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Bob Ross, we are nots. |
I keep seeing in many Facebook forums where fellow writers display doubtful book covers, which, IMHO, could easily be corrected with just one very good element.
Many are not artists, nor designers. Obviously.
Otherwise, they would've enrolled in art school.Writers should write, and not obsess over their lack of artistic mastery.
(Disclaimer: I mention some websites in this article, but in no way am I representing or recommending them, sponsored by them, of have used their services in any way. Please do your own research.)
Hang onto your pleated slacks, because this is a long, long read! Lots of information to sift through, kiddies!
Making A Book Cover 101 - Commissioning An Illustrator
Or Graphic Designer
This topic is a very comprehensive write up on everything involved in the process of getting book covers made. Legal issues, hiring professionals, finding free resources, software, and everything in between will be covered in 3 articles.This article discusses contracting commercial artists.
I write this from the viewpoint of being a once, scorned freelance designer. Those days are past behind me but the lifestyle and headaches are still there. It leaves a mark, very much in the same way customer service burns you out. And this was long before Yelp and Twitter were invented! Trust me when I say that I have much expertise in this area.
Moving on.
Many of you are writers. Designing is a completely different profession. And you are not here to learn a completely different practice. No. You have writing to do.
I'm going to cover all the different points so that we can dispel the mysteries surrounding the practice of making book covers.
Making A Book Cover - The Basics
What Should I Know About Making My Own Book Cover?
It is one big ADVERTISEMENT:
- The book cover acts as the Point Of Sale
- Book covers act as the main point of advertising
- Do not use this as a chance to 'doodle some art for fun!'
- No one will pay hard ca$h for a book that looks like a retarded monkey scribbled it
Even publishing houses understand the importance of a great book cover!
A great book cover is a method of advertising that is very calculated by big publishing houses. They have in-house graphic art departments hand pick design elements that are in line with current trends. They submit it to focus groups for evaluation. They do a short run on a test market, before they submit the final book jacket design world wide. They do limited edition variant covers. They create different covers where the book is distributed in different countries.Everything about a book cover is calculated.
The whole point of the book cover is to grab the attention of the buyer. Remember that it's tricky to do when they're scrolling up & down the Amazon pages, competing with other books in the same category. This is where the book cover needs to stand out among the competitors. Competition is fierce.
A book cover design isn't the place for you to practice your art skills!
Basically put, get an actual graphic designer to do this. They understand this practice, and it's many intricacies. There are singular freelance designers out there, and also full-service companies that work with your budget. Also, there is actual software that allows you to drag & drop title and image elements all over the computer screen to make your own cover. (I will cover that later)
With so many options to choose from, why risk a shitty cover that will hamper book sales??
That is why authors are called "Best Selling Author", and not "Best Writing Author" , or "Best Designing Author"!
How Do I Know If I Need To Get A Professional Graphic Artist To Design My Book Cover?
When you answer 'No' to the following questions:
- Have you graduated from an accredited art school?
- Do you have full mastery of CAD programs?
- Are you writing as a hobby only?
- Do you have full comprehension of any of this: https://bit.ly/1QN8wPt
Then YES, you are definitely going to need a professional book cover made! By a professional!
You don't have the time to learn Photoshop, an art program so complex it takes three college years to master.
Photoshop keeps getting more complex, with more and more windows and features added yearly. This is made with professional graphic artists in mind, not homebodies who just wanna screw around with the program. In Design, the book making version of Photoshop (also by the same company) is also tricky if you've never worked with CAD software in your entire life.Similar programs like Gimp, or Corel Draw also have a steep learning curve.These take a couple of months to learn, just to do very basic maneuvers.
You can try Fire Alapaca, Krita, Canva, or other simplified software but again, everything takes time to learn. Just to learn basic shit, you may spend hours watching several 20 min. length tutorials on YouTube.
That's time you should dedicate to writing and book marketing. Don't bother trying to do book cover art yourself. It's not a great idea.
Let's discuss the cost of CAD software purchase
A singular annual Photoshop license costs around $600.00 at last count. I believe they now rent it out for $20/mo.? Not sure. Still costly, IMHO.Do you have that kind of time and money?
Most of you will shout 'Of course not!'
