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
Doodles and drawings that deliver
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$899
Writing novels
100
entries
27
designers
US$669
This is for a paperback book cover.
88
entries
21
designers
US$1,519
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
US$349
Christian children's book targeting ages 5-11
88
entries
24
designers
US$1,459
All genders, teens to middle-age, all socio-economic status
22
entries
5
designers
US$899
I'm an author of dark fantasy books. Readers are primarily women.
66
entries
21
designers
US$899
We're creating this brand for a mobile app for influencers to book social experiences at bars, venues, restaurants, etc.
85
entries
37
designers
US$549
Independent book publisher. Audience: adults — all ages
78
entries
21
designers
US$1,399
We are a small literary publisher focused solely on books of poetry in English translation.
88
entries
14
designers
US$349
Blue Sky Ambition helps individuals and organizations with career coaching, speaking engagements, online courses
95
entries
35
designers
US$409
I am an independent public affairs consultant. After getting laid off at my last job, I have started a successful busine
36
entries
14
designers
US$549
Kamp Coloring creates coloring books for all ages and levels of coloring.
5
entries
3
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
US$349
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Silver
US$549
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Gold
US$899
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Platinum
US$1,399
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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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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.
- 1 800 513 1678 1 800 513 1678
- Free design consultation