One of the most common problems for a Children’s book designer is receiving a manuscript and illustrations that don’t seem to have any planning for how to make them into an actual book, and, sure enough, there were none on the part of the author or the illustrator. An illustrator should have a full understanding of what the final book will look like and how the illustrations will fit into a page layout.
Here are some of the items you should discuss with your illustrator before beginning any illustrations for your Children’s book.
- Book Trim Size (Children’s Book sizes available at IngramSpark)
- Page Count of the final book (There is minimum of 24 pages for a perfect bound or hardcover book)
- Number of illustrations that will be needed to create a complete book
- Text Placement in relation to the illustration (Will the text be part of the illustration or on the page next to the illustration)
- Illustration Distribution to decide what parts of the story need to be illustrated for a consistent distribution in the book layout
- Page Bleeds need to be planned and included in any illustrations that will print beyond the edge of the book page
- Scanning and Image File Type should be discussed to assure you will receive images that have been professionally scanned, in the correct resolution, file type and color profile