Again, this kind of software is made for professionals and design studios in mind, hence the exorbitant cost.
Look, you wanna write. You envision yourself as an author. You don't care anything about becoming an artist. Becoming an artist was not the career you chose.
So leave this hard job to someone who makes their living actually making book covers!
Don't micro-manage...simplify the processes! - Onyx Towers
I Already Designed My Own Book Cover. Do I Really Need A Designer Now?
Only if your book cover's quality is on par with these: http://lousybookcovers.com/If you looked at these and said to yourself, "Gee, they're not that bad";
"Well what's wrong with them?" then you REALLY need to hire a professional designer!
Pro Tip: You can change your book cover at any time, even after selling your book in your store for a while: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200965970
Let's Talk About What Graphic Design Isn't
It is not 'doodling' pretty images.It is most certainly NOT a digital version of scrapbooking! If you think that, your over-simplification degrades this noble profession. Most likely, you may need your head checked as well.
There is a valid reason this profession takes 2-4 years to master at the university level.
No, that one introductory course you took back in high school, or the learning annex doesn't count.
If it is so easy to do, everyone would be doing it- hang on, Doing it correctly. But no.
What Can I Expect When Approaching A Professional Commercial Graphic Designer To Design My Book Cover?
One major problem of freelance professionals is the ever belittling of their industry. It's something that poisons the relationship between vendor and clientele, and it's not a great start towards contracting services.Yes, you would be signing a contract and laying down a deposit, in order for the designer to get started on your project. This is an industry standard, so expect it. This is completely routine and professional. If contracts aren't signed, and deposits aren't dropped off, nothing gets started. Too bad if you need it 4 days from now.
You can expect for them to ask many questions about your story, when you need it by, what your budget limit is, what you want to see on the cover, how big the book dimensions are, etc.
You don't necessarily need to know dimensions right away, because you must first know which online book store you will be selling your ebook in. Are you selling in Nook, Kobo, Kindle? Tell your designer, so they can get the most updated required specs.
Pro tip:
Remember that each market has different size requirements. Click this link to find out each specific book size for each online book store: http://www.ebookcoversize.com/
So What Is The Etiquette In Approaching A Designer?
First off, don't be a colossal asshole. It goes without saying.Here is what an asshole client looks like: https://clientsfromhell.net/
You are approaching a professional who makes their living earning around $30/hr. at entry level, because this shit is complex.
You are not ordering a crappy burger and fries here. You are not merely ordering a pizza, or placing an order with your local dry cleaner who knows you by name. Please demonstrate some respect and courtesy when ordering such professional services.
I stress this because many of these folks already make a very well living, many have well-paying corporate clients, and thus, they don't really need your business. They are free to reject your proposal.
THESE ARE NOT STARVING ARTISTS.
Don't think that they need you, as much as you need them.
And to answer your question...
Here we go:
- Have a budget already separated for this project. Don't be wishy washy saying you'll get the money later. Everything is 'typically' half down up front {the overall cost - that is your deposit} and half down upon completion of project.
- Have an idea of what you wish to see on your book cover
- Then have an idea of what your book is actually about
- It helps if you give them links to actual books in the Kindle store that share your vision
- Tell them which online stores you will upload your book to be sold in, because each store has different sizing requirements
- Your book better damn well be finished when you reach this step!
That last step is crucial.
This is why.
Edits and rewrites result in removing paragraphs, sentences, and even entire chapters out of a book. This shortens pages. This shortens word counts. Your book gets shorter in story. It gets smaller in the spline size. Smaller spline means that the book cover length changes in size. So the artwork needs to be adjusted.
That adjustment will cost extra.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$-Too much money leaving dem pockets!
Get it now?
Pro-tip:
Use this link to calculate the spline size so you know what your book cover dimensions are: ⦁ http://www.adazing.com/createspace-spine-calculator/
Book Ahead, Months In Advance. Especially Around Holidays.
Just Like Renting A Place For A Wedding Reception.
Assume that at any given time of year, they are booked solid, so if they take a risk on taking on your project, you better approach them with nothing but utmost professionalism. Come prepared.
They can always agree to bow out of your project midway if you show you are sloppy, or unprepared. In addition to being booked for several months, assume that at peak holiday times of the year they are on far better-paying projects, or some long-term project, or currently working on one, or in the middle of making a deadline.
