Illustrating Question

Welcome to AW,

I just attended a talk by a children's writer. She informed us that the author of a children's book not only doesn't illustrate it, the author has no control over the illustrations. She explained that the manuscript is submitted in the same format as any short story. (Double spaced, 1" margins all around, etc.)
If you are the author,, you will NOT be the illustrator. If you are an Illustrator, you are an artist, and would not be using other artists' work.

mustangsally0000 said:

Not sure if I'm even doing this right. I'm new as of 40 minutes ago!

I'm illustrating my first children's book and have a question about using scrapbook paper in my illustrations. I was on some kind of chat area a moment ago and my computer froze up so I was unable to see posts.

Are there copyright laws about using scrapbook paper in illustrations? Sometimes the sheets will say "All rights reserved" on the back. I've yet to see an actual copyright on a sheet....but im just wondering what "all rights reserved means. I know that scrapbook companies have artists that create the prints and patterns for them so I'm wondering if that would cause unnecessary complications to an already complicated process of getting published. I don't want to go to all the work of putting this paper in my work if agents and publishers will just throw it out for that reason.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

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First, the question you asked - I would assume if the paper pattern is protected in some manner, it can not be used in a professional endeavor by you without permissions. So why complicate your illustrations by using questionable materials. but if it is crucial, you should research further before incorporating it.

But, more importantly, unless you are a professional artist, don't try to illustrate your own PB text if you intend to shop it for professional publication. Professional publishers prefer to pick a professional illustrator for PBs. And it may make it harder to sell your PB text if you illustrate it yourself.

If you are just doing it for fun or for self-publishing, then illustrate away, but I'd still avoid prtentially problematic materials whenever possible.

~suki

RJK said:

Welcome to AW,

I just attended a talk by a children's writer. She informed us that the author of a children's book not only doesn't illustrate it, the author has no control over the illustrations.

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I know an exception to this: Ursula Vernon's Dragonbreath series ( a graphic novel/ regular book combo), and her first children's book, Nurk, are illustrated by her. However, Ursula is one of those people with so much WIN that perhaps the normal rules do not apply.

lauraannwilliams said:

I know an exception to this: Ursula Vernon's Dragonbreath series ( a graphic novel/ regular book combo), and her first children's book, Nurk, are illustrated by her. However, Ursula is one of those people with so much WIN that perhaps the normal rules do not apply.

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Well, and to be fair, there are author/illustrators who write and illustrate their own books. There are those professional quality artists who can also write text. But they are less common than authors who do not illustrate.

It's also more common IMO in graphic novels than picture books for unpublished authors to do their own illustrations and to come in with an illustrating partner.

In PB, it's far, far more common to sell the text and the publisher chooses the illustrator.


So, if you are professional quality artist (ie, could get hired as a professional illustrator for other people's books) then give it a go.

And, it is perfectly acceptable for a writer to decide for herself that she would rather not sell the book then have it illustrated by someone else. That's the writer's choice.

But it does make it more difficult to sell if you insist on querying the text and illustrations as a package.

So, if you are not talented enough to be a professional illustrator for other people's books, then I'd really consider hard whether to risk not selling your text by insisting on doing your own illustrations...

~suki

If Mustangsally wishes to illustrate her own books, and insist that they be published with her illustrations, then that's her business and I wish her luck. I pointed out that doing this is not the standard route to publication. The author who gave us our presentation wrote for 11 years before her first book was published, so Children's books appear to be just as tough a market as any other.
Deviating from the norm is like swimming upstream in the fastest branch of the river. It's much easier to go with the flow.