Book Cover Design 101: How to efficiently work with a designer

Book Cover Design 101: Step by Step = article cover with 8 different book covers.

Have you ever wondered how does the book cover design process actually look like? Here’s a short article that will take you through it step-by-step, explaining everything that happens on the way with practical visual examples.

Disclaimer: This is based on my experiences and my process – I’m a book designer and illustrator working with small presses and indie authors. The steps outlined below will probably be similar for most designers, but details will vary. And if you’re publishing traditionally, there will be a lot more people involved in the design process and everything is likely to look very different.

Step 1: Inquiry and brief

You just found the perfect designer for your book – they have a solid portfolio and good reviews, so you decide to send them an e-mail requesting a quote. To save time and avoid the initial back-and-forth, here’s what you can include in your message:

  • Book title and your name (or pen name)
  • Genre
  • A synopsis/blur – or just a few sentences about your book
  • Format – paperback, hardcover with or without a dust jacket (here: [CLICK] is a handy article about book formats)
  • A few words about your expectations – are you looking for an illustrated cover with original artwork? Or maybe something minimalist? If you have any visual references, that’s always helpful – try looking at covers of other books to roughly decide on the style you’re looking for. Do you have a Pinterest moodboard? Fantastic. Do you have a sketch with stick figures? Awesome!
  • Anything else that YOU consider relevant and would like your designer to know.

Based on this information, your chosen designer should be able to send you a quote and a timeline, telling you when they can start working and how long the whole process is likely to take. Remember that the latter also depends on you – send feedback promptly and you will receive results faster.

Step 2: Initial book cover design versions

After talking with your designer about your ideas, expectations and inspirations, you will receive initial sketches/design versions. How many of these you are entitled to, and how they will look like, depends on your personal agreement with the contractor – I usually include 3-4 initial designs within the price of the project. The timeframe is, in my case, usually between 4 and 10 days – depending mostly on how complex the design is going to be.

How do initial versions of a book cover look like?

Again, everyone’s favourite answer – it depends… on the genre, on whether or not I’m also creating a custom illustration, and on whether or not that illustration is painted.

Here’s some real-life examples from my previous projects:

Non-fiction book cover

Four initial book cover design concepts for "Historias stemme" by Hans-Petter Bredal.

Fiction book cover – with a custom, digitally painted illustration

In this case, we’re likely to work on the illustration first, and on the design after the artwork is completed.

Fiction book cover – with a photomanipulated/other illustration

Four intial book cover design concepts of "Det andre livet" by Dorte Giebel.

Step 3: Feedback and revisions

After you receive the initial versions, the ball is in your court – it’s time for feedback. Remember to be specific and honest – let your designer know what you like and what you don’t like and don’t be afraid to ask questions. And if looking at the first versions only made you realise that you’d like to see something entirely different, talk with your designer honestly and you will very likely be able to come to some sort of an agreement.

Different designers and artists offer different amounts of revision rounds – in my case, it’s usually 3-4. After every round, you will receive a new iteration of the cover, with your comments applied.

If you’re wondering how to give design feedback effectively and efficiently, here’s a few tips:

  • Send one message with all your thoughts per revision round – if you send many short e-mails, something is likely to get lost.
  • Be specific – talk about concrete details, shapes, composition elements, or mood you’d like the cover to have, describe size and spacing, and tell your designer what effect you’d like to achieve. If you’re not sure how to describe something, maybe you can show it – don’t be afraid to draw over the design, or use reference images.
  • Ask questions – if you’re not sure what to change exactly, but you just know that something feels off, ask: “What can we do to make the cover feel warm and cosy? Or dark and foreboding? How can we make this character look more confident?”. If you tell me what you want achieve, I can propose some solutions. You don’t need to be a design expert – that’s what I’m here for!

Step 4: Finishing touches and preparing files for printing

Last but not least – it’s time to prepare the files for print! After you’re happy with how your book cover looks, your designer will ask you for some technical details, including:

  • What self-publishing platform/printing company you’re planning on using
  • The final page count (which is necessary to calculate spine width)
  • What kind of paper (weight and color) and lamination (glossy or matte) you’re planning on using
  • ISBN number to generate the barcode


If you’re using a self-publishing platform such as KDP or Ingram Spark, your designer will be able to get the correct dimensions and technical specifications directly from these website, without your involvement.

If you’re printing locally, you might need to ask your printing company of choice to calculate spine width (or provide a template if your book is going to be in hardcover format). Or you can just share your printing company’s e-mail with your designer and let them talk directly.

Remember: Print-ready files will likely look slightly differently than what you’ve seen before, especially if you’re printing a hardcover book. The dimensions will be adjusted to take technical requirements into consideration, and the file is likely to have trim marks and bleed (which will be cut off during printing and won’t be there after the book is ready).

Book cover design - pricing examples

How much does a book cover cost? It depends, but if you’re looking for an experienced designer, you could pay anywhere from $500 to $2000. The price often depends on how complex your project is going to be, how many iterations you’d like to see, and how well established and experienced your chosen designer is.

Here’s a breakdown of my minimum prices at the moment of publishing this article, so in December 2024 – in USD and in NOK, which are the two currencies I work in most often:

"Henry og Bokbyen" - book cover design of a children's book, with a dragon.
Book cover of "You're Not a Murderer", a non-fiction book about OCD.
Front book cover of "Dragon Liberator", a fantasy novel by Kassidy Ridenour. Illustration shows a young man holding an amulet with a black dragon behind him.

1) Children's book cover

  • you have your own illustrations and need design and print-ready files
  • amount of initial design versions: 3-4
  • amount of revisions: 4
  • preparation of print-ready files


Minimum price:
USD: $450 / NOK 5000

2) Non-fiction book or a novel

  • you need an illustration, design, and print-ready files
  • amount of initial design versions: 3-4
  • amount of revisions: 4
  • preparation of print-ready files


Minimum price:
USD: $650 / NOK 7200

3) A novel with a custom, painted illustration

  • you’d like to have a fully painted, custom illustration on the cover, and need design and print-ready files
  • initial sketches: 1-2
  • amount of revisions: 4
  • preparation of print-ready files

Minimum price: USD: $800 / NOK 9000

* Remember that the prices shown here are the approximate minimum I can offer, and the quote you receive may be higher if you’re looking for a more complex design. This is especially important when it comes to custom illustrations, which will have higher prices depending on the amount of characters you’d like to see on the cover and the complexity of the scene you’d like me to paint.

That’s it!

I hope you found this short article useful – let me know if you think it’s lacking something, or if you have an additional question.

I’m always up for a chat – get in touch via marta@martadec.eu.  

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