Authors seeking cover artists / designers

SarahCat

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I am looking for someone who can help me format a print-ready front and back PDF for my self-published work on createspace. I want to use one of my own illustrations for the cover and have all of the elements I want featured, cover photo, author photo, blurb text, etc. I have a $25 dollar budget. Thank you. If you might be interested, please PM me and I will provide you with the details. Sarah
 

Richard W. Fairbairn

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Illustration wanted for my dark scifi novel...

I would like an illustration for the cover of my novel. The scene is quite desolate and includes old, decayed bodies and an overgrown wasteland. If interested please let me know.

best wishes

R
 

chelsea

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I would like either someone to design a cover for me or provide me with a photo for the cover design. My novel is a romance, and the main female is a bit overweight. So what I am really looking for is a cover design or photo with a somewhat fit man and a woman who is a bit bigger, not to say even plus size but larger than a model more average in size. I am having so much trouble finding a photo like this or a cover. My budget for cover or photo would be $100.00. PM if you would like more details. Thanks :)
 

Richard W. Fairbairn

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Cover Artist Wanted

I am looking for someone who can draw a picture for my book cover. A woman and man with a Flamenco red Triumph TR7 (1970s sports car) beside them. The background I will put in myself, but the surrounding area can be like a desert or something.

Anyone interested? Quote and samples of work please!

warm regards

Richard
 

indianroads

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So, I'm about a third of the way through my first draft of the first of what will be a series of five novels. My story is dystopian scifi, with series 1,3, and 5 earthside, and 2 & 4 will be in space.

On my first two self published novels I just went to shutterstock, found an image and then modified it in Photoshop and was satisfied with the result. On the upcoming series I want to go with something more professional - so I'm looking for advice and recommendations on paid artists that will create my covers for me. If it matters, I intend to self publish on Amazon.

I'd love to hear some advice, and success / horror stories as well. Artist recommendations would be great too.

Regarding price range - I'd like to get a better idea of what each range offers. While price is a consideration, if I spend $1000 for the artwork, I'd like to know if it's worth it.
 

gtbun

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@indianroads, I'm actually ending my association with AbsoluteWrite in the new year, so if you want to follow up with me you might want to do that by email ([email protected]), though I probably would have advised you do that anyway. I don't know what other information you're going to receive, I can only give you my experience as a professional book designer.

Firstly, congratulations for deciding to pursue professional services for book design, it's not a decision many self-publishers make, much to their detriment. Secondly, $1000 is a good starting budget, so thanks for making that consideration. It might not reflect that actual fees demanded by professionals, but it is an amount that is likely to bring a professional designer onto the project in a low-budget capacity. Regarding your queries about price, keep in mind the tenet that "you get what you pay for". If you go cheap, look for free work, or do it yourself, you end up with a worthless product. If you pay fair rates, you will receive a valuable product. You've not made it clear whether you're just looking at covers or planning to have the entire book/series laid out professionally. Price ranges aren't necessarily significant, as your budget is the important thing. But for five book covers a professional would likely charge around $2000 at the very least, not taking into account low-budget projects. Below that, you're getting an unprofessional product. The price difference tends to represent the designer's proficiency, and it is usually illustrators and people out to make a quick buck who charge less than professional prices for covers because, simply, they're not qualified.

So, with that in mind, you want to find a professional book designer. A simple graphic designer won't do it, and anything else is just going to produce sub-par work. There seems a lot of onus on this forum, on the rare occasions that authors commission professionals, on artists and traditional artwork. While some artists and illustrators can produce beautiful covers, generally - especially the ones within your budget - won't be up to it thanks to a lack of contextual understanding of typography and its implementation. Generally, the artist/illustrator and designer work together to produce a book cover and, more often than not, that artist or illustrator is commissioned by the designer through a brief from the author. Things to avoid, especially keeping in mind that you're look at a series, are pre-made, with a couple of exceptions they're awful and even good covers tend to be dispirate and not suitable for building a series. I would also suggest, given price and the breadth of the project, looking at sole-traders with whom you can develop a relationship so as to ensure the consistent quality across the series.