Always ask if their calendar can accommodate your deadline.
So in theory, a little conversation goes like this:
Writer: Hi designer, my book launch is the first day of December. But, I need it no later than November 13th. I cannot stretch that deadline any further.
Designer: Lemme see what we can do. I will check my calendar.
One more thing.
Get off your high horse. No one is going to drop a well paying project that can lead to larger clients, just so you can order all the bells and whistles for your vanity publishing project, only then to turn around and complain about pricing and, why the designer can't make you such elaborate fancy artwork.
In a short deadline, you cannot pack a 3-6 month project into a 3 week window. Doesn't matter if you are paying $350.00. Be realistic about calendar days.
The fancier you get > The higher the costs > The project timeline gets longer.
Writer: But I want a masterpiece in nine days!
Designer: And I want a winning lotto ticket, but neither of us are getting our way here. *wah-wah-waaap*
Don't expect miracles
What Do I Need Before Approaching A Designer?
You definitely need to have some idea about what you want your cover to look like.I worked at a costume shop years ago, and we had this one kind of customer always come in. Because it was in a ritzy part of town, they thought they could get away with treating 'the help' like garbage. Like working as a store clerk wasn't already difficult, but they felt entitled to extra dehumanize us further, atop our meager pay. The straw that broke the camel's back was when they'd wander into the store, ask a million questions going nowhere, because they were tripping on eccstasy or some shit, and taking everything off the racks tossing it anywhere, then this sort of thing happened:
Crappy Customer: Oh, teehee! I dunno! What do you think? I dunno what I want! Hee!
Me: What is it you need for your costume? Wings? A tiara? (this was for a formal costume party)(boss is giving me the stink eye, like 'go make a sale already!')Crappy Customer: Hee! *snort* You pick for me! (yes, she really said that; hey lady, I'm not a frickin' mind reader- wth?!)
Please don't order services when you're intoxicated. Clearly that should go without saying.
Make sure you are old enough, and legally, and mentally competent to make financial transactions, or place orders on services requiring contracts. Years of abysmal customer service experience is forcing me to type this now.
I'm being overly cautious, I know.
Designers can get a pretty good idea of where you are going with your book, but they are not psychics! Communicate efficiently what it is that you envision for your book series.
Pro-tip:
Please have your deposit ready to go.
Don't keep this professional on the phone over an hour, discussing your elegant vision (because you just loooove hearing yourself talk) if you don't even know where the heck you will get the money to pay for any of this. (out of your rump, perhaps?)
Time is money. Don't be a time suck.
Proposals are bullshit, without the cash to back it up. With cash, it's a legit project.
This is why one of the first questions they always ask, is 'What is your budget?'. Believe it or not, they can find a way to work around flimsy budgets, but the cheapskate needs to have an open mind.
Know Before You Order:
Cheap gets you simple looking. Not terrible looking, but simple. Think vector shapes and silhouettes. Expensive gets you sleek, with all the bells & whistles. As a newbie, try aiming for the middle, see where it lead you.
Writer: I don't know what you mean!
Here is a terrific example of varied covers of award winning books from last year.
To err on the side of cautious, your budget should be anywhere between $80.00-$350.00 USD. Usually it will fall in the middle there.
I'd say less if it's for a one-off book or a simple ebook, but for an entire series, paperback or harcover, you want more negotiating power since it's a lot of damn work to construct. Make a deal for a lower price since you're buying multiple covers in bulk, and back it up with actual cash for a deposit.
When you find a designer's website or online profile, look around. They usually put up their pricing structure in obvious terms.
But What If I Don't Know What To Ask For When Getting A Book Cover Made?
Don't worry, no writer ever really does.Luckily for you, I made a fill-out form you can use to narrow down your choices, and propose questions you wouldn't think to ask otherwise.
This is just for practice, to get a sense of all the possible questions you may ask. Feel free to share forward. This helps out everybody.
How Do I Know If I'm Being A Client From Hell?
