Illustrations

[Silverwolf]

I know this is a dumb question, but does anyone know how to get an illustrator for a book?:confused::D

[Andy]

Doesn't the publisher handle that? Or are you thinking of self-publishing?

[Shaun]

It depends what you're looking for and for what purpose. If you are writing a book that would go well with illustrations, but is more about the text than the images, then a publisher would take care of that if you were to go that route. Otherwise you can go to places like Deviant Art and find folks with artistic styles that fit what you're looking for and approach them with an offer (you have to pay, obviously).

If you're looking to do a graphic novel, picture book, children's book, or anything where the illustration is more important than the text, relatively speaking, then you would have to find someone ahead of time. Again, Deviant Art is a fantastic place for that. You can also patrol the webcomic sites such as SmackJeeves. Sometimes you'll find folks looking to collaborate there. Or you can ask around on YWO to see if anyone draws in the way you like and see if they've be willing to work with you.

You can also try putting an ad up on Craigslist. Make sure to put the ad up in a place that is known for its arts community (San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Seattle, and a few others). If you don't get the response you're looking for in one place, rotate the ad every week. I've done that with the SBS ads, which has led to getting submissions from all across the country. Folks who are looking for freelance work generally go to these larger artistic hubs rather than they're local areas. If you want to find a local artist, though, then you should stick to your local area in Craigslist.

The thing is, very few people are willing to work for free. You might find a good artist who likes your project and simply wants to work on something, but most professionals are going to want money. If you don't have money, that's okay, just realize that it will be harder to find people who will stick with you through the project, etc. As sad as it sound, money creates loyalty...

[Silverwolf]

Thanks so much!:D