Book Cover Design
What is a book cover designer?
Book cover designers are experts who create visually attractive images and text to relay the central ideas and themes of your literary project. Good book cover design helps your book stand out both on the shelf and in online stores.
How do you hire a book cover designer?
You can source book cover design talent on Upwork by following these three steps:
- Write a project description. You’ll want to determine your scope of work and the skills and requirements you are looking for in a book cover designer.
- Post it on Upwork. Once you’ve written a project description, post it to Upwork. Simply follow the prompts to help you input the information you collected to scope out your project.
- Shortlist and interview book cover designers. Once the proposals start coming in, create a shortlist of the professionals you want to interview.
Of these three steps, your project description is where you will determine your scope of work and the specific type of book cover designer you need to complete your project.
How much does it cost to hire a book cover designer?
Rates can vary due to many factors, including expertise and experience, location, and market conditions.
- An experienced book cover designer may command higher fees but also work faster, have more-specialized areas of expertise, and deliver higher-quality work.
- A contractor who is still in the process of building a client base may price their book cover design services more competitively.
Rates typically charged by book cover designers on Upwork are:
- Beginner: $20 per hour
- Intermediate: $33 per hour
- Advanced: $55 per hour
Which one is right for you will depend on the specifics of your project.
How do you write a book cover designer job post?
Your job post is your chance to describe your project scope, budget, and talent needs. Although you don’t need a full job description as you would when hiring an employee, aim to provide enough detail for a contractor to know if they’re the right fit for the project.
Job post title
Create a simple title that describes exactly what you’re looking for. The idea is to target the keywords that your ideal candidate is likely to type into a job search bar to find your project. Here are some sample book cover designer job post titles:
- Book cover designer needed to illustrate a cover for a quirky horror novel
- Seeking an experienced book cover designer who can work in Photoshop
- Need a book cover designer who can edit and enhance photographs
Project description
An effective book cover designer job post should include:
- Scope of work: From illustration to publisher-compliant formatting, list all the deliverables you’ll need.
- Project length: Your job post should indicate whether this is a smaller or larger project.
- Background: If you prefer experience with certain genres, software, or graphic design styles, mention this here.
- Budget: Set a budget and note your preference for hourly rates vs. fixed-price contracts.
Book cover designer job responsibilities
Here are some examples of book cover designer job responsibilities:
- Create or select images, fonts, and themes that offer a visual representation of a book’s contents
- Resize and thoughtfully place images and text for an aesthetic layout
- Balance the need to grab attention with that of representing the content
- Render final image files that meet client needs as well as publisher requirements
Book cover designer job requirements and qualifications
Be sure to include any requirements and qualifications you’re looking for in a book cover designer. Here are some examples:
- Background in visual arts, graphic design, illustration, photography, or photo editing
- Familiar with design software such as Canva, Adobe, Photoshop, or InDesign
- Portfolio of completed book cover designs