What It Actually Feels Like to Work With a Children's Book Illustrator

By Lisa Albinus | Children's Book Illustrator, Concord, NC

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Illustrated by Lisa Albinus

You've written the story. You've read it out loud to yourself more times than you can count, maybe to your kids, maybe to your dog — and every single time, you can see it. You can see exactly what the pages should look like. You just can't get what's in your head onto paper.

That's where I come in.

I'm Lisa Albinus, a children's book illustrator based in Concord, NC, and I work with indie authors to bring their stories to life from manuscript all the way to a book on a retail shelf — illustrations, cover design, interior typesetting, and everything in between. And I do it one book at a time, which means when we're working together, your project is the only project I'm working on.

Little AShley illustrated by Lisa Albinus

What "One Client at a Time" Actually Means for You

It means you're not waiting on a reply because I'm managing fifteen other authors at the same time. It means when I'm sketching your characters, I'm only thinking about your characters. It means the six months we spend together building your book are entirely yours.

You get to make all the decisions, while I do the work — because this is your story and it always will be your story, and my job is to honor it with the skills I've spent years building so that what ends up on those pages looks and feels exactly the way you always imagined it could.

Student Pilot's Workbook illustrated by Lisa Albinus

What the Process Looks Like

Every book is a little different, but here's what you can generally expect when we work together:

We start with your manuscript and a conversation — I want to understand your story, your vision, and your reader before I ever pick up a pencil. From there, I develop character sketches and get your feedback before moving into full illustrations. (This is the part where most authors get a little teary-eyed, and honestly, I love that part!) Once the illustrations are locked in, I handle all the interior layout and typesetting, cover design, and file preparation for retail listing on major platforms.

You see every step and approve every. single . decision. Nothing moves forward until you love it.

Fledgling illustrated by Lsia Albinus

Who This Is For

If you're an indie author with a children's book manuscript and you're ready to actually make it a real book — not just a dream you're still sitting on — this process was built for you. I work with authors in the greater Charlotte and Concord, NC area as well as remotely, so geography is never a barrier to working together.

If you've been searching for a children's book illustrator who will give your project the individual attention it deserves, and someone who can handle every piece of the production process so you don't have to learn publishing from scratch — I'd love to hear about your story.

Reach out and let's start the conversation — I'm currently available to take on a new project, and I'd genuinely love to hear about your book.

Send me an email →

Lisa Albinus is a children's book illustrator and full-service book designer based in Concord, NC, serving indie authors in the greater Charlotte area and beyond. She offers complete publishing packages from manuscript to shelf, including illustration, interior layout, typesetting, cover design, and retail listing.

© Lisa Albinus. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.