A picture book wouldn’t be a picture book without illustrations! But the artwork comes into the picture (pun intended) later than you might think. So how do you know when to illustrate your picture book?
The answer depends on which category you fall into:
Author pursuing traditional publishing
Author pursuing self-publishing
Author/illustrator
What if you don’t yet know whether you’ll be self-publishing or trying to secure a book deal? Don’t worry! If you’re not an illustrator, the beginning of the journey is the same either way:
Write first, then edit.
(If you are an artist, the process can be a bit different, and I’ll touch on that at the end.)
Why editing comes before illustrations
Before you can illustrate a story, you need to have a story. And whether they come from first-time authors or established bestsellers, manuscripts go through a lot of work before they’re ready to be produced as books.
Authors complete multiple rounds of self-revision. They engage beta readers and/or critique partners. If they’re self-publishing, they hire editors. (Some authors work with freelance editors before querying too.) During each of those revisions, there’s the potential to make a change that could affect the artwork.
Story-level changes
Many people don’t come into editing thinking, “I’m going to rework all of this.” But sometimes it happens—and not because the critique partner or editor is trying to impose their own ideas on the book, but because the author has received unexpected feedback that resonated with them, and they’ve chosen to make a change.
Sometimes the story changes significantly through the course of revisions. I’ve worked with authors who’ve changed endings, who’ve added or cut content, and who’ve rewritten their entire manuscripts.
Sometimes the changes don’t affect the plot or themes, but would still fundamentally change the artwork. One of my clients chose to change their characters from animals to humans (and it was no problem, since the story was still just in text form). In one of my own manuscripts, I shifted the setting from a forest to a garden—not a big change thematically, but certainly a different visual scene.
Line-level changes
Once the story is solid, it might seem safe to work on the illustrations … right? Not so fast. Even at the line level, a little change can have a ripple effect.
During stylistic editing, I’ve seen authors move a line from the end of one paragraph to the start of another so they could increase the suspense of a page turn. In one of my texts, I received edits suggesting that a particular vocabulary word may have been too much of a stretch, so I picked a new one.
These little adjustments don’t always make a difference to the illustrations, but if you need to adjust a detail that is shown in the artwork, then it’s best to do so before the illustrations are done.
When to illustrate if pursuing traditional publishing
If you’re a picture book writer who’s pursuing traditional publishing, you do not need an illustrator.
When you query agents, you will submit a text-only manuscript. Your agent will then pitch that text-only manuscript to publishers.
When you get a book deal, the publisher will select (and pay for) an illustrator. Your agent or editor might ask whether you have any ideas about artists or art styles (or they might not). The choice of illustrator is up to the publisher.
When to illustrate if pursuing self-publishing
It’s best to have your developmental and stylistic (aka line) edits finished before your illustrator begins their work. As the previous examples showed, changes to the text can change the content the illustrator has to work with for each page.
Many authors choose to finalize their manuscript entirely before hiring an illustrator. Others prefer to book the illustrator anyway, especially if they’re scheduling months in advance (but be careful: your editor of choice might be too!). Some choose to move forward with preliminary steps like character sketches while the book is being edited but hold off on storyboarding until the text is finalized.
As a self-publisher, it’s up to you to juggle the competing schedules of the service providers you work with, but the safest bet is to finish the book first, then move on to illustration.
There’s one step in the editing process that comes after illustrations, and that’s proofreading. Proofreaders look at the final, illustrated, laid-out work from cover to cover.
Related: Intro to the Editing Process
Oops! I did my illustrations first. Now what?
If you’re reading this and you’ve already started (or finished!) working with an illustrator, don’t fret! You’re certainly not alone, and it doesn’t mean your book can’t be edited.
When a client comes to me with an illustrated book, I like to get a copy of the illustrations so I can see them as I’m editing. If there are two possible edits I could make and one aligns better with the illustrations that already exist, then that’s what I’ll suggest.
But sometimes there isn’t an easy solution, and that’s where an author can find themselves between a rock and a hard place.
What if the editor points out that the second half of your book is about a kid learning to swim but the first half focused on their gymnastic prowess—but you have pages of pool-themed illustrations finished?
What if, in your rhyming book, the editor says that “coffee” doesn’t fit your metre but “tea” would—but your illustration shows a bag of coffee beans?
Related: Taking the Stress Out of Metre and Stress
These are made-up examples, but each is based on a real situation I’ve run into in an edit. When illustrations come first, sometimes authors have to make a decision: Do they leave an issue in their book that they would otherwise want to resolve? Or do they extend their timeline and budget to redo the artwork?
When to illustrate as an author/illustrator
If you’re a professional author/illustrator, then it’s up to you! I know illustrators who start with the text and then sketch from there, and I know illustrators who draw out an entire storyboard before adding a single word.
Do what works for you—but remember that the same principles of revision will apply to your work too. If you like to work with a fully realized idea (even if it means redoing parts later), then go for it. If you prefer to stay in sketching mode until you know you’re ready to move ahead, then that works too.
And, of course, if you’re planning to query agents, be sure to follow their submission requirements for your manuscript and artwork.
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I know it’s exciting to move on to the artwork—picture books come to life through pictures, after all!—but take your time to refine your story first. You’ll be glad you did.
If you have a picture book manuscript that’s ready for some feedback, send me a message! I’d love to discuss how we can work together to prepare your story for its next steps.
Related: Editing Picture Books without the Pictures [guest post for Editors Canada]