An honest and authentic newsletter about making books for kids, from author-illustrator Jacob Souva. Loads of encouragement for illustrators, authors, and makers. Inspiration for getting better at <waves at everything> this together.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Freemium | Publishes | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 184 | Founded | 3 years ago | Last Issue | 10 days ago |
| Active | |||||
Read this Newsletter
jacobsouva.substack.comLatest Issues
Making Picture Books from Inside the Box
Unlocking creativity, one restraint at a time
The blank canvas. The blinking cursor.
Championing Our Kidlit Failures (Gulp)
The ALDI’s weird aisle™ is entirely pumpkin spice except for that one package of weird Ramen. It’s like cheesy Gordita spicy fish ramen or something. It will probably be borg-ed into pumpkin spice by this time next week. Fall is a great tim...
Should You Make Your Art With a Computer?
A 2026 update on ‘analog vs digital’
Should you work digitally in 2026?
Supremacy of Story
School is back in session which means a quieter studio and a chance to tweak how I do things. There’s more time to play and more time to write. It’s glorious. (And I miss the boys, as always).
Here’s five things from the studio:
##...
Uninteresting Books for Kids
Wrestling with Make Believe Part 2
There’s a devastating possibility lurking in every picture book you write or illustrate. It’s under the surface. Waiting. You will not be truly aware of its presence until you’re in front of an auditorium...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Hello \ud83d\udc4b… My name is Jacob Souva, and I’m an illustrator and author of books for kids.
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