Direct answer: send a stable manuscript, intended reader and tone, provisional page count or format, publishing route, budget and schedule. Add a few visual references only if they represent something you genuinely like. You do not need a professional storyboard, a finished palette or a camera direction for every page.
The first enquiry is not an exam. It should give the illustrator enough substance to assess fit, scope and timing. The detailed visual brief can then be built through sensible questions and an initial page plan.
The useful first-enquiry pack
You can cover the essentials in a short email or project form:
- the manuscript or a secure link;
- a sentence about readership and tone;
- the likely page count, size and orientation if known;
- whether the book will be self-published, publisher-led or submitted to publishers;
- your available illustration budget;
- the target date and any fixed production milestones;
- who will approve the work;
- a small set of relevant references, if you have them.
An undecided detail is not a problem when it is labelled as undecided. It becomes a problem when the quotation quietly assumes one answer and the production later requires another.
What needs to be stable before illustration begins
The manuscript
Final text gives the visual sequence firm ground. A deleted scene or added paragraph can move page turns and make later compositions obsolete.
I can review a manuscript that is around 80 per cent complete when the remaining revisions are limited and follow a rigorous timetable. It should be clear which passages are still open, who makes the final decision and when that decision will be made.
A synopsis is useful context, but it is not enough for a full quotation. I need to read the manuscript to understand repetition, pace, entrances, exits and information that might be carried by the pictures rather than the words.
The intended reader and emotional register
“A warm adventure for readers aged four to seven, with a small moment of suspense” is enough to begin. It tells me more than a generic request for a “children’s style”.
The emotional register affects expression, scale, detail and pacing. It also helps us find the visual centre of the story. That may be a relationship, a place, a mystery or a character’s gradual change.
The publishing route
Tell me whether you are self-publishing, already working with a publisher or planning to submit the text to publishers.
For self-publishing, the author is effectively coordinating several disciplines and needs a clear route for layout and print. An existing publisher will usually bring its own art direction, contract and production specifications.
If you hope to find a traditional publisher, check its approach before commissioning the complete interior. The Society of Authors cautions that publishers often prefer to select the illustrator themselves. Depending on your plan, a limited proposal, a cover or waiting for editorial interest may be more useful than paying for the entire book immediately.
What can remain provisional at first contact
Exact illustration count
You may have a rough idea, but you do not need to arrive with a final number. A stable manuscript and an intended page count are enough to start building a thumbnail map.
The storyboard will show which moments need spreads, full pages or spots. It may also reveal that two proposed images should become one scene, or that an unillustrated pause would improve the next page turn.
How to count the illustrations in a 32-page picture book
Trim size and print specifications
If you have chosen the printer or platform, send its current templates and technical requirements. If not, tell me the intended orientation and approximate size. We can keep the first visual discussion proportional without pretending the final production specification has been settled.
The final dimensions, bleed and colour preparation must come from the actual production route. They should not be guessed from another book.
Visual direction
You may know that the book should feel quiet, energetic, delicate or richly observed without knowing the exact palette or mark-making. That is enough to begin.
The illustrator’s portfolio should already show whether the underlying drawing and sensibility fit the project. The brief then identifies what this particular story needs rather than asking the illustrator to copy a different artist’s surface style.
Be open about the budget
My current starting price is €4,500 for a 24 to 32-page picture book with approximately 12 to 15 illustrations. A cover-only commission starts at €900.
The image plan may call for a larger programme, more complex scenes or broader usage, in which case it needs its own quote. If the available budget is lower, we can assess whether a cover, selected key scenes or another self-contained scope would be worthwhile.
Sharing the budget early is not an invitation to fill it artificially. It prevents us from designing a commission that cannot be completed on its stated resources.
How picture-book illustration budgets are built
Give the schedule some working parts
A publication month alone does not show whether the project is viable. Include the date when the manuscript becomes final, the time available for storyboard feedback, the expected print-file deadline and any immovable launch commitment.
My own books each took roughly two months of non-full-time illustration work from storyboard to colour. Editing could then take about a week. These are first-hand reference points, not promised timings for a client commission. When several people are involved, storyboard discussion can continue for weeks before the art direction is approved.
The schedule needs decision dates as well as delivery dates. It should also name the person who consolidates feedback. Five separate sets of comments are not the same as one clear approval.
Choose references for a reason
A reference can be a book, painting, photograph, fabric, building, film still or natural object. Add one sentence explaining what you want me to notice: the light, open space, material, gesture, line or density.
I do not use AI-generated images as a style brief. If you cannot find existing visual material you genuinely like, send none. A clear manuscript and a thoughtful conversation are better than a moodboard assembled simply because a form appeared to require one.
My working method and book portfolio provide the first test of fit. References should refine the project, not disguise a mismatch between the desired work and the illustrator’s actual practice.
Describe how the artwork will be used
Will the book be printed, digital or both? Which languages and territories are planned? Will the illustrations appear only in the book and its promotion, or also on products?
The Association of Illustrators’ commissioning guide advises clients to identify usage, territory and licence duration when requesting a quote. In Belgium, the Federal Public Service Economy explains that an author’s contract should specify the modes and extent of exploitation, their duration and the corresponding remuneration.
You do not need to draft the licence yourself. Describe the intended use in ordinary language. The written agreement can then set out the permissions accurately.
What the illustrator should help you build
A client should not have to supply finished compositions, character turnarounds, a colour script and print-ready artwork. Those are not entry requirements for commissioning an illustrator.
My part of the work includes interpreting the manuscript, developing characters, exploring compositions and maintaining continuity across the sequence. Your brief provides the subject, constraints and intended effect. It should not remove every visual decision before I begin.
The AOI commissioning guide recommends being clear about whether the required image is tightly prescribed or open to interpretation. Both approaches can be valid. The problem is leaving that expectation unspoken and discovering it only after sketches have been rejected.
What happens after the enquiry
I read the material and check whether the project fits my practice, schedule and the stated budget. If it does, I ask for the missing information and we define the text, format, image plan and usage more precisely.
The storyboard comes before final art. It gives us a relatively inexpensive place to make large decisions. The quotation and written agreement then record deliverables, stages, timing, payment and permissions.
This structure is not there to make a personal project feel corporate. It gives both sides clear points at which to think, respond and approve.
Frequently asked questions
Must the manuscript be completely finished?
Ideally, yes. A manuscript at around 80 per cent can be reviewed when the outstanding changes are limited, assigned and dated. Structural rewriting during storyboard work changes the commission.
Can I contact you without knowing the illustration count?
Yes. Send the stable manuscript, likely page count and format. The thumbnail plan and storyboard can determine the useful number of images.
Do I need a moodboard?
No. A few references you genuinely value can help when each has a clear reason. Without suitable references, the manuscript and discussion are enough.
What should I say about budget?
State the amount available for illustration and whether it must also cover the cover, layout or other services. My starting price for 24 to 32 pages and approximately 12 to 15 illustrations is €4,500.
Can I commission a full book before submitting it to publishers?
First check the intended publishers’ policies, as many want to choose the illustrator. Tell me your publishing strategy so we can assess whether a full commission, a smaller proposal or waiting is the proportionate next step.
Do rights need to be discussed immediately?
At least describe the expected uses: print, digital, countries, languages, promotion and possible products. The precise licence belongs in the written agreement.
Who should approve the artwork?
Name one person with final approval responsibility. If several people contribute, send one consolidated response at each agreed stage. This prevents contradictory direction and keeps the schedule meaningful.
Send a clear project outline
The enquiry form asks for project type, scale, budget, schedule and a link to the brief or manuscript. Once those are assembled, you already have enough for a useful first assessment.