A children's book lives or dies on its illustrations as much as its story. Keach Publishing Agency provides custom illustration for picture books and children's titles: cover art, full interior spreads, and character design, built from the start to meet Amazon KDP's and IngramSpark's technical requirements, so your file doesn't get rejected on upload after the creative work is already done.
This is available as a standalone service or bundled into a complete publishing package alongside formatting, metadata optimization, and platform setup.
Readers and parents judge a children's book by its art before they read a single line, and they judge it fastest as a thumbnail on a phone screen, not as a full-size print spread.
Beyond first impressions, consistent, well-produced illustrations are what make a picture book feel finished rather than homemade: characters that look the same from page to page, color and line work that holds up in print, and a cover that reads clearly at a glance.
Every project follows the same process, whether you're illustrating a 24-page board book or a full 32-page picture book.
Rough, black-and-white layouts for every spread, plus initial character concepts.
Matched to the book's age range and genre, since a board book, a picture book, and an early reader call for noticeably different illustration approaches.
Locking in how each character looks so they're recognizable from the first page to the last, one of the most common quality failures in rushed or budget illustration work.
Every interior spread is fully rendered in color.
Front cover, full wraparound print cover, and a separate ebook cover.
Correct DPI, bleed, trim size, and color mode for both KDP and IngramSpark.
We keep revising until every spread is ready to print.
Illustration files that look great on a screen still get rejected on upload if the technical specs are wrong. We build every file to the current requirements for both platforms.
Trim sizes
Standard picture book trim sizes, including 8.5" x 8.5" and 8.5" x 11", alongside other trims on request.
KDP page count minimums
24 pages for a paperback, 75 pages for a hardcover; premium color interiors allow a 24-page minimum, while standard color interiors require at least 72 pages, which matters for shorter picture books.
300 DPI minimum
Every illustration file is built at 300 DPI or higher, so art prints sharp rather than blurry.
Bleed and safety margins
Art extended 0.125" past the trim edge, with safety margins so nothing important gets cut off in printing.
Color modes
CMYK for print files, matched separately for ebook-ready RGB files.
IngramSpark-ready packages
File packages alongside KDP, for authors who want their book in bookstores and libraries, not just on Amazon.
Amazon actively enforces its AI content disclosure policy: any book containing AI-generated cover or interior artwork must be disclosed during the KDP upload process, even if the art was edited afterward, and undisclosed AI content can get a title removed without warning. This doesn't affect a disclosed book's ranking, royalties, or category eligibility. It's a transparency requirement, not a penalty for using AI responsibly.
Suggested structure below. Confirm final pricing before publishing.
Front cover, wraparound print cover, and ebook cover.
A set number of full interior spreads (commonly 12, 20, or a full 32-page picture book's worth), priced per illustration based on complexity.
Cover plus full interior illustration, bundled with formatting and platform setup for KDP and IngramSpark.
Every package is billed as a flat fee agreed before work begins. You own the final artwork and files outright; there's no ongoing royalty or licensing fee on the illustrations once the project is complete.
One team handles both the art and the technical file preparation, so nothing gets lost in a handoff between an illustrator and a formatter.
Agreed before work begins, with no ongoing royalty or licensing fee on the artwork.
You own the final files and artwork outright.
Illustration connects directly into cover design, formatting, metadata, and platform setup, if you want one team for the whole project.
Cover illustration typically runs $500-$3,000, and interior illustrations are commonly priced per spread, in the range of roughly $80-$200 or more per illustration depending on complexity. A full 32-page picture book with around 20 illustrations plus a cover generally lands in the $1,500-$6,000+ range industry-wide. Exact Keach pricing is listed on our Pricing page.
A standard 32-page picture book generally needs about 20 full-color interior illustrations plus the cover, though this varies with your page count and how text and art are balanced on each spread.
KDP requires a minimum of 300 DPI for all images, correct bleed if art extends to the page edge, and PDF files matched exactly to your chosen trim size. We handle all of this as part of the illustration process, so you're not troubleshooting a rejected upload after the fact.
Yes. We work from reference images, mood boards, or comp titles you provide to match a style, and confirm the direction with concept sketches before moving into full-color work.
Amazon requires disclosure of any AI-generated cover or interior art during the KDP upload process. We can walk you through exactly what does and doesn't require disclosure for your specific project.
A complete picture book illustration project typically takes several weeks from concept sketches to final print-ready files, depending on page count and how many rounds of revisions are needed.
Schedule a free consultation and we'll talk through your manuscript, your art direction, and what a complete illustrated picture book project looks like.
