Joyriding into Image Research: A Cautionary Tale

By Elizabeth Shreeve

This is a story about falling in love. It’s got a happy ending—a beautiful book and new friendships with artists around the world. It’s also a tale of honest mistakes and slippery slopes. If you’re starting a book involving image research, I hope it will help. 

 First, some advice. Several wise authors, like Sarah Albee and Stephanie Bearce, have provided resources for free/low-cost photos (see below for links). Did I follow their guidelines? Well, sort of. Their recommended sources didn’t quite fit the bill for my topic. Which led to…

MISTAKE #1: Straying from low-cost image sources.

My image research began when I signed with Atheneum/Simon & Schuster to write Dinosaurs to Dragons: The Lore and Science of Mythical Creatures (July 21, 2026). It would be my first middle grade title and the first project for which I would supply images. How cool! The contract included an allowance for image licensing. There would be an illustrator, too. I had nothing to worry about, right?

Then I fell down a slippery slope. Actually, more like several extremely gorgeous, entrancing, wonder-filled slopes. I got lost in the artwork and neglected something important…

MISTAKE #2: Ooops! Forgot the “cost” column.

Over months of research, I became addicted to beautiful images. I explored online museum collections. I discovered original work by artists in Brazil, Chile, Germany, Haiti, and Nepal. I added these treasures to folders and inserted them into a spreadsheet. I mocked up spreads to show how images and captions related to text.

It was a joyride! As chapters took shape, however, I strayed farther from low-cost image sources. I needed help, so I hired a content licensing company, Photo Affairs. They alerted me to possible overruns, but my publisher turned down a request to increase the budget.

MISTAKE #3: Avoiding some simple math.

 Did I stop collecting photos? Nope. The vision of a gorgeous book overwhelmed any remaining common sense. I loved each image. As it turned out, so did the publisher’s designer. When it came time to lay out the spreads, they wanted to use almost everything in my folders. Yikes! Photo Affairs began securing permissions—and the costs came in high.

We managed some discounts. But the layout was fixed, and it was stunning. How could we possibly cut the rendering of Cretaceous dinosaurs in Mongolia? Or the charming bunyip… the medieval dragon… or the gorgeous Polynesian sailboat? They all deserved a place on the page alongside Violeta Encarnación’s original artwork.

Did I go over budget on the image licensing? You bet.

Do I realize that authors don't want to spend a significant part of their advance on image licensing? Absolutely, and here are some pointers.

1. Read these posts and, to the extent possible, stick to the recommended image sources. 

Sarah Albee, “Image Research and Permissions: A Survival Guide.” NF Fest, February 15, 2023. 

Stephanie Bearce, “Picture Perfect.” NF Fest, December 13, 2022. 

Sarah Albee, “Behind the Books: Finding Photos forNonfiction Books.” Celebrate Nonfiction. February 28, 2017. 

2. Before signing a contract, confirm who pays for licensing of copyrighted images or text. If you’re responsible, make sure you’ve got an adequate budget. Stick to it! 

3. Be serious about image research. Find primary sources. Get inspired! Here’s an excellent post by Patricia Newman: “Getting to the Heart of Your Photos.” NF Fest, February 5, 2025. 

4. Make an image spreadsheet, including a column for costs (see example in Sarah Albee’s “Image Research and Permissions” post, above). Take time to periodically update your projected costs. For my book, the average licensing cost was around $80. I paid $100/image for most of the original pieces obtained directly from artists. You can do better by sticking to free/lower-cost sources.

5. Beware of art galleries! They tend to be expensive. 

6. As early as possible, confirm the number of images and required licensing terms with your editor. Set a schedule for delivering licenses and high-resolution files in order to avoid expensive last-minute sourcing. Ask your publisher for any existing accounts with photo stock libraries (e.g., Alamy or Shutterstock) and arrange to use their discounts. 

7. Don’t assume that Wikipedia is a reliable source. Are their files available at a high resolution? Do you need to trace back to primary sources? 

8. For a book with many images, work with a consultant. I highly recommend Photo Affairs. They easily cover their fees by finding discounts and lower cost options. 

Buckle up! Image research can be a joyride, and it doesn’t have to break the bank. 

 

About the Author: Elizabeth Shreeve writes children’s books that spark curiosity about Planet Earth. When not gallivanting about for a new project, Elizabeth lives in northern California with her family, including Hector the PaleoDog. Her next book, Dinosaurs to Dragons: The Lore & Science of Mythical Creatures (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2026), includes gorgeous illustrations by Violeta Encarnación and an embarrassing number of photographic images. Other upcoming titles include Germ Wars: Time-Traveling through the (sometimes gruesome) History of Children’s Health (Zest/Lerner, 2027). Visit her at https://elizabethshreeve.com/ and @ShreeveBooks.