To understand this, let’s begin with understanding what illustrations are, why are they indispensable, whether they are used in fiction or non-fiction books, and whether they are meant only for children’s books?
When you enter the arena of book writing and self-publishing, you are engulfed with so many queries. You have a lot on your plate- with book editing or formatting, book layouts, creating book trailers, an author’s website, marketing your book, etc.
So you may feel that adding illustrations to your book will add to the pile of already too much responsibility. You may think that- it is okay if you DIY; otherwise, it’s too much to look for a good artist, explain what to draw…or go for traditional publishers where you will have no say in how they decide to illustrate your book.
But there are easier yet better ways to do it. Just entrust a self-publishing company such as Maple Publishers, who will look into every aspect of your baby book and the illustrations.
The best thing is that you will have complete control over your book. You’ll be consulted at each step of the book-publishing journey.
Illustrations are visual representations that can be used to complement and enhance the content of a book. They may be in the form of drawings, photographs, diagrams, or any other type of graphic. They convey the message of the text.
Illustrations are an excellent tool to use in both fiction and non-fiction books. In fiction, they can be used to depict characters, scenes, and settings. They add a visual element to the story that helps readers to better immerse themselves in the world created by the author.
In non-fiction, illustrations provide clarity and enhance understanding of complex ideas, making the information more accessible and engaging for readers.
For example, in a cookbook, illustrations can be used to show step-by-step information for recipe. It becomes easier for readers to follow. In a history book, illustrations include maps, timelines, and diagrams. Readers understand the context and events being discussed better.
Illustrations are powerful tools.
Let’s first consider how using illustrations in books could benefit your project.
- In children’s books, pictures pull them into the story and can help them understand what is going on in the book. Kids can use the illustrations as context clues to help them figure out words they don’t understand. Take the help of children’s book illustrators.
- Though adult books have fewer pictures, they can help your audience process text more thoroughly. Upon encountering an image on a page, you naturally stop and absorb it. You have a deeper understanding of the book’s content.
- In the non-fiction genre, with informational books, illustrations can help magnify the written data. When explaining a concept, words might not completely get the point across. So, a diagram, chart, graph, or picture helps. Use illustrations to support details.
- Adult fiction books can also benefit from images. Pictures help people emotionally connect to the stories. They elevate your book to a work of art. Fantasy books draw huge benefits from a character or scene being illustrated. Because readers will be pulled into the visual accompanying the story.
- Incorporating illustrations in your book will also draw in readers as they may be captivated by the artistic touch. It elevates the overall quality of the book. They will spend more time on the illustrated pages, soaking in the pictures and using them to complement whatever they read.
As illustrations can capture one’s attention, including them in your book can cause people to pause while flipping through its pages, even if they use the “look inside” feature on Amazon. They will be curious about how the image fits in with the text and will spend that much longer with your book.
So it is very important that you get your book cover designed and illustrated by experts so that even casual passers-by are tempted to pick up and flip through the book. That’s the reason why expert book cover makers are in high demand.
You can’t depend entirely on illustrations! A visual without explanation can be just as confusing as text with no pictures. So make sure you balance the two in your book. A competent book layout designer can help you here.
The best decision will be to concentrate more on writing than on other aspects of bookmaking. For all other aspects of bookmaking, such as book covers, layout, illustrations, editing, formatting, converting to e-book, etc., entrust a professional publisher such as Maple Publishers. They will do everything under the same umbrella, and the total charges will be less.
