So you have written your children’s book and all you need are the illustrations. Sounds, easy, right? Well, that depends….

Illustrators are artists and authors are writers and those are two very distinct things and usually two very distinct people, although not always. Occasionally you will find an illustrator who can also write, but that’s the exception, not the rule. Authors on the other hand who think they can draw or who think they can “art direct” someone else draw are not illustrators and are usually dangerous. So, if that sounds like you, then our illustration program is not for you.

The relationship between an author and an illustrator is a little like a marriage. You have to understand each other and communication is really important as is a laissez-fair attitude. Going with the flow will make life a whole lot easier than trying to micro manage every detail. So, if this sounds like you, then our program is for you and here’s how it works:

We designed it in four steps. After you select an illustrator from our samples, he/she will do one illustration or a few of your characters if that seems best. (Note: any book with more than four characters would need to be specially quoted- our program is based on 16 simple illustrations as 15 spreads and 1 single page.) Then based on your comments to this sample, or what we call “Look and Feel”, the illustrator will decide if this “marriage” will work. In other words, if you respond with comments that the illustrator doesn’t feel comfortable with, then this is not the illustrator for you. Remember, I said it’s like a marriage and you need to get the right partner first. The other thing you should have decided on is the trim size of the book. Is it upright, oblong or square? It seems obvious that this is important, but you’d be surprised at the number of people I talk to that haven’t thought of that at all.

Assuming the illustrator agrees to either make changes as you request or agrees that going forward should not be a problem, you purchase the second step, “Full Pencils”. This is when you need to give the illustrator all of the text and what I find works best is to provide the illustrator with a template indicating what words you want on each of the pages. This will help you see if the flow of the book works right. It’s not necessary to give the illustrator any other instructions about what you expect to see as an illustration on each spread, but if you want to of course you may. Again, try and stay “loose” about it and let the illustrator be the illustrator.  You are not the illustrator, you are the author. Your pencils should have all the text in them as well.

Comments on pencils will either result in revised pencils, or the illustrator may say that all changes can be made when he/she goes on to the coloring step. And, if the illustrator feels that the changes you are asking for are to be billed to you, we will tell you prior to doing them.

From your pages, you may now select an image you’d like to use for your cover and that is the next step. Alternatively, you can go to full colored pages and do the cover after that- it’s up to you. When you do order the “cover” you need to decide what binding style you are going with. Most self publishers go with hardcovers without jackets (what we call a “casewrap”), but some do like the jacket. Just remember that the jackets cost more when you print and you have to write “flap” copy.

The colored pages once purchased will be provided to you like every other step, as a PDF typically in spreads with all text in position. It’s up to you to check these very carefully, because once you give the “OK” , the illustrator will create a final PDF ready for the printer (which is not exactly the same format as what you have seen up until this point).

Sounds pretty simple, right? Well it can be if you select the right partner and respect the “marriage”. And in the end, you should have a beautiful book that you are proud of! You certainly will have a book that you couldn’t have done alone.

One last question you may be asking- how long does all this take? That’s a tough one to answer, because each book is it’s own story,  but I usually tell folks to expect to spend two months. Some books are done faster, and others take longer. A lot will depend on you, how long you hold proofs, what kind of comments you make, but that’s a guideline.

So, you’ve written a children’s book and you need illustrations-what are you waiting for?

Dana Cole

Hi, my name is Dana Cole. I’m a partner here at Self Publishing, Inc. Before joining Self Publishing, Inc., I was vice president of production and planning at Abbeville Press, New York City, where I worked for 16 years doing just what you are doing now, buying printing and handling book projects from start to finish. My career in publishing began at Alfred A. Knopf in 1979. My experience at Knopf was all one-color books and at Abbeville it was all 4-color books so it’s great fun to be able to assist Self Publishing, Inc.customers with both. The children’s book program is really exciting for me- I’m thrilled to be able to make people’s dreams come true. There are so many great books out there dying to get to the market, they just need you to publish them. Feel free to contact me if you have any production questions. I can be reached at Dana@selfpublishing.com. In addition to books I love cross-country skiing and sailing and I’m a super-big dog person, the “mom” to two Westies, Winston and Whiskey.

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