Exploring Illustrators

Hello Supporters, 

Welcome to week five of Blogging Through The Alphabet with Marcy @ BenandMe.com.  Needless to say, it is getting a little tough, I was tempted to delay the next step because “E” for editing is so obvious.  For now, I am sticking to the steps I use and decided to get a little creative with the title.  So the next step in creating a picture book is "Exploring Illustrators." 

Over the course of publishing four different books, I have explored different illustrators and different ways of finding an illustrator.   I find the process fun and fascinating.  It is also a wonderful way to get to know people.  What follows is how I found my illustrator for each of my books.  

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I found the illustrator for my first book, Why We Give Gifts at Christmas Time, through Craigslist.  I posted several ads on Craigslist under the gig section (if you post it under the job section, there is a fee associated with the ad in most cities) detailing what I was looking for.   To my amazement, several hundred applied.  After asking for work samples, discussing fees, and timelines, I picked an illustrator who met my needs in California.  I feel Julie Bryant was sent from God.  She walked me through the process and helped problemsolve when I ran into several issues with my printing company.  You can learn more about Julie by visiting her website: www.sweetartdesign.com 

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For my second book, My Journey with Jesus Christ, I turned to Linkedin.  Linkedin has several groups dedicated to author and illustrators.  For this book, I only needed a cover design because I realized the stock cover from Createspace was one of the reasons the book was not selling.  Unlike my first book, I did not post an ad.  Instead, I was impressed by someone’s book cover and asked for a recommendation. Since changing the cover for this book, sales have increased by over 300%.  

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My third book, Why I Give – An Activity Book, I turned to my family.  One of my nieces loves to draw. However, I was not aware of how talented she was until she began to post her drawings on Facebook.  I decided to talk to her about this book, and after getting permission from her mom (she is only 13) she agreed to illustrate it. I could not be happier with the results. 

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The illustrator for my latest book, What is Love, was found via Fiverr (I am pretty sure I am using him again, but will explore a few more illustrators before I make a final decision).  In case you don’t know what Fiverr is, it is a unique site where people offer different services, including illustrations for five dollars.  However, the catch to this site is that most illustrators charge per illustration and charge more for extras like coloring or the right to the image.  Even with all the extras I was charged on Fiverr, the illustrations were still a great deal.  

Other places you may want to look for illustrators are:

Sites that specialize in providing a directory of illustrators

• The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators offers online portfolios of hundreds of illustrators with a wide variety of styles. (It is a membership site with a $60 fee.)
  
• Children’sIllustrators.com
• The Directory of Illustration
  

Freelancer sites

•  https://www.odesk.com
•  https://www.elance.com/
  

Finding the correct illustrator can take time.  Therefore, next week’s post will not be about building a picture book.  Instead, I will share a book that is really speaking to my heart.  For a sneak peak at the book, click here. 

Once you find an illustrator you want to work with, you should have them sign a contact. Click here to download an example of the contract I use (not, I am not a lawyer, nor do I pretend to be one in the internet.  So please be sure to seek legal advice).

That is all for now. Please continue to pray for me as I pray for you,

Corine

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