Many of the authors prefer to find an Illustrator who is available to work locally. It might be a matter of comfort for the author to find a local children’s book illustrator. One of the driving factors for this decision by any author is easy communication with the local children’s book Illustrator. The author thinks that it will be easy to meet the Illustrator in person and convey the ideas for the children’s book illustrations. Although it may work out for a few authors, it is not necessarily the best idea to restrict yourself to finding only local children’s book Illustrator. As an author one wants to find the best talent available in the market. In the present time it is very easy and convenient to work with people remotely. As far as communication is concerned, it is not a big problem. The exchange of ideas can be done using a simple video call or any other form of calling. There are many software that enable it’s users to exchange files, images and other items related to project management. It is best to find the most suitable children’s book Illustrator rather than only looking for a local children’s book illustrator. Some of the important factors which must be kept in mind are suitability of the children’s book Illustrator, cost, terms and conditions in the contract, copyright ownership, mode of delivery of work, time frame of delivery of the illustrations, payment terms etc. You may also want to see a sample illustration from the children’s book Illustrator, which will help you in making your mind for selecting the right person as the Illustrator for your book.

Another option that you may exercise is selecting the children’s book Illustrator through an agency. There are many agencies which represent illustrators and the authors can simply look at the portfolio or the gallery of illustrations and they can simply choose any Illustrator from the gallery. The rest of the details are worked out by the agency and the author signs the agreements with the agency. This works out best for the authors who wish to save hundreds of hours of hard work in not only finding the right children’s book Illustrator but also in understanding how the whole process works. There are many pitfalls on the route to publishing a children’s book successfully. It is advisable for the first time authors to use a time tested process where the Illustrator and the book designer are hired using an agency. The Agency is responsible for executing the contract and ensuring that the work will be done as per the Contract and the illustrator’s delivery of work will be as per the quality as governed under the contract.

On the other hand, if you (as an author) decide to hire a freelance children’s book Illustrator, then you must be ready to do everything on your own, right from choosing the illustrator to drafting the contract and ensuring that your local children’s book Illustrator/ any children book Illustrator is adhering to all the points in the contract. It can be a very daunting task in itself.

In my opinion, the author must be open to exercising both options (local children’s book Illustrator or non-local children’s book Illustrator). The idea is to get the right person for the right job. 95% of the authors who are successful have used the right talent rather than restricting themselves to finding local children’s book illustrators. If you are able to find a suitable illustrator who is also local then it’s wonderful but you should not restrict yourself to only finding a local children’s book illustrator.