We are the Introverts

You'll love these brilliant, whimsical comics from Grant Snider

Dear You,

Today, I’m featuring a guest post from Grant Snider of

Incidental Comics

, whose work I *adore* (so much so that we’ve actually collaborated on a book project - more about that, below.) I think you’ll love Grant’s work as much as I do.

Here’s Grant:

“My first book illustration job began with this comic:

I drew “We Are the Introverts” in 2012, the same year the landmark book QUIET by Susan Cain was published. I’ve always identified as an introvert, but I never viewed it as a positive characteristic until reading Susan’s work.

As a quiet teenager, I often felt awkward and out of place in social situations. Only later did I realize that everyone else, introvert or not, often feels the same way.

In college a professor wrote in the margins of one of my essays, “You have a lot of good ideas. You should speak up more in class.”

Despite her encouragement, I didn’t.

It wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I emerged from my hermit crab shell and started to share my ideas in the classroom setting. (I spent 10 years in post-high school education pursuing my dental degree and orthodontic certification.)

Now I attend a monthly book club, a writer’s group, and a philosophy/current events discussion group. I imagine my friends in these groups sometimes wish I would share my ideas less. Even a lifelong introvert can be outspoken in the right environment.

But back to the world of books. As I understand it, the editorial and art team at Dial Books was looking for an illustrator for QUIET POWER, Susan Cain’s middle grade adaptation of QUIET. Someone working on the book (possibly Susan or co-author Gregory Mone) shared my comic with the team. Soon I received an email from the art director asking if I’d be interested in contributing a cover and interior illustrations.

I was ecstatic. I was literally jumping up and down. I still remember mowing the lawn after that email thinking, This is it, I’ve made it.

Now I know there’s no such thing as “making it” in the publishing world. There’s always a new story to write, a new illustration to create, a new idea to pursue.

Since QUIET POWER I’ve created poetry comics and children’s books that explore the themes of solitude and reflection. My editor at Chronicle Books, Ariel Richardson, has described my work as “picture books for introverts.”

I’m grateful that the team at Dial Books took a chance on an unproven illustrator a decade ago. Of all the books I’ve worked on, it may be the one that has reached the most readers—so far.

Taking on my first illustration project made me feel like a seal: awkward at first, then gracefully moving in my element. It set the stage for many comics, illustrations, and stories to come.

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Watermark Books & Café in Wichita has signed copies of all my books. My picture books and graphic novels are available worldwide wherever books are sold.”

*

This is Susan again - I hope you love Grant’s comics, and sensibility, as much as I do! Again, you can find him at

Incidental Comics

.

Pls do let us know your thoughts, by leaving a comment below. (This is a free post, so you can comment or share, even if you’re not yet a paid or scholarship subscriber.)