Will my readers feel like they are reading a children's storybook if there are illustrations in my novel?
I'm writing a novel. I also have good drawing skills. I would like to add illustrations of the setting, locations, and characters. I may include 8 or 10 illustrations (the novel is approximately 200 pages long). I have never seen a novel with illustrations. I wonder if readers will feel like they are reading a children's storybook if I include them?
No, people won't feel like its a children's book. As other people said, it is relatively common in adult literature. But …
13y ago
I don't think you need to worry about "seeming like a kid's book," I think you need to worry about making a professional …
13y ago
Jurassic Park, Flatland, Cryptonomicon, Dead or Alive, and The Last Oracle (at least) all have illustrations in them tha …
13y ago
They do exist, although they are a rarity. You need to ask yourself if the illustrations serve a purpose beyond that of …
13y ago
I've seen novels with illustrations. But I wouldn't care too much about it, because I'm sure your publisher will tell yo …
13y ago
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No, people won't feel like its a children's book. As other people said, it is relatively common in adult literature. But know that it is unlikely to actually happen unless you are well-established. It increases the cost of printing tremendously, since images have a much higher printing quality necessary to "look good" than words do. Typically only with "guaranteed successes" like Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings do publishers take the risk of including decent illustrations.
If it is not possible, an alternative is posting them in full glory on your web page as an extra, and referencing the page in the book. Invested fans will seek out that material.
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I've seen novels with illustrations. But I wouldn't care too much about it, because I'm sure your publisher will tell you, if he thinks it is a good idea.
If you want to self-publish, I would include them. I see no harm and you can use it as unique selling proposition. ;)
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Jurassic Park, Flatland, Cryptonomicon, Dead or Alive, and The Last Oracle (at least) all have illustrations in them that do not detract from the story - and in many ways may enhance it.
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They do exist, although they are a rarity. You need to ask yourself if the illustrations serve a purpose beyond that of letting you use your artistic skills. Will they distract or add?
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I don't think you need to worry about "seeming like a kid's book," I think you need to worry about making a professional submission. On two points:
- Why do you think your novel should have illustrations, when most don't? Do they add anything more to your story than similar illustrations would to other books in your genre? If not, then whatever considerations apply to illustrations in most books, probably apply to yours as well.
- While "good drawing skills" are great to have, even if a publisher is persuaded he does want to include illustrations, that by no means implies that he wants yours specifically. Illustrations will be a huge element of book design and presentation, and it's generally very important to the publisher that he keep complete control over that.
If you're self-publishing, then neither of the above apply, and I see no reason why illustrations shouldn't be a colorful addition to your work. But the same considerations the publisher might have should still be considered: you want to make sure your illustrations are really appealing and look professional enough to include in your book, and that they're inserted well into the overall design and layout. If not-so-great artwork is inserted in a careless manner, that might make the whole book seem very shoddy.
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