Children's Book Layout & Illustrations

I have completed the manuscript for a paperback children’s book aimed at 8- to 12-year-olds and now need it professionally transformed into a print-ready product. Your brief covers two connected tasks: designing a polished interior layout and creating the full-colour illustrations that will bring the story to life.

For the layout, I want a clean, engaging look that balances text and images while meeting standard trim, bleed, and margin specifications for print-on-demand platforms such as KDP and IngramSpark. Chapter openings, page numbers, running heads, and fonts should feel playful yet age-appropriate—think adventure-novel energy rather than early-reader simplicity. If you prefer Adobe InDesign, Affinity Publisher, or a comparable tool, let me know; I’m flexible as long as the final PDF passes automatic pre-press checks.

On the illustration side, I need original, high-resolution artwork that matches the tone and pacing of each scene. Roughly one half-page illustration every two to three pages should work, with two full-page spreads for key moments. We can discuss style, colour palette, and character references once you’ve seen a sample chapter.

Deliverables I’m expecting:
• Print-ready PDF of the interior formatted to the agreed trim size
• Separate high-resolution illustration files (TIFF or PNG, 300 dpi)
• Source files for both layout and artwork (INDD/AFP and layered PSD/AI)
• A short hand-off sheet noting fonts, colour profiles, and any special layout instructions

Please share children’s titles you’ve designed or illustrated—especially for the 8-12 bracket—so I can gauge fit. I’m ready to start as soon as we agree on style direction and a realistic timeline.