Illustrations in novels?
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I've included an illustration on each of my six part pages. I will self-publish, so I don't know anything about traditional publication of a novel with illustrations.You might find it on the web.
I love them. A friend of mine recently self published her literary "gentle" post apoc story.
She did black and white portrait sketches for each character and landscape sketches for the start of each chapter. It's gorgeous. The whole thing is written using a "journal" framing device so ostensibly done by the POV char.
Is it alright if I link to her fb page as an example? I'm not promoting myself, or her directly; there's no sales there. Just shows the art and how the book looks.
https://www.facebook.com/cultofsasha/
She did black and white portrait sketches for each character and landscape sketches for the start of each chapter. It's gorgeous. The whole thing is written using a "journal" framing device so ostensibly done by the POV char.
Is it alright if I link to her fb page as an example? I'm not promoting myself, or her directly; there's no sales there. Just shows the art and how the book looks.
https://www.facebook.com/cultofsasha/
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I've been reading the queryshark archives, and she has some thoughts about mentioning illustrations in queries:
http://queryshark.blogspot.com/2016/06/279.html
What I gather from her advice is not to mention illustrations in a query, and that the author doesn't get much of a say with the illustrations in the traditional publishing world.
Good luck in getting what you want.
http://queryshark.blogspot.com/2016/06/279.html
What I gather from her advice is not to mention illustrations in a query, and that the author doesn't get much of a say with the illustrations in the traditional publishing world.
Good luck in getting what you want.
They affect the bottom line. Graphics won't sell more books and they add to the unit cost. You will have to sell this hard to agents and publishers alike.
-cb
My thoughts run towards the stated goal - "...doing this one for me...". When feeling "... COMPELLED to include illustrations. " maybe what anyone else thinks is immaterial.
That said, illustrations in most fiction, pulls my attention from the story and limits my imagination by providing the one and only image permissible. Fiction, for me, means letting my mind create the images, not some artist who has no idea how my mind works.
The exception is SF/F where maps and other visual charts help nail down the reality - even if for a small time - of the make-believe world. But that might be my decades of experience using maps and charts to get from A to B and gives my preferences some bias.
Doubtful unit cost is a consideration. Just look at the popularity of picture books for all age ranges - they're popular because readers like them enough to buy them.
Looking at what you like and how you feel about illustrating the book, maybe you should just go with those feelings and do it. Maybe even consider a collaboration with the artist to include even more images?
Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.
That said, illustrations in most fiction, pulls my attention from the story and limits my imagination by providing the one and only image permissible. Fiction, for me, means letting my mind create the images, not some artist who has no idea how my mind works.
The exception is SF/F where maps and other visual charts help nail down the reality - even if for a small time - of the make-believe world. But that might be my decades of experience using maps and charts to get from A to B and gives my preferences some bias.
Doubtful unit cost is a consideration. Just look at the popularity of picture books for all age ranges - they're popular because readers like them enough to buy them.
Looking at what you like and how you feel about illustrating the book, maybe you should just go with those feelings and do it. Maybe even consider a collaboration with the artist to include even more images?
Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.
It's just pennies, really. But even 5 cents of ink, copyright, and print setting per unit and you print out 100K unit? That's 5 grand that needs to be plucked out of someone's pockets. Not the publisher's. Not the printer's. Not the agent's. Not the libraries'. Yours.
-cb
This. Get your illustrator to do the cover if you self publish, but don't put illustrations in until it at least gets an agent. Then ask them.
Jeff
Support your supposition with figures.
Buyers always pay for the cost of publication, and considering the popularity of picture books, no one but you seems to care about that.
Whaaa...?
Picture books, children's books, comic books, graphic novels... They all have illustrations. That's why they are what they are. So picture books aren't even in the realm of this discussion.
Your other assertion is plain false. Books sell at price points. A book selling for $24.99 in hardcover isn't going to be listed at $25.04 because it costs five cents to add an illustration. That nickle is part of the production cost of the book, and no publisher will eat any cost if they can sell the same number of copies without that cost.
You want figures, but they don't actually matter. No industry adds expenses unless it will end in increased profits. American Airlines increased profits by $100,000 a year. They eliminated one olive from the salad. Northwest Airlines saved $500,000 a year by cutting limes into 16 wedges instead of 10. That dinner you had on your anniversary at the nice restaurant? The menu options were decided by cost of producing those options.
If you really want to add illustrations to your next novel, feel free to do so. If the novel is good enough, it may get published. If the illustrations are necessary, and good enough, they'll get included. But it's far from the norm.
Jeff
Jeff, I'm not disagreeing that most successful profitable companies operate the way you suggest. However, not all companies have the same profit motives or cost structures.
Business decisions aren't nearly as black and white as you're suggesting.
I imagine that some publishers will eat that cost if they believe in the book. I don't know how many publishers there are like that, that place art over profit, but I imagine they're out there. Maybe not for very long if they don't make money.
It's also possible that the most popular entree is the least profitable one. The restaurant may not be able to pull the entree without losing a huge part of the customer base, and may not be able to increase the price because part of the appeal is its affordability. So the option becomes keep serving the popular entree and suffer poor profitability, or close the doors permanently.
Agree that it's not very likely to get included, but this isn't what you said earlier about 'no publisher' would include illustrations if they would sell the same number of books.
Business decisions aren't nearly as black and white as you're suggesting.
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The loss leader logic works well when you have a portfolio of products. Here we are talking about only one product: THE book.
At the end of the day someone has to pay for the illustrations and it boils down to either end of the retail chain: the consumer, or the author.
MikeL is gone.
-cb
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I'm currently working on an illustrated novel right now, each chapter will have a small picture as I'm also an artist. When I get around to queries I'm planning on mentioning the illustration but not including them in the sample. In part I was inspired by the book fangirl as the special edition came with pictures which I loved! Since the MC of my book is a comic book artist, I thought it would be a fun thing to try!
I think it's a great idea!
I think it's a great idea!
Adding this to my read list! This is totally the thing I want to try! I love this!
If you want total control, self publish. I'm a professional illustrator, making my living doing things like map illustrations that either go into self published books, or are commissioned by publishing houses. I would definitely, if I traditionally published, push to try get them to let me do my own map illustration at the very least. Realistically, I will likely do myself maps just for my own satisfaction. I would not include them in either my query or sample pages.
I love illustrations in books, especially surprise illustrations in adult books. Remember you can also include illustrations on your author webpage, or sell art prints, or make a limited run art book, even if they don't get printed in the actual book.
I love illustrations in books, especially surprise illustrations in adult books. Remember you can also include illustrations on your author webpage, or sell art prints, or make a limited run art book, even if they don't get printed in the actual book.