“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!” Part 9: A Book is Born!

This is Part 9 and the LAST post in my blog series on publishing a children's book.  If you missed the first articles, read
“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!”: Part 1!
Part 2: Know your Publishers!
Part 3: Two Ways to Self-Publish
Part 4: Self-publishing Author’s First Step
Part 5: Choosing Your Self-publishing Company
Part 6: Meet Your Illustrator!
Part 7: Hiring Your Illustrator
Part 8: The Illustrator’s Contract

Now your illustrations have been finished, your manuscript is edited, you have contacted a local book printer or on-line self-publishing company to finalize your book project order, and you are almost done!

At this point in the book process, you will submit all materials to your designer/printer or self-publisher. This will include your manuscript, the illustration scans or originals, a bio, and synopsis. You will leave all of these in another's hands now.

Except for a few follow-up questions from the publishing company or designer/printer (text style/size, spine wording, end page info...), you will have what will seem like a long wait before seeing proofs. A proof is the sample you use to do a final check for errors. It typically takes the online publishers 3 to 4 months to produce your proofs, minimum 2 months if you want to pay more to speed that up. Local printers/book designers may be able turn that work out more quickly depending on the number of clients they have.  It will take another 3-4 weeks for a self-publishing company to set up all of the on-line sales, web sites, etc. If you have ordered promo materials, expect that to take even longer. So start working on something else and don’t drive yourself crazy!

When your proofs are sent to you for approval, CHECK THEM and if you can, have someone else look them over, too. Often if there are any changes that need to be made (not publisher/printer error) you will have to pay extra for those changes and edits. Once the proofs are approved by you, the book printing will be ready to begin.

Finally, in a couple of weeks, your actual shiny new book will arrive, which will hopefully meet all of your expectations. Now, you must market and sell it, but that is a whole other blog topic for another time...

So here’s what that long-awaited day is like:
The mail carrier leaves the parcel at your door. You run to pick it up. It has the post mark from the publisher! It’s here! You tear open the edge of the padded envelope, and inside you see... your book! With your title, your name, your cover! It smells like new paper and ink. It’s shiny and colorful and just what you’d hoped. You hug it and then flip through the pages. Yes, yes, they are all there! No more nightmares that you forgot something. You hug your book again. The book you imagined has become a reality. Enjoy the moment!

I hope this blog series has been helpful to those of you who have thought, “Hey, I have a great idea for a children’s book!...”  Whether you go through a traditional publisher or self-publish, do it because you love it. Believe in yourself and your project. Good luck, future authors!

By the way, YES, I do accept project inquiries from authors who are looking for an illustrator! I offer quotes depending on the scope and content of the project. Check out my web page, Kristine Daniels Studio, for a look at my portfolio and contact me if you are ready for the adventure!

“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!” Part 8: The Illustrator’s Contract

This is Part 8 of my blog series on publishing a children's book.  If you missed the first articles, read
“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!”: Part 1!
Part 2: Know your Publishers!
Part 3: Two Ways to Self-Publish
Part 4: Self-publishing Author’s First Step
Part 5: Choosing Your Self-publishing Company
Part 6: Meet Your Illustrator!
Part 7: Hiring Your Illustrator

Drafting a Contract
The contract between the author and the freelance illustrator is a very important document to have squared away before anything is made or paid.  Personally, I write up my own children’s book illustration contract form for my clients; some authors may wish to present their own drafts to the individuals they are hiring. You can have a lawyer draw up a contract or look yours over if you wish to spend the money on their advice. Having this agreement in writing is not 100% fool proof protection for the parties involved, but is part of conducting business in the most ethical and professional way possible. A good resource for model contracts and fees is the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing and Ethical Guidelines.

Contract Basics
 Here are some things that are standard in a children’s book illustrator’s contract:
• A typical illustrator contract gives the publisher (you) the exclusive LICENSE to reproduce the images for that specific book. The illustrator retains copyright of the images and the originals. If you want to purchase the originals, you can negotiate that, but it still does not allow you to use the images for anything you want. You can usually use the images for book publicity only.
• The illustrator provides rough sketches for approval then final works with a limited number of revisions. Additional revisions would be covered under another set of compensation rates if the illustrator agrees to do any at all.
The compensation package should be delineated clearly in this document (see last post).
• Specify the number, size and type of illustrations to be created.
• Include a clear project time table with specific deadlines.
• Subsidiary rights (the rights to use the illustrations aside from the first edition printing of the book itself) should be in agreement with the illustrator and cause for additional compensation.  This means you do not get to use the illustrations from your book to create and sell T-shirts and mugs, to use as images on your personal web page, to copy and/or revise for a future book you think they would work just as well for, for an e-book or video, for your own logo or letterhead, etc. unless you hammer that out in a contract.
• The author/publisher may use full/cropped illustrations and cover illustration/design for the book’s marketing and publicity in any media.
• The illustrator’s name should appear on the cover and credited whenever an image is used for print/web publicity.
• Typically, the illustrator will be paid in thirds (at contract signing, after rough sketches and upon delivery of final work).
• Some contracts have a "kill fee", which means if the project gets abandoned, the illustrator is paid a modified amount depending on the amount of work completed, or if in the case of royalties, a set fee if the book is not published and sold within a specified amount of time.

