He opened up the illustrator intensive with a presentation focusing on the theme of the day: Beyond Books.

A lot of talk within the industry has been about digital media for books: E-Readers, enhacnced readers, Apps, etc.

"It's just the next step in the way that people will be experiencing your characters and stories," Dan said. "We’re lucky to be at the beginning of this."

He also talked about all the other avenues ‘beyond books’ such as TV, film, toys etc. as ways for illustrators to see the possibilites of taking their art and reaching a wider audience.

So, think about essence. It all started with the spoken word. Story telling and since time began. The art of good storytelling has always been about great stories with compelling characters.

"It’s about the ability to tell a story."

(Dan gaves a brief history of technology)

1. First there was the spoken word (telling stories verbally)
2. Then came the stone tablet (pictures/words chiseled in stone)
3. After that, parchment paper
4. In the last few centuries came books
5. And now we're moving into this digital age which includes music animation—but, he reminds us—it’s just another step...

"I don’t think books will ever die," Dan said. "This [digital media] is just another way for us to experience reading books."

He then added thathe thought the next step was the e-helmet-haha!!! (Showed a slide of Darwin's ape-to-man wearing a space-type helmet)

When Dan first saw a clip of how Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, with John Tenniel's illustrations worked on an iPad, he panicked slightly. Think of the movie The Shining (shower scene—ee,ee,ee!). At first he admitted he felt it was a little scary and overwhelming.

"But only because it was something new and unknown," he said. "We just need to still be concerned with story and character."

Dan added that these functions aren’t going to make a bad book better. The function is to help the story move forward and enhance character. But it's great to see how technology can work for the classics!

"I don’t think reading is going to go away," Dan said. "There is an experience there that we have with a book or e-reader that’s so satisfying, I don’t think it ever will go away."

Dan then presented a few ways that one can take illustration beyond picture books to reach a wider audeience:

• E-readers: People have an insatiable hunger for books.
• Foreign editions: Do you have a story that has universal appeal?
• Board books: Remember the need is to motivate the message you are delivering. A lot of board books have derived from successful picture books.
• Novelty books: Function, if employed correctly, will convey the message successfully. Not ALL books should be made into a pop-up or scratch ‘n’ sniff. Think Everyone Poops, by Taro Gomi and Amanda Mayer Stinchecum
• Cookbooks: Nancy Drew, Cooking with Henry and Elliebelly by Carolyn Parkhurst and Dan Yaccarino, etc.
• Plush toys: Olivia, Pete the Cat, Curious George, The Very Hungry Caterpilla, etc. all have a plush toy or two to go with the books.
• Board games & puzzles

"All these things are after thoughts when the picture books perform really well [in the marketplace]," Dan said. "It’s the next step."

(Intermission. Dan shows musical visual interlude of puppies and kittens - hahahah! Dan built a great sense of humor into his presentation...)

• Prints: Choose a standalone image so it doesn’t have to rely on the context of a picture book.
• Bedding: Dan showed a comforter set that he created for Crate and Barrel featuring an illustrated map of the US
• Audio Books
• Company products: He has also see companies use their products to support children's books including Cheerios and Playdoh. The opportunities are endless.
• Costumes: Costumes based on characters from books are very popular and a viable part of merchandising. (Shows examples of Madeline, Winnie the Pooh, etc.)
• Stage Adaptations: Deep in the Jungle was a musical. (And Pinkalicious!)
• Television: Some books lend themselves well to television adaptations. Think of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps, Arthur, Curious George and Oswald-which all started out as books.

"There were some changes made to Oswald," Dan said. "But all-in-all, the transition went very well." Dan is also a producer and was involved with every stage of creating the TV show for Oswald.

(He shared a montage of the different characters from the show)

Dan then talked about Willa’s Wild Life, which started as a book about a little girl who brought an octopus home. He felt it was right to have a little girl living with her father, there is no mother present in Willa’s life. She is a little girl who can talk to animals.

Then he moved on to Unlovable. And how folks were interested in creating a TV show. "When I did this book, I didn’t think about a TV show," he said. Dan then gave the audience a sneak peak at a trailer which he is currently looking for a US network to pick up.

"I have seen how graphic novels have affected picture books but I see how TV has, too," he said.

He continued the breakdown ...

• Film: Some books really lend themselves well to film which is a big business—huge!
• Promotion: The way we promote today is so different from just a few years ago. There’s blogging, social media such as FaceBook, and Twitter, etc.
• Postcards: When I began I just sent postcards to promote myself, he said. But he advise it’s beast to advertise the work that you want to get—tips you often hear from art directors, too. So, if you no longer work in a particular style or the work is older, don’t send it out—because you can bet that’s the one piece an art director will contact you about and you’ll be kicking yourself!

(Dan also suggested sandwich boards and pizza boxes to promote yourself, and his ultimate piece of humor: befriend a celebrity!)

• Websites: This is your most important tool. Keep it as simple as possible. Dan’s work is geared toward the very young, so he wants his site to reflect his audience. go check it out: yaccarinostudio.com

"Think about function," he said. "Simple is key. Have your Website reflect the tone of your work."

Other ways to help promote your work include: Blogs; Cafe Press; Social Media - Facebook, Twitter, etc. These are also good ways to connect with readers.

• Book Trailers: Getting pretty popular. Don’t give away the entire book. Make it an enticer for readers to want to buy the book. Dan suggested learning iMovie. He created his book trailer in less than half an hour and said if he can do it in 15 minutes, you can do it seven and a half! he explained it’s a simple program to learn—similar in ways, to PowerPoint—you can pan and scan, etc.

(Dan showed his Jacques Cousteau book trailer created in iMovie. You can view it here.)

• School Visits: This is another avenue that goes beyond books. School presentations can be based on your latest book which is something to think about. "I only just started doing school visits," Dan said. "I like to show kids how to connect the dots and the steps I took when I was their age to where I am today and what I do."

Dan wrapped up his session by giving a quick recap to the hour:

• Whatever platform your story appears on/in, it's simply a vessel—a way to convey story and character
  
• Don’t be so afraid of the technology, just focus on story and character.
• As much as picture books are conveyed mostly through pictures, good stories will always be about creating compelling stories and characters.

In a nutshell, it doesn't matter about how it makes its way into the world—as long as it is a great story with compelling characters—that 'book' will get read.

If you are a NJ member of SCBWI, you might know Ame Dyckman. Her debut book is coming out next year with Alfred A. Knopf (an imprint of Random House) and guess who is illustrating the book—Dan Yaccarino! Congrats to both of them. Expect to see Boy and Bot hitting shelves next year and keep an eye out at NJ SCBWi— Dan will be giving the keynote presentation at the 2012 NJ SCBWI Annual Conference in June.

Visit Dan's Website, click here.