(This article is excerpted from The Ultimate Children’s Writing Cheatsheet – our free ebook packed with 30 years of children’s writing knowledge in one simple reference guide.
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Children’s Writing FAQ For Beginners #1:
Do I Need an Illustrator for My Picture Book Manuscript?
Beginning picture book writers often believe they are responsible for creating or finding illustrators for their manuscript. However, this is only true under two circumstances:
* You are a highly skilled, professionally-trained illustrator who wishes to build a career as an author/illustrator
* You are self-publishing your book or ebook.
Otherwise, an editor at the publishing house that wishes to buy your manuscript will pair your text with an appropriate illustrator, and will pay that illustrator separately.
Do not submit illustrations with your manuscript that were created by someone else (an artist, a relative, your child), unless the publisher’s submission guidelines specifically state they are open to author/illustrator teams.
The illustrations in children’s books are extremely important in helping convey the nuances of the text to the reader as well as the book’s tone and design, and should be created by a professional who the editor trusts to do high-quality work. Often an editor will match up a new author with an experienced illustrator who already has a following to help boost book sales.
So, just focus on creating a wonderful picture book manuscript and leave the art to the professional artist. 🙂
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