Find an illustrator for your book
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Marloes De Vries works since 2003 as a professional illustrator, writer, and artist (BDes). She has worked with clients such as Flow Magazine, Lannoo, NBC, and TEDx. To date, she has illustrated more than 45 books, nine of which she has also written. In this blog, she shares her knowledge and expertise in the profession.
Whether you’ve written a cookbook or a book on personal development, an illustrator is an incredibly valuable addition to help boost your book’s sales. Illustrations can enhance the appeal of a book, regardless of its genre. They’re often essential for children’s books, as parents frequently choose books based on the illustrations, while for other types of books, illustrations help bring the content to life and support sales.
Aside from illustrations within the book, a surprising and eye-catching book cover (often referred to as a ‘jacket’ or ‘cover’) grabs attention and aids in selling your book. If you’ve written a great book but haven’t put any thought into the cover, you may already be losing a large portion of potential buyers. A dull cover is like a poor-quality photograph of a house on a property listing: if the outside looks neglected and the photo is blurry, numerous prospective buyers will scroll past without a second glance.
Whether you’re publishing your book through self-publishing or a traditional publisher, a talented illustrator/designer is invaluable if you want to bring your book to market.
Just so you know: I’m one of those illustrators you can collaborate with on your book. Read more about working with me!
Tips for finding an illustrator who’s right for your book:
Before you start searching, you need to know what you’re looking for. It’s helpful to clarify the following:
1. Who is your target audience?
2. What is the theme of your book?
3. Which illustration style best suits your book?
4. What do you need for your book?
1. Who is your target audience?
Ideally, you’ll have already defined your target audience before you started writing your book: who are you writing for? The first distinction is whether it’s for children or adults.
Children’s book illustrator
If you’ve written your book for children, look for an illustrator who understands this audience well. Preferably, choose someone experienced in illustrating for children, as it’s a unique skill set. Children think differently from adults, and their perception of the world is unique. An illustrator must be able to immerse children in a story without being overly didactic, while still ensuring clarity. The illustrations also need to be surprising! Illustrating for children may seem simple, but it’s actually quite challenging.
Additionally, children around the age of ten don’t want the same style of illustrations as a six-year-old. The illustrator should understand the differing perspectives of various age groups.
Illustrator for books for adults
For books aimed at adults, illustrations need a different approach. Adults bring more life experience, so they understand symbolism and subtle humour. Depending on your book’s theme, choose an illustrator whose style complements it. For heavier topics, for instance, illustrations with a hint of humour can lighten the text.
For novels and fiction, illustrations are rare, as they are in many non-fiction books. This is a missed opportunity: illustrations can make text clearer and more enjoyable to read. Fortunately, more non-fiction books are using illustrations to enhance readability. This trend is partly due to the fact that many Dutch and Belgian readers find reading challenging, and illustrations can lower the barrier to engagement.
Additional target audiences
Beyond children and adults, there are of course other specific target audiences. Knowing your audience enables you to find the right illustrator. If you’re writing a book on garden design, an illustrator who specialises in realistic, botanical drawings might be ideal. If you want your book to stand out, you could also consider a collage-style illustrator.
Zwart-wit illustraties voor kinderboek ‘Een jaar met Wifi‘ (geschreven door Brenda Froyen) door Marloes De Vries
2. What is the theme of your book?
Your book’s theme is a crucial factor in finding a suitable illustrator. Every illustrator has areas of expertise, and not all topics are suited to every illustrator. Just as people are unique, illustrators are individuals, too.
For example, if you’ve written a book about manatees and other aquatic animals, it’s ideal to find an illustrator who already has animal examples in their portfolio.
If you’re looking for an illustrator for a picture book with a child protagonist, it’s vital to find someone skilled in drawing children and people. For the main character especially, an engaging illustration is incredibly important. The protagonist needs to captivate the reader and draw them into the story. A picture book relies heavily on excellent illustrations; even the best story can fall flat if the illustrations don’t support it effectively.
For non-fiction or books for adults, it’s equally important to choose an illustrator who resonates with your text. Good illustrations convey emotion, which readers can sense. By looking through the illustrator’s portfolio, you can gauge if their previous work aligns with your themes. If the illustrator has a website, you might find a section where they share their personal interests and themes, which can be insightful.
For greater assurance that the illustrations will enhance your book, choose an illustrator with ample experience in illustrating children’s books. A quality marker is an illustrator who has worked with well-known publishers, as publishers generally have high standards when selecting illustrators and rarely work with amateurs. Do note that even established publishers vary in quality; some produce children’s books on a mass scale where quality may be compromised.
3. Which illustration style best suits your book?
An illustrator’s style is like their handwriting; each illustrator has their own approach, and each book needs a different treatment. Some illustrators work in a more cartoonish style with bold outlines, while others use soft watercolours for a dreamier effect. The variety of styles is like a sweet shop!
Choose an illustration style once you’re clear on your audience and book theme. You may love a dreamy watercolour style, but it’s probably not suited to a technical book on electric car assembly (unless standing out is your primary goal, though this may not align with your audience’s preferences).
After identifying a suitable style for your audience and theme, shortlist a few illustrators. From there, choose the style you find most beautiful, as it’s important you love the appearance of your own book.
You can get a sense of an illustrator’s style from their portfolio. Check their social media as well, as they often share additional illustrations and sketches, giving you a fuller picture of their work.
4. Wat heb jij nodig voor je boek?
Before you approach an illustrator, make a list of what you need from them. This allows the illustrator to clarify what they can provide, as well as the potential costs involved. Here are a few questions I ask anyone who wants me to illustrate a book:
How many illustrations do you want in your book?
In a picture book, it’s clear that each spread will need illustrations, but with other types, illustrations may only appear every few pages.
