What does book cover design cost?

Independent publishing comes with a price. A literal price-tag for the things the author is responsible for that make publishing possible. Yes, uploading your book to the online retailers is free, but before that can happen there will be some expenses involved.

Your book cover is one of the most important of these expenses.

Why does a book’s cover matter so much?

I’ve covered this in a previous post, but to summarize: your book cover is the very first piece of marketing for your book. It is the first impression a potential reader will have of your book.

Your potential reader doesn’t yet know you or your writing. The one thing they use to help make their decision about whether to stop scrolling and learn more about your book is the cover.

If you want to sell books, you need a good cover that conveys a clear message to your online browsers.

So what does it cost?

Let’s begin with the free and/or inexpensive options.

The next step up in terms of price is getting a pre-made cover.

Pre-made Covers

Pre-made covers are, as the name implies, already designed. As the author you scroll through the available options and choose one that fits your book’s genre best. Most pre-made book cover sites only sell a book cover design once, so you won’t run into an issue of another author having the same cover as yours.

You’ll provide the designer with information like your title/subtitle and author name etc.

There are typically some opportunities for additional customization for the cover, though that will depend on the website you’re buying the cover from.

The price for a pre-made cover will begin at about US$80 or $90 for the ebook. Then you can add a print cover or audiobook cover for an additional cost. Book Cover Zone is one website I’ve worked with in the past. There are many others as well. Google ‘pre-made book covers’ for more ideas.

IMO, pre-made covers are a great option for those authors who are new to publishing and/or who only want to publish one book.

Freelance Marketplaces

For the next step up in price, you can work with a designer from a site like Fiverr or UpWork. You may be able to find a designer you can do a decent job for a small budget.

A caveat to this is that in my experience the savings aren’t that great compared to finding and hiring a designer on your own. But your mileage may vary.

Custom Book Cover Design

And finally, the priciest option for book cover design is to find a freelance designer who specializes in book cover design and work with them to design a custom cover.

For this option you’re likely looking at a starting price of at least US$350 or $400. Prices go up from there, depending on a variety of factors, including the designers expertise with book covers, how many versions of a book cover you need (i.e., print, ebook, audiobook, large print etc.) and how in-demand and experienced the designer is.

I have a list of book cover designers I trust here. And you can also find designers at sites like Reedsy and the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Your cover is an investment

As a new author, the price for book cover design can be a tough pill to swallow. But as you can see, there are options available for lower cost and even free design.

I like to think of my book covers as investments. They are the ‘faces’ of my book, the first thing a potential reader sees, and as such they speak volumes about my writing and my intention to entertain and inform. For that reason I am grateful to pay for the expertise of a book cover designer.

Have you got questions about book cover design? Leave them below and I’ll answer.