Hi, thank you for having me on this forum!

My name's Francesca, I'm doing some preliminary research looking for a professional illustrator to create a map for the inside cover of my novel and, potentially, merchandise. Here's the info as specified by mods, plus some:

Map subject and style: a standard fantasy novel-esque map of the world of my novel. Black and white or sepia in a traditional, hand-illustrated aesthetic, a bit like this Westeros one. I have an image embedded and can send you more sketches I made while I was writing the book (I did this sketch quickly so you can get an idea of detail required; I suspect I've forgotten something).

kingdom-of-mirrors-sketch.jpg

Quality and size: professional, for print. I don't know anything about image sizes but high enough quality to be printed into the standard hardback novel and potentially a poster or other merch. Please don't get in touch unless you are a professional illustrator, as this is for a professional project and will involve contracts etc.

Time constraints: this is a very slow project, as I'm self funding the print copy of my book. I am tentatively planning to embark on the printing process in summer 2022; currently I am doing the numbers to see if a print run is feasible and something my readers want. One of my prerequisites of bothering with a print copy is that it needs a Super Cool Fantasy Novel Map, hence why I am posting here 1 year in advance. The map will need to be done before printing starts.

Design Process
(Borrowed this off another poster, I hope that's okay!)
Stage 1 – initial concept sketch – once approved
Stage 2 – A 50% design development submittal for review – once approved
Stage 3 – A 90% design development submittal for review – once approved
Stage 4 – Final Maps

Payment: 50% deposit, 50% upon completion.

Budget & Extra Info

Budget wise, I am requesting that you send me your prices based on the specs I've provided so I can get an idea of what the 'going rate' is for the work I'm after. Although funds are available and a map is a Must Have for a print run, I am new to the world of cartography and have no idea what a good map costs. I am assuming it will be around the same amount as the cover illustration or typesetting were (in the hundreds of pounds). Please note I am happy to pay you for your time to read the novel as well. The cover turned out brilliantly because the illustrator had read a draft of the novel, and in the same way I think the map illustrator should have read it too. It's 196 pages on ebook, about 60k words, so please factor reading time in when sending me your estimates, plus the copy of an ebook if you choose to buy it from Amazon or suchlike (I can send you a PDF if not).

As I said, the book is already out as an ebook. If you'd like to read about it, here's a link to my website. I've had some interest in a print copy from my readers, but I'm still waiting on sales figures and would like a good 2-3 quarters of sales figures for the ebook before committing to the print version. This is why I'm doing preliminary research now, to see what the map illustration world is like and ensure I have my ducks in a row before commissioning anyone next spring/early summer.

Copyright: I will have the right to use the image for commercial purposes, the artist will have the right to exhibit the image as part of their portfolio but not to exploit it for commercial gain. Please provide me with your usual contract for professional map illustrations. I'd love the rights to put the map on merchandise in the future, but am of course happy for you to use it in your portfolio, as part of your marketing, etc. I am obsessive about crediting my collaborators so you'll definitely get credit every time the map is mentioned from here until the sun explodes.

Contact: You can reach me at info (at) francescaburke (dot) com. If you'd like to gauge that I'm real, my blog is here and here is my professional Twitter.

Okay I think I have included everything! Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Francesca