Holding Up the Author/Publisher's End of the Contract
• Remember that you will most likely have a limited number of revisions allowed without additional compensation, so plan the amount of work you need done and communicate generally what you want to see before the work starts.
• Clearly articulate any specific imagery or descriptions you feel are important to your story, but beyond that, trust the artist to do the job.
• Make your payments on time.
• If there are mutually agreed upon changes made to the original contract agreement, amend the contract in writing.
• Make the full/final payment when the work is in hand.
• Keep good records of payments, especially if paying in cash.
• Keep the illustrator apprised of the book production during and after the artwork is complete.
• If your contract includes a royalty clause, report your sales and pay out the royalties when promised.

The moment you’ve been waiting for is almost here: The mail carrier leaves the parcel at your door, you pick it up, tear open the edge of the padded envelope, and inside you see...

...check my next blog post to find out what is in the envelope!...

“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!” Part 7: Hiring Your Illustrator

This is Part 7 of my blog series on publishing a children's book.  If you missed the first articles, read
“Hey! I have a great idea for a children’s book!”: Part 1!
Part 2: Know your Publishers!
Part 3: Two Ways to Self-Publish
Part 4: Self-publishing Author’s First Step
Part 5: Choosing Your Self-publishing Company
Part 6: Meet Your Illustrator!

You wrote and edited your book, researched publishers, and perused illustrator portfolios. You know what you want your illustrations to look like and who you'd like to create them. Here's your next step:

Make contact: When you find the illustrator you’d like to hire, you should contact and inquire if they have the time or interest in your project. Briefly explain the time table for the project as well as the number of illustrations you will most likely need. Give the illustrator a basic overview of your needs and if possible provide a synopsis or manuscript for the illustrator to read.

(At this point, I recommend that if you are concerned about having your work “stolen” you should have already copyrighted your manuscript through the U.S. copyright office. I assure you this is not something to be overly concerned about, but protecting yourself and your project is always smart.)

If the person is interested in your project, follow-up with more information:
• Provide the most accurate information about your project as possible so you can both decide if this person is right for the project.
• Explain what your plans are for publishing now and/or future publishing options (if you plan to shop the book around to publishers later).
• Provide your project time-table and deadlines.
• Give them the specs and what you have in mind for materials. 
• Ask what the illustrator’s rates are or ask if they can provide a quote for your project.

Which reminds me... YES, you ARE going to have to PAY your illustrator.

If right now you are thinking you might be able to get a student or freelancer to do this for free or cheap, stop. Just stop. Illustrating a children’s book is a huge amount of work and time requiring specialized skills (if you want it done well, which I’m sure you do). You can’t expect someone to do this for “experience”, “exposure”, or for small royalty based on your sales. None of these will remotely compensate a person for the time and effort they will spend on your project. You will be taking advantage of someone, whether they are an experienced professional or novice.

Remember, paying your illustrator’s fees is no different than paying for any other expense tied into publishing your children’s book, expect for one thing: it’s the MOST IMPORTANT piece. You’ll pay your printer, shipper, retailer. etc. Of all of these people, including you, your illustrator will be investing the most labor and time in this project. Treat them accordingly. Remember that your reputation as an ethical business person is reflected in how you treat the people who work with and for you throughout this process and may effect your dealings with people in your future projects.

Fees & Compensation: There is a wide range of fees which depend on who the illustrator’s level of experience, demand, and the scope of the project, but generally for a full-color 32-page book, you should be paying a minimum of about $3500. And that would be a huge bargain. You can easily triple or quadruple that for a more experienced professional.

Many free-lancers want to be paid outright for their work with no tie-in to your sales. This is the easiest type of contract for all parties involved since you as the author do not have to deal with future sales reporting and sending out royalty checks, the author likewise is happy to be paid a satisfactory amount for services rendered.

The reality is that self-published books typically sell much less volume than traditional, so if you are intending to offer a royalty (% of book sales) as compensation, that will most likely not come close to what the artist’s time was worth.

An advance is non-refundable and paid for services regardless of how well the book sells. Typically, royalties are paid after a specified amount equalling the advance is sold, if ever. If you are offering royalties, it would be appropriate to give the illustrator an advance, or again they will most likely not make enough from sales to be considered fairly compensated.

Also, with a royalty contract, you will need to be responsible for reporting to the illustrator quarterly regarding sales and writing checks to that person for as long as your contract states or the book sells. That can be time consuming for self-publishers. And, you don’t get to blow this off if, for example, you only sold a couple copies, or none, this quarter. You are contractually obligated to follow through.

Now, a signed document with all of the agreements regarding the illustrator’s fees, work expectations and rights is VERY IMPORTANT for both parties. In my next post, I’ll run down those basics for you. Don’t skip this step!!