At the beginning of 2025, I had very clear hopes for my freelance career as a children’s book illustrator. More books, more stability, more proof that signing with an agency was working.
Now that the year is over, I want to share a realistic snapshot of what 2025 actually looked like. Not as a success story, not as a failure, but as a process. Because if you’re a kidlit illustrator, you probably know this strange in-between phase very well.
I signed with my illustration agency in January 2024, and it took 2 full years until I could finally hold my first published book in my hands. That moment came in July 2025, so please note, it was about 1.5 year after signing, ufff. Yes, this industry is notorious for being so sooo slow!
I still remember opening the package and thinking: so this is what all that waiting was for…
That alone already made 2025 a bit better than last year.
In total, I received 5 publications in 2025. Out of that, I bought one out of my own pocket because the publisher never sent my my author copies. Remember publishers: impressions last, it goes both ways…
Physically holding my work mattered more than I expected. Real books I could stack on my desk and show my daughter. Is it a lot? For two years with an agency, honestly, no. But it is progress.
Since signing with my agency (2 years), I’ve worked with 11 different clients.
In 2025 alone, my work included:
5 board book projects
2 puzzle deals
1 magazine project
2 smaller vector clip art projects
On paper, that looks like a decent amount of work. And it was work: real deadlines, revisions, production schedules, and long waiting periods between “yes” and “published.”
This is the part people rarely spell out clearly. In 2025, agency work made up about 20% of my total annual income. That is… very little. But still more than in 2024 ickkkk.
If I relied only on agency illustration income, I would not be able to live on it. Not even close.
This is one of the hardest realities to accept when you’re represented:
being signed does not mean financial security
published does not mean well paid
busy does not mean sustainable
And yes, that is disappointing. Seeing the numbers written down can feel sobering, especially when you know how much emotional energy, patience, and unpaid waiting goes into kidlit work.
I’m writing this for other illustrators who:
feel behind
wonder if signing with an agency was a mistake
compare their progress to others
quietly worry about money
You’re not failing. You’re just in the middle of a very long game. And sometimes, progress looks like holding five books instead of zero.
Hi! I’m Weronika Salach, a freelance illustrator specializing in children’s books, toy design and surface pattern design. Internationally I’m represented by Advocate Art. Over 50,000 happy students have taken my digital illustration courses and watched my YouTube videos. Let’s connect :)
👉 Website
👉 Courses
👉 “The Art of Growth” blog-letter
👉 YouTube
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