How much does book cover design cost?
4 million.
No, it’s not the cost of a professional book cover design. But it could be a great lottery jackpot, right? In fact, that is the estimated number of books published each year. While hitting the jackpot for that amount will definitely help you get noticed quickly, trying to make a splash in a sea of four million fresh titles released every 365 days is a significant challenge. That’s roughly 8 new books released every minute of an entire year.
And that’s not taking into account the already existing titles.
Hey there! I’m Ana Grigoriu-Voicu, book cover designer for independent and best-selling authors worldwide. Through my blog, I’m all about sharing my artistic vision and help you turn your manuscripts into absolute best-sellers. If you’re curious to learn more about my work or just want to stay connected, feel free to hit me up on Instagram or drop me an email.
In such a fiercely competitive publishing world, it’s essential to find ways to stand out and captivate potential readers instantly. And there are several ways you can achieve that in:
choose a genre-appropriate title
write an exceptional blurb (easier said than done, I know)
have your social media channels promoting you and your work around the clock
and finally
make sure your book cover is flawless. Not “good enough”, not “decent”. But perfectly adjusted to satisfy the genre expectations.
One of the most powerful tools at an author’s disposal is a captivating book cover. “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” – I know you’ve heard this a million times already (or maybe even 4 million times 🙂 ) but as much as it’s annoying, it’s also true.
The book cover serves as the initial point of contact between your work and its potential audience. It is the visual representation of the story’s essence, a glimpse into the world that awaits within the pages. If the cover doesn’t align with what the reader expects, they’re going to move on.
Also, there’s more to a good cover than the initial artistic impression or how well it translates the message of the story. Its quality vows for the quality of the writing itself. In essence, the first thought that’s going through a reader’s mind when looking at a cover art that lacks visual appeal is:
“Disappointing cover equals disappointing writing”
And that is the worst feeling in the world for any author, novice or veteran alike.
Now, equally true is: “Gorgeous cover equals fantastic story” so let’s see how you can make sure you’re part of this club instead.
What makes a good quality, genre-appropriate book cover?
Before we move on to the topic of pricing, let’s discuss what exactly makes a cover art good or bad.
“Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” is a saying that implies beauty and value are subjective and dependent on individual perception. Perfectly accurate, but only to a certain point. Cue in: “Aesthetics” – the branch of philosophy that deals with the principles of beauty and artistic taste. Or, the set of so-called rules that make a certain piece of art universally beautiful. There’s perspective, color scheme or pallet, hue, contrast, line and shape, texture, lighting, and shadows, among others. They all contribute to the aesthetically pleasant characteristic of a piece of art.
When you deem a book cover beautiful you do so because it “ticks the box” in each of the aforementioned aesthetics categories.
And here’s another secret:
You instinctively know what makes a piece of art beautiful. You don’t need an art degree to understand good proportion or matching color pallets. You can simply tell just by looking (even briefly) over a book cover if it meets the criteria of what is universally considered beautiful.
So, if you’ve got all it takes to recognize a good book cover design, couldn’t you just create your own and not have to pay someone else to design it?
Well, you probably could. Except you’d need a while to learn how certain graphic design programs work and then spend some time sharpening your skill. “Some time”, in my case, translates to over 13 years of book cover design experience, a background in the advertising industry as an art director, and a passion for graphic design that ignited as soon as I got into high school (high five to all the nerdy girls out there that spent their teen years listening to Backstreet Boys and learning Adobe Photoshop 8 instead of actually going out more – also, absolutely no regrets for doing so).
But “practice makes the master” and over-six-hundred-titles-designed later, I tend to think it’s true.
If you can tell a good book cover from a bad one, so can your readers. And that’s not a risk you’d want to take with your own book.
Professional book cover design is actually affordable
Depending on your publishing goals, the actual price of a professional book cover design can prove to be affordable in the long run. How? Well, if done correctly, it can save you money by simply not having to change the cover over and over again for years. Add to that the great first impression your book will make on your readers and you’re already on your way to success.
The first rule to making sure you get the best kind of services for your budget – no matter what your budget is – is to develop a good relationship with your book cover designer. Communication is key and can save you a lot of money. And here’s why. If your designer knows exactly what your audience is, what your wishes are, and what your budget estimation is, they can offer you a tailor-made list of services, a package that is made especially for you, your book, and your audience.
I personally don’t believe in cookie-cutter design packages that have standardized prices for every project, simply because each project is unique. The author has specific needs or preferences and therefore they need a personalized approach.
You could say that makes the whole thing a bit too difficult, doesn’t it? How could an author tell if the price given by a book cover designer is reasonable or not?
Well, let me tell you what goes into calculating the price of a project. Here are the key elements that set the pricing of a project:
Type of project
The complexity of the book cover design project significantly impacts the cost. While a simple ebook cover typically costs less than a complex print cover that involves additional elements like the spine and back cover design, that adds little to the overall pricing. The actual factor is if the cover design is an illustrated one or a photography-based design.
