The pricing of commissioned illustrations depends on many things and that is why I decided to make this post, in order to clarify the way I decide on a fee.
To achieve this, I’ll use as an example the illustrations made for the novel I wrote under the pen name May Bermont, As Winter Came and Went.
Case study: fees and distribution rights
The original paintings are size A5, black and white watercolour and ink. They were scanned, to create high resolution digital files: this allowed them to be inserted into the two digital files that would become the print book and the ebook. Why a digital file? Because when buying an illustration, you are not buying an original painting. You are buying the right to commercially use and reproduce an image.
These distribution rights have to be defined and agreed to by the client and me. They will determine the price of the commission. The more rights the client wants, the more expensive the commission will be.
If the illustrations of As Winter Came and Went had been commissioned by a client, the distribution rights that would most likely have been granted would have been worldwide exclusive distribution rights for a period of ten years. This also includes digital rights. This means that for ten years, the client would be able to publish a book (print and digital) with the illustrations, translated versions of the book, feature the illustrations on their website, use them for a marketing campaign for their book… After those ten years, the rights would revert to the illustrator, me, though of course the client could ask for an extension, for an additional fee. Geographically limited rights (for instance, only Europe or the USA or a specific country) would be less expensive.
So how much would I charge for those worldwide, 10 years distribution rights? Around 25€ for each of the illustrations. There are 15 of it in the book, so that would have been 375€, which could have been reduced to 350€, due to the number of illustrations.
The worldwide, 10 years rights for less detailed illustrations, such as the cartoons in my other book would cost much less, such as 10-15€ each, depending on the number of characters, etc. Coloured illustrations would cost more. The rights for a complex, coloured illustration meant to be featured on a whole page can be over 100€.
Payment plans and royalties
I know that in the case of self-publication, authors often have a tight budget. A reasonable compromise between the client’s budget and the usual rates can sometimes be found. The client can always tell me their budget and I can answer with what type of illustration (number, medium), I can produce for that fee.
If the illustrations are numerous and form an important part of the book (as is the case in an illustrated children’s book for instance), part of the fee can be replaced by a percentage on royalties. However, for me to agree on this, the author must guarantee that they have an appropriate marketing plan and that the royalties will cover my costs. Please note that I will still ask for an upfront payment of 50% of the agreed price, and that the royalties will go on being paid even after the initial price has been reached.
For instance, in the case of the As Winter Came and Went illustrations, if a payment plan using royalties had been agreed to, 125€ would have been paid in full, and then royalties (between 2.5% and 5%, depending on the publishing platform). Even if after some time, the royalties add up to the other 125€ needed for the commission to be paid in full, they will go on being paid to the illustrator as long as the book is available.
If the book is unpublished before the full price is reached, the distributions rights for the illustrations will revert in full to me. After the 10 year period initially agreed to, either the rights to the illustrations revert to the illustrator (which means that books containing the illustrations can no longer being printed or sold by the author) or an agreement is found and royalties go on being paid to the illustrator.
I reserve the right to not agree to a payment through royalties, especially if the author does not intend to market and advertise the book enough to make sufficient sales.
I hope that you have found this helpful! Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any question, or if you would be interested in commissioning illustrations.