Need Book Cover Art?

If you're publishing an eBook, then you need a cover. Shoppers in digital book outlets will stop to read your book's blurb when they see an intriguing cover, the same as they do in a "real" bookstore.

If you're not an artist, you may feel stymied in your efforts, or you may think you have to pay big bucks to get a decent cover. Quit agonizing over this. I have good news for you.

Graphic Artist Available

I finally talked my resident graphic artist into designing book covers. I'm lucky because my resident graphic artist is my daughter who was formerly a graphic artist for a couple of ad agencies and the Houston Chronicle, and who is now a high school art teacher.
Creative & Quick

Of course, since she's my daughter, she's a reader too so she knows what attracts a reader's attention in a bookstore. You can check out her blog Blake Creative if you want to find out more about her.

Even though she teaches full-time and is working on her Master's in Art Education, she still indulges her love of graphic design by accepting commission work from clients, usually sent to her by me since I know a lot of authors who are always looking for a promotional tee shirt or mug design, and, most recently, book covers.

Experienced
She's completed a couple of book covers for me, and she'll be doing 4 more for me (I'm putting a reminder in here!). It's a good thing her stint in ad design helped her learn how to produce quality work in a timely fashion. She's also done 4 or 5 covers for other authors.

The covers you see on the left are examples of her work. If you'd like to contact her about an eBook cover, here's what you need to know.

Details

1. conducts business professionally, including sending a Contract that states each party's obligations

2. uses the latest Adobe Suite software to create the art file

3. generates a color version and a grayscale version, both in the size formats necessary for upload

4. submits a low resolution preview for your approval first

5. upon approval, payment is to be made

6. after payment confirmed, the high resolution art files are sent

7. grants license for unlimited use in digital and print promotion (cover can be used only on digital book not a hard copy print book unless additional fee is paid)

8. requires payment via PayPal, protecting the Client and the artist

9. produces work in a timely fashion

10. payment is a low $50.00 flat fee along with a credit line in the digitally published work. (If you don't want to edit your manuscript and send her the confirming page, she can incorporate the credit line into the design.)

Interested? Email her to discuss your project at blakecreative at hotmail dot com.

Takeaway Truth

Don't short change your book by slapping any old design on it. If you want to make sales, make sure you have a professionally designed book cover.

(Previously published on Joan Slings Words, my other blog.)

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