How can I start a career in illustrations for books?

Xyetzt

How can I start a career in illustrations for books? It is a question my mum and I are wondering about this as an option.  She has a degree in art which can help her, but I lack a college degree.  

This is both wondering for traditional art for my mum and cgi for me 

wolf359

Start by  having  a professional online portfolio of your Illustration
work. and Start an aggressive but "tasteful& appropriate" social media marketing campaign and find some "real world " networking outlets where you meet real people face to face and discuss your availability.
Oh and for the "real world" marketing  buy a cheap, minimum 7, inch android tablet
(or a nicer one) to carry and show your Illustration work instantly without the uncertainty of hoping someone remembers to vistit your website listed on your business card.
Create alot of new work and promote, promote , market  etc etc etc. 

ShaneWSmith

A career in illustration is typically built upon the back of a freelance portfolio. If you've got a commerically-viable style ready to go, then you can begin walking that path - if not, that's gotta be priority one.

Then put your name out there on the DeviantArt job forums and other social media networks (Facebook has a number of groups connecting writers and artists, for instance). Price yourself affordably to begin with (but not to such an extent that you end up working for free or at a loss). Get some projects under your belt, and then slowly start raising your rates until you can command a living wage for your work.

Once you've got a decent pro portfolio, you can start approaching publishers with it, and they'll keep you on file for if/when the right project comes along. Keep them happy, and they'll keep you in work (ideally).

It's a long game, that's for sure. Be prepared to be supporting yourself in other ways for the first few years.

Good luck!

mmitchell_houston

In my previous professions, I have hired/fired graphic designers and have taught design at college. I can tell you right off the bat that, as far as freelance work is concerned, no one cares about degrees. People who hire artists do do for the following reasons: 1. They like your work you present in your portfolio. 2. You seem like a professional who knows what you're doing -- both technically and artistically. You're also punctual (respond to emails on time, meet desdlines) and (again) keep your communication at a professional level. You must have an online portfolio, business cards, and have a set price or rate for your work. 3. The client must like you, or at the very least, like doing business with you. If you're not doing so already, visit the Book Covers discussion over in the Art forms and ask for some feedback. Best of luck!

Novica

 What is that site where people make generic book covers, when selected they are never used again? That might be a good place to generate interest in the OP's work. Several people from here do bookcovers there.

I would use the Artist's Market book to read up on who is looking for submissions and what format to use when sending your work for review. Years ago, I became a part time national magazine freelancer using the contacts in the book. (I turned down work and quit because of being offered too many things with short turnarounds, I was full time faculty at a university at the time.)  Several of my friends also got repeat work offers using Artist's Market but it took a little longer. (I was wildlife/ nature / pencil / colored pencil / acrylics, etc they were more architectural/ technical and pen/ink/ markers.  That was years ago, but that book is still going strong and now I see they also have a website. You might want to consider working for some magazines, and not limit yourself to books. 

If you want to illustrate books, IMO you need to hang out with the authors in addition to the artists. Perhaps surf over at Amazon and see what's going on with the Kindle forum.

Anyway, good luck and have fun with it! 

StratDragon

you may also consider having your own website as opposed to directing a potential hire or client to Deviant Art or a renderotica gallery (especially true when you are working with kids books) while it's not uncommon keep an active gallery on these sites can be an imposition for an art director to review your work on that as opposed to your own website which is far more professional. You are marketing not just your talents but you as an artist, come off professional and you will likely be treated professionally. 

if you are called in for in interview you should probably have a portfolio of high quality printed art you can present, especially when IT departments routinely block all but mission critical business related websites for many companies* 

along with your abilities you are selling yourself as responsible, responsive and receptive. An art director or a publisher may routinely tear apart your work (e.g. "Make it blue", "make it green", "make it a pony"), expect this and be okay with this because this is how things work in publishing, it has nothing to do with anything but providing a client with what they want and someone with sales experience will suddenly play art directory and resign all your work (and take credit for it) - get used to this and roll with it.

You also don't want to write in L33T, or respond "R U #FF0000-D 2 C Me 4 Intvew" unless the client is texting you in this manner. Be clear, be concise, keep correspondence emails short and clean (write, review, make edits, review, AND THEN send) Shorter correspondences have a habit of being answered quicker.

*the $B company I work for has a group of people who represent them on facebook, and we block facebook here at work, we block their web staging so they cant test pages, We block 99.99% of the internet. Why? Because someone who was picked last for kickball in grade school and had his lunch routinely dumped out on the cafeteria floor is now in charge of all network connections for thousands of employees (<Not me btw, I'm the "try turning if off and on again" wisdom you were on hold for.)

nicstt

wolf359 said:

Start by  having  a professional online portfolio of your Illustration
work. and Start an aggressive but "tasteful& appropriate" social media marketing campaign and find some "real world " networking outlets where you meet real people face to face and discuss your availability.
Oh and for the "real world" marketing  buy a cheap, minimum 7, inch android tablet
(or a nicer one) to carry and show your Illustration work instantly without the uncertainty of hoping someone remembers to vistit your website listed on your business card.
Create alot of new work and promote, promote , market  etc etc etc. 

Good advice.

I would add; be critical of your work.

Also just becuase a piece of work is good enough now, that may change as you think your skills have improved, and a piece is no longer good enough - then remove it.

Knittingmommy

Novica said:

 What is that site where people make generic book covers, when selected they are never used again? That might be a good place to generate interest in the OP's work. Several people from here do bookcovers there.

I would use the Artist's Market book to read up on who is looking for submissions and what format to use when sending your work for review. Years ago, I became a part time national magazine freelancer using the contacts in the book. (I turned down work and quit because of being offered too many things with short turnarounds, I was full time faculty at a university at the time.)  Several of my friends also got repeat work offers using Artist's Market but it took a little longer. (I was wildlife/ nature / pencil / colored pencil / acrylics, etc they were more architectural/ technical and pen/ink/ markers.  That was years ago, but that book is still going strong and now I see they also have a website. You might want to consider working for some magazines, and not limit yourself to books. 

If you want to illustrate books, IMO you need to hang out with the authors in addition to the artists. Perhaps surf over at Amazon and see what's going on with the Kindle forum.

Anyway, good luck and have fun with it! 

There are a couple of different Indie Book Cover places out there.  The one I settled on using was SelfPubBookCovers.  They seemed to be the easiest store to get your feet wet.  A google search for Indie Book Covers should give anyone an idea of the different companies out there.