Equestrian Magpie & Fuzzy Ponies

Frozen River

A Drive to The Moffat Tunnel

Amtrak in the Snow

Snowy Morning

Dallas Snowpocalypse 2013 part 2

Dallas Snowpocalypse 2013

Snowpocalypse: Today's Studio View

Illustrating Your First Book - Pricing your work and finding an editor

Today I had an email from one of my former fellow DISD art teachers. She is contemplating illustrating a book and had some really great questions:



"Hello,

... I applaud you for taking the bold move and seeking new artistic venues. You caught my attention when you mentioned that you illustrated children books. Recently I had a lady ask me to illustrate a book for her. How do you go about pricing? Also I have written my own book that I wish to publish some day. How do I go about editing?


Your guidance would be very much appreciated. 

Thank you. "



My response:

Hi! Congrats on being asked to illustrate a book! My first book I illustrated for the author (his first/only book) the next two I both wrote and illustrated. I also have a degree in graphic design so I did the layout on all of the books. Believe it or not, I was not really excited about that first book and I had no idea what I was doing. I illustrated it for $500 plus 60 % royalties. The royalties from that first book turned out to be a bit of a joke since the author printed them at Kinko's and didn't sell any copies. He was positive that someone would steal his work if he used a vanity or POD (print on demand) press. I did about 26 full page illustrations, although we didn't negotiate what the illustrations would be like. It took me 80+ hours! That works out to $6.25 an hour - not exactly professional rates... I now charge many times that!

How to Price Your Illustration Work:

Be sure you are not selling yourself short but do take into consideration your skill level when setting prices.

Take into consideration:

• How much do you want to make an hour? 
• How much it will take to make this job worth it to you? How precious is your time? Are you a busy person? 
• Keep your process in mind: Can you fix mistakes or do you have to start over? I use watercolor, so if I mess up on an illustration, I have to start all over again. Build that into the price. 
• How many illustrations are required, how detailed and how big will they be? 
• Are the manuscript and subject matter high quality or are you doing this person a favor? This question may seem harsh, but in most cases the illustrator ends up with way, way more time/money/emotion invested into a book. People don't really consider that, don't be shy about explaining it in a kind way. Also, with picture books especially, it is the illustrations that really sell the book! As soon as you illustrate one book, people will come crawling out of the woodwork telling your about the story they wrote that they want you to illustrate. Charge less to illustrate for a well-written, highly marketable book. Direct poorly written and half finished manuscripts toward an editor or writing coach. Actually, direct ALL writing toward an editor before you illustrate it. It is better to be safe than sorry! 
• What will this client be like? If you have an inkling that he/she may be a difficult client make sure the payoff will be worth it. 
• Who will hold the rights to the images as well as the actual illustrations? If this book is wildly popular you will want the rights to create and sell dolls, prints and themed products in your Etsy store or another outlet. 
• Are you doing this for fun or considering illustration as a career? 
• Do you have an art degree or an MFA? 

You can charge a flat rate, charge by the illustration or hourly. Charging an hourly rate might be a good way to start out if you're not sure how long a job will take you. It is also a good way to protect yourself with possibly difficult clients. 
You can also negotiate a percentage of the royalties if the book is to be sold. I would recommend at least a 50% cut for a picture book, less for a chapter book or less illustration dependent book. However, if you are working with self-publishers chances are the book may never be sold. Be sure you're receiving a fair amount for your illustrations - even if the book is never sold - you still did the work! 
It is also not unheard of to ask for portions of the fee along the way. You might ask for a certain amount when you present the author with preliminary sketches. Do not turn over finished work or high-res scans of it until you have been paid. Work up a contract before you begin and have the client sign in agreement.

How to Edit Your Book:

Get a real editor. If you are serious about publishing or selling your book or you are going to spend a significant amount of time or money on printing, get a real editor. Grammatical mistakes, typos and spelling mistakes are really embarrassing and we all make them! I'm sure my editor would find at least ten in this post alone! 

What do I mean when  I say, "a real editor?" I mean someone who can properly strangle you when you misuse commas. No, seriously, a real editor is someone who will really take the time to find mistakes and offer fixes AND honestly advise you on the structure of your work. It is important that you work well with this person. Editing can be like cleaning out a closet; sometimes personal and sometimes messy. Approach your editor ready to listen. 

Choosing an editor wasn't difficult for me. She is an old high school friend. Because we went through the same grueling AP English program, I know she can write well. Because she has a PhD in English lit, is currently a writing and lit. professor and has three years of experience as a freelance editor, I know she is serious about reading, writing and editing. I suspect most colleges have professors or grad students who will take on freelance editing jobs. Check bulletin boards, call the English Department or just email my editor! She really is great:

Ashley Argyle PhD

InkTip Editing

How to Design Your Book:

Appearance is everything when it comes to books, particularly children's books. As with editing, if you are serious about publishing or selling your book or you are going to spend a significant amount of time or money on printing, have an expert do the job. A nice, professional layout will compliment your work and lend credibility to your title. Poor book design, on the other hand, screams, "I am self-publishing and I did this myself in Microsoft Word!" A professional designer will be able to clean up and tweak your illustrations in PhotoShop (if need be), layout your interior in Adobe InDesign and create industry-standard files to send to print or eBook. I offer these services. If you are interested please visit my design site, Eternal Summers Press.