May
15
What is an illustrator’s pay scale for a childrens book?
By
pho k questioned:
Im writing a childrens book.I need an illustrator.Does anyone know where i can get a excellent one and what iis a excellent price.I know they usually get a percentege.How much is fare?
Pleased Free Children, Teachers & Parents Resouce Kit
Im writing a childrens book.I need an illustrator.Does anyone know where i can get a excellent one and what iis a excellent price.I know they usually get a percentege.How much is fare?
Pleased Free Children, Teachers & Parents Resouce Kit
Will you be self-publishing? If not, most publishers will want to pick an illustrator for you if they accept your book.
If you’re able to do the illustrations yourself by all means go for it. Otherwise it’s likely going to count against you if you pick an illustrator for the publisher. I don’t know why they’re like that, but they like making the call. Perhaps because they feel they have more experience with picking what will work for certain age groups.
Unfortunately if this is your first book, your advance (the money they’ll pay you upfront) isn’t going to massive, and then the book wont be in stores for quite a few months even after they accept it. You will make some more cash once it’s out there, but it takes a while. If you do choose to hire an illustrator on your own keep in mind that whatever you pay them you wont be able to recover for a while.
The percentage the illustrator is given really depends on what your royalty percentage is. The publisher will likely suggest an amount for the illustrator they pick.
If you absolutely want to get an illustrator on your own (like if you’re self-publishing) I’d suggest visiting art forums and seeing if any art students would be interested. You’ll find some insanely talented individuals who haven’t yet been snatched up by design companies, or who haven’t seen their work in print. They’ll jump at the opportunity (it’s fantastic for a portfolio) and will work for a lot less than a professional illustrator.
You can try sites like Deviantart, and conceptart.org. Conceptart has a section in their forums for job postings, and with Deviantart you could browse people’s sketchbooks then contact those you like with the offer.
Depending on the complexity of the drawings, a student would probably be willing to do the work for roughly $35-50USD an image. A bit less if you only need simple drawings. Why so cheap is because it will add up when you consider all the drawings required. Just make sure you get a contract between you so they don’t stop the work halfway through.
You may be able to get by without giving them a percentage of the royalties, but that will depend on how knowledgable they are about illustration, and how much work you’re asking them to do.