Thanks for raising this great topic. Just to pick up from my quote, mentors would help but there's the library issue too (once again!). I think the cautiousness started in the early 1990s with the first cuts to UK library budgets. As an illustrator that's when I left the UK to work directly for French, and US publishers. With strong library markets, the US and France could afford to take a few more risks than UK publishers with books that had new approaches that weren't 'high street tested'. But there is always hope thanks to co-editions. (I'm Bridget StRevens-Marzo btw!)

Going by her website, Frann Preston-Gannon's work is lovely but it's not in a style particularly suited to the UK market. I can very much see her being successful in the US and in several European markets. This doesn't, I think, mean that the US market in picture books is better or wiser than ours. It's just quite different, and bigger, and more diverse.

Some of the lack of diversity in the UK market has to be laid at the door of Preston-Gannon's employer, Waterstones. Waterstones dominates the UK picture book market; a great deal of power to determine what kinds of books UK publishers are able to publish rests in the hands of their children's buying team. There's a marked difference between the range of books you see in Waterstones and the amazing children's sections in Daunt's, for example. It was not so long ago that sales reps could sell interesting niche picture books (and even hardbacks!) in to buyers at individual Waterstones stores. More recently, most stocking decisions seem to take place at head office.

I would take issue with some of the comments upthread. The UK market is by no means a closed shop. There are books by debut authors and illustrators coming out all the time (Rebecca Patterson, for example, is being published in the UK by two major publishers.) Degree shows are routinely attended by scouts from big houses on the look-out for new talent.

I'd also say that sophisticated and quiet books are still being made; it's just that they're often made with more than one eye on foreign markets. You'll see them in independents and whatever libraries are left once the Tories have finished vandalising them - just not necessarily on the High Street.

I'm often told that my style is 'European', which I found discincerting at first but when I see the unique, risk-taking styles of European Children's Book Illustrators I now see it as a compliment!

I once showed my portfolio to a UK publisher who was totally disinterested in any of the innovative children book illustrators such as Fanelli and lauren Child. As I looked around her office all I could see were very traditional books (mostly fables and fairytales),all with very similar illustrations. This publisher seemed to belive that children or parents weren't interested in these new type of illustrations.

I for one would rather never illustrate a children's book than compromise my style. I'm inspired in this by Lauren Child who persevered in promoting her unique style to publishers until one of them took her on. If only more publishers would take these 'risks'.

I wouldn't want to be a new illustrator right now, it's pretty bad being an established author illustrator with a good track record so God alone knows what it's like trying to get your ideas and work seen at the moment if you are totally unknown. Look on any large publisher's website, at the submission guidelines. They state that they will not look at submissions unless sent via an agent. (!) That just makes me angry. Don't soil our inbox with your drivellings you members of the public. It must irritate agents too, now they get the publishers slushpile, thanks. . .
Print runs are bare minimum, fewer books are getting published (so I'm told anyway) and fewer are being bought due to the economic crisis and the resulting lack of spending money.
Add the looming spectre of ebooks is unsettling the industry. . . Oh yes, fun times ;-)
I wish new and upcoming illustrators all the luck in the world, and hope they and enlightened publishers can continue to innovate, but it's gonna be hard.