How to Brief an Illustrator

So you have decided to hire an illustrator to create the artwork for your children's book. It is important you supply the illustrator with the right information so they can create the artwork to best suit your needs.

Style
If the artist/illustrator has more than one style make sure you specify the one you would like them to use. This may seem obvious but it is quite often forgotten and can leave you with a surprise when you receive the final artwork in the completely wrong style. If you have a specific colour pallet in mind this is also important to mention.

Format
It is important to know the format you require your illustrations in before approaching an illustrator. They cannot create artwork without a size specification. If you are thinking about distributing your book through multiple distribution channels like print, eBook, iPad etc make sure you state all of these sizes when briefing the illustrator. The artwork will need to be formatted to suit the size and display of all of these channels. Stating this before the creation of the artwork can save you a lot of work and money in the long run rather than having to try and reformat them afterward. Print specifications vary from printer to printer so make sure you speak with your printer and find out how they like their files supplied. Most printers require 3-5mm bleed however it is very time consuming to add more on later so make sure you know the exact bleed your printer requires.

State the file format you would like the final illustrations supplied to you in. Most of the time .jpeg is the most suitable. You can also ask for the original files the illustrator builds the images in. This could be helpful later down the track if you need to alter or use images for marketing purposes.

Illustrator notes
You can supply the illustrator with notes of what you want happening in each image/page. This is not necessary as illustrators are very creative and can come up with amazing ideas. Most of the time it depends on how descriptive the story is and how much control you are willing to give the illustrator. If you write notes keep it simple e.g. two kids playing with a ball on the beach. Don’t go into descriptions of composition and clothing, this is the illustrators job and they know more about these aspects than you so trust them. By writing too many notes you can cut off all their creativity and end up with very boring images.

Timeline
Together with the illustrator work out a timeline for the entire project. Make sure you both understand the requirements for each deadline and who is in charge of actioning it. As well as setting a deadline for the final artwork to be complete set dates for the drafts and changes to be supplied. Always allow more time than you think something will take. You are better to overestimate and receive the work early than underestimate and miss other production deadlines.

Budget
Make sure both you and the illustrator have a clear understanding of the budget. Most illustrators will supply you with a quote before they start any work on the project. It is unusual for an illustrator to work for an hourly rate with no estimated hours or quote supplied. The only time this is necessary is when the size or length of a project is unknown. Most illustrators will quote you per illustration. This is the clearest and easiest way for both you and the illustrator to work. The price per illustration can range from $30-$1000 depending on the expertise, style and experience of the illustrator. Most of the time you get what you pay for the cheaper they are the less the quality of the artwork.

I am an illustrator and am always looking for exciting new stories to work on. Check out my website and feel free to contact me http://www.amyburrell.com/

How to Write a Successful Children's Book

Writing a children's book is not as easy as it seems. Many people make the mistake of thinking because the language for young readers is so simple that anyone can do it. When I look back at my first attempt I am embarrassed to say I was one of these people. In fact I would say writing for children is harder than writing for adults as there is a lot more to consider.
Here are some key points I think improved my understanding of children's writing the most.

Firstly young readers are not only developing there understanding of reading and words but they are also developing there understanding of the world in general. There is a lot that goes over their heads. The age group you are writing for is very important. A lot of publishers have very narrow age groups or reading levels for each book. The development of learning to read is a very fast process so the books need to fit the exact market they are aimed at.

The things children are interested in are a lot different from what adults find captivating. If you have no children in your life it might be a good idea to spend some time with some before you start trying to write. A lot of the ideas you will have should be worked at a lot before you end up with the final story. Try not to get to attached to your story at the beginning, allow it to develop fully.

There are a lot of writing tools that are used to create an interesting story. The plot is the most important part of your story and it is something a lot of writers get wrong. There is an art to creating a successful plot and it is something worth getting right. I found going to libraries and book stores and reading as many children's books as possible helped me understand the importance of a strong plot.

My advice to anyone wanting to start writing for children would be to do your research. The reason so little people end up with a successfully published book is because most people are to lazy to do the appropriate research. A couple of books I read which I feel gave me a great starting base of knowledge were:

Writing Children's Books For Dummies
This book covers all the aspects of writing from the idea through to the finished manuscript. It was easy to read and I feel it gave me an overall view of the types of books out there.

How to Write a Children's Book and Get It Published
This book was quite helpful, I think it give a pretty thorough overview of the process and how to go about producing your own storybook.

Writing and Illustrating Children's Books for Publication (Writing & Illustrating Children's Books for Publication)
This book is a lot different than the other two, its a bit older and a completely different format. It is more like a story book with lots of coloured images and examples. I found it very easy to read but some of the advice might be a little outdated.

I hope this helps everyone get started and begin their journey wrting for children. Feel free to comment on this post with other usefull books you have found.