Book2Covers.com - my book cover designer
After looking at a number of designers, I selected Book2Cover based on the helpful advise I got from them, and the ideas they shared, and at a very affordable price
It’s true: people will judge a book by its cover, so don't underestimate the potential pulling power of your own book cover.
Too many authors short-change their covers by preferring to spend no or little money on them.
In addition to making the cover simply look good, there are other factors at play: Does it fit within your genre? What will it look like as a thumbnail on a digital website? Will the digital cover of your book cover work on a paper or hard copy?
So take your cover seriously by putting it in the hands of those who know what they are doing. Pricing can vary from $40 to $450 for decent to high quality covers, so do shop around a little to find the best option for you. There are many options out there, but I hope this short list of the ones I have tried and been happy with will help you out.
Add them to your short-list of candidates, but do look at others for comparison.
If looking for the cheapest option, consider Fiverr. Be sure to look around for different options here.
Pricing can vary here, but I would expect to pay anything from $150 to $250 for this. My favorite here is:
After looking at a number of designers, I selected Book2Cover based on the helpful advise I got from them, and the ideas they shared, and at a very affordable price
There is a case for giving the book cover artist no brief at all other than the genre your book is in. The artist will then use their experience to devise the best cover that suits your needs.
However, it's rare for authors not to want to brief if not influence the artist in the creation of a book cover. In these cases, you should at least provide the artist with:
Other factors might come into play such as if you want just an ebook cover or paperback cover too, or even audio book cover. Each of these have their own size requirements, so in this case the artist should guide you in the required information needed:
Try to avoid specific requirements such as the the color of hair, the size of the sword, or whatever you have in mind unless you think it really important - in the case of wanting really personalized covers be prepared to pay more and possibly infuriate the artist as you go back and forth doing several revisions of your book cover.
For further useful information on what a cover artist will need and other considerations to make, read these articles