The best book illustrators for hire in the United States

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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.

Annemieke 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, United States

Hi! I'm a cover designer with 10 years of experience, specializing in YA fiction. Clients include HarperCollins and Galison/Mudpuppy.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Architecture, Non-Fiction, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Design, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, and Self-Help & Self-Improvement.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

Jake 5 star rating

Blacksburg, SC, United States

With 2k covers and counting, I design genre specific covers that help authors look professional and convert browsers into buyers.

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

Work experience:

  • Print Depot
  • 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
  • Book Buddy Media

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

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

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Taylor 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, USA

Always open to hearing about new projects! I illustrate children's books and design covers, and I love to work in all genres.

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade, Design, Non-Fiction, Short Story, Young Adult, Education & Reference, and LGBTQ Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • House Special

Ashley 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, USA

I'm an agency Sr. Art Director with a MFA in creative writing. Background in illustration and branding. Designed 40+ books for Reedsy.

Genres: Humor & Comedy, Fiction, Poetry, LGBTQ Fiction, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, and Mystery & Crime.

Work experience:

  • Write Bloody Publishing
  • NPR - Austin, TX
  • Gap Online
  • Ladders
  • Democratic National Committee
  • Bully Pulpit Interactive

Judith 5 star rating

Chicago, IL, United States

Lettering artist and illustrator for 25 years. Bold, clean, graphic style—bright color palettes—contemporary look.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Design, Non-Fiction, Cooking, Food, Wine, & Spirits, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Themes & Motifs, and Plays & Screenplays.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Katie 5 star rating

Syracuse, NY, USA

Professional illustrator, designer, and cartoonist. Creator of the Welcome to the Forest series published by Andrews McMeel.

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, and Children's.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Rivet

Christian 5 star rating

Dearborn, MI, USA

My name is Christian, and I am an all ages illustrator and cartoonist with over twenty years of experience in digital illustration.

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Math & Science, Non-Fiction, and Action & Adventure.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • The Node Chronicles

Kel 5 star rating

Atlanta, GA, USA

I’m an Illustrator and Concept Designer ready to collaborate, I've done work with comics and various freelance projects for roughly 5 years.

Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Comics Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, Coming of Age, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • T. Y Nereim Comics
  • Self-employed
  • Celebritees

Steve 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, USA

I paint spaceships and other things. Freelance illustrator and managing art director with 15 combined years in those roles. Zero AI.

Genres: Space Opera, Science Fiction, Fiction, and Military Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Fantasy Flight Games

Anthony 5 star rating

Washingtonville, NY, USA

15+ yrs in cover design—corporate & freelance. Specializing in mass-market, indie, adult & YA covers. I'd love to help create yours.

Genres: Mystery & Crime, Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Young Adult, True Crime, Non-Fiction, and Humanities & Social Sciences.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Little Brown / Hachette - New York, NY
  • Overlook Press
  • Harper Collins Publishing

Yumiko 5 star rating

Melbourne, FL, USA

Japanese picture book illustrator and author based in Florida, creating lively, endearing characters that young readers can relate to.

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Ivy 5 star rating

Atlanta, GA, USA

I love the process of bringing the author's characters and worlds to life--it's exciting for the both of us! Messages checked every Monday!

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade Fantasy, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, and Fantasy.

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.

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.

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