Zsofi Lang: How a Passion Project Became a Book Deal — S1/E9

About this episode

In this episode, I welcome back Zsofi Lang, a Brussels-based illustrator and graphic recorder who shares how a personal passion project, drawing science comics for her daughter during COVID, unexpectedly led to a six-part children's book deal with UK publisher Flying Eye Books. We dig into what made her sketchnote-influenced style attractive to a publisher, why self-disqualification holds so many visual thinkers back, and how following your curiosity can open doors you didn't know existed. Running Order • Introduction to Zsofi Lang and her return to the podcast • What Zsofi does: live illustration, graphic recording, and a new shift into children's books • The origin of her science comics series on Instagram during COVID • Discovering publisher Flying Eye Books through Adam Ming's Substack • How reaching out to a publisher led to a six-part book deal • The reframing: from "How to Explain Science to a Five Year Old" to "How to Explain Anything to Grown-ups" • Writing and illustrating for seven to ten year olds • Why a sketchnote style was exactly what the publisher wanted • The danger of self-disqualification and discounting your own work • Passion as the key