If you’ve found a specific image that you’d like to use in your book, make sure it’s usable before you get too attached. Keep the following things in mind for clear (and legal) images:

Size and Resolution: Is your image big enough? At 100%, your image should be at least 300 DPI (dots per inch). If it’s much smaller than this, your designer will probably lob it back to you, asking for a “high-res” version. If you pulled your image off the web, (we’ll talk about that momentarily) you may not have one. And I know, I know, Photoshop can do great things. All you have to do is type “300″ in the Image Size dialogue and voilà: it’s high-res, right? No. Not right. Don’t do that. Seriously.

Permissions: Do you have permission to use this image? If you didn’t create the image yourself, you might not. If you purchased the image from a stock photography bureau like Veer or Getty, review the license for any restrictions. Royalty-free images can be used for just about anything, but be sure to read the fine print for rights-managed imagery. For older, iconic images, check to see if they’re in the public domain before republishing them.

If you obtained your image by right-clicking and downloading it from the web, you probably can’t use it. (It’s low-res and it’s not yours.) Contact the owner of the image and find out about permissions and the availability of a print-quality version. It’s best to research this information early so that if you need to replace your image because of permissions or size, you have ample time to find a new one that’s just as perfect.