How To Find Cover Designers In 5 Simple Steps!
This article will break down the 5 simple steps any self publishing author can follow to find a cover designer. We give away the secrets of the industry to teach authors how to self publish.
Step 1 – Have Your Barcode
If you plan on having your book available for purchase in retail stores like Barnes and Noble, you will need a barcode for your book. This means that when you have a cover designer create your cover they will need a copy of your barcode so they can add it onto the back of your book. Please note that you will not have a barcode for any ebooks you publish, so if you only need a cover design for an ebook, you can skip this step and go ahead to step 2.
If you have not done so already please stop here and go check out our article How To Register ISBN and Barcode – The 5 Steps To Get Your ISBN and Barcode. Once you have successfully registered your barcode you can move on to step 2.
Step 2 – Know What You Want Done
Now that you have your barcodes it is time to find yourself an awesome cover designer, but what should they design? Should you tell them exactly what you want the cover to look like, or should you leave them up to their own discretion completely? What will get you the best result? Well the answer is probably somewhere in between. If you know exactly how you want your cover to look and have the perfect idea, your cover designer will give you exactly that. However if you let the creative designer let loose a bit they might come up with something beautiful beyond what you could have imagined. So if you do not have a good idea of how you want your cover to look, do not be discouraged, just write down a loose idea of how you want the cover to make the reader feel and your cover designer will be able to create a masterpiece. Once you are comfortable with the direction you want to take your book cover, it is time to move on to step 3.
Step 3 – Sign Up On Reedsy, Upwork, and Fiverr
Now that you are comfortable and emotionally prepared to hire someone to create your book cover, it is time to find a graphic designer who is professional and can give you the quality of work and communication you need. You can search and choose from thousands of freelance cover designers online for free using Reedsy, Upwork, and Fiverr. You might get a few rejections, but do not be discouraged, there is someone out there who is qualified and motivated to work with you!
Step 4 – Vet Your Cover Designer
Now that you have your accounts with a few freelance websites, you can start to browse through all the cover designers and send requests to those who you think will be a good fit. It is best to look for editors who are well experienced in the kinds of cover design you need done, and have experience working in your genre. When a cover designer gives you a quote you will be able to start an email chain with them and potentially even set up a meeting with them to discuss your needs and vision for the book cover. If they feel like a good fit and have a good portfolio with reviews you can pull the trigger and let them get to work!
Step 5 – Sit Back And Wait!
Now that your book cover is being designed by a professional you are comfortable with, the only thing left to do is sit back and relax. Your journey to publishing your first book is starting strong!
Learn From Authors With Success!
Owner of Scherr Publishing and Author Kenneth Scherr is spilling the industry beans by layout out exactly how to find a professional cover designer without the help of some fancy publisher who charges an arm and a leg. We are committed to our mission of helping struggling self-publishing authors accomplish their dream and vision to be the number one resource for self-publishing authors. If this has helped please share this with your author friends or leave a comment to help spread the knowledge!
To see how this process turned out for Mr. Scherr, check out his book “Behaving As US” on Amazon, and if you have any more questions about self-publishing please email us at info@scherrpublishing.com or leave a comment below!
, and if you have any more questions about self-publishing please email us at info@scherrpublishing.com or leave a comment below!
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