Work with the illustrators behind your favorite books
Whether youâre working on a childrenâs picture book, a fantasy map, or a nonfiction guide to flora and fauna, a professional illustrator can bring your book to life with artwork thatâs beautiful, genre-fluent, and made to leave an impression.
On Reedsy, meet top illustrators who work with major publishers and indie authors alike. The illustrators for hire on our marketplace have proven experience working on covers, spot use, and full-page spreads in the traditional and indie publishing spaces. Together, theyâve worked for The Roald Dahl Estate, Disney, and Nintendo, as well as for bestselling authors like Anthony Horowitz and George R. R. Martin.
We manually vet every illustrator and only accept the top 3% of applicants.
Hire a professional
Travis H.
Fantasy map illustrator. Clients include Penguin Random House and Sourcebooks.
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Stephanie B.
Professional illustrator/cover artist with 9 years of experience bringing to life fantastical stories of imagination, adventure, and romance
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Dora D.
Illustrator and designer with 10+ years of experience in creative business. I will create visual words that will support your story.
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Find an illustrator whose style speaks to you
Ready to discover the illustrator who can match your prose beat for beat? Reedsyâs illustrators work across a wide range of styles. Hereâs a glimpse â and there are 800+ more portfolios waiting just a click away. Browse our marketplace to explore all the options available and pick an illustrator whose work brings your vision to life.Â
Tips for choosing an illustrator
Style isnât the only factor you should consider when choosing illustration services. For a successful collaboration, follow these top tips:
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Narrow your search by genre. A book cover is one of the most powerful signals of genre a reader will encounter. A professional who specializes in your genre will be able to strike the right balance between what readers expect to see and the unique design elements that will characterize your book.
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Know what type(s) of illustration youâre looking for. When you request a quote for book illustration services, clearly establish the scope of the project. Do you only want an illustrated cover, or are you looking for interior illustrations as well? If you need multiple illustrations, how many? How detailed would you like them to be? This will help illustrators figure out if theyâre right for you and enable them to send an accurate quote.
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Look for illustrators in your price range. Once you have a shortlist of illustrators, youâre ready to think about cost. On Reedsy, you can request quotes from up to five professionals at a time to compare. Be honest about your budget, but donât rule anyone out just because they âlook expensive.â Itâs always worth requesting a quote to find out their rate.
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Ask about freelancersâ communication style. Some illustrators like to send regular updates, while others may prefer to get in touch as and when they need to. Make sure youâre on the same page about how often you will communicate and through which medium(s).
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Double-check how many revisions are included. All our illustrators welcome feedback on their drafts. However, some freelancers have specific policies on when and how often you can ask for revisions, so itâs worth checking this in advance.
Assemble your team
Request quotes from up to 5 professionals in your genre with a free Reedsy account.
Need help? Get 24/7 support from our dedicated team
In the rare case that something does go wrong â or if you simply need help getting started â our customer support team is always on hand. With 12 years in the industry, 30,000+ successful cover design and illustration projects, and 4.7â on TrustPilot, Reedsy is the go-to place for thousands of authors looking to hire a book illustrator.
