What About Illustrations?

Should I put illustrations in my book?

By all means, if you want to and you think they will help the reader.

There are two basic types of illustrations to consider. One includes diagrams and charts that convey information, and the other is photos or drawings or even cartoons that accompany and complement the text, but don’t really add anything new. In memoirs, particularly, personal photographs and other visual ephemera can really help draw the reader into a deeper relationship with the author, by giving a glimpse behind the scenes.

The key rule if you include illustrations is to get the most out of them. If they are accompanying images, get the designer to keep them near the appropriate part of the story. Add a caption that explains exactly what is happening in the picture, so the reader knows what they are looking at. Simple pictures may just need a label to identify a person or occasion.

If you are conveying information in a diagram, trust it to do its job. You don’t need to also explain exactly the same thing in the text. Add a caption that tells the reader how to read the diagram, and reference it at the appropriate place in the text, but resist the temptation to explain it.

If it’s relevant and appropriate, the reader will understand it. And if it’s not, what’s it doing in your book?