How Hiring An Actual Illustrator (Not AI) Can Help Indie Authors Protect Their Publications & Sell More Books

Key Takeaways From This Article:

• You can use children's book pre-orders to fund the expense of hiring an illustrator who can produce custom illustrations for your children's books, from sketch to full color.
• The pre-order process (presenting, promoting, and validating your children’s book concept) can help lay the foundation for a profitable publication.
• As more people learn about the harm caused by AI, some will reject books created with AI, affecting potential readership.
• Don't believe the hype. If you feel like you must use AI art to get your book done, but you truly have your heart set on unique illustrations created by an illustrator, you can make it happen!
• Prompts-generated AI illustrations, with no other significant human contribution, are considered public domain and are not protectable under copyright laws.
  
  
  

Every children's book author deserves to know how it feels to receive the first email from their illustrator with character sketches attached. Your heart may race a little as you wonder if the characters will look how you imagined. Or will they be even better than what you imagined? This is truly one of the best parts of the publishing process. And your desire to introduce readers to your characters will help you overcome any challenges that may arise along your publishing journey.

If you have been thinking that AI-generated illustrations are your only option because they are less expensive or a quicker turnaround, but what you truly want is for your book to be illustrated by a talented artist who can create distinct characters for your story, I have great news for you: You can hire an illustrator and put yourself in a position to sell more books by doing so! Keep reading to learn how.

I have published two children's books, but my process for releasing each one was vastly different. I learned a great lesson from both experiences, as my debut children's book I Know I Can! was an instant success, while my second one, King Khalid is Proud, was a slow burn, initially with much less financial success and fanfare.

In 2012, when I was first inspired to publish a children’s book, I had no idea what it would take nor how much it would cost. I just knew I was committed to getting it done and to doing it well. I didn’t know exactly who I would need to make it happen beyond an illustrator, so my experience was certainly a learn-as-you-go process.

I will never forget the day I stumbled upon the Instagram profile of Daveia Odoi, an illustrator and brand designer. I knew right away that I wanted her to illustrate my book and I didn’t care what it would take to hire her. Because I'm often entrusted with new ideas and visions, and committed to getting most of them done, I usually have to act without knowing the budget or the exact plan of action. So when Daveia let me know it would cost thousands of dollars for her illustrations, I realized I did not have enough money to cover publishing expenses. Nevertheless, I knew I would get it done. And making that commitment ended up being one of my best decisions and lessons learned.

I remember telling Daveia that while I could not afford the cost of illustrating my entire book, I could afford to purchase a few illustrations that I would use to gauge interest in my book. After I received the illustrations, I launched a crowdfunding campaign centered on pre-ordering I Know I Can! and thankfully it worked. People loved the illustrations and the empowering messages so much that they were eager to help me publish.

Running the pre-order campaign was a gamechanger. I set a reasonable goal that I knew would both guarantee enough funding to complete my book and ship it to people who invested in my vision. Then something even better happened: I sold 400 copies within the first two weeks that my book was published, well beyond the 150 that were pre-ordered. Why? These sales were a direct result of the pre-order campaign that challenged me to present, promote, and validate my book idea before publishing. Consequently, I reached way more people than I would have otherwise. As a result, the people who missed the pre-order window were the first to order my book and thousands more have since then.

Now, for a cautionary tale. I Know I Can! did so well that the next time I was inspired to write a children's book, after seeing Fuuji Takashi's illustrations on Instagram, I no longer needed to fundraise because I invested the revenue from my first book into publishing my second one. However, I soon learned an important lesson from skipping the steps I took the first time: The pre-order process not only helped fund my book, it also helped me become great at marketing and selling my book concepts. Nobody was anticipating the release of my second book, so it took years for King Khalid is Proud to become as profitable and impactful as I Know I Can!

I’m currently developing an animated series. From my initial research, I already know it will be a costly endeavor. But I’m going to use the lessons I learned from publishing my first children's book and keep my eye on the prize by centering the joy it will bring to both children and adults. I’m certain that as I work towards yet another idea for which I have a steep learning curve, I will find the artists needed to produce a pilot that aligns with my values and respects the gifts and talents of my collaborators.

Because of my personal values, I will always choose actual illustrators/artists over AI. I was raised by a village who introduced me to the arts at a young age, so I have a lot of respect for artists of any form. And I believe artists should be paid for their talent. Moreover, the "intelligence" of AI is artificial because it's built upon the unauthorized use of intellectual property. As someone who has had art from my books stolen multiple times, so much that I have spent thousands in legal fees holding thieves accountable, AI art is just something I will never intentionally invest in. — So many platforms really do their best to sneak AI into everything! But as it relates to who I hire for my creative endeavors, they will always be artists who can take me from first sketch to completed project. 

As someone who owns multiple platforms that highlight books with Black characters, I do not police the use of AI. Wisdom has taught me that people will do not only what they want to do, but also what they believe they can do. I also recognize that we are not all operating with the same knowledge and understanding. Everyone is not aware of the harm AI causes to so many of our communities, both professionally and environmentally. As more people learn about the impacts of AI, they are less inclined to support AI-created children's books, limiting potential readership. Additionally, prompts-generated AI illustrations are not protected under current copyright laws. So illustrations generated in this manner are considered public domain, and therefore are available for anyone to use.

I hope that in reading this article, people who would prefer to work with an illustrator, but have resigned to using AI illustrations, will approach the publishing process knowing they can accomplish anything they set their minds to. Your story deserves the distinction of unique illustrations that can only be associated with your book. So, if you come across an illustrator whose work moves you, and that artist is accepting commissions, you can and should approach the artist thinking,You are an artist who can help bring my children’s book vision to life. And I will do whatever it takes to get my book published the way I envision. You deserve to publish the book of your dreams. And your readers will be grateful you did.

I have often been told that my children's books make readers believe in themselves. If you need some inspiration, listen to me read my book I Know I Can!, then listen to this reading of King Khalid is Proud for an extra dose. Remember, you got this!