Thursday, November 15, 2007

Submitting illustrations with text

My husband and I have written a short children's book which my husband would also like to complete the illustrations for. How do you suggest we submit the book? Should we have the manuscript and illustrations separate from each other, or put the relevant text under each picture? Also, what percentage do publishers take?

What you should submit depends on what the agent or publisher asks for. If they say 'no illustrations', then don't include them. But if you're submitting the whole thing as a picture book, the best thing you can do - to show you're professional - is lay out the text with the pictures as if it were a book. This will require a bit of thought, to see how the text will fit on the page with the illustrations, and you may find it helps you rework the text if needed. Laying out the text with illustrations makes it easier for the publisher to envisage the final book. As for how much they take - that depends on the contract. A standard book royalty is 10% to the author, although with children's books it's often less.

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