Graphic Novel Illustrator Schedule Survey
This is a survey for graphic novel illustrators working primarily in the United States publishing industry.

If you are a picture book illustrator, you can fill out the picture book survey here: https://forms.gle/WGrU1Q4HsjdbSfck9

For the purposes of this survey, a "graphic novel" is defined as a fully illustrated perfect-bound comic book of no less than 100 pages. This survey does not include individual issue ("floppy") comics. The graphic novel may be a self-contained story or may be a part of a graphic novel series. Your graphic page count may vary based on this standard.

In some cases, issue comics or daily strips may be compiled later into a graphic novel of 100 pages or longer. When filling out the survey, please refer to the time spent producing the work collected in the graphic novel.

The Purpose: to get a sense of timeline trends for graphic novel illustrators among the US publishing industry. There is no standard in the US publishing industry for graphic novel production schedules. The time an illustrator is given to work on a single graphic novel may be impacted by any number of factors. Regardless of the time frame, there is one thing that remains the same in all situations: illustrating a graphic novel is challenging, time-consuming work, and illustrators should be given enough time to comfortably do their work while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

How Will the Data Be Used: the data will be presented publicly by Nilah Magruder to give illustrators a more transparent look at production timelines. The hope is that both unagented and agented illustrators will be able to use this information to advocate for themselves. I hope this information also gives agents and editors a clearer understanding of healthy illustration schedules. I will not be collecting names or private information of survey participants. While this survey may ask for specific details about the books you've published, all responses will remain anonymous.

The Creator of the Survey: My name is Nilah Magruder. I am an author and illustrator. I oversee the Agents for Illustrators Directory. If you have questions about the survey, e-mail me at illustratoragents@gmail.com.
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How long have you been illustrating graphic novels? *
How many graphic novels have you illustrated in the course of your career? *
Include any books you're currently illustrating in your count.
In what country are your publishers primarily based? *
Do you have an art/literary agent who negotiates your graphic novel contracts? *
In the last two years, which types of publishers account for the majority of your graphic novel contracts? *
Required
Check any of these publishers that you have illustrated graphic novels for in the last five years. *
Required
What is the shortest amount of time in which you've illustrated a graphic novel? *
If you're an author/illustrator, please leave out your time spent writing the text and only include the time spent illustrating.
Did an art or literary agent negotiate this contract for you? *
How many illustrated pages are in the book? *
What duties did you, individually, perform in the illustration of this graphic novel? *
Required
If other artists were involved in the illustration of the graphic novel, please indicate their duties below. *
Required
How many artists, including yourself, illustrated the graphic novel? *
Sometimes in the course of illustrating a book, a deadline may be affected by contract delays, lengthy revisions, or communication delays with the editor or designer. Please elaborate on any changes in your negotiated schedule that impacted the amount of time in which you illustrated the book.
What is the longest amount of time in which you've illustrated a graphic novel? *
If you're an author/illustrator, please leave out your time spent writing the text and only include the time spent illustrating.
Did an art or literary agent negotiate this contract for you? *
How many illustrated pages are in the book? *
What duties did you, individually, perform in the illustration of this graphic novel? *
Required
If other artists were involved in the illustration of the graphic novel, please indicate their duties below. *
Required
How many artists, including yourself, illustrated the graphic novel? *
Sometimes in the course of illustrating a book, a deadline may be affected by contract delays, lengthy revisions, or communication delays with the editor or designer. Please elaborate on any changes in your negotiated schedule that impacted the amount of time in which you illustrated the book.
What would you say is the average amount of time you're given to illustrate the majority of graphic novels you've worked on? *
If you're an author/illustrator, please leave out your time spent writing the text and only include the time spent illustrating.
Has meeting a graphic novel illustration schedule ever required you to do the following? *
Required
Have you experienced any illness or injury that affects your ability to work tight graphic novel deadlines? *
Would you like to elaborate on any illness, injury, or other uncomfortable or unhealthy practices you've experienced in order to meet a graphic novel deadline?
In general, how do you feel about the schedules you've been given for the majority of the graphic novels you've illustrated? *
In general, how do you feel about graphic novel illustration schedules you will negotiate in the future? *
In what country are you based?
What race best describes you?
What are your pronouns?
Are you a marginalized gender/sexual identity?
Are you disabled?
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If you have anything else you'd like to say about illustration schedules, please include it here.
Your answers are anonymous. Survey results will be compiled and published at a later date. Any long answers you've provided will not be quoted in the final publication, but may be referenced in general terms. Do you consent to the use of your answers in this survey? *
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