Looking for a Cover Artist

KittenEV · May 27, 2018

Hi, guys and gals. I'm not sure if this is in the right section or not, but I'm looking for a book cover artist for a novel I'm looking to self-publish soon.

Any advice on how to look for one or is there anyone here that might be interested?

Thank you.

CaoPaux · May 28, 2018

Head on over to the Art & Design sub-forum, and check out the sticky threads in particular.

rwm4768 · May 28, 2018

I've had a great experience with Deranged Doctor Design, but their turnaround might not be fast enough. They're affordable and do great work, so they're in high demand. Right now, they're booking projects for February 2019 onward.

This works all right for me because I usually contact them when I've finished the first draft of all the books in a series. For me, I often finish the series up to a year before it's all going to be published.

Gillhoughly · May 28, 2018

https://bookcoverzone.com/index.php

https://www.selfpubbookcovers.com/ This one has a variety of artists who may or may not do custom work. Once a cover is sold it is taken off the site.

https://www.deviantart.com/ All styles of art. You might be able to commission someone whose work you like.

GoSpeed · May 29, 2018

You can also find cover artists on http://www.fiverr.com . I found a gentleman from Pakistan who took some elements I provided him and he created a decent cover for me.

Alessandra Kelley · May 29, 2018

GoSpeed said:
You can also find cover artists on http://www.fiverr.com . I found a gentleman from Pakistan who took some elements I provided him and he created a decent cover for me.

I do not recommend Fiverr. In addition to terrible exploitation, it encourages piracy and copyright violation.

LJD · May 29, 2018

genre? price range?

Al X. · May 29, 2018

Alessandra Kelley said:
I do not recommend Fiverr. In addition to terrible exploitation, it encourages piracy and copyright violation.

There is a wide range of services and prices available on Fiverr. Basically, you get what you pay for, however, it is a good deal.

I do not entirely follow where you are coming from when you say there is exploitation. Certainly, you can get low prices from vendors in impoverished nations, but, you have to realize that there are different scales of economy in different locations of the world. You might pay a graphic artist in Bangladesh twenty dollars for a cover that would cost you five hundred dollars from one located in New York City. I assure you that twenty dollars goes a hell of a lot further in Bangladesh than five hundred dollars goes in New York.

So no, unless I am misreading your angle, I respectfully cannot agree with you.

Helix · May 29, 2018

Al X. said:
There is a wide range of services and prices available on Fiverr. Basically, you get what you pay for, however, it is a good deal.

I do not entirely follow where you are coming from when you say there is exploitation. Certainly, you can get low prices from vendors in impoverished nations, but, you have to realize that there are different scales of economy in different locations of the world. You might pay a graphic artist in Bangladesh twenty dollars for a cover that would cost you five hundred dollars from one located in New York City. I assure you that twenty dollars goes a hell of a lot further in Bangladesh than five hundred dollars goes in New York.

So no, unless I am misreading your angle, I respectfully cannot agree with you.

So you'd be happy to pay someone less for the same work just because of geography. Isn't that the justification for child labour and sweat shops?

Old Hack · May 30, 2018

Al X. said:
There is a wide range of services and prices available on Fiverr. Basically, you get what you pay for, however, it is a good deal.

I do not entirely follow where you are coming from when you say there is exploitation. Certainly, you can get low prices from vendors in impoverished nations, but, you have to realize that there are different scales of economy in different locations of the world. You might pay a graphic artist in Bangladesh twenty dollars for a cover that would cost you five hundred dollars from one located in New York City. I assure you that twenty dollars goes a hell of a lot further in Bangladesh than five hundred dollars goes in New York.

So no, unless I am misreading your angle, I respectfully cannot agree with you.

You've explained how you're ok with exploitation, but what's your reaction to piracy and copyright violation? Are you ok with those too?

GoSpeed · May 30, 2018

Alessandra Kelley said:
I do not recommend Fiverr. In addition to terrible exploitation, it encourages piracy and copyright violation.

Not unlike what occurs in the publishing industry either.

Old Hack · May 30, 2018

GoSpeed said:
Not unlike what occurs in the publishing industry either.

Feel free to explain.

Sydneyd · May 30, 2018

KittenEV said:
Hi, guys and gals. I'm not sure if this is in the right section or not, but I'm looking for a book cover artist for a novel I'm looking to self-publish soon.

Any advice on how to look for one or is there anyone here that might be interested?

Thank you.

Another thing you could do is look for books of covers you like in your genre that have been self-published and then look to see who they credit (or ask them if they don't credit who)

Polenth · May 30, 2018

Some of the replies here are why I didn't go into making covers for other authors. It was suggested back when I was looking for other income sources, but too many authors treat cover artists badly and don't think covers are worth a decent price.

But even if you don't really mind what the artists think, I've seen covers where elements were stolen, and the author ended up having to get it redone. You need to be careful who you get making the cover. This includes the designer having the required font licenses, which is an area people often forget.

Al X. · May 30, 2018

Old Hack said:
You've explained how you're ok with exploitation, but what's your reaction to piracy and copyright violation? Are you ok with those too?

"Objection, your honor".

Look, we will never agree on this subject. With regards to piracy and copyright violations, I have mixed feelings, as, in that they seem to take care of themselves. Yes, the thought of hackers stealing my stuff and reselling it abhors me, but, it seems to be less of a problem than it has been a couple years ago.

I wish we could open up an independent subject on economics. Global economics. It would be highly charged, people would want to kill each other over it, yet...

I will leave it at that. I respect you. I love what you do for this forum. I enjoy this forum. Let's see where this goes.

Lisa Driscoll · May 31, 2018

Honestly you can find almost anything on Reddit if you look in the right forum. Look for artists and graphic designers and post what you're looking for. You may find several people willing to help for a good price

Dave.C.Robinson · May 31, 2018

I get mine done by Carlos Balarezo https://killbalarezo.deviantart.com/ who I find to be really good, and receptive to change requests.

(Note he does the art only, I have the trade dress done by someone else. You can see an example in my signature.)

Helix · Jun 1, 2018

Al X. said:
"Objection, your honor".

Look, we will never agree on this subject. With regards to piracy and copyright violations, I have mixed feelings, as, in that they seem to take care of themselves. Yes, the thought of hackers stealing my stuff and reselling it abhors me, but, it seems to be less of a problem than it has been a couple years ago.

I wish we could open up an independent subject on economics. Global economics. It would be highly charged, people would want to kill each other over it, yet...

I will leave it at that. I respect you. I love what you do for this forum. I enjoy this forum. Let's see where this goes.

I think Old Hack's point isn't about violation of your* copyright, but about paying cheerfully and without guilt for the violation of someone else's copyright. YMMV.

*generic you

ASeiple · Jun 1, 2018

Depends on how much you want to pay, really.

A fairly good pre-made cover runs $25-$100, and is a good way to get something decent if you're uncertain how much return you'll get on your investment.

A custom one is anywhere from $200 on, usually. And finding a good, reliable artist to do it is usually much more painful. Doable, but painful.

nonfiction · Jul 9, 2018

UpWork.com freelance artists.

Looking for a Cover Artist

KittenEV

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless

rwm4768

practical experience, FTW

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor

GoSpeed

Alessandra Kelley

Sophipygian

LJD

Al X.

Helix

socially distancing

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

GoSpeed

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

Sydneyd

Aye, ye scurvy dog!

Polenth

Mushroom

Al X.

Lisa Driscoll

Lisa D.

Dave.C.Robinson

... with the High Command

Helix

socially distancing

ASeiple

Livin' la vida biblia

nonfiction