Book illustration: what to know

What the job involves, what changes the price, and what to ask a pro.

What book illustration is

A book illustrator draws images for a book, planning page layouts and characters, keeping the style consistent and preparing files at the sizes the publisher or printer needs. Authors and publishers hire book illustrators for picture books, chapter books, novels, guides and educational titles.

Signs you need it

  • Your manuscript needs illustrations and you do not have an illustrator on the team
  • You have a picture book or chapter book concept and need a consistent set of characters and scenes
  • Your publisher has asked for a set of illustrations with specific page sizes and resolutions
  • You want a cover or interior style that fits your genre and readers
  • You need illustrations for an educational guide that must show steps or diagrams clearly

What the pro does

  • Read the manuscript and talk with you about the tone, age group and key scenes to illustrate
  • Plan the page layouts, showing where each image sits relative to the text
  • Design the characters and settings, and share the character sheets for your approval
  • Sketch the spreads or pages and refine them after your comments
  • Paint or finish the final art at the trim size and resolution the printer requires, including bleed
  • Deliver the final files with a note on the file names, sizes and the color profile

What changes the price

Every job is different, so we do not publish prices. These are the things that move the quote up or down.

  • The number of illustrations, the number of pages and the number of spreads
  • The number of characters and settings that must be designed and kept consistent
  • Whether the art is black and white, spot color or full color
  • Whether the illustrator designs the cover or only the interior
  • The number of revision rounds and how much feedback the publisher gives
  • The usage rights for the book, including print, ebook and any translations

What a written quote should spell out

  • The number of illustrations, the page count and the color treatment
  • The character and setting design stage and the number of rounds included
  • The file sizes, the resolution and the bleed specifications for the printer
  • The usage rights for print, ebook and any other editions
  • The delivery schedule for sketches, revisions and final files

Questions to ask before you hire

  • Can you show me book illustrations you made for a similar age group?
  • Will you keep the characters consistent across the whole book?
  • What file sizes and resolutions do you deliver, and do you match my printer's specification?
  • Who owns the illustrations, and what rights will the publisher need?
  • How many rounds of revisions are included, and how do you handle changes after approval?
  • Will you design the cover, and is that included in this price?

Red flags

  • Will not show a portfolio of finished book work
  • Asks you to pay in full before the first sketches
  • Cannot explain the file sizes and bleed the printer needs
  • Promises that the book will be a bestseller

What you can do yourself

You can make rough sketches of your scenes to share with your illustrator, and collect reference photos for the settings you describe. Hire a book illustrator when the book needs finished art, consistent characters across many pages or files prepared to a printer's specification.

Licenses and permits

No license is usually required for book illustration. Ask instead for a portfolio of published or finished book work, references and a written statement of the rights; check with your state or local business licensing office if the illustrator operates as a registered business.

Book illustration questions

Who owns the illustrations in my book?

The agreement decides it. Make sure the contract states who owns the art and which editions and languages the rights cover.

What size should the artwork be?

Ask your printer or publisher for the trim size, bleed and resolution. Send those specifications to the illustrator before the work begins.

Can the illustrations be used in an ebook too?

Only if the usage rights include ebook editions. Confirm the editions in writing before the work starts.

Pro reviewers

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