Custom book illustration that draws readers in
Beautiful words need beautiful art. Every story gets better with gorgeous illustrations, and these perfect pictures will draw your readers even further into the worlds you’ve created. Our artists will create stunning, custom book illustrations you’ll love, guaranteed.
- Professional designers—all rated and reviewed
- Custom book illustrations for all budgets
- Two design options: host a contest or work 1:1 with a freelance artist
The right designer is just a click away
We've curated the best illustration or graphics designers so you can find the right expert and request a quote instantly.
Custom book illustration: creative ideas from professional artists
There’s no better platform to get custom book illustrations. With two ways to work, you get the art you want, in the manner that works best for you. No templates. No robots. No frustrating apps. Just a 100% unique illustrations.
Run a book illustration contest
Designers from around the world enter your contest by sending you ideas. You give feedback to create the ideal illustration.
by Cross the Lime
Hire a professional book illustrator
Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll match you with the perfect design partner. Or, if you’d prefer, browse portfolios and pick your own.
by Martis Lupus
We’re your creative partner
No matter how you choose to work, rest assured you’re working with the best. All of our designers are hand-vetted and rated, and our team provides 24/7 support.
by pmo
The book illustration process
1. Describe your illustration needs
Our creative brief makes it easy to describe your vision for the perfect book illustrations and set your budget.
2. Find an amazing design partner
We’ll help you connect with professional artists to bring your vision to life. You’ll collaborate and give feedback to create the ideal illustrations.
3. Get illustrations you love
We’re your creative partner from start to finish. Once you finalize your design, we’ll transfer the copyright and send you the image files.
Recent custom book illustrations
We’ve been the leader in online graphic design since 2008. Check out our clients who love their book illustrations:
US$549 USD
This will be used in a children's book.
65
entries
31
designers
€319
I want to make a small picture book for my girlfriend, about our anecdotes.
63
entries
32
designers
US$1,399 USD
We are a small literary publisher focused solely on books of poetry in English translation.
88
entries
14
designers
US$1,399 USD
We sell books: http://books.jwashburn.com
62
entries
15
designers
US$1,019 USD
Children's book based on a song I wrote.
97
entries
28
designers
US$349 USD
Book cover for "Mystery And Detective Stories For Kids"
54
entries
15
designers
US$549 USD
This is a gift for family members in honor of recently deceased Uncle/Brother
36
entries
20
designers
US$549 USD
Book publisher. Need "Continuous Line Drawing" images. Current book needs ~50 continuous line drawings. I will provid
215
entries
56
designers
US$899 USD
Squirl is a location-based app that lets you discover the places described in books (e.g. Baker Street - Sherlock Holmes
48
entries
16
designers
US$1,519 USD
This contest is for the main visual element of my new book cover for Children of the Neon Bamboo
About me, the author:
133
entries
17
designers
Custom book illustrations, no matter your budget
We guarantee that you’ll get a great book illustrations no matter what your budget is. If you hire a designer you can negotiate a budget that works for both you and your designer. If you launch a contest, we offer four fixed-price options. Prices exclude Sales Tax.
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Bronze
€329
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Silver
€519
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Gold
€859
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Platinum
€1,299
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100% money-back guarantee
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100% money-back guarantee
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Full copyright ownership
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Full copyright ownership
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Mid & Top Level designers only
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Mid & Top Level designers only
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Top Level designers only
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Top Level designers only
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Dedicated manager
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Your burning book illustration design FAQs, answered.
Everything you need to move to production. Your illustration will be uploaded in the correct formats based on your stated needs. Typically this means a production-ready Adobe Illustrator file, Adobe Photoshop file, PDF file or EPS file.
Since not everyone has the correct design programs to open these files (your printer will), you will also get web preview files in PNG or JPEG file formats.
Plus, you’ll get the full legal copyright, so the design will be all yours.
Since not everyone has the correct design programs to open these files (your printer will), you will also get web preview files in PNG or JPEG file formats.
