Find an illustrator like Gustave Doré , Georges Villa , Maximilien Vox , Mucha , Raoul Dufy , Bardone , Aïzpiri and How many Others Do you Know How to Do?
They are illustrators, engravers, painters, who have made books, which have been entrusted to them, real works of art. For example, a copy of Françoise Sagan’s story , entitled Toxique , written in 1957 and illustrated by Bernard Buffet , sells today for nearly 100 euros, in its 1964 edition, at Julliard.
Toxic Bernard Buffet
What does that mean ? Well, well chosen illustrations, well done, well laid out, with the right color code , CMYK and not RGB, not to mention the meaning of the colors, are factors that positively influence readers when they decide to ‘buy a book.
And when it comes to illustrations, it’s not just about the cover, but also the inside pages, or even typography.
So how do you go about benefiting from the illustrations effect for your book?
In a few titles:
Why illustrate a book?
Let us return, first of all, to the why of things. We understand that during all
the writing of his text, the author thought only of his text, of its quality and, of course, of finding an illustrator. Rightly, he considers that it is the quality of writing that the reader seeks above all. Without a doubt, but this reader still has to find it. And there is a hassle!
For the literary start of fall 2020 alone, there are no less than 980 new novels published between August and October, by one or other of the active publishing houses . If we wanted to read them all, since all are of high quality and passed under the caudine forks of the reading committees, we would have to read more than 3 a day for a year.
The competition is therefore fierce. Very rough, even. Often hopeless. A text in which we have put all our heart, that we have read and re-read, with renewed pleasure each time, for which we have received congratulations from those around them or from our beta readers, does not find its audience.
To avoid this kind of disappointment, it is certain that you have to know how to do everything possible to attract the attention of potential readers to the wonderful book that has been written for them. And, there, there is no photo. Good illustrations help. And, therefore, knowing how to find a good illustrator, too.
Examples given by Michel Onfray and Amélie Nothomb
Even seasoned and well-known authors pay particular attention to it. Just look at the cover of Michel Onfray’s latest work , published by Grasset , “ Resistance to nihilism: against the history of philosophy “. Subject, naturally inconvenient and third volume of his trilogy, started with “Post-Nazi thought”. But, what beautiful covers!
Michel Onfray
They are all three of Philippe Ramette. As for Amélie Nothomb , another equally famous author, published since her beginnings with Albin Michel: same care given to the cover. And what do we observe in both?
Besides the fact that the covers are the subject of a very careful treatment, even though one might think that these authors do not need them, given their notoriety, they all have a family resemblance which expresses the visual identity of the author and his writings.
Depth image for Michel Onfray. Self-portraits, from different angles, for the last three publications of Amélie Nothomb.
In other words: to be read, a text needs to be seen .
This supposes having taken the time to work on the cover and the layout of his book. And, therefore, to have been able to find a good illustrator, or failing that, a good specialized software.
How to illustrate a book at the lowest cost
We understand that when we start or we are very little known, as a self-published author or author published by a small publishing house, the means are lacking. Under these conditions, finding an illustrator like Philippe Ramette, or a photographer like Jean-Baptiste Mondino , the photographer of Amélie Nothomb, seems totally out of reach.
Fortunately, however, there are many things that can be done in this area without costing a single euro cent. If only by thinking about his typeface. Sans serif or sans serif, for example. Ideal for digital. But, you still need a little more attention. Let’s call it, more commonly, “elbow grease”. Several options are available to you :
Word
Starting with those offered by the Word software, integrated into the Microsoft Office 365 pack . After opening the software, you can simply personalize the models proposed for a booklet or insert, from a blank document, the elements, photo and text, which will constitute your cover. It is simple, practical and does not require special efforts. But, don’t expect to work miracles.
Which brings you back to the next question: Before you jump into your book cover design, did you take the time to really think about what you really wanted to achieve?
If your book is intended for, for example, a small, friendly or professional audience, you don’t need to look to work miracles. It could even be, in some cases, counterproductive. We could see too much attention devoted to form and not enough to substance.
Paint.net, Photoshop, Gimp or adobe spark
On the other hand, if your ambition is to reach a wider audience and sell your book, you will need to take it a step above. Several software can help you, such as: Paint.net, Photoshop, Gimp or adobe spark.
These specialized software and others of the same type are easily accessible via the Internet and their use is, in general, completely free.
If we take the case of adobe spark , for example, its designers define it as:
A powerful online design platform that puts you in control of the design process. It gives you a professional result, while remaining extremely easy to use. In short, it’s a free book cover generator.
Just go to the adobe spark website and choose your cover template from all the available ones, then customize it. The offered palette is much richer than that of Word.
However, if you have a self-publishing project that is already well advanced, you might as well rely on the software offered by the self- publishing site , as the CoolLibri website does, for example, for free .
How to illustrate a book at the lowest cost
It is a good compromise between the different existing possibilities. It combines quality cover designs; more than 300 royalty-free photos are available; and their immediate integration into the editorial project. This further reduces the number of operations to be performed and greatly facilitates their upgrading to printer standards.
And why not seek help from a professional graphic designer?
Well, you are now convinced of the importance of illustrations and images to enhance your text. You have looked at Word and what this software offers seems insufficient for what you want to do. You then looked at software like Gimp or Adobe Spark. It sounds simple to you and it’s free. But, you still have to make the effort to appropriate the chosen software. It’s easier to write, it really makes sense to you, and it’s a lot more interesting. After all, not everyone is a graphic designer.
And, in fact, why not ask a professional graphic designer for help ? It is obviously not free. But, why not revise your budget according to its objectives and seek the best financing formula?
The four ways to find a good illustrator
Basically, there are four ways to find a good illustrator for your book:
You can start by requesting a quote from a communication agency specializing in graphic design. By email or any other means. One can, in particular, easily have a list of them by launching a search on the Internet . Attention, if the price is certainly a determining element, the geographical proximity is also another.
Another way to proceed: making direct contact with an illustrator or a freelance photographer . In this case, it suffices to approach, for example, photographers accustomed to making book covers, such as Philippe Ramette, already mentioned, Quentin Bertoux or even Thomas Jorion and to negotiate with them the transfer of their rights on the photo or illustration of your choice. Creativity guaranteed! As can be seen on their respective sites.
The four ways to find a good illustrator
And, if you don’t have an illustrator name in mind, you can go to specialized websites, like Malt or Graphistes On . The first provides a list of freelance graphic designers you might like, the second submits your project to graphic designers who might be interested in it. Apart from being platforms specializing in putting in contact with professional graphic designers, their approach is radically different .
But, all of these steps can, at the end of the day, become tedious. Especially since, finally, if we address, for example, the right self-publishing website , we can also benefit from the support of pre-selected freelance graphic designers . The latter are therefore immediately found.
In summary
A text, however well written, needs to be well illustrated to be read as much as possible. From this point of view, the design and realization of the book cover is essential. And, even more to edit a book of poetry or make a textbook . You can do this illustration by yourself.
Even so, this approach can be quite tedious. Then there is the solution of calling directly on professional graphic designers . In fact, graphic design is a profession and professional graphic designers have validated their skills and knowledge in the matter after several years of training and solid experience in an agency or not. They can be reached via a communication agency, their personal website, a specialized platform or, more simply, by choosing, for example, a self-publishing site, whose offer can also include support by graphic designers professionals.
The choice between the various possible options depends on the objectives one sets for oneself and the means of financing available.
