- The Bureau of Labor Statistics places illustrators, along with painters and sculptors, in the "Fine Arts" category for occupational employment. In the book industry, the BLS estimates as of May 2010 that those in this profession earn an annual mean wage of $57,400, or an hourly mean wage of $27.60.
- This genre presents the most opportunity for illustrators. According to The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, an illustrator for a picture book typically receives a larger advance than the author. The average advance for a 32-page picture book is $8,000 to $12,000 shared between the author and illustrator, with 3.5 percent to 6 percent royalties for each. The average picture book sells between 5,000 and 10,000 copies in two years before going out of print.
- While the focus is not so heavily on the images, some chapter books and novels include black and white illustrations. Schools in the USA states that the entry level salary for an illustrator is $16,900, while the maximum is $73,560. The average salary for this type of illustrator is $35,260.
- While many illustrators choose to represent themselves, in some cases having a literary agent can help illustrators find work in the book industry. For a fee of 15 percent on the advance and royalties, a literary agent will attempt to find the best matches at publishing houses for the illustrator and negotiate the best possible fee or advance and royalty percentages.
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