How long does it take to design a book cover?
Long enough to get it just right is the short answer. Our Express cover design service is rapid because there is less research and development required. We may be able turn that around for you within days. Our bespoke cover designs take more time, as you'd expect. As a guide you should expect that process to take around ten days. This gives you time to complete the briefing and gives us time to consult with you and then explore your design fully. But we do advise early booking to be sure that your space is saved in our bookings calendar. If you know that you'll be needing a book design soon, we suggest giving a minimum of two months notice as we do get booked up in advance.
What if I need a faster turnaround to meet a deadline?
We recognise that in some cases clients require a faster turnaround, and we offer an expedited service for times like that. We will determine this fee on a case-by-case basis according to existing workloads, turnaround time and the complexity of the project. If you need fast turnaround, just drop us a note on our contact page. We’ll always do what we can to help (and be honest and tell you if we can't).
Will any additional fees be incurred, such as for images or fonts?
No. Our quoted prices include the cost of images from the market-leading library at Shutterstock.com and fonts from our extensive existing library. These are known as “assets“. If a client has a very specific requirement to use their own assets, then of course those would not be included in our fee. If it became apparent during our discussions that some exceptional asset or additional work not covered by the agreement might be required, we would discuss that together and make a decision. So we will never make any additional charges without your full knowledge and agreement in advance. We don't like nasty surprises and we like nothing to be hidden. We're in the business of building long-term relationships with our authors, not making a quick buck.
Will I own the finished cover/interior design?
Absolutely. We retain no ownership or copyright claim whatsoever on the finished design once you have made payment. The finished cover design is yours to use to package and promote your book. It is yours, not ours or anyone else’s. We will keep archive backups of your files for a period of time, and we may use them as part of our portfolio and to promote our services to other authors and publishers unless you expressly tell us not to do so (in which case we will respect that wish).
Can I sell your design to my editor/agent/someone else?
We design for clients and publishers directly, and on completion our clients have sole, exclusive, non-transferrable use of the final design. Designs are not for resale (but see our availability to publishing professionals for white label services, outlined below).
Does Design for Writers offer white label services to publishing professionals?
Absolutely. We work with a number of publishers, editors and other industry professionals to add book design to their offering as their unofficial in-house design team. We can be seen or unseen in that process, but either way you and your clients will benefit from our professional design services.
I’ve heard that my cover needs to ‘pop’ on the Kindle store. Do you do this?
What we do, simply, is design a cover which will show your book off, evoke its content and press the buttons of your target market. That comes with experience and that's what you buy from us. Sometimes this will mean a minimalistic cover that is perfectly legible at a tiny black and white thumbnail. Sometimes it might mean something else. Customers browsing an ebook store will know whether care and professionalism has gone into a book cover without needing to see every detail. Your cover will help to get their attention, and your writing will close the deal. There is no single ingredient which makes a cover work, be that a font, a huge title, or whatever else. A cover works as a package and every one is different. And of course, we are here to advise…all final decisions are yours.