Do you want the illustrations in colour or black and white?
Black-and-white illustrations are generally less expensive, including for printing costs.
How much detail do you want in the illustrations?
Would you like detailed backgrounds, or are you looking for simpler object drawings?
Do you have a lithographer or expert to scan or modify illustrations, or are you looking for an illustrator who can do this?
Not all illustrators prepare artwork for print (correct colour profiles, scanning, etc.), so ask upfront (I can do this myself, for instance).
If you’re self-publishing, you’ll likely need an illustrator who can provide print-ready illustrations and understands the difference between RGB and CMYK. If they lack this knowledge, it’s time to look elsewhere; submitting artwork incorrectly will lead to printing issues.
Do you have a designer for your book to arrange text and illustrations, or do you need an illustrator with graphic design skills?
Keep in mind, not every illustrator is experienced in design or layout. If you want your book ready to send to the printer, it’s helpful to know if you’ll need an external designer.
Do you need a book cover designed as well?
If you’d like the illustrator to design the cover, seek someone with graphic design expertise. Typography and design are specialised skills. When I work with authors, I always mention that I’m also a graphic designer, so I can handle the cover layout too. However, not every illustrator is a designer, just as not all designers can illustrate.
Want to work together with a professional illustrator/designer on your book? Get in touch with Marloes to discuss your wishes.
Waar moet je op letten als je gaat samenwerken met een illustrator?
Get to Know Each Other
Collaborating on a book can take time and require quite a bit of communication, so it might be beneficial to meet the illustrator you’ve chosen. This isn’t mandatory and only necessary if you feel the need. Most freelancers are more than willing to discuss a project over the phone, but in-person meetings can be more time-consuming. If a meeting is important to you, it’s a good idea to mention this upfront so the illustrator can factor in the additional time and costs.
Avoid Headaches: Choose a Professional Illustrator
This point is essential if you want a stress-free experience: the professionalism of the illustrator. By professionalism, I mean their attentiveness to your requirements, clarity in communication, willingness to involve you in the creative process, reliability with deadlines, expertise in preparing work for print, transparent invoicing, and understanding of licensing and copyright rules. A professional illustrator can simplify things for you in numerous ways.
Personally, I’m a deadline-driven, hands-on illustrator, and with over 25 years of experience, I’ve heard many stories from clients that not all illustrators work this way. I’ve taken over projects from other illustrators multiple times because meeting deadlines requires a certain skill set. Some illustrators and artists are brilliant, imaginative dreamers who become so engrossed in their work that they may overlook deadlines and appointments. This may sound stereotypical, but it’s not uncommon. This doesn’t have to be a problem—if you don’t have a strict deadline for your book and are comfortable with a flexible approach, you may work well with a less punctual illustrator. It really depends on what type of client you are and what kind of illustrator fits that.
If you prefer someone who’s deadline-oriented and keeps you involved in the process, it’s best to look for someone who can meet those needs.
Cheap Can Be Costly (or: Unfair)
If an illustrator charges very low rates, you might question their professional status—they may not yet understand how much work illustrating a book entails. A professional illustrator knows that it’s not only about making lovely drawings but also researching the topic, meeting with clients, preparing drafts, developing character concepts, handling administration, and ensuring professional delivery. These factors all contribute to a smooth, stress-free process—and they’re worth paying for.
A picture book illustrated for £500? If someone offers this, it’s likely too good to be true. Illustrating a 24-page picture book easily takes between 80 and 200 hours of work, meaning they’d effectively be working for £2.50-£6.25 per hour (not even accounting for materials like paper, software, pencils, paints, etc.). That rate simply isn’t sustainable in the UK.
This might mean that the illustrator isn’t working at a professional level, or they may be subsidised in other ways, allowing them to charge unfairly low rates. Unfortunately, this contributes to the devaluation of illustration as a profession. I’ve been in the industry for over 15 years, and rates have essentially stagnated since 2009, even as living costs rise. The issue with illustrators who keep rates artificially low is that they end up taking on jobs at prices that professional illustrators can’t compete with, often leaving those without financial support out of work.
While I understand the temptation, I would encourage you, if you can afford it, to choose an illustrator who charges fair rates. Books and culture are increasingly becoming products only accessible to those with financial means, so being mindful of this is particularly important right now.
Good to know:
- Professional illustrators don’t work for free; it’s their job, and it’s how they pay their bills. If you’d like a sample illustration because you’re unsure if they’re the right fit, you should expect to pay for it.
- Discuss payment terms. Establish how you’ll pay the illustrator: publishers usually pay an advance on royalties and then a percentage per book sold (typically 10% split between the author and illustrator, with 5% going to the illustrator). However, if you’re self-publishing, the print run is usually smaller, so it’s more common to pay a fixed fee for the illustrations.
- Commissioning an illustrator for artwork does not automatically make you the owner of those illustrations. According to copyright law, the creator is the legal owner of the work. As the client, you’re licensed to use the illustrations in the way you and the illustrator have agreed. You can read more about copyright here.
- An illustrator creates artwork for the specific medium agreed upon. If they’re making illustrations for your book, it’s naturally intended for that book alone. If you later decide to use the artwork for greeting cards or a board game, you’ll need to request permission from the illustrator, as this would extend the original licence. You can read more about licensing here.
- Marketing is crucial for your book’s success, as it increases the chances of it gaining attention. If you’re not confident in this area, it could be a worthwhile investment to hire a marketing expert.
Promotion of your book is not typically included when working with an illustrator. If you’d like the illustrator to promote your book to their own audience, be sure to request this before they give you a quote, so they can account for the time and additional work involved.
I hope this was useful for you. Would you like to work together with me on your book? Feel free to get in touch!
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All text and images © Marloes De Vries