You don’t need perfect illustration choices. You need considered ones. And once you’ve made them, you’re allowed to let the book move forward — without apology, without constant revision, and without carrying unnecessary doubt with you. That’s confidence.
If there’s one pattern I see again and again with writers approaching illustration, it’s not confusion about art — it’s decision fatigue.
By the time a manuscript is finished, writers have already made hundreds of choices. Words, structure, tone, pacing. Illustration arrives at the end of that process and suddenly everything feels high-stakes again. What if I choose the wrong style? What if I over-direct? What if I under-brief? What if this decision follows the book forever?
This article isn’t here to add more rules. It’s here to help you close the loop — to move from information to confidence, and from hesitation to calm, deliberate choice.
Confidence Comes From Understanding, Not Certainty
One of the most damaging myths in publishing is that confident decisions come from being “sure”. They don’t. They come from understanding the system well enough to accept trade-offs.
Illustration decisions are not about finding the perfect option. They’re about choosing an option that:
- fits the audience
- fits the book’s purpose
- fits your budget and capacity
- and fits you as the author
Once those elements are aligned, uncertainty doesn’t disappear — it just stops being paralysing.
You Don’t Need to Please Every Reader
A quiet source of overthinking is the belief that illustration choices should work for everyone. They won’t.
Some readers love illustrated interiors. Others find them distracting. Some parents want maximum visual clarity. Some adult readers prefer restraint. None of these preferences are wrong — but trying to satisfy all of them will leave you stuck.
Good publishing decisions are specific, not universal. When you decide who the book is for, many illustration questions answer themselves.
Illustration Is a Series of Small, Linked Decisions
Writers often treat illustration as one enormous choice: Do I illustrate or not? What style? How much direction?When in reality, it’s a chain of smaller decisions:
- what job the images are doing
- where they appear
- how consistent they are
- how much authority they carry
You don’t need to solve everything at once. You just need to keep the decisions internally consistent. That consistency is what readers feel as professionalism.
Overthinking Is Usually a Sign You Care
If you’re overthinking illustration, it’s not because you’re indecisive or unprepared. It’s because you understand that images matter — and that they shape how your book is read before your words ever get the chance.
Caring is not the problem. Letting care turn into paralysis is.
At some point, every book reaches a moment where the decision becomes good enough — and moving forward becomes more valuable than perfect alignment.
A Grounding Test I Give Writers
When writers are stuck between options, I ask them to step away from preference and answer three questions:
- Does this choice serve the reader I’m writing for?
- Does it respect the illustrator’s expertise as well as my own?
- Will I still stand by this decision in a year, even if trends change?
If the answer is yes to all three, it’s time to move on.
Doubt after that point is normal. It doesn’t mean the decision is wrong.
The System Is Allowed to Support You
Illustration decisions don’t happen in isolation. They’re shaped by contracts, timelines, budgets, rights, and professional norms.
In Australia, those norms exist to protect creative work on both sides. The guidance provided by bodies like the Australian Copyright Council and the professional standards promoted through organisations such as the Australian Society of Authors aren’t there to restrict creativity — they’re there to make collaboration sustainable.
Knowing that framework allows you to make decisions without carrying the entire risk alone.
You’re Allowed to Decide, and Then Stop Deciding
This may be the most important permission of all. You are allowed to stop second-guessing once you’ve:
- chosen an illustrator thoughtfully
- communicated clearly
- agreed on scope, budget and timelines
- and aligned illustration with audience and intent
At some point, the book needs room to become itself.
Illustration is not something you endlessly refine. It’s something you commit to, then support through to completion.
Illustration decisions don’t ask you to be an art director. They ask you to be clear, respectful, and intentional. If you’ve done that, you’ve done your job.
The rest is craft, time, and trust.
Takeaway
You don’t need perfect illustration choices. You need considered ones.
And once you’ve made them, you’re allowed to let the book move forward — without apology, without constant revision, and without carrying unnecessary doubt with you.
That’s confidence.
Australian References & Further Reading
- Arts Queensland – Support and guidance for writers and visual artists
- Australian Copyright Council – Illustration rights and licensing
- Australian Society of Authors – Professional collaboration standards