Let’s Talk About Covers
If you’re writing a book with intent to publish, then no matter what else happens, you’re going to need a cover for that book. Today, let’s talk about where to get book covers made and what’s so important about them (other than, you know, you have to have one.)
Firstly, what does a book cover do for you as an author? Besides looking nice, and being a requirement in order to upload your manuscript to pretty much any distribution platform, the cover lets readers connect with your book – if it’s good, they’ll know in an instant the approximate genre and age category, and therefore whether or not they’d be interested in reading it. Book covers follow marketing trends, and things like the font, the colors, what sort of things/people are on the covers, and more send a subconscious message to potential readers about what to expect. In fact, your book’s cover is arguably the single most important piece of marketing you have for it. You want your cover to be eye-catching, but still similar enough to others in your genre that readers can immediately tell it’s in their wheelhouse.
So, where does one get a book cover designed? If you’re traditionally publishing, your publisher will take care of that for you, and depending on your contract, you may or may not have any say in the final product. But if you’re self-publishing, then the cover is totally up to you. Some people choose to design their own covers using a tool such as Canva or Photoshop, some hire a service like Miblart, and some hire an independent cover artist.
Here’s the thing: you absolutely CAN make your own book cover. It won’t cost you very much, other than the purchase price of whatever program you use. But just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Personally, I strongly recommend not designing your own book cover. The main reason I say this is because it’s very hard, using tools available to an amateur, to make something that looks professional, and the last thing you want on your book’s listing page is some cover that uses clip art, a font from the 90s, and looks like it promises cozy fantasy when you’re writing horror. Professional book cover designers know what’s on trend, know what’s appropriate for your genre, and have the skills and tools to make something that will be attractive in both thumbnail and full size.
Let’s talk about the next option, hiring a design company to create your cover. This will cost more – Miblart, for example, generally costs around $300-$500 depending on the cover’s complexity. I feel, however, that the cost is well worth it to get a cover that looks professional and markets the book effectively. Design companies will also have a website with reviews from other users, so you can see if they provide a good experience. I’ll also take this opportunity to plug the site I use for my book covers, GetCovers. They’re a division of Miblart and provide affordable book covers for as little as $10 if you only need an ebook cover. (I usually go for the full package that includes marketing materials, though, and this runs me about $75 all in.) Hiring a design company is usually more fruitful if you have an idea of what you want the cover to look like – they can guide you through the process if you’re totally clueless, but I’ve found that the process is much smoother if I show them stock images I’m interested in using. Another perk of design companies like Miblart and GetCovers is that they don’t use AI.
What about hiring an independent cover artist? This experience can be fantastic or terrible, depending on who you get. The price can vary widely, too – there are highly sought after artists out there who charge four figures per design, and there are artists you can hire on Fiverr who might only charge $20. It’s super important to thoroughly vet any artist you plan to hire, though. There’s a higher chance of independent folks engaging in shady dealings, especially using AI to make your book cover and not disclosing it to you. Definitely see if others have worked with the artist to a good outcome in the past before plunking your money down, and look out for red flags like refusing to provide updates until the final product is complete, or wanting to move to a second platform to discuss payments.
Probably the most important thing you can do to help ensure your cover art journey is a good experience, though, is to do your research before approaching a designer of any kind. This is especially important if you’re doing your own book cover – look at books in your genre, subgenre, and age category. Look at the bestsellers published within the last two years. This will give you a good blueprint for what style and elements you’ll want to incorporate in your own book’s cover art.
Have you designed or commissioned a book cover? What was your experience like? Comment and let me know!
