childrensillustrators
the fastest method of sourcing children's illustrators online
Unless you are both writer and illustrator, most publishers advise writers to submit picture book manuscripts without accompanying illustrations.
Each publishing house employs a dedicated art buying team (who more than likely use childrensillustrators.com) responsible for commissioning illustrators. If a publisher likes your manuscript, their art buying team would commission the illustrator they feel is right for the project.
The art buying team will factor in a number of issues such as current and forthcoming trends, target age group, the illustrator’s previous sales figures (if already published), specific in-house styles etc. Without an in-depth knowledge of these factors (which vary from publisher to publisher), you could actually reduce your chance of being noticed by submitting your work with accompanying illustrations (again, unless you are both writer and illustrator).
When submitting a manuscript, it is advisable to simply note anything that is not obvious from the text that needs to be included in the pictures.
Each publishing house employs a dedicated art buying team (who more than likely use childrensillustrators.com) responsible for commissioning illustrators. If a publisher likes your manuscript, their art buying team would commission the illustrator they feel is right for the project.
The art buying team will factor in a number of issues such as current and forthcoming trends, target age group, the illustrator’s previous sales figures (if already published), specific in-house styles etc. Without an in-depth knowledge of these factors (which vary from publisher to publisher), you could actually reduce your chance of being noticed by submitting your work with accompanying illustrations (again, unless you are both writer and illustrator).
When submitting a manuscript, it is advisable to simply note anything that is not obvious from the text that needs to be included in the pictures.
Self-publishing is notoriously difficult. Aside from actually getting the book printed, one of the main challenges you will face is distribution.
An established publisher will use events such as 'The Bologna Book Fair' to showcase dummy books. Based on the feedback they receive, the dummy book may be dropped or tweaked accordingly.
Most illustrators will shy away from self-publishing projects. The main reasons being:
1) They tend to be poorly financed
If you are unable to pay the illustrator a fee that reflects the workload required, it is unlikely you have factored in all the remaining costs that will ensure the project’s success.
2) They tend to be poorly planned
Where will the book sell? What distribution have you set-up? Has your work been professionally edited and critiqued?
3) They often demonstrate limited industry knowledge
How well do you understand the industry? There are numerous publications available to help guide you. Ensure you have researched all there is to know about your field before taking the plunge. Taking time to thoroughly research and carefully plan your approach could save you valuable time and money.
An established publisher will use events such as 'The Bologna Book Fair' to showcase dummy books. Based on the feedback they receive, the dummy book may be dropped or tweaked accordingly.
Most illustrators will shy away from self-publishing projects. The main reasons being:
1) They tend to be poorly financed
If you are unable to pay the illustrator a fee that reflects the workload required, it is unlikely you have factored in all the remaining costs that will ensure the project’s success.
2) They tend to be poorly planned
Where will the book sell? What distribution have you set-up? Has your work been professionally edited and critiqued?
3) They often demonstrate limited industry knowledge
How well do you understand the industry? There are numerous publications available to help guide you. Ensure you have researched all there is to know about your field before taking the plunge. Taking time to thoroughly research and carefully plan your approach could save you valuable time and money.
