Illustrative AgencyReviews of illustrativeagency.com

SCAMMER WARNING. Pure scam. Fake invoices of printing contracts. Never printed books. Fake contracts guaranteeing payments backed up with fake customers. Fake advertising and placement. Crooks

Worst nightmare. Not professional. Husdon also fake. Do not fall for them.

Its a scam! Illustrative Agency...Hudson Books Publisher....fake! I disputed my charge with my bank, and the frustrating part is that I did create a lot of the illustrations, concepts, and designs. Their work is trash, and you can tell it's AI-generated. I actually used Procreate to create my designs and elements. As an author who contributed to the illustrations, I need to figure this all out. The phone number on the website does not work. The online rep said he's from another company...I can go on and on

I worked with this agency to publish my first children’s book. While I’m somewhat happy with the final book, the process was far more frustrating and complicated than I expected, and I want to share my experience so others can make an informed decision. The positives: The team can produce a finished book for first-time authors. They do offer guidance throughout the process, which can be helpful if you have no prior experience. The negatives (important to know): Communication issues: They were often poor listeners. I had to repeat my requested edits multiple times — sometimes up to four emails — before changes were actually made. I would provide detailed numbered or bulleted lists, but they often only addressed one or two points, ignored others, or even made changes I never asked for. Slow and frustrating revision process: The back-and-forth was exhausting and unnecessarily long. Marketing problems and broken promises: They talked me into their marketing service with a “money-back guarantee” if I didn’t make $9,000 in sales within six months. June 30, 2025: I formally requested the refund after sales revenue was far below the guaranteed amount (I made about $20 in sales from my own friends/family). July 1, 2025: I was offered a three-month extension as they'd failed to previously inform me that supposedly their social media accounts hadn't been working the last three months. I declined as they'd made me so little in sales and I had been the one reaching out to them instead of the other way around. I requested the refund immediately. August 1–26, 2025: The agency gave multiple excuses for delays, including “technical issues” and supposed problems with their billing/merchant systems, then tried to say it was because my card expired. I repeatedly confirmed that my card was valid and offered safe alternatives (signature required check, online safe offerings-they wanted me to EMAIL them my banking account details HUGE red flag), yet the refund still did not,and has not, appeared. September 10, 2025: They sent a "screenshot" of a supposed refund receipt, but my card issuer did not show any pending or completed transaction. September 23, 2025: I again confirmed with my card issuer that the refund was not issued. Illustrative Agency proposed paying the $2800 refund in $500 installments, now claiming a merchant hold due to customer disputes. I declined because the contract clearly required the full refund and I was not about to change the contract agreement after going back and forth with them for MONTHS. Overall, while I appreciated finally having my book published, the communication issues, repeated delays, and then numerous difficulties with the guaranteed marketing refund made the experience very frustrating. I cannot recommend the agency for marketing or for authors who expect responsive, detail-oriented support. If you are primarily looking for a first book published and are prepared for extensive back-and-forth, you may find some value, but proceed with EXTREME caution regarding their marketing promises as so far it appears it's a MASSIVE scam.

These people are SCAMMERS. They trick you and act like their publishing your book for months then will have you make a good review when it’s “almost done”. Then you will never recieve the book or illustrations. They will mislead you for MONTHS. Schedule zoom calls, trying to seem legit then you will never recieve your things. I learned the hard way. Worst experience of my life. Pleaseeee do not fall for it.

I wish could give them a zero. I paid for illustrations and book formatting. It’s been a painful process. Illustrations would have too many fingers or chopped off hands. The book formatting for my chapter book was centered and all out of wack. When I read over it, there were whole pages of my narrative missing. Now they are not taking my calls and aren’t responding to my texts and emails. **STAY AWAY FROM THEM!**

This experience was extremely well and I appreciated the professionalism throughout this process. My first book was great and I will be writing another!

I recently worked with John Albert and his team, and I found the experience to be professional and efficient. John was responsive and attentive throughout the process, which made communication easy. The team demonstrated a clear commitment to the author’s vision, making adjustments when the illustrations didn’t align with my expectations. The process is entirely online and conducted via email, which is convenient, but I do wish their "Zoom" calls allowed for video on their end. It would have been nice to put a face to the names and feel a bit more connected. Overall, I’m happy with the illustrations and the team’s effort to bring my project to life. I’d recommend their services to anyone looking for a professional and accommodating illustration team.