Book Cover Costs etc

Im Trying

Im Trying

Anyone who has had their book published, could you answer the following for me please

Who did the cover for you? was it the publisher or did you have to source your own Artist

What did you have to provide? apart from the Title of the book

How much would you expect to pay?

Reason for asking is that I am teaching myself Graphic Arts which includes Book covers, Magazine Covers etc so any info would be helpfull
Thanks

dorothyd

when my books were published, I had no say in the cover whatsover, the book just arrived, printed and bound, like it or not! I hope for a bit more input next time ... nothing to pay, no, not with a mainstream publisher.  I am busy working out a design for my new book which my company will publish but that's a different thing entirely.

Allie

My first artist charged me $500, which is small, but in the end the cheap thing was dear, as while he  was okay in the art department, he was terrible in the artistic temperament department. And in the end his work wasn't converted correctly, either, so was totally useless.

Another artist (from the UK) fixed it the best he could, but commented that it seemed amateurish to him. When he sent me samples of his work I could see his point. He is now redoing the artwork for me at not much more than twice the original fee, out of sympathy for my situation, and his work is absolutely terrific.

In the end, even with paying both artists, it won't cost me more than the most reasonable quote I got from a UK artists' site (£1500 for full jacket design and fourteen interior b&w illustrations). I have got away lightly, I feel.

But a good jacket is absolutely vital. I have taken four versions of it out to bookshops and surveyed parents, children and shop assistants on it and happily have got a particularly positive response to one of them.

Jay Mandal

Details may be elsewhere. I'll have a look later. If I can't find them, I'll tell you all!

Jay Mandal

Search Talkback for the thread: jacket design. The following comes from it:

"I've been consulted, but I'm not an expert and don't know what sells. The cover for my first novel, The Dandelion Clock, was obvious - although the photographer had to get the pictures before they'd all disappeared. I think I suggested pink for A Different Kind of Love - it's again a photo, but you'll have to look hard before you'll see a face. I suggested green with a teardrop for The Loss of Innocence, and the picture came from the Internet. I don't think it's one of the better covers. Then there was Precipice. In the end, we sort of copied The Dandelion Clock, but with a poppy (from the Internet) and a dark blue cover. I realized later that it looks a bit like the Royal British Legion symbol. Slubberdegullion was a drawing on a mauve background. Some authors use a particular pattern/colour for all of their books." Oh, and 'All About Sex' was done by an artist.

I didn't have to pay a penny, but royalties go to the artists/photographers, if any (but I don't think out of my pocket).

You can view the covers at:

http://www.bewrite.net/bookshop/excerpts/all_about_sex.htm

where there's also a video clip for 'All About Sex' - the video clip is - all please join in! - romantic, not raunchy!

Allie

Sorry, I should have said, I just had to provide a brief for the illustrations consisting of the text from which each particular one was to be taken, plus my interpretation of someone's looks if this wasn't mentioned in the text, plus anything that is essential to have in the picture (e.g., a beard, the girl wearing a backpack, etc.)

candy

My publisher sent me two cover designs. I choose the one I liked most. They were both pretty good. They paid the artist for both designs. The writer doesn't pay for those things.

Apart from the title of the book, you provide the text and allow them to use the rights. You don't pay anything. Writers write, publishers publish, unless, that is, you self-publish. In which case good luck. You'll need it! For an idea of how much you expect to pay, if you decide to go the sp route, just phone around and go for the one who screws you the least.

Nefertari

Nenastew5 did the cover for my last children's book. Have a look at her profile for her web site and details of costs etc. You can see the cover she did for me on my web site, on my profile.

Im Trying

Big thanks to all for the advice on this one, will follow the links and see what is required
Though I am a long way off being able to charge a publisher or anyone else for that matter for artwork
It's not quite the same when making them up for books and mags that don't exist, they tend to lose the quality that one is trying to achieve.
May be asking one of you in the near future for a practice at a book cover, no charge obviously

Allie

Well, Candy, I think there's also good luck needed if you have a publisher, as the stage seems to be littered with writers who have been let go after one or two years and find themselves in the position of having to buy their remaindered books or else let them go to landfill.

I have full control of the artwork, which suits me just fine. The artist is doing a great job for me, of both jacket and interior illustrations, and I will be happy to supply his name to anyone who wants it. If it's a case of just designing a jacket rather than interior b&w illustrations also (mine is a children's book) I am sure anyone would find the cost most manageable.