How To Hire a Reliable Book Illustrator in 2025

Looking to publish that novel you’ve spent your time, effort, and heart on? But before doing so, you want to make sure that the cover does your story justice. For this, you need to hire a book illustrator who can bring your vision to life. Read on as we share a 7-step process for finding the right person.

Table of Contents

• Why Hire an Illustrator for a Book?
• How to Hire a Book Illustrator
• How Much Does a Book Illustrator Cost?
• Finding Affordable and Exceptional Book Illustrators
• Factors to Consider When Hiring a Book Illustrator
• Here are some of Penji’s illustration design examples

Why Hire an Illustrator for a Book?

Book illustrations are crucial because they cater to visual learners. Imagine a children’s book without drawings. Kids would probably never open the following few pages after seeing chunks of text. 

Book illustrations are vital for younger readers because they assist with learning. These illustrations keep kids engaged, holding their attention until the end of the book. Including illustrations in picture books can also improve comprehension, developing kids’ love for literature.

On the other hand, book illustrations are also critical for adults. Graphics provide visual assistance in explaining complex ideas and concepts. For instance, illustrations are vital in business books, literary fiction, educational materials, technical manuals, etc. But you probably don’t want to settle for stock illustrations.

How to Hire a Book Illustrator

Hiring book illustrators ensures that your published book is up to par with your standards. However, make sure to follow these steps before you hire a book illustrator. 

1. Make sure the book manuscript is edited

One of the most crucial steps that authors neglect is finishing the manuscript before working with a book illustrator. An unfinished or unpolished manuscript shouldn’t be the basis for illustrations. There’s a big chance an editor will eliminate some paragraphs, and some illustrations dedicated to those paragraphs might not be used. This would cost you extra money on the wasted designs, so it’s a no-go.

2. Finish the book’s storyboard

A book storyboard is a collection of images that tell the entire story. This is how authors convey their ideas to book illustrators. A storyboard is an essential part of the creation process. It’s highly recommended that you finish the storyboard before hiring book illustrators so you can collaborate seamlessly.

Illustrators use storyboards for books as a visual planning tool to help them create imagery that aligns with the narrative. Here’s how illustrators typically use storyboards for books:

1. Understanding the Story: Illustrators thoroughly read and understand the story before creating any illustrations. They pay close attention to the plot, characters, setting, mood, and other relevant details that influence their illustrations.
   
2. Dividing the Story: The illustrator breaks the story into key moments or scenes. This division helps organize the illustrations and ensures that important events are depicted effectively.
   
3. Thumbnail Sketches: Illustrators often start by creating small thumbnail sketches for each scene. These are quick, rough, and simplified drawings that capture the basic composition and elements of the scene. Thumbnails allow the illustrator to experiment with different ideas and compositions without investing too much time.

3. Identify the kind of illustrations you want

Next is to identify what kind of illustrations you want for your book. There are more than 10 types of illustrations in the creative space. Choosing the most suitable one that reflects the message and purpose of the book is vital. Also, selecting the appropriate illustration type lets you convey the book’s message clearly. For instance, you can choose caricature illustrations on business whitepapers because they’re more formal. 

Choose from these illustration types:

• Flat illustrations: Two-dimensional, minimalistic, flat illustrations that use bold colors and simple shapes. Ideal for children’s books and contemporary stories.
• 3D illustrations: These digitally rendered images give depth and realism to book covers and interiors. Ideal for fantasy, sci-fi, or highly immersive storytelling.
• Realism: Detailed and lifelike illustrations with intricate features, textures, and emotions. Suitable for historical fiction, biographies, and dramatic narratives.
• Cartoon illustrations: Quirky, cute, and playful illustrations with exaggerated and expressive features. Ideal for children’s books, humor, and lighthearted stories.
• Comics: Sequential art with dynamic action and dialogue. Suitable for graphic novels, action-packed stories, and visually engaging storytelling.
• Retro illustrations: Uses past design trends that bring a nostalgic touch. Perfect for vintage-style book covers and period pieces.
• Line art: Simple, yet striking with clean and monochrome lines that create minimalist and expressive effects. Ideal for poetry books or literary fiction.
• Digital illustrations: Made using digital tools, these illustrations take inspiration from various styles. These can be anything from futuristic to watercolor. Suitable for any genre.
• Fashion illustrations: Consists of elegant, stylized figures with flowing designs. Ideal for books of style, luxury, and the fashion industry.
• Typography: Created using creatively arranged letters and symbols to form visually compelling book covers or artistic text elements.
• Watercolor illustrations: Uses soft, fluid, and organic watercolor images. Has a dreamy and artistic quality that’s perfect for children’s books, romance, and fantasy genres.
• Charcoal illustrations: Texture-rich illustrations that have depth to create a moody, dramatic visual. Suitable for classic literature, noir stories, or intense dramas.

