertising copy has to be written for these products, and the ads need designers and illustrators. And every zoo, aquarium, humane society, protective agency, animal-rights organization, conservation society, national park or forest, or other organization that deals with any aspect of an animal's life, behavior, or habitat will have exhibits to be designed and pamphlets to be written.
Since there are so many pets in this country, pet-related businesses are booming. With the added emphasis now on protecting the environment and preserving species, much of the focus has turned to wildlife and its preservation. So the market for animal-loving creative people is nearly unlimited. Pet owners never seem to tire of reading about or viewing pictures of their own or others' pets or exemplars of their favorite breeds.
Armed with your creative ability and technical skills, along with a little business savvy, you should be able to combine your talents for a long and happy career. Joining a professional organization and networking with other people in animal-related businesses will help with promoting and publicizing your business. Reading trade publications and attending shows will help you focus on your market and clientele.
You may decide to work full-time for an established publisher, videotape producer, greeting card company, or animal-related organization. Or you may be so creative that you create a brand-new career, never before thought of. If a need is there, you will fill it. The field is truly wide open and new possibilities arise every day for those who are alert, aware, and attentive. Changes in technology and taste, and shifts in society and animals' needs, can put you on the creative edge of a long and happy career.