Please do not patronize professional designers with the following nonsense:
- Talk their ear off for over and hour, just to whine about pricing (people who do this are unprofessional/ have zero idea what services actually cost). Ask around first; get an idea what typical going rates are before contacting anybody
- Do not demean their profession. Don't you dare tell them "Why should I pay you? I can just get my 14 year old nephew to draw something up on the computer!" Then stop wasting their valuable time, hang up the phone, and go hit up weed-smoking Johnny to screw up your entrepreneurial efforts. Sheesh!
- The designer will make your book as appealing to your market as possible, not necessarily cater to your personal tastes. Who cares about your personal flavor? He's not gonna put a '67 Chevrolet on that cover that your grandpappy had back in the day, if your story is about misunderstood teenagers in a boarding school in France after World War II. They will talk you out of making such an obvious error, one that will jeopardize future book sales by confusing readers. Here is a good write-up on that very subject. Be realistic where you want to go with this. Understand that they will make a book cover based on the story's content, as close to your specifications, and as appealing to the market as possible. Don't second guess them. They've been doing this longer than you've had this recently brief desire to get into publishing
- Do not ask for a designer to copy an existing image exactly down to the last detail. No one will volunteer to be a part of a legal mess for you, just because you have zero imagination. Don't steal someone else's concept art! Here's an idea of what ripping off designs look like, and here is another, to give you an idea. Nevermind that it's a legal liability, it is also incredibly tacky to boot
- Do not ask for a designer to use actual photos that do not belong to you. It belongs to your sister-in-law and she said it was cool? Get it in writing then, because she owns the copyright. This kind of thing where money passes hands will create new enemies where there were none before.
- Understand that when the designer emails you a digital file, you can go into that email and download it as many times as you need. If you don't know how download an attachment in 2018, but you have a computer, you may be in fact, a complete idiot. Or over the age of 70.
- Do not demand endless changes to your book cover because in reality, you have NO idea what you want! When you're going in blind like this, never having done this before, they're gonna know. Especially when you're pretending to know what's going on. Trust me, they will work with whatever your needs! No need to put on airs, or waste their time.
- Every revision co$t$ money! Have some goddamn idea of what you want! You don't hire a contractor to renovate your kitchen, look at the finished product, then tell them to re-do it all over again, because "The backsplash is too dark; the paint on the cabinets is too washed out". Sure, I'll just charge you for yet another full kitchen renovation. Oh, you think you can live with it now? By all means.
- Trust that the professional knows what the hell they are doing. There are many design elements in a composition that become critical in a book cover. Designers study years of design theory to learn all the significant details in arranging and creating aesthetically pleasing works. Hues, tonality, kerning, etc. This isn't something average Joes can or should do.
- Expect to receive a contract you must sign before work gets started. Yes, this is exactly how professionals begin a contract job! Emailing back and forth doesn't constitute a contract no matter what is said, only a piece of paper that is signed and dated. Deposits have to be disbursed too. Verbal agreements are as worthless as the paper they are written on!
- If you get quoted a low price, expect a low, low quality. I'm talking 'too good to be true' pricing.
- If you get quoted a high price, you will get high quality. Or you should. A good professional will submit the finished work as a large file, at over 300dpi. Anything less will be too low quality for Amazon to allow for an upload.
- You cannot enlarge tiny images. If you do, they become more and more pixelated the larger you stretch them. In other words, blurry. That is why a finished image is turned in as a much larger file size.
- Every sample-proof the designer delivers you gets sent at 72dpi. That's a small image, to deter the client from running away with the finished product before payment is disbursed. This is a standard practice in this industry, so expect it
- THEY DO NOT WORK FOR FREE.They do not need 'the exposure' because they have enough clients on their roster! They do need to pay the damn rent and electricity bills!
- THEY DO NOT WORK FOR FREE. These are not novices, starving artists, or bumbling idiots! They work on projects that take days and weeks to complete! This is contract work!
- THEY DO NOT WORK FOR FREE. Nobody cares about the charity you're running! Harsh, but true. If you really want to leverage this info, ask politely if they can offer a discount. In rare instances, some designers may give you a reduced fee, as long as you can provide a copy of your 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, so the designer can claim the Charitable Contribution Deduction. If you cannot offer this, then don't bother asking.
Please note: If you are not legitimately registered as a 501(c)(3) with the county clerk's office, then you are not a legally registered charity, in which case, you should quit pretending that you are, as this borders on fraud.