Plus, you’ll get the full legal copyright, so the design will be all yours.
Lots of ideas! If you’re looking for inspiration, explore 99designs for fantastic examples of illustrations created by our design community.
Bring as many specifics as you can, too. Include color ideas, character descriptions, data, themes, dimensions, other art you like, printing requirements and any other specifications that would affect your design.
The more you give the designers, the better they can create an illustration for you.
Bring as many specifics as you can, too. Include color ideas, character descriptions, data, themes, dimensions, other art you like, printing requirements and any other specifications that would affect your design.
The more you give the designers, the better they can create an illustration for you.
Your custom illustration contest includes one winning illustration. If, for example, you need a second piece or an additional size, you have a couple of options: you can run a second contest, or you can start a 1-to-1 Project with your winning designer to create the additional assets.
On 99designs, designers agree to upload only original artwork, so each designer owns the rights to their design submissions until you choose your contest’s winner. During the design handover stage, the designer agrees to transfer the rights, and you become the owner of the copyright of that book illustration.
Choose “Make your contest private” from the Contest options section before you launch your illustration contest. This will prohibit designers from using their designs elsewhere, and your contest will be unsearchable on the web.
This will automatically attach a standard NDA template to your contest. If you prefer, you can also upload your own NDA.
This will automatically attach a standard NDA template to your contest. If you prefer, you can also upload your own NDA.
In a design contest, designers from all over the world submit concepts unique to your brief. You choose finalists, give feedback to hone the designs and ultimately award your favorite illustration as the winner. If ideation and seeing a variety of different design styles is important to you, we’d recommend an illustration contest.
On the other hand, if you have a clear idea of the style and direction you’d like to take with your book illustrations, or if you have a more complex design project (e.g. you need multiple illustrations for your entire children's book), it’s best to start a project with a freelance designer.
On the other hand, if you have a clear idea of the style and direction you’d like to take with your book illustrations, or if you have a more complex design project (e.g. you need multiple illustrations for your entire children's book), it’s best to start a project with a freelance designer.
Yes. If you have any specific images (like a pre-designed character or a reference photo) that need to be included with your illustration, please submit them to designers with your brief.
Absolutely (and we love it when that happens)! When your book illustration contest has finished, you can start a 1-to-1 project with your winning designer.
We guarantee that you’ll get a great book illustration at any pricing level, but our higher-priced packages give you more design options and better support.
Here’s how it works: When you pay more, the prize for the winning designer is bigger, too. More experienced designers participate in your contest, so you get more high-quality designs to choose from. More options means additional time that's needed to review your designs. That’s why our Gold and Platinum packages offer dedicated managers to help streamline that process by writing creative briefs and giving your designers feedback.
When selecting your illustration contest package, think about how much time you’ll have and what experience you have writing briefs and working with designers. If you're still unsure, contact us for a design consultation.
Here’s how it works: When you pay more, the prize for the winning designer is bigger, too. More experienced designers participate in your contest, so you get more high-quality designs to choose from. More options means additional time that's needed to review your designs. That’s why our Gold and Platinum packages offer dedicated managers to help streamline that process by writing creative briefs and giving your designers feedback.
When selecting your illustration contest package, think about how much time you’ll have and what experience you have writing briefs and working with designers. If you're still unsure, contact us for a design consultation.
We offer a 100% money-back guarantee within 60 days of payment on all Book Illustration Contests, except those with a guaranteed prize and those that have entered the Final Round. You can also call us anytime to help you rewrite your brief, reopen your project to ensure you get a good result and help you pick a winning design. Remember, if we refund your contest, you aren’t legally entitled to use any of the designs submitted to your contest.
Let’s talk!
Our kind, happy and humble customer support team would love to answer your questions. Send us an email or call to speak with an actual human.
- +49 30 568 376 73 +49 30 568 376 73
- Free design consultation