Get Published

Short 10 Step Guide: How I work With Publishing Houses when creating an illustrated book

This week, I thought of writing and filming a simplified guide about the process of making an illustrated book and working with a publisher (not covering self-publishing). This publication will cover everything from the negotiations to the final delivery of the work. I’m not covering the art part but the overall process, the negotiations, and, in the end, a few things I always check in the agreement and when licensing my work.

A new video is out, and it’s all about my last published book! This is a perfect video for all of you who are interested in the process behind illustrating a book (from the artist’s perspective), for inspiring book illustrators, and for anyone really who wants to know the steps that are usually followed in book illustration creation.

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Short 10 Step Guide: Creating an Illustrated Book

1. Getting approached: This is where it all starts; for most illustrators, the publishing house will be the one approaching you. An art director, an editor, or a graphic designer working for the publishing house can initiate the first contact to see if the project piques your interest. This first contact normally includes a high-level description of everything related to the project. In my case, most of the publishers came from my socials, my website, Behance and Instagram.

2. The Negotiations: If the project is of your interest, then we discuss the project details and budget and agree on deadlines, number of revisions, and other administrative details. It’s important to mention that this stage is key. Do not go into negotiations without knowing the pricing, for example, for a project similar to the one you are being proposed. This is a very important moment, so you can be sure you are in alignment with the publishers. Most publishing houses have very mature processes, that are clear, standard and straightforward, as they have been doing this for a long time.

3. The Agreement: I can’t stress this enough - I would not recommend starting any work without a prior written agreement. I learned this the hard way when I was an interior architect. Below, you’ll find some of the things I always make sure to include in my agreements. This is the document that will be the key element for a good relationship, where your and your client's rights are defined.

4. The Author’s Manuscript: The illustrator receives the author's manuscript to understand the narrative and themes, together with the creative brief.
   Note any specific scenes, characters, or elements that must be highlighted. This is the perfect time to ask any questions, clarifications, and doubts.

5. The Brief: This usually comes with the author’s manuscript, but here I would suggest you always make sure that the brief is clear. If you have everything, you can start creating work for the book. This is for me one of the most important elements, as it’s the best way to get info from the client and make sure you’re on the same page. Unless you’re given complete creative freedom, always make sure the brief you’re given is clear to you.

6. The Storyboarding: We normally begin with rough sketches of illustrations based on the brief and our artistic vision, but sometimes, we develop a storyboard first. This is something you can see in the video I’m sharing below.

7. The Sketching: This is where the fun starts. You take all the input from the client and the author's text and start creating black-and-white sketches of each of the pages. Once I’m happy with how they look, I send them to the client for review, always being mindful of the schedules agreed. Always be on time!

8. The Feedback: The initial sketches are presented to the publisher for feedback. We make revisions based on this feedback to ensure the illustrations align with the publisher’s vision and the book's narrative.

9. The Revisions: The final step is the creation of detailed, final illustrations. We will start working in color once the black-and-white sketches are approved. I often divide my process into three stages: I send the black-and-white sketches for review; once approved, I move to draft colors; once those are approved, I move to color; once those are approved, I move to…

10. The Final Work: This is the last part of the project. It is always the best part as you see your final work with all the pages next to each other. Most publishers have specific artwork delivery formats, file types, sizes, and color mode. I prepare all the files in a big folder, and I deliver them via WeTransfer. Once the publisher acknowledges the work is received in order, and that they are happy, the illustration part of work is done. The next thing will be to wait a few months till you get the book copy in your hands :)

Sometimes, not often, a few very small changes can be required after the final work delivery. But usually, it is something very small, and it rarely happens.

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Some things I always make sure are included in my contracts:

• A Cancellation Fee

• Clear amount of the rounds of revisions

• A clear delivery schedule and conditions

• Be sure you receive a few copies of the books

• Licence or right transfer does not happen till all fees are paid

• I always make sure the book metadata includes my name

• … some others, depending on the contract

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The time has come. Finally, I will open some limited spots for personalized one-on-one creative coaching sessions. This has been in the making for a long, very long time. Since the beginning, I have wanted The Creative Draft to be more than just a publication. I want to build a learning platform for artists, illustrators, and creatives.

Who is this for? This is for any illustrator, artist, or creative like you looking for some guidance, whether it concerns your art, your art skills development, portfolio review, professional art journey, art business strategy, client project, etc. In this 1.1 session/s, we can tackle a very specific question.

The coaching and mentorship sessions are next; after that, I will be activating The Creative Draft Hub (but I haven’t yet decided on the platform)

To ensure we’re a good fit and can help you, you’ll be asked to fill out a short form with questions about you and what you are looking for. If we are a fit based on what you need and what I can offer, we will email you directly and, together, choose a date for our session and talk about all the details.

To ensure each artist gets the best support possible and that we are a good match for each other, I only offer limited spots for our 1-on-1 sessions.

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