How we create books
Finding the right illustrator
When we need a book illustrator, we give potential illustrators a brief saying what age group the book is intended for, what kind of ‘look and feel’ we want (with examples if we have them) and the specifications for the book (page size and page extent). We ask the illustrator to send in ideas as sketches (black-and-white will do for this purpose). If we like what we see then we ask for colour samples.
What's next
From the colour samples we decide whether the work has the right qualities - whether the characters look right, the colours are right for what we want, the composition properly balanced and so on.
We give appropriate feedback to the illustrator and seek further samples if necessary.
If we do not think that the particular illustrator's work will meet the needs of the particular book then we will seek someone else.
Producing the book
When we are satisfied that the illustrator understands and can produce what we are looking for, we commission the work.
The illustrator may be the one to complete the book layout with text or we may assign a graphic designer to combine pictures and text.
The book is then ready for the final print production process.
