One of my favorite parts of writing children’s books is working with an illustrator to make the book come to life. 🎨 But I'll be honest, finding an illustrator can also be one of the hardest parts! As I write a book, I typically visualize the style of illustrations I want to see paired with my words. While I don’t usually have specific images in mind, there’s sort of a fuzzy outline to what I want, and definitely a style—I know if the manuscript calls for folksy or modern, high or low contrast, whimsy or realistic, saturated or faded. (Psst! If this all feels a little overwhelming, don't worry—I will share exactly how to do this in the Manuscript Masterclass so you're ready to find the right style of illustrator when the time comes!)

The next step? Finding an illustrator who can execute the look I want. (Sounds simple, right? 😉) If you traditionally publish, you might think the publisher helps you find the illustrator—and that’s true, they often do! But for me, because I tend to be so specific and… shall we say, *particular,* in all my past books I’ve been the one to find the illustrator. (The one exception to this was Any Time, Any Place, Any Prayer, because Catalina Echeverri is the GOAT and illustrates all of the books in that series!)

Here are three ways I find that needle-in-a-haystack, perfect-fit-for-my-book kinda illustrator:

1. Grab children’s picture books on the shelf. What books feel like the same vibe you're envisioning for your children's book? Crack open those books, find the illustrator, and Google them. You can often find the illustrator’s email or agent on their website and whether or not they are taking on new projects.
2. Research freelance illustrators. Look at sites like Fiverr, Upwork, Dribbble, or another “gig” site where you can hire freelance children’s picture book illustrators. This is a really great and affordable resource, particularly if you plan to self-publish.
3. Andddd my best-kept secret... Okay Reader, I’m about to let you in on how I’ve found all my illustrators so far. Here goes: search #childrensbookillustrator (and similar hashtags) on Instagram and see what you fall in love with. I follow several versions of this hashtag and I bookmark any illustrator I love under a saved folder called “Illustrators” all throughout the year. Any time I start working on a new book, I go back through that saved folder or scroll the hashtags, and come out with several potential illustrators I can send to my publisher for vetting and contact.

There are other tactics, but I’m going to save those for when my publishing course finally comes out (eyeing Fall 2024 for this and I can't wait! Click here if you want updates when I have 'em), but I hope these help get you started and perhaps answer one of those nagging questions many of us have when starting out in KidLit. And if you want more on this topic, I pulled my pal Catalina Echeverri into the Manuscript Masterclass (enrollment is happening RIGHT NOW!) to answer more of your questions about what it’s like to work with an illustrator and their role in the picture book making process.
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LET'S START WORKING ON YOUR DREAM.

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Talk soon!

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