The best young adult book illustration services

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Joel 5 star rating

Nashville, TN, USA

Middle Grade Book Cover and children's illustrator with a decade of experience specializing in illustrated covers, book design, and more!

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Awana
  • Source of Light
  • Wingfeather SAGA (Shining Isle Productions)

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

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

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Bovard Studio, Inc.

Digital illustrator specializing in hand lettering, patterns, and bright, bold, colorful designs

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Romance, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction, Young Adult, Home & Garden, Non-Fiction, and Nature.

Freelance artist/illustrator with a love of all things fantasy and sci-fi.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Gaming & LitRPG, Urban Fantasy, Military Science Fiction, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Laura 5 star rating

Broadlands, VA, USA

I'm a digital fantasy illustrator. I specialize in painting scenes of magic and wonder. Middle Grade covers are my main focus. No AI used!

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Action & Adventure, Picture Books, and Gaming & LitRPG.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

I am a professional designer, art director, and illustrator who loves books—working with publishers in Europe, USA, Asia, and indie authors.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Humor & Comedy, Mystery & Crime, Space Opera, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Horror, Thriller & Suspense, Epic Fantasy, and Fantasy.

Work experience:

  • Coverkitchen

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Melissa 5 star rating

Maynardville, TN, USA

Award-winning cover designer and interior formatter with over ten years experience. Specializing in Fantasy and typography based designs.

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Thriller & Suspense, Middle Grade Fantasy, Children's, Middle Grade, and New Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Josh 5 star rating

Columbus, OH, USA

Illustrator for MG and YA publishing with a passion for captivating characters and emotionally driven narrative storytelling.

Genres: Middle Grade, Children's, Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Short Story, Young Adult, Art, Humanities & Social Sciences, Non-Fiction, and Children’s Non-Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Elevate Pictures
  • Pawn Creative
  • Ohio Department of Natural Resources
  • Llewellyn Publishing

Freelance illustrator who specializes in characters, portraiture, and visual narrative.

Genres: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Fantasy, Gaming & LitRPG, LGBTQ Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Caitlin B. 5 star rating

Manitou Springs, CO, USA

Illustrator/designer with a love of color, texture & hand-lettering. Characters. Cover design + picture books. Collaboration + communication

Genres: Picture Books, Children's, Fiction, Middle Grade, Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult, Women's Fiction, Science Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Romance, and Romance.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Charles 5 star rating

Seattle, WA, USA

Illustrator - Charlie believes in a future where somehow, against all odds, we make it. Tell me a story, let’s bring it to life. 🚫No AI🚫

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Gaming & LitRPG, LGBTQ Fiction, Space Opera, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult Fantasy, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • Coyote & Crow

I am an illustrator specializing in digital inking. I create chapter headings, maps, character sketches and author merchandise.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Children's, Gaming & LitRPG, Cozy Mysteries, Mystery & Crime, and Science Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

Rachel 5 star rating

Mesquite, NV, USA

I'm an illustrator with 10 years of experience as a freelancer in the publishing space. Whatever your needs, I'm here to help!

Genres: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Gaming & LitRPG, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Paranormal Romance, New Adult, and Young Adult.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed
  • King Show Games

Roberta 5 star rating

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Italian illustrator in love with pencil & watercolors. HarperCollins, Newton Compton, Saatchi&Saatchi, Mondadori, Mandarina Duck.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romance, New Adult, Young Adult, Fashion & Textiles, Coming of Age, Chick Lit, and Women's Fiction.

Work experience:

  • Mondadori S.p.A.
  • Univers Poche / Pocket Jeunesse
  • Syn Creativi e Tecnici
  • Skyscanner
  • Self-employed

Caitlin 5 star rating

New York, NY, USA

Hello! I'm an illustrator, designer, and author with 20+ years of publishing experience, including self-publishing.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Children's, Home & Garden, Non-Fiction, Health & Wellbeing, and DIY & Crafts.

Work experience:

  • Self-employed

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

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Hire the best young adult book illustrators

Vibrant and full of beautiful, illustrated details, you usually can spot a young adult book the second you lay eyes on its cover. But not every artist can be a good young adult book illustrator.

Working on a book cover in this age of online shopping means balancing details with legibility in thumbnail format. A professional book illustrator will be able to use popping images and colors to attract the attention of young adult readers without overwhelming them.

And you can hire the best young adult book illustrators right here on Reedsy, including artists who have worked with bestselling authors like Holly Black and Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Sign up for free and send requests to top book illustrators today.

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Step 2

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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.