How to Become a Book Illustrator

Q: Getting the call: how do you work with publishers and authors? Are you commissioned or do you send in unsolicited submissions?

A: Working with a publisher took a bit of getting used to.

I’d become so accustomed to working on my own that it took me a long time to get comfortable with working with an editor and designer. Now, though, I feel the difference in the way I work when I don’t have a team to bounce things off.

It’s definitely possible to make children’s books on your own, but working with a team really frees you up to focus on the more creative aspects of the work, as a good team will help you by staying on top of the bigger picture aspects of any project.

As a rule, I tend not to take unsolicited commissions that don’t come through the proper or preferred channels, as more often than not they’re badly organised and don’t pay nearly enough for me to live on while I work. The commissions and book texts I get come to my agent via various publishers, before making their way onto my desk. A great tip I have for choosing a text is to be aware of whether the drawings are literally forming in your head while you read it: if this happens, then you’re probably onto a winner.

I’ve been very fortunate to work with some amazing authors and illustrators so far in my career. Each of them has been awesome at leaving room for me to bring something of myself to the project in the form of my words or drawings. This is another important part of my process. Whether you’re drawing or writing, when it comes to collaboration, no one person’s contribution is more or less important than the others.

Dapo Adeola is a British-Nigerian illustrator. He is the co-creator (with Nathan Bryon) and illustrator of Look Up!, winner of the 2020 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Follow him on Instagram @dapsdraws