Are you an illustrator or author/illustrator who also does the design work for your picture books?  If so, it is important that you are being paid appropriately for this work.

We’ve heard from a few illustrators that they take on the design work for their books without receiving a design fee, and instead are paid by their publishers by way of royalties. Remember that if you are laying out the book, setting the type, and designing the cover, you are saving your publisher the cost of engaging a freelance designer or using an in-house designer. In these circumstances, we consider it reasonable to be paid a design fee, separate to your royalties.

Your entitlement to royalties flow from the copyright licence you are granting to the publisher; a licence to publish your text (as the author) and your artwork (as the illustrator). In return for granting this exclusive licence, you are paid royalties on sales. The separate task of design – which is ordinarily undertaken by a freelancer or in-house designer – should attract a separate fee, usually paid as a lump sum. The ASA is not aware of author/illustrator/designers being paid inflated royalties as compensation for their design work and therefore considers a separate design fee the most reasonable way to be paid for that time.  

It’s obvious why a publisher dealing with an illustrator who has extensive graphic design skills might be willing to engage them to design and lay out the book, and it is clear why some creators would be entirely willing to take on this work.  

“As the author / illustrator of my work, I have a clear artistic vision for the book and spend hours and hours and hours on design, making sure everything is as beautiful and appealing and perfect as possible. I know my publisher gets a lot of mileage out of me because I am so invested in the final product!” says an ASA author/illustrator.

However, this does not mean that you should not be paid a reasonable fee for your work. Remember, you are your own small business. Value your time and your creative efforts.

If you have questions about this, or any other industry issues please feel free to contact the ASA – we have a team on hand with a diverse range of skills and experience to provide advice and help you navigate the publishing industry.

#Paythecreator