How an Author Can Start a Love Affair with an Illustrator

kathy rowe's comic-con bannerNo, this is not an R- or X-rated post on how to fall in love with an artist; it’s a few tips you can use if you’re looking for an illustrator. Let’s face it, artwork isn’t cheap, especially when it comes to books and even more so with covers, comics, and graphic novels. The cost of a decent cover can set you back $500 or more for a known artist. And you might want to stick your head in the sand when it comes to comics or graphic novels — those can run into the thousands of dollars.

So, what can you do? Continue reading “How an Author Can Start a Love Affair with an Illustrator”

How to Work with a Cover Artist

Cover illustration by Paul Blumstein

The cover art your neighbor’s nine-year-old created for your first book was adorable, but didn’t do much for sales. And you can’t draw worth a lick. Now you want to hire, well, not an expensive big-time pro, but an artist with a bit more experience. Never worked with a cover artist before? Or are you having trouble getting what you want when you hire an artist for your book? Good thing veteran commercial illustrator Paul Blumstein escaped from his studio long enough eat a few Pop-Tarts and talk about how to choose, negotiate, and generally work more effectively with your cover artist. In the interest of full disclosure—and because he’s threatened to hide the coffee if I don’t—I need to tell you that Paul is my husband. He has created cover art for Scholastic Publications, The Weekly Reader, and Simon & Schuster, among other clients.
Continue reading “How to Work with a Cover Artist”