Typically, if you are looking for an illustrated book cover design, that means your designer must also have the skills to draw in the style or styles that you requested. Custom art usually increases the fee of a project because it takes more time and specialized skills. Artists may also use expensive devices such as an iPad or a Wacom tablet to draw the cover art on.
Design expertise
The experience and skill level of the book cover designer play a vital role in determining the cost. Highly experienced and renowned designers charge more for their expertise simply because expertise comes with time and practice. If you’re looking into hiring a designer with a lot of experience in the field, be prepared with a higher budget.
Artistic style and customization
The artistic style and level of customization required for the cover design will influence the cost. Highly customized illustrations or intricate designs come with a higher price tag. This is why your designer may ask for a separate fee in case you’d like highly customized characters on the cover of your book.
Licensing and stock images
If the cover includes special licensed stock images, the cost of obtaining the necessary usage rights will be factored into the overall expense. While royalty-free images such as the ones available for purchase on websites such as Depositphotos or Shutterstock, may be included in the overall project fee, in case you’d like your designer to use specific images that come with separate licenses, then be prepared to pay more.
Typography and fonts
The choice of typography and fonts can also affect the cost. Commercial fonts require additional licensing fees and if you’ve got your eye on a fancy handwritten font that you’d love to have on your cover, then that will cost extra.
Deadline and turnaround time
Urgency can impact the cost. Tighter deadlines or rush orders usually incur extra charges due to the designer’s need to prioritize the project. To avoid this scenario, make sure you’re looking for a designer way before putting the finishing touches on your manuscript. I typically recommend authors schedule their project at least three months in advance of the publishing deadline.
Number of revisions
The number of revisions allowed in the design process can affect the overall cost. More extensive revisions or multiple rounds of changes will lead to higher fees. This is why I typically offer my clients a set number of revisions as part of their customized offer. Make sure to discuss this with your designer before starting the project.
Experience in a particular genre
Some designers specialize in specific genres (e.g., romance, fantasy, thriller), and their expertise in a particular genre can impact the cost. When I started out as a book cover designer, I hadn’t yet decided to specialize in a particular genre. That helped me explore all the genres out there and later decide to focus on designing mostly romance book covers.
So, how much does a professional book cover design cost?
Let me just start by saying that whoever offers an author professional book cover design services at prices lower than a restaurant meal is not very professional. Custom book cover design can be affordable, of course, but beware of those who significantly undercut the market standard. There have been issues with people who have stolen the work of other designers and claimed it as their own, offering subpar services to unsuspecting customers for low(er) prices.
Remember, quality and expertise come at a reasonable cost, and a skilled book cover designer who truly values your work, as an author, will offer a fair price that aligns with the value they bring to your project.
You can find good book cover designers that offer their services for fees around $250 to $300 per title, especially if the project doesn’t entail an excessive amount of work, but custom illustrations and extensive cover design work, even if photography-based, will push the price easily to $500 and beyond. That being said, those are not set industry fees, but more like ballpark figures.
I personally prefer to have a thorough discussion with each client before the start of a project and customize my services based on their needs and their budget. However each of these pricing options works well, depending on the project’s complexity, the level of personalization you desire, and your specific requirements.
“But I can’t afford a professional book cover designer”.
You’d be amazed how much a professional book cover design can help you save in terms of money. I know this sounds like a 90s infomercial tagline for a miracle gym exercise system but in this case, it’s true. When you upload your book on KDP and release it for sale, the very first thing anyone that browses the Kindle storefront sees is the book cover thumbnail. Not the blurb, not even the title (which only appears in a tiny font under the cover). The first thing that potential readers see is the book cover art. That is your main selling point even before anyone clicks on the thumbnail to read more about your book. That is the moment when a potential reader turns into a reader.
“Ok, ok, I got it. But I still don’t have the budget for a professional book cover designer”.
This is why I insist on the idea that communication is the key to a well-developed, happy author-designer relationship. Some designers may offer you the possibility to pay in installments or, if you’re a repeat customer, may offer you discounts or bonuses.
Another extra thing to consider in favor of a professional book cover design is that you may want, at a certain point, to advertise your title. Advertisements usually make use of the existing book cover art elements and a cohesive design is a further selling point for your title.
While it may be tempting to take the DIY route or opt for a cost-effective shortcut, remember that these options reflect on the entire quality of your project.
3 things to do before you hire a book cover designer
Consider your individual needs and the unique characteristics of your book. If you know what you want, then you’ll know what to ask for. That makes it easier for both yourself and your book cover designer to find the right services for your project. In turn, you won’t need to pay for services that you don’t need.
Know your audience. When you know your readers, you can customize not just your story but also the cover art to resonate with the right audience. This saves you the hassle of hiring multiple designers in search of the ideal fit.
Ask questions. Don’t hesitate to ask your designer as many questions as you need to get a better understanding of the design process. Before diving into the project, it’s also essential to have the project’s cost laid out plain and clear (including money transfer fees or any other kind of additional costs).
There’s certainly much more to cover (pun intended) on this subject so if you have questions or are curious to find out more about my book cover design process, drop me a line over here.
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