Why should I use a freelance book designer?
A Personal Service – Freelance designing is a much more personal service. As a client you get the opportunity to discuss your ideas, needs and limitations directly with the person working on your project, which makes it much more likely that you will be pleased with the completed product and stay within your budget.
Specific skills – As a specialist print designer, I have more specific skills and experience relating to publishing and book production than a general graphic designer that may be part of a large agency team working on a wide range of projects.
Lower cost – Being a sole trader based from a home office gives me low overhead costs, which means you are just paying for my knowledge, work and time rather than the upkeep of a large company.
I want you to design my book cover, what do you need from me?
To begin the book cover design process I require:
• An outline of the books content (themes, genre, target audience, price bracket etc.)
• The book size (if you have decided on one)
• The title
• The author name
• The blurb (for the back cover)
• Any images or logos you wish to use (large and in high resolution, 300dpi minimum)
• Any stylistic requirements (company branding, fonts, colours etc.)
• The book price
• The ISBN number
• The book size (if you have decided on one)
• The title
• The author name
• The blurb (for the back cover)
• Any images or logos you wish to use (large and in high resolution, 300dpi minimum)
• Any stylistic requirements (company branding, fonts, colours etc.)
• The book price
• The ISBN number
It is also helpful if you have any examples of book cover designs that you like, especially books from the same or similar genre that your book belongs to.
What should I supply for typesetting?
To typeset your book I will need:
• The book size (I can advise but any book printer will give you their most economical options)
• The title
• The author name
• The final manuscript (edited, proofread and corrected)
• Copyright/imprint information
• Any images or logos you wish to use (large and in high resolution, 300dpi minimum)
• Any stylistic requirements (company branding, fonts, colours etc.)
• The title
• The author name
• The final manuscript (edited, proofread and corrected)
• Copyright/imprint information
• Any images or logos you wish to use (large and in high resolution, 300dpi minimum)
• Any stylistic requirements (company branding, fonts, colours etc.)
It is preferable to have the manuscript edited, proofread and corrected BEFORE sending for typesetting. Minor proof corrections are included in the price, however rewriting sections and making excessive changes after layout can involve a lot of extra work, so these will be charged at an additional hourly rate of £20 per hour.
Do I need to supply an ISBN number? What about a Barcode?
The short answer is yes for the ISBN and no for the barcode.
The ISBN (International Standard Book Number), although not a legal requirement, is used by publishers, booksellers, libraries and internet retailers for ordering, listing, sales records and stock control purposes. You can purchase your ISBNs online from people like Nielsen in the UK.
Regarding a barcode, if you have your ISBN I can create one for you at no extra cost.
What do I get at the end of the process?
A beautifully designed and professionally typeset product!
Once the final proofs of your project have been thoroughly checked and signed off, I will send you print-ready PDF versions of the artwork to forward on to your chosen printer. Alternatively I can send directly to your printer if you wish.
Most printers will have specific requirements for supplying artwork. If you let me know which printer you intend to use, I am happy to liaise with them to make sure everything is fully compliant to their standards.
I will also send you JPG copies of your cover design to use on your social media promotion.
How long will it take?
Honestly, each project is completely different. It depends on the size and complexity of the book as well as the amount of additional work I have at that particular time. A rough guide for a 128 page novel with cover design would be 2 weeks, but a more complex book with photography content might run over a month or more.