Another thing I got to do recently, was visit a writer to discuss illustrations for a great new story. I listened to her book idea and we discussed the age of the intended audience and also illustration styles and ideas. I find working for self-published people very different from the idea of a traditional illustrator, who is hired on the grounds of their style, and left more or less to their own ideas.
With self-publishers, the writer often has a strong idea of how they see the pictures, and though usually a bit flexible, they want you to come up with their vision, more or less.
This can be tricky, because you have your own thoughts, so it has to be a compromise. You have have to try and understand how they want to see it and introduce your own concepts and improvements to that. It really is a collaboration. And, depending on your agreement (get it signed in writing always) you may be parting with your pictures forever at the end, so make sure you factor that into the fee, because your work may get used by them for other things. It's a bit of a learning curve at times! One other thing I just wanted to say was that sometimes books you are asked to illustrate are being funded by a grant or done for charity. It's at your own discretion of course, but don't rip yourself off because it is being done for a good cause. The book may be funded, but the people you work for are generally working for a wage, so why shouldn't you? You can always give a little extra for free, but you deserve to be paid for your hard work (however fun!).
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