The Cost of Self-Publishing a Children’s Book: Separate Freelancers vs One Team
You’ve finished your children’s story and started looking for an illustrator. You find someone whose work you love, ask for a quote and begin working out whether you can afford it.
For many first-time authors, that’s where the budget starts. The pictures feel like the biggest step towards a finished book. Then the other jobs come into view....
Who edits the story? Who places the words around the pictures? Does the cover quote include the title design? Who prepares the files for print and Kindle?
An illustration quote may cover the artwork alone. It’s easy to commit most of your budget before realising what else you need. You can hire the specialists separately and manage the process yourself. Or you can choose a package that brings the work together. Here’s how those routes can compare.
Start with the whole book budget
Before booking an illustrator, list the work needed to get from your manuscript to a book ready to self-publish. That usually means considering:
illustration,
editing,
cover design,
interior layout,
file preparation and more.
You may also want promotional materials for launch.
Some illustrators offer design and formatting too. Others deliver artwork for a separate designer to work with. Neither approach is a problem, provided you know what you’re buying.
How many illustrations are we comparing?
For this example, we’re budgeting for 12 individual full-page illustrations, plus an illustrated cover.
Why does this matter? Twelve illustrated pages could contain twelve separate pictures, six double-page spreads or a mixture. A small character drawing is also a different commission from a detailed scene.
Ask everyone to quote for the same proposed layout before comparing the totals.
What could hiring separately cost?
Here is a worked example using publicly advertised prices.*
Job | Basis of the example | Cost |
Interior illustration | 12 single-page illustrations at £150 each | £1,800 |
Cover artwork | Full cover pack covering front, back and spine | £300 |
Editing | Combined line and copy edit for a picture-book manuscript | £200 |
Picture-book formatting | Print and fixed-layout Kindle files | £219 |
Subtotal | The four services above | £2,519 |
These figures are an example, rather than an industry average or a quote for your story. A full-project illustration quote may differ from multiplying an individual image rate.
You may find lower prices, or choose an artist whose fees are higher. Confirm the scope, revisions, usage rights and any applicable VAT before booking.
The important step is adding everything together before committing your budget to the illustrations.
What does Bear With Us include for £1,895?
Our Starter package is designed for stories up to 500 words. It includes:
12 illustrated interior pages, using a mixture of single pages and double-page spreads where appropriate.
An illustrated front and back cover.
Two activity pages.
Standard line editing.
Cover and title design.
Interior design and print formatting.
A Kindle eBook edition.
Two static promotional adverts.
KDP and IngramSpark publishing guides.
A dedicated project manager.
The £2,519 example covers four core services. It does not include separate allowances for activity pages, promotional adverts or a dedicated project manager to keep things on track or when things go wrong!
It also assumes twelve individual full-page illustrations, while our package can use a mixture of singles and spreads. The editing services may differ in depth. We’ll discuss your manuscript and proposed layout so you can understand what your book needs.
Who joins everything together?
When you hire separately, you’re responsible for coordinating the work unless someone has agreed to do that for you.
Your formatter needs the approved text and finished artwork. Your illustrator needs to know where space should be left for words. Whoever prepares the cover needs the correct dimensions and final book details.
Changes can involve more than one person. An extra paragraph might affect the layout. A new scene might need another illustration. Additional work may need another quote. Some authors enjoy managing this and already have people they want to work with.
With Bear With Us, a dedicated project manager coordinates your book with the creative team. You review the work and make decisions about your story, with support through each stage.
Know the total before you start
When you’re looking for children’s book illustrators for hire, ask what happens after the artwork is finished.
Will you receive images alone, or designed pages? Is cover typography included? Who prepares the Kindle edition? How many changes are covered?
Getting those answers early helps you choose a route you can afford to complete.
If you’re comparing quotes, look at the finished book each quote will deliver, along with the work you’ll need to arrange yourself.
What would your book cost with us?
Tell us the word count, who your story is for and the illustration styles you like. If you have a budget or deadline, include those too.
We’ll talk through whether Starter fits your book and explain any extras your story might need.
*Pricing sources checked on 29 October 2026: illustration and cover rates from Lauren Austin; combined line and copy editing from KP Editorial Services; picture-book formatting from Publishing.co.uk. The subtotal combines separately advertised services for an illustrative budget, not a joint quote. Final prices, inclusions, rights, revisions and tax treatment must be confirmed with each provider.
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