I’m Mia Hollis, Children’s book illustrator, and I’ll be creating the artwork and print files described in the accepted proposal.
This is a project engagement. It works alongside the proposal you accepted, and it’s meant to keep the scope, approvals, and handover steps tidy so you can stay on track for your printer date.
What I’m making
Children’s book illustration covers the full set of artwork and print files listed below, produced in the usual stages: a style sample, a character lineup, a dummy, then final cover and interior art, then final layout.
This agreement covers only the deliverables listed below and the print setup I’ve been given (page count, trim size, bleed, margins, and any printer notes). If something isn’t in the list, I’m happy to add it, but I’ll quote it first so you can choose it on purpose.
* Style sample spread * Character lineup sheet * 16-page dummy roughs * Final cover wrap art * Final interior illustrations * Print-ready page layout files
Payment
To book children’s book illustration, I invoice 50% when you sign. I start work once that invoice is paid. I invoice the remaining 50% when the finished work is handed over (the final, press-ready files for the agreed scope).
Each invoice is payable within 14 days of its date. If a payment is late, I pause the schedule until it’s brought up to date, because I can’t keep reserving production time without payment. Any knock-on delay to reviews, printer dates, or release plans sits with the project timeline, not with me.
Revisions and changes
A revision round is one set of notes from you, delivered as one consolidated message, that I then apply across the relevant pages. If feedback arrives in pieces, I’ll wait until you confirm it’s the full set, so I’m not redrawing the same spread twice.
Roughs include two revision rounds after you receive the dummy, as long as the manuscript and page count stay the same. Finals include one round for small corrections like facial expression tweaks or colour balance. If you want more rounds, or if the manuscript, page count, trim size, or text changes after you’ve signed off the dummy, I’ll quote the extra work and timeline before I start. New pages and reflowed text usually add both illustration and layout time.
Who owns what
Once you’ve paid in full, you get the rights to use the finished illustrations in the book for print and ebook, and to use the artwork to market the book. That includes online listings, social posts, ads, and press, as long as it’s promoting this title.
What I hand over as “finished” is the print-ready output files (for example press-ready PDF for layout, plus high‑resolution TIFF or PSD for the art, set at final trim size with the agreed bleed and margins). I keep ownership of my working files, drafts, sketches, brushes, templates, and any behind-the-scenes process material. If you need editable working files for production reasons, tell me early and I’ll quote that separately.
Portfolio use
After publication, I can show the finished work as part of my portfolio. That includes my website, social channels, pitches to publishers, and awards submissions, using reasonable selections (for example the cover and a few spreads) rather than the full book.
If you need the artwork kept private until a reveal or publication date, tell me the embargo date before finals start. I’ll hold portfolio posts until that date as long as we agree it in writing. If you have specific do-not-share pages for spoiler reasons, flag them at dummy approval and I’ll avoid them.
Limits I work within
I’m responsible for delivering the work I’m hired for, in the formats we’ve agreed, and for fixing issues that are clearly my mistake (for example the wrong trim size, missing bleed, or an avoidable export error). If something looks off, tell me as soon as you spot it so I can correct it before it reaches a printer.
I can’t cover losses that sit outside my control, like printer errors, paper and colour shifts on press, shipping delays, marketplace takedowns, or costs caused by late or changing inputs from your side (for example a revised manuscript after dummy sign-off). My responsibility is limited to the value of the work you’ve paid me for under this project.
Ending the project
You or I can end the project by telling the other in writing. Because schedules and printer dates matter, I’ll ask that we agree the notice period in writing and keep it practical for the stage we’re in.
If the project ends, you pay for the work I’ve completed up to the end date, including any approved extras already in progress. Once those invoices are paid, I’ll hand over what’s been completed in a usable form for that stage (for example the latest approved dummy files, or completed finals). The parts you haven’t paid for yet stay with me, and I’m not required to release unfinished or unpaid work.
Signature
