After completing a novel or non-fiction work, the last thing you want to do is worry about the outside packaging. You may be considering trying your own hand at designing a cover for your book. Take a look at the tips below to help the process go a litle more smoothly, and to make your cover look professional.
Prefer to work on your book cover with a professional designer?
I can help you out. Whether you’re sketching your own cover or scratching your head for ideas, I can work with you to design a book cover that looks great and helps sell your work.
THE BOOK COVER DESIGN PROCESS
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STAGE 1: Deposit and Prepare
Our work together begins with a $400 deposit via PayPal. This fee covers the creative development and license for your choice of one distribution channel for your book (for example, if you are looking to self-publish an ebook on Amazon, this license will cover the JPEG or TIFF file formatted for the Kindle). After your deposit, I will send you a short questionnaire to help me prepare for designing your book.
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STAGE 2: Tell me about your story
We will have a more in-depth discussion during which I will learn more about the kind of audience you hope to find for your book, what mood you are looking to set, and the details of how you are planning on distributing your work.
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STAGE 3: Review sketches and concepts
I will then get to work sketching concepts and visual ideas for your cover. You will see 3 distinctly different ideas from me, with full explanations of why I chose each direction based on our previous conversation.
If you do not like any of the proposed ideas at this point, you can choose to get 50% of your initial deposit returned and end the project, no questions asked. I will be very sad to see you go, but I want to make sure that you have a book cover you love!
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STAGE 4: Refine and Distribute
Once we have discussed the sketches and decided on a direction for the cover, I will refine the sketches. We will go through up to three additional rounds of feedback/refinement. Once everything is ready, I will finalize the files, and deliver them to you in the correct format. At this point, you will also get a document confirming that you have the license to use these files for the distribution channel that you have indicated in our prior conversations (e.g., Amazon Kindle).
What if I need more than three rounds of refining?
If you’re not satisfied after three rounds, we can continue refining the cover until you it looks just like you want. My standard hourly rate will apply.
What if I want the full license, not just for one distribution channel?
You can opt to purchase the full license (which means that you can use the file however you like) and receive the native files from me for an additional fee. If you’re interested in this option, I can explain the details of how it works during our initial conversation.
Can you help me with other elements of book design, like converting it to ebook formats, doing print layouts, or designing illustrations for the inside?
Yes! I’d be happy to. Please give me a heads up that you’re thinking about this when we first talk. I’ll keep potential ideas for designing other aspects of the book in mind while working on your cover. After we finish the cover, we’ll revisit any additional work you may need.
Can you help me with marketing my book?
Absolutely. I can help you create a marketing website for your book, create promotional graphics for social media, create a variety of marketing materials to distribute around town, and anything else you will find useful.
What’s an example of a book cover you’ve done?
Here is a cover for Cocoon Kids, a collection of short stories by Joseph Grammer.
Ready to get started? Please contact me using the form below and tell me a little bit about your project. I’ll also be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have.