More About Lian Cho (She/Her)

Lian Cho is the author and illustrator of silly picture books such as Don’t Eat Eustace, Pig Town Party and Oh, Olive!. She is also the illustrator of other bestselling books such as 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli written by David LaRochelle, Oh No, the Aunts are Here written by Adam Rex and It Began with Lemonade written by Gideon Sterer. Her work has been described as "pleasingly madcap" by Publishers Weekly and "infectiously gleeful" by Kirkus Reviews.

Her picture book, Pig Town Party, received the Original Art silver medal from the Society of Illustrators. Her next book, Don’t Eat Eustace, was a Kid’s Indie Next pick and Booklist Editor’s Choice pick. 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli, written by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Lian received multiple state awards such as the Ladybug Picture Book Award, Texas 2x2 Reading List, Read Aloud Indiana Award. It was was also a Kid’s Indie Next Pick and featured on Smithsonian Magazine’s best Children’s Books of the year list.

Born in Taiwan, Lian has also lived in New Zealand and New York where she graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a BFA in Illustration. Since graduating in 2019, Lian has worked with clients such as HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Chronicle Books and Abrams. She now spends her time between Taiwan and Baltimore.

Lian enjoys writing humorous stories featuring a diverse cast of characters and filled with a twists and turns. She believes that there is space for everybody within books and wants to make reading fun and entertaining for both young and old readers. She likes to experiment with different mediums and formats in her work ranging from acrylic or gouache to loose watercolor and color pencil. A Goodreads review once described her work as “Edgy, but wonderful” which was the highest compliment she ever could receive.

In her spare time, Lian likes to make comics for her newsletter Am I Doing This Right? where she writes about illustrating, writing and navigating her life through the end of the world. Am I Doing This Right? was selected as a Substack featured publication in 2023. She also loves to read speculative fiction, watch absurd reality TV, cook elaborate stews and sew her own clothes in her free time.

Lian is represented by Rebecca Sherman at Writers House.

You can find Lian online at:

https://liancho.com/

Instagram I Substack I YouTube

Lian’s strengths include…

• Helping you find the heart of your story

• Encouraging you to find your own voice

• Helping you land the punch on jokes and story reveals

• Workshopping pacing and flow of a story to be the strongest it can be within the set page count

• Maximizing page layouts through perspective, text, color and value


• Packaging your book the best possible way for prospective publishers and/or agents

What Lian is looking for…

Lian is looking for a mentee that is enthusiastic about creating something new and exciting in the genre of picture books. She is looking for someone who can think outside the box and keep readers on their toes.

Lian is primarily looking for humor but is open to any story that packs a punch and creates a sense of wonder. She is interested in stories that feel natural yet refreshing and are filled with complex characters.

She is most interested in a mentee that is driven and serious about pursuing a career in picture books and is eager to learn. Lian enjoys helping new illustrators/authors navigate early career stages and is open to discussing all things publishing such as advances, agents, publishers etc. She is hoping for a mentee who is open to feedback and willing to work together to make their book project the best it can be. Overall, Lian wants to help you figure out what it is that you truly want and to help you package your book in the best way for prospective agents or publishers.

In terms of illustration, Lian can assist in helping your art tell the story, and provide help with different mediums, particularly traditional mediums. She has the most experience with watercolor, gouache, acrylic and color pencils.

A Note from Lian:

“Show me that you’re excited about what you’re making. I want to see something that feels truly and uniquely you and not something you feel that you NEED to make, but rather something you WANT to make. I’m not here to help you copy other books out there, but rather to help find your own voice. I want to read something that makes me excited and think to myself: ‘why didn’t I think of that!?’”

Lian’s Picture Books

If Lian created a Visual Wish List, it would be made up of…

*Unless otherwise stated, the below serves as a wish list only. Each mentor is excited about the opportunity to find a manuscript they can’t stop thinking about. Please apply if you think you’d be a good fit.

Lian is a good fit for:

• Silly and goofy books

• Absurd premises

• Imaginative stories with twists and turns

• Authors/Illustrators who want to push the genre

• Snarky, flawed, but likable characters

• Hard lessons learned in an unusual way

Lian is not a good fit for:

• Nonfiction books

• Rhyming books

• Cheesy books with cliche endings

• Educational/activism books

Who can apply to Lian?
Unagented or Agented Illustrators or Author-Illustrators

Click to view all 2026 Mentors.