You've got a general idea for your cover, now you just need the artist! There's more to consider than searching and accepting your first find. In Part II: Picking your artist, I'll explain all the steps up to making your choice: where to look, quotes, pricing, and a contract. Each of these steps are important and should be taken into your consideration! And then finally you can pick away! Your cover art should be handled like a baby, carefully and lovingly. You need to give yourself multiple choices and think thoroughly about your decisions. Not only is the cover art important to you, it's very important for marketing. WHERE TO LOOK. You know you need a designer and/or artist, but where do you look? Well first, let’s differentiate between cover art and cover design. Cover design can be two things: a cover in which the art and text is graphically designed, or only the text (typography) over the artwork. Cover art, on the other hand, is artwork commissioned for a cover; it’s more intricate than designed artwork, and made entirely by the artist, instead of a designer layering and editing images. So depending on whether you want a cover designer, or a cover artist and a designer, where you look may differ. Some cover artists may also be able to design over their artwork. My recommendation for artists and designers of all kinds is Deviantart. Artists showcase their artwork here, and you can message them through this website with your own account. You can find both designers and artists here. The best way to find them is to search “book design” and “book cover art.” After searching, click “deviations,” which is what artwork is called on this website. When you find artwork that you enjoy, message the artist! Facebook groups are another fantastic way to find designers. I recommend you join genre specific author groups, cover design groups, and cover art groups. Once in the groups, you can post or search through the member list to find potential artists. Ask other authors for recommendations! All cover art will also have copyright somewhere within or on the book, so you can look at other books’ art you enjoy and attempt to message those artists. REQUESTING QUOTES. When requesting work from an artist, there are some details you should include in your initial message as it will help them determine if they can accept your request. Firstly, tell the artist your general idea for the artwork in about 50 words, including the medium. Next, tell the artist the dimensions you’re requesting and when you need it done by. If you don’t know your dimensions, refer to my Cover Art Part I post. Lastly, make sure to request price and let them know there will be a contract for you two to work out. Your message could look like this: “Hello (artist’s name)! I love your artwork and was wondering if you were available to create digital artwork for a cover jacket (21 in x 9 in). I am thinking it will be a scene from my novel in which my female protagonist rides her horse into a grassland and begins her journey. (Link to a document that contains a blurb of the scene.) Would you also be able to design the typography over your artwork? I would like the artwork to be completed in a month, but could wait up to two months. What is the estimated price for this? I also wanted to assure you that if you were to accept my request, we will negotiate and sign a contract. Thank you! (signed your name).” Make sure you get quotes from multiple artists. Expect to be rejected, some artists are busy, others may not think their skills are great enough. CONSIDER THEIR PRICE. You will probably get a high variety of quotes, even though the artwork is the same. This is because many things can influence an artist’s quote: skill, experience, popularity, availability, and more. Before you pick, consider if you can find a higher or lower quote. If you’re in a tight budget, settle for someone who has great skill but not a lot of popularity, as their quote will probably be lower. Saved money to spend and you want to spend it? Paying the high price for a popular artist can help your publicity, if they share their artwork and your book once it is published. Also keep in mind whether you are paying for design, artwork, or artwork and design! MAKE A CONTRACT. You’ve decided which artist you’d like to accept. But wait! You need to consider and officialize the details of your payment and their work. You need to make the first draft of your contract. In the contract, describe the entire transaction. You will need to layout payment, due date, intended uses for the artwork, how the artist will be recognized, and anything else related to the transaction. Lastly, at the bottom of the page you will need a space for your and the artist’s signature and the date signed. The signature means they accept and will abide by everything in the contract. When you send them the contract with your message, make sure you clarify that if there is something they would like to change that it is negotiable (ie, maybe you wanted to use the design for a tshirt, but they wouldn’t like that). A contract may look like this: “I, __________________, the artist will create cover art for (your name) based on their general idea. I will send periodic updates, and revise the artwork if needed. It will be completed by December 21st, 2020. I will be credited for my work in the typography design and on the copyrights page. I give permission for design to be put over my artwork. (signature space, date signed)” “I, (your name), will pay the first half of the payment after the contract is signed, and then the rest will be paid after I receive the completed artwork. I will only use the artwork for my cover and my facebook. I will credit the artist in the typography and in the copyrights page. (signature space, date signed)” PICK YOUR ARTIST. Finally! The moment you’ve been waiting for! Send messages to let the artists you didn’t pick know they were not the right fit. Then, with excitedly typing fingers and happily beating heart, let the artist you’ve chosen know you’d love to work with them. Send them your contract, more detailed dimensions if you’d like (where the front page is, etc), and anything else! Happy searching and make new artist friends! If you’re thinking this process may be too expensive, I have a post about cheaper cover art routes here.
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More InfoErin blogs because she wants to help other young adult writers and new writers. It's aimed to educate others on the writing and self-publishing process. If there is anything you'd like to know that she hasn't covered yet, please contact her! |