I have many short stories all similar to the one I posted on Writer's shared works 'JC Bakes a Cake'. For my own benefit I have added pictures from Microsoft just to bring the stories to life a bit more for friends,family and work colleagues. However, this has always just been print outs directly from the printer stapled together and not actual books. I would like put forward a selection of my short stories to agents with the possibility of them getting published. Should I use an illustrator, keep with my own pictures or leave them as text only if I were to send to agents? Thanks.
Microsoft clip art NO! Professional illustrator who knows how to make your text come to life YES! Illustrations and Text should work together evenly. Don't be afraid to add art to your work. Its great that you thought of it! Cause it does add something special, when the partnership its working properly. Make sure the art is up to the standard where you want your writing to go / develop into.
Also don't underestimate the power of human imagination! We really know how to dream up images, take advantage of that.
Best wishes and keep exploring!
Cheers,
Illustrator Liz Cleaves
If its not your artwork then NO.
Also are you seeking an agent for an antho, or individual short stories?
Anthos are extremely hard to get pubbed (unless you are already well known!). Individual short stories are usually submitted directly to the publishers (online, magazines etc). If accepted they would usually commission artwork if needed. However if it is your art, and v.good it may be worth mentioning in your submission.
It all depends on the quality and how integral to the story they are.
Something you may wish to consider is to have a blog with stories that you are not submitting and include your artwork there. An example from a friend of mine:
http://talesfromworldsunseen.blogspot.co.uk/
My latest blog post is also image heavy if you fancy a look-see (address in my profile) :)