Finding a children’s book illustrator in Australia isn’t as complicated as you think!
Finding a children’s book illustrator in Australia to assist you with children’s book illustrations isn’t as complicated as you think it is, and I’m here to tell you why. Today, we’re here to answer a commonly asked question by new Australian children’s book authors: how to find an illustrator for your children’s book.
Finding a children’s book illustrator in Australia isn’t hard, but finding one that understands the nuances of creating children’s book illustrations for a book you plan on publishing is. There’s a big difference between an illustration and one that’s ready to be used in a children’s book you plan on self-publishing.
Before we jump to the rest of the article, if you have an idea for a children’s book but need an illustrator, please don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us directly. Our professional children’s book illustrators are standing by to help you with your self-publishing journey and to help make your dream of becoming an Australian children’s book author come true!
Also, check out our articles on Designing A Children’s Book and our Children’s Book Project, where we take you on a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of one of our popular children’s book titles, The Adventures of Cargo the Army Truck!
What Story Do Your Children’s Book Illustrations Tell?
The most important thing you need to remember when you first start the process of creating a children’s book, and this ties directly into finding a children’s book illustrator, is that your illustrations, in conjunction with your text, tell the story.
It’s not just the illustrations telling the story or the text. It’s a combination of captivating and beautifully detailed illustrations and text that will entertain your readers and tell the whole story.
Now, there are a lot of people who can create illustrations, but not all of them can create children’s book illustrations. Finding a children’s book illustrator who understands the process of creating a children’s book and all the little nuances of the publishing process can be a little more complicated.
Luckily, we have some very talented children’s book illustrators standing by to assist you.
Finding a Children’s Book Illustrator in Australia
There’s no shortage of children’s book illustrators available for your next children’s book. With the rise of freelancing globally, we’re seeing more illustrators than ever advertising their services.
However, finding a reliable, professional, and experienced children’s book illustrator is a little bit more of a challenge. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had clients reach out to me with a beautifully illustrated book ready to self-publish, only for them to then have to go back and modify their book and illustrations because they weren’t done correctly.
That’s where the experience aspect comes in. An experienced children’s book illustrator understands the importance of leaving space for text, margins, gutters, and bleeds. The Alliance of Independent Authors is an excellent resource for finding many self-publishing service providers, including illustrators.
Understanding what type of illustrations you like will make it a lot easier to find an illustrator. Spend some time looking up your favorite children’s books and start making a collection of different illustration styles that you like until you’re comfortable with your favorite illustration style.
How Much Do Illustrations Cost?
The straightforward answer is that it varies. There’s no set price when it comes to illustration costs, and most illustrators will base the cost of illustrations on their experience, time needed, illustration size, and illustration style.
Before you start getting illustration quotes, work out how many illustrations you need and what style of book you’re planning. The two main styles when it comes to children’s books are half-page illustrations (where the illustration is on one page and the text is on the opposite page) and full-page spreads (where the left and the right pages are one large illustration with the text incorporated into the illustrations).
When it comes to the cost of the illustrations, you should budget between $125-250 per illustration, just to give you a rough idea of the costs.
Working With Your Illustrator
When you’ve found your illustrator, and you’ve agreed on a price for the project, you’ll need to brief them and come up with your brief for each illustration.
If you have main characters, you could also work on perfecting those first before you move on to the full illustrations. It’ll make it much easier as you progress through the rest of the illustrations.
At Author Services Australia, when we’re preparing children’s book illustrations, we always start with a sketch first before going with full-colour illustrations.
If you’re giving feedback to your illustrator, be as constructive as possible and provide them with details. There’s nothing worse than vague feedback. Instead of saying, “I don’t like this page,” try saying, “There’s something about the background elements, colour, or specific details which I don’t think are working together.”
Check out 7 Children’s Book Illustration Tips For Australian Authors!
How Long Will Illustrations Take?
Once you find a children’s book illustrator, negotiate the price, and get started, don’t expect your illustrations to come flooding in the next day. If you have a tight deadline, then you’ll most likely need to pay more per illustration to get them done faster.
Our suggestion, when it comes to Amazon Kindle Pre-Sales and other promotions, is not to set a date until you’re 100% confident the book will be ready and the bulk of pre-publishing work is done.
Most children’s books take, on average, 3-6 months to complete from start to finish, and the illustrations are a large part of this process.
Check out Self-Publishing A Children’s Book 101
Finding A Children’s Book Illustrator In Australia – Conclusion
Hopefully, the information above will help make finding a children’s book illustrator in Australia just a little bit easier for you.
At Author Services Australia, we support Australian, New Zealand, and International self-published authors and writers with a full range of affordable self-publishing services, including ghostwriting, copyediting, developmental editing, proofreading, ebook and paperback formatting, book cover design, children’s book illustrations, graphic design services, manuscript uploading assistance, and social media and marketing.
If you have an idea for a children’s book, need help finding a children’s book illustrator, or need assistance with any self-publishing services such as editing, ebook formatting, paperback formatting, or cover design, send us a message via the Contact Us page.
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If you’re new to self-publishing, check out The Best Self-Publishing Platforms to Self-Publish Your Books!