That you're self-publishing doesn't matter. A professional book designer will be able to make the considerations that come with displaying on Amazon. You might, however, find issues with this fact with unprofessional book cover providers.

As to whether it's worth it: it really is. Good design pays for itself. If that's not enough, there are studies that demonstrate this: The Value of Design Fact-finder, Design Delivers for Business, and Leading Business by Design. Each demonstrates that prioritising design results in more sales, higher turnover, and increased profits. Sub-par design has little or no positive effect and often a negative one. This is especially true for book covers and interiors, which go a long way to actually selling the book.

Book design is not an easy discipline, so much so that graphic designers without a grounding in book design really struggle with it. The most important thing is that you take on a professional book designer rather than looking at unprofessional options or do it yourself.
 

veinglory

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I am looking for a cover artist familiar with m/m fantasy to provide new covers for 12 ebooks and several also needing a full paperback cover. Looking for a price point under $100 per book--to be completed as convenient over about 12 months, payment one book in advance. Bulk order discount appreciated.

http://www.loose-id.com/authors/erotic-romance-authors-a-f.html?cat=73
 

taraesque

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Hi Emily,

I currently have availability to design book covers for you. Please review the works in my signature or my website, Capturing Starlight, for other work I have done. PM me if you are interest in working with me.
 

James Beth

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I'm looking for a cover artist or preexisting art for the cover of a memoir about being being bi-gender (sometimes male, sometimes female). Specifically, I'm picturing a cover that takes photography (probably preexisting) and combines it in a novel way for a result that is subtly surprising but balanced and serious-minded. Some possible cover images would be things like a tree that is of very different kinds on each side (for instance, a flowering apple tree on the left and an oak on the right), or a man and woman who look very similar holding hands, with one of the two being inside a mirror, or a male person throwing a shadow that's clearly female (or vice-versa), etc.--the theme is duality, I suppose you would say. Other ideas are welcome.

I have layout experience and can do the title and so forth, or that could be part of the image. My budget is in the bargain basement to low range.
 

Richard W. Fairbairn

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Looking for Art / Cover Designer

I've written several novels so far and have pulled them all because I was not happy with them and am going to restructure and re release them someday.

Right now I'm working on a scifi effort and am thinking about the cover. I have in mind an image of Edinburgh, but the castle has been replaced by a massive black tower that extends into the clouds.

Just wondering if anyone here would do this kind of thing, and what they'd charge.

warm regards

Richard
 

Tracy_Renee_Wolfe

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My cover was done by Broken Arrow Designs (https://www.brokenarrowdesigns.org/) and I absolutely love it! I don't have any idea what the prices are for a self-published author because mine was handled through my publisher. I can't say enough about how pleased I am with the end product though!!

cover.jpg
 

Ariel4567

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This is a new thread for authors who are looking for artists and / or designers for their book covers.

Please include a brief description of your writing (genre at the very least) and whether you are looking simply for art (illustration) or for a designer as well (who will deal with overall cover look, typography, and layout).

Please also give a general sense of your budget. If you don't have a firm sense of budget, may I suggest the following categories:

Bargain-basement ($50 - $200)
Low ($200-$500)
Medium-Low ($500-$750)
Professional ($750 - $2000+)

If you are writing a children's book, please see "Children's Writers: You Don't Hire the Artist"
Title: Fire In The Mist
Genre(s): Horror, Fantasy, Drama, Action-Adventure, Musical, LGBTQ+
Type Of Writing: Screenplay
What are you looking for: I'm looking for illustrators for the cover art & Posters But I'm also looking for logo designers!
Type Of Budget: Professional($750 - $2000+)
Are you posting the screenplay: I'm posting it on wattpad!