The best book illustrators for hire in the United States

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Kelly 5 star rating

Wilmington, DE, United States

I love how good design can complete a writer's vision and make it engaging. Fantasy, thrillers, historical and fiction really get me going.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Fantasy, Poetry, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Thriller & Suspense, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, and New Adult.

Work experience:

  • Four Dog Creative
  • Delaware Today
  • Delaware Bride
  • Self-employed

Candice 5 star rating

Iowa City, IA, United States

Award-winning fantasy illustrator. 100% hand-made with no generative AI. Providing cover design, typography, marketing assets, and more!

Genres: Middle Grade Fantasy, Children's, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Gaming & LitRPG, and New Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Bovard Studio, Inc.

Penny 5 star rating

Holbrook, United States

I have been lucky enough to work as a Children's Book Illustrator since 2007.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, and Middle Grade.

Work experience:

  • self employed

Lesley 5 star rating

White Plains, NY, United States

Creative art director and book cover designer specializing in commercial woman's fiction, young adult, and romance.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, African American Fiction, Anthologies, Women's Fiction, Mystery & Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House (Formally Penguin Group USA)
  • Penguin Group USA
  • St. Martin's Press
  • Tor Publishing Group

Caroline Teagle 5 star rating

Brooklyn, NY, United States

I am not accepting any new requests to collaborate at this time.

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Women's Fiction, Entertainment, Mystery & Crime, True Crime, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Penguin Random House
  • Random House
  • Penguin Publishing Group
  • HarperCollins

Ashley 5 star rating

Portland, ME, United States

I'm an art director, graphic designer and illustrator that loves book design, typography and the interplay of graphics and text.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Picture Books, Children's, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, Nature, Home & Garden, Middle Grade, Education & Reference, and Middle Grade Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Macmillan Children's Books
  • Sellers Publishing, Inc.

Jake 5 star rating

Blacksburg, SC, United States

Versitle, easy-going and ready to work for you!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Print Depot
  • Self-employed

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Ricardo 5 star rating

Philadelphia, United States

I'm illustrator and Graphic Designer. I love the freedom children's book illustration brings. I love small details just kids can understand.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Nature, Non-Fiction, Middle Grade, Life Sciences, Math & Science, Fantasy, and Action & Adventure.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Brianna 5 star rating

New York, United States

I'm a freelance book cover designer and illustrator with nearly a decade of in-house experience at a top publishing house.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, History, Humanities & Social Sciences, Travel, Poetry, Historical Fiction, Music, Self-Help & Self-Improvement, Sports & Outdoors, and Thriller & Suspense.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Mary Ann 5 star rating

New York, United States

With 20+ years experience in fiction, rom-com, wellness and career guides, my clients include Simon and Schuster and PenguinRandomHouse.

Genres: Career Guides, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Fiction, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Penguin Random House

Hokyoung 5 star rating

New York, United States

I am an illustrator interested in making images with strong moods and narratives.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Classics, Mystery & Crime, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Short Story.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Karen 5 star rating

New York, United States

Hello! I'm an award-winning illustrator and Grammy® nominated designer with 20+ years in the publishing, arts and entertainment worlds.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Design, Non-Fiction, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Photography, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Picture Books, Children's, and Contemporary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Samantha 5 star rating

California, United States

Children's Illustrator and designer specialized in colorful, whimsical illustrations with experience from Disney.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Jam City
  • RockYou Inc.
  • Walt Disney Interactive

Elynn 5 star rating

South Orange, United States

A versatile, creative, collaborative book design professional who designs covers and interiors with a focus on the children's market.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Picture Books, Children's, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Comics & Graphic Novels, Children’s Non-Fiction, and Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • HarperCollins Publishers
  • Freelance

I'm a freelance illustrator with over fifteen years of professional experience. I'm known for my bold line work and intricate compositions.

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Comics Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Magical Realism, and Literary Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Weber State University Division of Continuing Education
  • Self-employed
  • Southern Utah University

Wes 5 star rating

Aztec, NM, USA

I love illustration. I have been creating images professionally for a long time, and have a wide variety of experiences to draw upon.

Genres: Health & Wellbeing, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Short Story, Fiction, Technology, Business & Management, Biographies & Memoirs, Entertainment, Political Science & Current Affairs, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Ballantine Communications
  • Oracle
  • Riverfield Country Day School
  • Self-employed

Kate 5 star rating

Vancouver, WA, USA

I specialize in narrative artwork with a focus on lifestyle, travel and food illustration with bold colors and clever attention to detail

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Travel, Non-Fiction, Short Story, Architecture, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Home & Garden, Nature, and Biographies & Memoirs.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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Hire the best book illustrators in the United States

Whether you’ve written a picture book, chapter book, or technical book, you’ll need a stellar illustrator to bring your project to life. Of course, one of the great things about illustration is that there are so many different styles to choose from — but that can also make the process of selecting an illustrator rather difficult. From cartoon-like illustrations to more realistic drawings to simple line art, how can you decide which illustrator’s style is right for your book?

You may already know how you want your illustrations to look, especially if you’ve flipped through other books in your genre and can envision similar art alongside your story. However, if you have no idea what kind of illustrations you want, looking through professional illustrators’ sample galleries is the perfect place to start. You’ll be amazed how your ideas begin to take shape once you’ve glanced over just a few artists’ work.

That’s why, if you’re seeking a book illustrator for hire in the United States, you can’t go wrong signing up for Reedsy. Not only do we have tons of experienced professionals all over the USA, but you can start looking through their portfolios today — for free. You can even request quotes from the illustrators you love, so the two of you can begin creating a beautiful book together as soon as possible.

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How it works

Browse profiles, request quotes, then collaborate.

Step 1

Apply filters

Reedsy is home to thousands of professionals. Select the specific services you need and narrow your search based on your book’s genre and requirements.

Step 2

Browse

Then, browse professional profiles to find out more about their personalities and past projects.

Step 3

Request quotes

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.

Step 4

Collaborate

Once you agree on terms and a timeline, you’ll start collaborating using the many communication and editing tools available on Reedsy.