My question is inspired by your post on permissions
The Author shall, at the Author's expense, deliver valid written permission from the proprietor (ie the rights holder) for the use of .... all necessary illustrations, maps, charts, and photographs...
Now you have me thinking about all of those wonderful maps in fantasy stories. Is it difficult to have maps & illustrations included in novels? Do publishers in general like them or avoid them? If an author has grand plans for maps, is it more likely to happen if she provides them, or do publishers like to hire illustrators and be part of the design?
Generally "all necessary illustrations, maps, charts, and photographs" apply to non-fiction books. The reason you see that language in contracts for fiction is that most agencies have their own boilerplate contract with publishers and it's used for both fiction and non-fiction. To leave it out for a novel would mean the publisher couldn't just include it on the next contract without having to negotiate it.
Whether a book would benefit from a map or illustrations is something that's discussed at the time of acquisition by the publisher. Whether the author provides it is something that's negotiated, not just assumed.
I love maps** in books and I'm always glad to see one, even in novels.
(This is probably attributable to reading Agatha Christie novels as a sharkling.)
And the map at the start of the movie Casablanca really is an essential part of the tension and atmosphere of the entire movie.
The problem with maps and illustrations is of course that it adds to the cost of printing the book. We have this discussion with publishers when we have photographs to include in a book as well.
Generally you'll want to save the news that you'd like to include art in a novel until after you've acquired an agent. At the query stage, I'm only interested in the writing, and all too often someone who starts talking to me about illustration intends to have their Great Aunt Beverly Buttonweezer provide it.
However, if you do envision maps as part of the book, you should tell your agent. That's something s/he'll want to discuss with the editor as part of the acquisition process. I can recall that one editor's enthusiasm for maps secured her the deal, when a competing editor wasn't so keen on the maps.
Who pays for maps and illustrations and who provides them is something that can be negotiated. Unless you're a pro, expect that the publisher will want to have someone else do the art. There are exceptions to this; it's not a hard and fast rule.
**And really, how could anyone not love maps?!
This is the Peters projection world map. Not familiar with it? You're not alone:
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