KidLitCares: Portfolio Critique with Penguin Art Director Giuseppe Castellano

Auction #41:  Portfolio Critique with Penguin Art Director Giuseppe Castellano

Welcome to KidLit Cares, an online talent auction to benefit the Red Cross relief effort to help communities recover from Superstorm Sandy. Agents, editors, authors, and illustrators have donated various services to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, with donations being made directly to the Red Cross disaster relief fund. You can read more about KidLit Cares here. Now, on to the auction!

Illustrators…you’ve been asking for this auction… Penguin Art Director Giuseppe Castellano is offering a written portfolio critique, with a follow-up phone call to discuss your work. An amazing opportunity for aspiring illustrators!
From Giuseppe – more incentive to bid… Thanks for the bids, folks! I’m so proud to be part of this. Playing off of others who are adding to their great offers, I will too. If we reach $300, I’ll add a one-on-one lunch with me, my treat. We can talk about art and publishing, linseed oil and Wacom tablets! We’ll hammer out details after the auction. If we reach $500, in addition to the above, I will bring a book idea of yours to our Editorial Meeting. Thanks to Manlove for the great idea!

Opening Bid: $30

Auction Ends: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 10pm EST. (Any bids submitted in comments after that time will be void.)

A note about last-minute bidding: If you are used to computerized Ebay auctions that end at an exact, given second, please know that the KidLit Cares auctions don’t work quite that way. Each auction ends when I post the “Auction closed” comment. I do that when my computer turns to 10pm, but because I have multiple auctions to close at that time (also because I am human) it will not be a totally exact thing.  (I have been working for years to try and clone myself, but to no avail, and I am particularly bummed about that at the moment. Those cloned Kates would have been great at closing auctions all at once.) At any rate, the winning bid is the high bid before the Auction Closed comment, even if the time on your computer reads slightly after 10:00. Thanks for understanding!

If you’d like to bid on this auction, check the current high bid and place a higher bid by leaving your name and bid amount in the comments, along with some way to contact you (email, FB or Twitter…I’m not fussy.) Winners will be notified when the auction ends and should be prepared to make an online donation to the Red Cross Disaster Relief fund in the amount of the high bid at that time.  After you’ve made your donation, you’ll forward your receipt to me, and I’ll put you in touch with the person who donated the service you won so that the two of you can work out the details about how and when.   All services will be provided at the convenience of both the person making the donation and the auction winner, but this should happen within three months of the auction’s end unless something else is agreed upon by both parties.

Good luck and thanks for your help!

30 Replies on “KidLitCares: Portfolio Critique with Penguin Art Director Giuseppe Castellano

  1. Thanks for the bids, folks! I’m so proud to be part of this. Playing off of others who are adding to their great offers, I will too. If we reach $300, I’ll add a one-on-one lunch with me, my treat. We can talk about art and publishing, linseed oil and Wacom tablets! We’ll hammer out details after the auction.
    If we reach $500, in addition to the above, I will bring a book idea of yours to our Editorial Meeting.
    Thanks to Manlove for the great idea!

    1. Such a great thing you are doing Giuseppe! I would love to make a donation without entering the auction since I just had a wonderful critique with you. Any ideas on how to do that through Kid Lit Cares? Best, Alice

      1. Hi Alice! I’m not sure there is a way to do it through Kidlit Cares. I think Kate noted that you can just donate to the Red Cross directly.

        Hope all is well.

        And, $300! Incredible generosity seen through Kidlit!

        I promise to the winner I will do everything to make it worth your while.

  2. I can’t wait to review your illustration portfolio, talk about it over the phone, have lunch (where we can talk more about your portfolio and art, publishing, and whatever else (I’ve already scouted restaurants), AND… bring your book idea to our Editorial Meeting. I’ll thank you all again for bidding on me one last time. I’m honored to be a part of this. To whomever wins… talk to you soon!

  3. Thank you Giuseppe and thank you Kate! This is such a wonderful cause. I am so proud to be apart of the kidlit community! I would like to donate $1,000.00 so that will be my final bid.

  4. Say what now?

    I might have to add picking up your laundry, walking your dog, and doing your taxes.

  5. This auction is now closed. The winner is the high bidder whose comment and high bid are posted directly above this “end of auction” notice. If that’s you, please make sure your contact information on that comment is current so that I can touch base in a few minutes to confirm that you won. Then, you’ll use the Red Cross link below to make a donation in the amount of your high bid to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Please don’t do that until I contact you, just to be sure. If your bid is listed after this notice, you are not the high bidder, as your bid came in after the auction closed. (We still appreciate your support, though!) Here’s the donation link:

    https://www.redcross.org/donate/index.jsp?donateStep=2&itemId=prod10002

    After you have made your donation, please email me at the following address: k m e s s n e r at kate messner dot com (all lower case, no spaces) with your Red Cross receipt attached. On Monday, I’ll provide you with the information you’ll need to get in touch with the donor of your item and carry out the terms of the auction.

    Thank you – again – for your support in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Your generosity will be a huge help to the Red Cross as the serve the people hurting the most in the storm’s path.

    ~Kate