[kevin-dooley Posts: 3 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

I will be sending in the mail a "dummy book" -- Do I fold the pages and make it an actual book?
or can I print out my pdf and send that? 
Thanks,

Kevin Dooley

[marla-lesage Posts: 376 Status: Offline Write. Illustrate. Revise.]

I've always pasted my pages back to back (I tape the edges of the pages so they don't start peeling apart & so the reader doesn't accidentally pull the pages apart.) inside a simple cardstock cover but am interested in what everyone else does. If I could figure out how to print on both sides of the pages I'd do that instead of gluing. If I didn't enjoy doing this I'd stick with one of the simpler options below.

 I saw a post where the a/i used a folder of some sort - like a duotang but with plastic sheets maybe - or those clear presentation covers with the clip that holds your product together like a book. I've seen pages attached with coil binding too. I've seen Blurb book dummies online too... although that's an expensive option.

I suspect anything that's in a book-like form that doesn't feel too delicate would be fine. (some of my personal dummies would be dreadful for anyone else to try to flip through!)

I really like that page-turning experience myself when working on revisions.

[Stephanie Ruble Posts: 1,904 Status: Offline author/illustrator WWW]

A picture book dummy is a mock-up of the book how you envision it. So yes, you would fold the pages and make it into a book. If you print out the pdf, you could paste it into a blank dummy of folded and stapled paper. It doesn't have to be fancy, it just has to work so that the publisher or agent can turn the pages and see how you illustrate the story. Some people want a digital copy instead of a hard copy. In that case you would send the pdf by email or digital upload if they ask for that. Good luck with your submission.