Presenter: Hello and welcome back! Our guest today is Sarah McGregor, a well-⁠known book-⁠illustrator and author of graphic novels. Not so long ago, Sarah launched a Twitter campaign which she called #IllustrationsAreImportant, supported by all book illustrators, many children’s books writers and some publishing houses. How did it all start, Sarah?

Sarah McGregor: Good morning! Well, it all began when I started working in the illustration business and suddenly realized that even though children’s books are as much pictures as text  — if not more  — people don’t really know the names of the illustrators. A book for them is created by the writer.

Presenter: Why does it happen?

Sarah McGregor: Very often the illustrator’s name is not mentioned on the book cover. You might be able to find it inside the book in small print, but nobody can see it unless they look for it on purpose. So, nobody knows the illustrator’s name. And the same happens when you read a book review  — it’s always a book by the writer, not by the writer and illustrator.

Presenter: Does that matter? Don’t illustrators still get paid for their work?

Sarah McGregor: They do, of course they do. But in our profession recognition is very important. And it is not about vanity or self-⁠confidence. How can we get another commission if nobody knows us? This is our business and as in any other business, branding matters a lot. Imagine telling a company like McDonald’s or Apple that they can’t have their name above their shop or their logo on their cups, computers or phones. They’d take you to court! Our names are our logos. Having our names on our books and pictures helps us advertise our art. Like anybody else, an illustrator needs to make a living. So it is essential for us to be credited for what we create.

Presenter: You have mentioned in your campaign that crediting illustrators benefits not only illustrators themselves. What did you mean by that?

Sarah McGregor: Well, first of all, it’s more publicity for the publisher. It is a lot easier for an illustrator to attract an audience to a book at book festivals. People love watching illustrators draw at such events. Images are easy to remember.

There’s more chance for them to recognize a book while shopping by the style of the illustrations on the front cover. Secondly, not all children come to reading books through words. Lots of children come to stories through pictures. Before they can read or write, children can enjoy books by looking at the pictures which also tell the story. Many children who won’t pick up a novel will happily read a comic. But they don’t necessarily realise a real person made the pictures unless someone points it out to them. When they discover a person made the pictures, they realise they can make pictures that tell stories, too. Why deny them such a pleasure?

Presenter: Have you had any success in your campaign?

Sarah McGregor: Indeed, we have! More and more publishers credit illustrators on the cover of their books voluntarily. It has become a lot easier for illustrators to ask publishers to credit them. Several literary awards like Carnegie Medal now list illustrators along with writers. Newspapers and magazines, especially, professional magazines like Bookseller, have started mentioning illustrators in reviews and featuring interviews with illustrators.

Presenter: Are there any other professions in your area that have the same problem and could benefit from your efforts?

Sarah McGregor: Yes! Translators! Considering how much work goes into translating books, one would think that their names should be mentioned alongside the authors’. They have their own campaign, but we are certainly allies.

Presenter: Sarah, thank you so much for coming to us today and good luck with your campaign!

Sarah McGregor: Thank you for inviting me!