“@everyone illustrator. I’m not kidding I had a terrible experience I paid someone for illustration services but unfortunately I didn’t receive anything. It’s frustrating to see people call themselves professionals but fail to deliver I lost my money and got nothing in return it’s disappointing to encounter liars who make big promises but can’t follow through. I only pay after the work is completed if you’re not okay with that don’t waste my time”
A message in one of the illustrator/author groups on Facebook caught my eye. I’m in a lot of those groups but I hardly ever respond to those kinds of messages. For every request, there are about 100 to 200 offers from “I’ll do it for free” to “I’ll send you a DM”. The author gets overwhelmed and usually goes for the cheapest option where they get ripped off with their eyes wide open. Still, I felt personally attacked when I read this message, as if we were all scammers. It sometimes happened to me too, despite being so careful, a client refused to pay after finishing the project. Even if you work with contracts, you are not 100% safe from this kind of action. The client completely disappears and there is nothing you can do about it.
Since companies like Amazon and Ingram Sparks started with the option to easily publish books your book, not only the number of authors exploded but also the number of self-claimed illustrators. Of course, you not only become an illustrator by doing a four-year university at the art academy. You also learn to illustrate or make art by simply doing it a lot. And that’s where it goes wrong. Because in third world countries like Pakistan, India or the Philippines, a lot of wannabe illustrators think they can get rich quickly. A little cut and paste, a little bit of AI and they think thats all it takes to get rich.
How do you choose a good, reliable illustrator?
You have written your book with great care. So take the time to find the right person who can bring your story to life. Think about your budget, then look at which style suits your story. Make a list of three to five different illustrators. Scroll through their website, social media and read reviews. If you still like them, make an appointment for a Zoom call. Ask questions about how they work, what can you expect, deadlines, when the project can be completed, whether the illustrator can also do the design and formatting of the book, the royalties, contracts, is your story safe with the illustrator etc.
After such a conversation, an illustrator will have a better idea of what you are looking for and can therefore make a tailormade offer for you. You have now gathered so much information about different illustrators that you have a good idea of who is the best fit for your project.
To avoid disappointment like the author in this article, illustrators have created payment plans. Many illustrators charge one third of the amount for the sketches, one third halfway through the project and one third after finishing of the project. No professional illustrator charges the full amount at the start of the project.
Would you like to know more? Feel free to contact me to discuss what I can do for you.