Words and Pictures with Tom Percival

How he became a bestselling author/illustrator despite his first books not selling well, his top event tips and why understanding publishing is a business is so important

We absolutely loved chatting to bestselling author/illustrator Tom Percival.

He shared his top event tips, explained why it’s important to remember that publishing is a business and told us why he prefers to work on multiple projects at a time.

Tom also gave us an insight into what he’s working on now, shared what happened after his first books didn't sell very well and he even gave us a sneak peak around his self built studio.

Tom Percival is a writer, artist, video producer and musician. He is the author and illustrator of lots of bestselling books, including the award-winning Big Bright Feelings picture book series and The Wrong Shoes. In 2025 he won the Ruth Rendell Award for services to literacy. Tom lives in Gloucestershire with his partner, their two children and a dog called Luna.

You can watch our conversation here:

If you want to know more about why understanding that publishing is a business matters so much, you might want to read this post here. We also have more insights into the children’s publishing industry here.

We hope you enjoyed hearing from Tom as much as we enjoyed chatting to him. You can find out more about him on his website or instagram.

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