Artwork

Finding the right artist for your story is the most important aspect of any picture book project. Their style should match the mood and tone you’re hoping to convey through your story. 

Designers can assist with finding the right illustrator, pagination, and they can provide art direction. However, art direction can be a separate fee from the overall design. Therefore, you have the option of finding a designer first and having them provide any info and direction the illustrator needs to get started. OR hiring an illustrator first (and providing the info they need—trim size, manuscript, and any art notes) and then hiring a designer once the art is complete. 

It’s important to keep in mind that depending on the artist’s style, digital art can usually be finished and delivered faster than original art (ex: art that’s painted or collaged by hand). Once original art is complete, it will need to be sent out for hi-res scanning, which could be a charge covered by the illustrator or the author, depending on the terms of the contract. So be sure to factor in that extra time into your production and publication schedule. The artist may be able to provide an estimated timeline of how long scanning usually takes for their work.

Once the paperwork and contracts have been signed by both parties, the artist can get to work! It’s very important to clearly communicate your overall vision for the art before the illustrator gets started. Some artists like to start with character sketches for approval to ensure everyone’s on the same page before heading into full-page sketches. Before sketches are started, we’d highly recommend agreeing on a set number of edit rounds for sketches and final art with the illustrator so there’s no confusion later on. Once a first round of sketches are done, they’ll be presented for any feedback and revisions. And based on the agree-upon rounds of changes, once sketches are approved, they will move onto rendering the final art. This process, from sketches to final, can take several months, so it’s important to set a pub date that allows the artist plenty of time to work and not rush the process.

Designer

Once the text has been copyedited, the designer is ready to step in. You can decide to bring in the designer and illustrator at the same time to get everyone on the same page with pagination (one of the designer’s key responsibilities) or you can choose to work with the artist on pagination and bring in the designer once the art is complete to combine the text and art and to format the final book for printing. 

The designer will focus on everything related to the typography, creating a unique style for the cover title and bylines and laying out the interior text to work cohesively with the artwork. If applicable, they will also design the full jacket. Please keep in mind that some designers may charge based on setting up the book’s entire package, while some may charge for each element separately, including cover design, interior design, and jacket design. Sometimes a separate case cover is included as well.

Layout and Pagination

Hardcover picture books are usually 32 pages, but they can also go up to 40 and 48 pages. More text-heavy picture books can go up to 56 and 64 pages. If you have a preference for how your picture book is laid out and want to use specific endpapers, it’s important to understand the pagination options. The two main layouts are referred to as “self-ended” and “separate ends.” We go into more detail and provide visual examples for both layouts on the Pagination page.