4. Hire a book illustrator with a specific style

If you’ve already decided what kind of illustration you want for your book, it’s time to find a talent with that specialized style. If you’re an author with a specific genre, finding a book illustrator that complements your genre is imperative. However, if you’re running a book publishing company, finding illustrators with versatile styles and skills is lucrative. This way, you no longer have to find another creative to work on another book genre. 

5. Determine your work contract

If you’re looking to hire a book illustrator in-house, you can find one from online job marketplaces. But the thing about in-house illustrators is you’ll still continually pay them retainers. That is, even though there is no book production. 

Another option is to hire a freelance book illustrator from Fiverr, Behance, or Deviant Art. You can see their asking rates and negotiate. Ensure you get unlimited free revisions for illustrations that don’t make the cut. 

Last but not least, try on-demand illustration companies like Penji. You can subscribe to their unlimited plans while the book production is ongoing and unsubscribe after publication. Working with on-demand graphic design services also means getting unlimited illustrations and revisions. Check out how to create design requests in this demo. 

6. Set a budget

One of the most crucial steps before your hire a book illustrator is to set your budget. Hiring a book illustrator without identifying your price range is a recipe for disaster. The last thing you want is to stop the project midway due to a lack of budget. Be honest about your budget and offer a fair price to freelance book illustrators. 

Creating illustrations is a time-consuming task that requires creativity and fresh perspectives. Lowballing your book illustrator might mean losing them to another high-paying client. If you have a low budget, subscribing to unlimited graphic design services is recommended. They charge a fixed monthly rate for unlimited designs. 

7. Set responsibilities and expectations

The last step before signing a contract is to discuss the book illustrator’s expected responsibilities. It’s also essential that you ask the book illustrator about what the service inclusions are. This way, both will be on the same page, preventing issues down the road. 

How Much Does a Book Illustrator Cost?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, fine artists earn almost $60,000 annually. That leaves them with a $5,000 monthly income, the higher end of the spectrum when hiring book illustrators.

A book cover artist’s responsibilities also differ from a book illustrator’s. Book covers will cost between $500 to $1,500 on average. That said, book illustrations might cost an average of $2,000 to $10,000. 

Finding Affordable and Exceptional Book Illustrators

If you need affordable and unlimited illustrations, on-demand graphic design services can be the answer. Penji offers three convenient pricing options with no binding contract, allowing you to choose what works for you right now. Simply submit your project request and get illustrations back in as little as 24 hours. You can also chat directly with a dedicated designer and access 24/7 customer support. Subscribe now, and our design team to jump in and create on-brand graphics for you! 

Factors to Consider When Hiring a Book Illustrator

To get the most optimum illustrations for your book, you need to find and hire the best book illustrator that fits your needs. Here are key factors to consider when choosing one:

• Art Style Compatibility: The illustrator’s style should align with your book’s mood and genre. Review their portfolio to see if their previous works match your requirements.

• Book Illustration Experience: While some artists specialize in logo design, some excel at book illustrations. Choose someone with relevant experience in your book’s format.

• Budget and Pricing: The costs of illustrations vary depending on detail, complexity, and even licensing. Determine your budget and discuss pricing with your prospective illustrator to avoid surprises.

• Communication and Collaboration: An excellent illustrator is one who understands your vision and is open to feedback. Clear communications can mean the difference in getting the final artwork you envisioned.

• Turnaround Time: This is crucial if you have a timeline that you need to follow. Ask your prospective illustrator’s availability and the estimated time they can complete your illustration.

• Rights and Licensing: Clarify ownership rights with your prospective illustrator. Some illustrators retain the rights to their work, while some offer full ownership. Make an agreement before deciding.

Here are some of Penji’s illustration design examples

Subscribing to Penji means getting all these benefits:

• Fixed monthly rates
• Custom illustrations
• Bespoke design platform
• 1-2 days turnaround
• Quality illustrations and graphics
• Unlimited designs and revisions
• Vetted top 2% of designers
• No contract; cancel anytime
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Knock your book illustrations out of the park with an unlimited design subscription. Here’s a quick demo to get you started.