Be polite, be courteous when negotiating with them. A good practice for any service industry, actually.
Designers have constant jobs on queue, in their calendar year, so they're not gonna waste time and surrender valuable jobs in lieu of your project, especially if you keep screwing around with fifty million questions, (you really should've written down your questions before picking up the phone) and balk at the thought of payment.
This is why they ask all the questions up front about your project, in order to suss out exactly what your needs are, what kind of client you are, and either you will become a waste of their resources, or a return paying client. It is in their best interest to have non-fussy, returning paying clients. It is a bad idea to keep a stingy client who is pushy, shouts frequently, and asks for impossible nonsense things.
Ask yourself if you are truly worth the $125.00
the project is slated for?
Just remember, these people belong to web forums and Facebook groups within their chosen trade. Word gets around with all merchants, whether stores are online or brick and mortar. Terrible actions become legendary, and people warn one another. Behave!
- Do approach a graphic designer the right way
- Don't be like these massive jerks: https://dangerousminds.net/comments/illustrations_of_the_people_who_want_artists_to_work_for_free
What Is The Process Of Hiring A Professional Graphic Artist To Design My Book Cover?
You pitch a project. Be as detailed as possible. It's not their sole job to pull details out of you. Many will help narrow down your choices, but if you have zero idea of what it is you need, you come off as a person who has no idea where they are going. Clients who are clueless translate into clients who are whiny, who ask for too many revisions because they are indecisive/ mistrusting/ or embarrassed to say they simply don't know, or bitch about pricing.Clueless clients are a clear demonstration of a penniless time-suck. They are the worst. Not worth all the headaches, and they never pay.
So don't be clueless like these characters!
People are more understanding than you think.
You are a writer. Of course you have no idea what services you need, since you've never ordered them before! And that's fine too. Believe me when I say, professionals will help you narrow down your choices, and pose questions you wouldn't remember to ask. Supply them with all the basic things you need to see on that front cover, and they'll take it from there.
If you still forget to ask important stuff, go check out this Google Form I created.
How Do I Hire A Professional Graphic Artist Designer To Design My Book Cover?
You must commission them first. Here is a fantastic write-up everyone must read: https://www.hireanillustrator.com/how-to-commission-an-illustrator.pdf(page 3 is exceptionally remarkable)
Do I Need An Illustrator, Or A Graphic Designer?
Realize what it is you really need on your book cover. Some stuff cannot be photographed, so it must be illustrated from scratched.For example:
You need a slick book cover for your dragon/knight epic. So you need an illustrator to give you top quality photo-realistic illustration depicting your hero riding a scaly fire-breathing dragon. You want this to look like a professionally made comic book cover, or better.
Another example:
You're book is 1940's style noir, murder mystery. A graphic designer with a terrific eye for detail can get stock photography of models posing in vintage clothing, run a sepia filter or play with the lighting on the photo, and place a few art deco fonts on that cover.
Here's a few links to help:
⦁ https://www.hireanillustrator.com/i/
⦁ https://www.hireanillustrator.com/how-to-commission-an-illustrator.pdf
⦁ https://www.hireanillustrator.com/i/blog/1140/contact-an-illustrator/
Where Do I Find A Professional Graphic Artist To Design My Book Cover?
There are so many places to hire a professional illustrator, and/or graphic designer. One of my favorite places is always Pinterest, due to it's tight keywords and algorithms making it super easy to find things. Feel free to check out my Pinterest folder on book covers if you wish to get ideas.These are some of my top favorite places to hit up:
- DeviantArt
- CarbonMade for graphic designers
- CarbonMade for illustrators
- Behance
- Art Station
- Fiverr
- Tenrr
- Dribble
- 99 Designs
- https://reedsy.com/design/book-cover-design
- http://www.fiverr.com/emorim/design-a-professional-ebookkindle-cover
- http://www.fiverr.com/pro_ebookcovers/design-an-eye-catching-ebook-or-kindle-cover-with-bonus
And I just discovered this facebook group you may find useful: Roxy's Book Service Promotions
So you made it all the way to the bottom! Good for you! Next time, I will talk about the legalities of making book covers the right way, in part 2 of this series.
Stay tuned.
Here is Part 2.
