FINDING AN ILLUSTRATOR FOR YOUR BOOK

So you’ve written a book, but you still need illustrations. You’re no artist, so where do you go from here? How do you find someone who is trustworthy, and who will produce what’s promised in the amount of time that was agreed upon, and that their work is of quality and substance?
It can be a very stressful and difficult process to find someone who, not only do you trust to follow through with what was originally planned, but who will produce the quality of work that you have envisioned for your book.
Finding someone whose work is of the substance that you imagined would compliment your book can be a very difficult and very expensive ordeal. For people to whom money is of no consequence, a good idea would be to look at books that have the kind of illustrations you desire, and make efforts to contact the different illustrators to see if they will work with you. You can try to contact the authors of the books as well to verify that the illustrator produced their work in a timely manner, and that the entire process was performed in a satisfactory manner.
Many people, however, do not have the means to secure an expensive illustrator for their book. Many authors are on a budget, and while having quality illustrations is important, this must be done while being conscious of the costs involved. There are a couple of alternatives an author can pursue if caught in a situation such as this. Check with friends and family; maybe there is someone close to you who can produce illustrations similar to what you have in mind, while allowing your budget to stay in place. If you really think about it, there must be someone you know who is artistic, whether they paint, or draw or are just crafty, talk with them to see what options there are to convey what you have in mind.
Another option is to contact your local high school or college; contact an instructor and explain your situation. Perhaps the instructor can recommend a student who is very talented and would be interested in doing the illustrations for a nominal fee; or perhaps let the instructor know that you would like to work with an art student on an internship basis. While no payment for the artwork would be made, you would put their name on the book as the illustrator, and the student would be allowed to put the book on their resume. Also, check with the schools and see if you can post flyers on campus for an art internship; you would most likely receive several responses from talented students, and you would be able to choose who you would like to work with, once again treating the illustrations as a non-paying internship.
Try to be creative in getting the illustrator you want to work on your book; maybe you can arrange payment for the drawings in such a way that instead of paying up front, they receive a percentage of the royalties from your book. By being resourceful, you just might find a way to secure the illustrator that you desire for your book.
After finding the illustrator that you intend to work with, remember that while it is not required to include the illustrations with your manuscript when you turn it in to copyright it, it’s always a good idea. By turning in your book to the copyright office in a form that is as close as possible to the finished product, you are protecting your book fully.
When you turn in your illustrations to the book publisher, it usually makes the publishing process much more affordable if you submit the pictures via email or disc with either the .jpg or .png file name extensions; if this is not possible then the illustrations or pictures can be scanned into the computer, although this usually costs more. The more preparation services you require from the publishing company, the more it usually costs you, so to keep your costs as close the quoted package price as possible, try to get your full manuscript into an electronic form prior to submission.
Remember; while you have ideas of what you would like your book to look like, it’s always a good idea to be flexible. While illustrations may be what you’ve been seeking for your book, you may find it too expensive, but find someone who is willing to do watercolors for a minimal fee. By keeping an open mind, you may find that you end up with a book that is not only visually pleasing, but affordable for you to produce.

Heather Breaz,
Publishing Account Representative,
Lifevest Publishing, Inc. ~~~~ _/) ~~~~
Visit our site at: http://lifevestpublishing.com
or our e-Bookstore at: http://AuthorsToBelieveIn.com