Illustrations or Layout? Which Comes First?

 

Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer

I read an interesting article from a reputable self-publishing service (1106 Design). The article explains that the best way to produce a children's picture book is to create the interior layout before getting the illustrations done.

This is something I hadn't thought of. But it makes so much sense.

I write a lot of stories for clients, and in the past, that was usually the end of my involvement. That is aside from providing my clients with the names of two or three illustrators and book designers to work with after they have completed manuscripts. But I usually didn’t go beyond that. 

I provide the list because most people new to the writing arena aren't aware of the next steps. They need help.

I’ve since created a self-publishing service for my clients because I know they need help, and I know how many scammers are out there.

So, here are the next steps once you have a completed manuscript, whether you wrote it yourself or had it ghostwritten.

THE DIY BEGINNING 

 Start with the Story

The first step to self-publishing a picture book is having a finished manuscript. 

Once that's done, the author hires an illustrator who creates the interior illustrations, and usually the front and back covers.

How Many Illustrations, What Size, and the Layout

At this point, the author needs to discuss with the illustrator how the book is to be laid out.

Does the author want an illustration on each page? On every other page?

Keep in mind that having an illustration on every other page cuts the number of interior illustrations needed in half. This cuts the cost of interior illustrations in half. It’s a huge factor, and the decision is usually based on the author’s budget.

Once that's decided, the illustrator and author decide if full-page, half-page, quarter-page, or spot illustrations should be used, or a combination. Keep in mind that the type of illustration determines the cost. 

The article I mentioned earlier notes that it's best to let the illustrator lay out the pages for the text and illustrations. It creates a much more professional and engaging finished product.

If you look at books like “The Berenstain Bears”, "D.W. The Picky Eater" by Marc Brown, or even “Sophia Mouse” (a simple chapter book), the text can be anywhere on the page. But it needs to work with the illustrations.

You want to be able to easily read the text.

This is why your illustrator needs a copy of the manuscript to create the layout before creating the illustrations. This way, the illustrations fit the space allotted to them.

A great way for you to determine how you want your picture book to look is to do some research. Find books that you like and let your illustrator know what look you'd like to go for.

So, when going into this, find out whether the illustrator inputs the text.

I work with an illustrator who doesn’t even input the cover text. 

Know what you’re getting into.  

If the illustrator doesn’t input the text, you will need to request that he ensure he leaves enough room for it.

This goes for chapter books as well. 

Your Illustrations are Done

Once the illustrations are done, the illustrator will give you a PDF file or the individual illustrations, including the cover. You will send everything, including the manuscript, to the book designer/formatter. 

The book designer will put it together. You will, however, need to explain which illustration goes on which page and where on the page. A good formatter will know what to do.  

When done, the book formatter or designer will give you print-ready files for ebook and print upload to sites like Amazon (retailer and distributor), IngramSpark (aggregator), or whatever retailer or book distributor you intend to use.

This is the Do-It-Yourself way.

AN ALTERNATIVE

If the above seems like too much work, you do have an option: hire a self-publishing company to do it all for you.

Before I go on, picture RED FLAGS here.

There are A LOT of companies out there that just want your money. And every year, they’re getting more devious. So, BUYER BEWARE. 

Research, research, research self-publishing companies before handing over your money.

Once you find a reputable company, they will take your manuscript and illustrations and put the book together for you.

Some of these companies even offer illustrations, making your life easier. 

Just be sure the self-publishing company handles children's picture books. This is very important. And make sure the illustrators they hire are experienced.

One reputable company is 1106 Design. Just keep in mind that the convenience comes at a price. 

If you're a children's author and have a picture book or simple chapter book, a reasonably priced option is  Writers on the Move Self-Publishing Service. 

AGAIN, be careful. 

To read the 1106 Design article, click the link: https://www.1106design.com/2017/01/25/want-to-publish-a-beautiful-childrens-book-heres-how

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

 Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, working ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach. If you’d like to learn more about writing for children or  need help with your story, visit Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi. 

You can check out Karen’s books HERE.

Connect with Karen on SOCIAL MEDIA. 

 

Story or Illustrations, Which Comes First?

Contributed by Karen Cioffi

While most authors know the answer to the title question, whether story or illustrations come first in picture books, some newbies don’t.

The story should be written first then the illustrations should be created to enhance each scene (page or spread).

My reason for writing this article is because of a rewrite client I had. She created her own illustrations, which were good, but she wrote the story around her illustrations.

The sole purpose of the story was to describe the illustrations through a very weak storyline.

For this article, I’ll say she visited the pyramids in Egypt and the protagonist's goal was to find the largest pyramid.

He trekked through Egypt and talked about the things he saw on his quest, which related to the illustrations.

Being an artist, she wanted her readers to SEE everything she saw. She tried to incorporate as many tidbits of information about her journey into the story, and she wanted to do it visually.

The storyline and the characters were there just for the illustrations.

This doesn't work.

The story and the illustrations should complement each other. The illustrations enhance the story; they show what's not written.

The story itself must be properly written with story and character arcs.

While her primary focus was the illustrations, she did want an engaging and marketable fiction story to go with the illustrations, and after a couple of critiques realized what she created didn't work.

That's when she came to me.

I've worked from illustrations before. It was another rewrite project, but those illustrations were created for the story. I was able to rewrite the story around them.

With the pyramid client, the illustrations were the focal point. It's not a good idea to force a story around illustrations.

You may feel you have leeway if you're self-publishing, but if you want a quality book that you’ll be proud to be the author of and one that will engage readers, you need to follow the rules of writing for children.

As for my client, I recommended she create nonfiction books. This way she could spotlight the illustrations without bogging them down with a forced fiction story.

So again, a fiction story should be written before the illustrations are created.

But... there are no ironclad rules.

There are certain circumstances where text can be written around the illustrations. This could happen if you're working on a picture book with an illustrator. Or if the book is created primarily to tell the story through illustrations for young children.  You get the idea.

The general rule: Story first then illustrations.

This article was first published at:
https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/2017/05/21/picture-books-story-or-illustrations/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author. She runs a successful children’s ghostwriting, rewriting, and coaching business and welcomes working with new clients.

For tips on writing for children OR if you need help with your project, contact her at Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi.

And, check out Karen's The Adventures of Planetman picture book series, along with her other books.

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