The best book illustrators for hire in the United Kingdom

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Emma 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

A freelance book cover designer with over 20 years of experience working across a wide variety of imprints at HarperCollins and LittleBrown.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Classics, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Little Brown
  • HarperCollins

Nick 5 star rating

London, United Kingdom

I am a book cover designer with 20 years experience. I have designed everything from thrillers, crime books and illustrated womens fiction.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • HarperCollins

Sarah 5 star rating

England, United Kingdom

Specialist children's book illustrator and designer, creating beautiful and engaging books and content.

Genres: Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, and Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Pearson Education
  • John Brown Media
  • Redan Publishing

Versatile illustrator, artist & digital sculptor for all your awesome sci-fi and fantasy art needs.

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Space Opera, Steampunk, Horror, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Freelance

I’ve been an illustrator since 2008 I work in editorial, publishing and advertising.

Genres: History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Classics, Fiction, Cultural & Ethnic, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Poetry, Steampunk, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Illustrator and designer with many years of experience, specializing in the science-fiction and fantasy genres.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Action & Adventure, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Edward 5 star rating

Brighton, United Kingdom

Graphic Design professional with over 20 years experience specialising in cover design and illustration.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Business & Management, Nature, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Fantasy, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Warner Music
  • Penguin Books UK
  • Self-employed

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Tom 5 star rating

Liverpool, UK

I'm a freelance artist and illustrator based near Liverpool, UK. I specialise in whimsical, fantastical and retro-futuristic art.

Genres: Gaming & LitRPG, Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

I am an illustrator with 5 years of experience I create bright narrative filled pieces of work that will be sure to catch readers eyes.

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Fiction, LGBTQ Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Lady Longhorn
  • Self-employed

Award-winning graphic designer, author and artist with 25+ years experience in cover design, layout, typography and illustration.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Non-Fiction, Design, Photography, Writing & Publishing, Entertainment, Economics, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Political Science & Current Affairs.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Tate
  • The Guardian
  • AGM
  • APN New Zealand
  • The Independent

Award winning designer with over twenty years experience. Produced covers for Penguin, Faber, Vintage, Folio Society and more.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Classics, Espionage, Thriller & Suspense, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Psychological Thriller, Poetry, Middle Grade Fantasy, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Illustrator specialising in vibrant covers for adult & children's fiction/non-fiction. Bloomsbury Publishing, The Guardian, The WSJ

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Classics, Contemporary Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, Contemporary Romance, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Neo Creative
  • Self-employed
  • Virtue / Vice DACH
  • Strukt Vienna

Whimsical, feathery and playful illustrator with a traditional flavour. Specialized in children's books, animals and starry skies.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Children’s Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Nature, Poetry, and Middle Grade Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Illustrator based in the South West who loves to make bold, playful and colourful full of characters.

Genres: Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, Math & Science, Non-Fiction, Physics & Chemistry, Children’s Non-Fiction, Education & Reference, Mathematics & Statistics, and ELT.

Work experience:

  • Dorling Kindersley
  • Self-employed

Book designer and illustrator with 7+ yrs in publishing. I specialise in books on art, culture, history, nature, philosophy & mythology.

Genres: Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, History, Children’s Non-Fiction, Philosophy, Education & Reference, Earth, Space, & Environmental Sciences, Math & Science, Nature, and Comics Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Dorling Kindersley, London
  • Dorling Kindersley, India
  • Batsford Books

I'm a passionate and creative book designer with over 20 years experience.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Sports & Outdoors, True Crime, Political Science & Current Affairs, Humanities & Social Sciences, History, Education & Reference, Economics, and Business & Management.

Work experience:

  • Packt
  • Bloomsbury Publishing
  • Biteback Publishing
  • Grade Design
  • Self-employed

With over 20 years as a designer I can create for you an eye catching and professional book cover design that will get your book noticed.

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Music, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Historical Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Ghost Design
  • Allcity Media
  • Self-employed
  • Various

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Hire the best book illustrators in the UK

You’ve done the hard work of getting a story on paper. Now let us help you find the perfect illustrator to bring your words to life.

In many genres, particularly those for a younger audience, the words and the pictures will become intertwined. Both should complement the other perfectly. If you think back to your most beloved children’s books, chances are that you still vividly remember the art that brought the story to life in front of your very eyes. So whether you’re publishing a children’s book or a technical piece of writing, your story deserves the illustrations that can illuminate it and take it to the next level.

But how can you find the perfect illustrator for your story? It’s probably not a surprise that talented illustrators are highly in-demand. But it’s not enough to simply be gifted. The ideal illustrator should have previously worked in your genre and have years of experience in the industry. More importantly, their style of illustration must match with your own unique voice.

If you’re struggling to find the right book illustrator to fit this profile, Reedsy can step in. Our book illustrators have worked for the biggest publishers and the most prestigious illustration agencies in the UK. We rigorously vet and accept only the top 3% of talent in the industry to ensure that you’re seeing the best freelancers available. What’s more, our platform lets you browse each illustrator’s individual gallery, so that you can get a feel for their illustration style before you commit to a collaboration. So what are you waiting for? Simply sign up for a free Reedsy account today to meet the perfect book illustrator for hire in the UK who can breathe life into your story.

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Step 2

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Step 3

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Request quotes from up to five freelancers at any time. They’ll look at your sample pages to give you a tailored quote as well as a sense of how they work.

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