Where to Buy Custom Cover Image for Novel?

Morrus · Nov 23, 2014

Dog Moon said:
Well, I'm definitely not trying to take advantage of anyone. I would want to pay a fair price for what they deserve. I just honestly don't know what that is.

Unfortunately, at this point I can't back out. It's a publishing company where I pay, but they edit, market, print, etc. What annoys me is that a cover image was part of the package, but whereas I thought they would do something more unique for me, the package only covers very generic junk. [so they would provide a free cover image, but as I said their free choices were crap; this was never pointed out to me back when it was gifted to me so I never thought twice about it. Sadly, seems like a hidden cost that they don't mention until it's too late] It was half gifted to me from an old friend who paid a good portion of the price and I just paid in the rest. Nowaday I probably wouldn't have gone this route, but since I'm so close to the end I figure I might as well take that last step and finish it.

What image are you looking for?

WayneLigon · Nov 24, 2014

Dog Moon said:
Unfortunately, at this point I can't back out. It's a publishing company where I pay, but they edit, market, print, etc. What annoys me is that a cover image was part of the package, but whereas I thought they would do something more unique for me, the package only covers very generic junk. [so they would provide a free cover image, but as I said their free choices were crap; this was never pointed out to me back when it was gifted to me so I never thought twice about it. Sadly, seems like a hidden cost that they don't mention until it's too late] It was half gifted to me from an old friend who paid a good portion of the price and I just paid in the rest. Nowaday I probably wouldn't have gone this route, but since I'm so close to the end I figure I might as well take that last step and finish it.

Dog Moon, I'm so sorry you had to learn this valuable lesson the hard way.

Let this be a lesson to everyone else. There are some very shady customers out there. Hidden fees, junky services, etc. You'll see them at every SF con with their terrible generic covers and one-size-fits-all cover fonts, with none of their authors in attendance. You do not pay for editing services, you do not pay for 'consulting services', you do not pay for your novel to be read and evaluated. Never, never, never.

Science Fiction Writers of America and other organizations often have lists of such shady companies. Research any publishing company.

The Golden Rule of Writing: Money flows TO the Author. Never the other way around. Ever.
http://www.sfwa.org/fees/
http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/alerts/
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/
http://www.fictionfactor.com/scam.html

Dog Moon · Nov 24, 2014

Ryujin said:
I have to agree with Morrus that $200.00 for a 'custom' cover is a pittance.

Interesting. I wonder what I will be getting for this $200 then if everyone says that is such a good deal. Probably some halfway point between what I want and what they are currently giving me.

I feel like my best bet will just to have someone create a cool design sorta like this and go with that instead of worrying about anything else.

I can't imagine something like this would be all that costly and I've seen books that have simple designs on them instead of individualizes pictures.

If it's cool, it'll still catch the eye even though it won't be what I wanted. But at this point I sorta just want to get my book out there!

Dog Moon · Nov 24, 2014

And thanks everyone for the help. I'm definitely appreciating it, though I'm starting to get this sinking feeling that it's going to get expensive getting art for my current rpg and boardgame products if a cover image for a book is that expensive!

Ryujin · Nov 24, 2014

If you're going to get it out there and a publishing house isn't going to outright buy it from you (royalties and such), then self publishing might be the way to go. Unfortunately that also cost money and I haven't gone that way for my photobooks, because I didn't want to get stuck with the bulk of a minimum print run (something like 200 copies). On-demand print services like Blurb can make self publishing more economical but the per unit cost to the buyer is higher, and the profit is minimal.

Dog Moon · Nov 25, 2014

Ryujin said:
If you're going to get it out there and a publishing house isn't going to outright buy it from you (royalties and such), then self publishing might be the way to go. Unfortunately that also cost money and I haven't gone that way for my photobooks, because I didn't want to get stuck with the bulk of a minimum print run (something like 200 copies). On-demand print services like Blurb can make self publishing more economical but the per unit cost to the buyer is higher, and the profit is minimal.

Yeah, I am definitely going to find other options when I need to do more publishing, but right now I'm beyond the point of no return, so I figure I might as well finish this up now, get my book out there and then explore options for more of my books.

WayneLigon · Nov 25, 2014

Dog Moon said:
Yeah, I am definitely going to find other options when I need to do more publishing, but right now I'm beyond the point of no return, so I figure I might as well finish this up now, get my book out there and then explore options for more of my books.

The very first thing you need to look at it what rights to your book they are buying, and how long they hold them. Once you re-acquire the rights to your material, then perhaps you can do it right at a later date.

Ryujin · Nov 25, 2014

WayneLigon said:
The very first thing you need to look at it what rights to your book they are buying, and how long they hold them. Once you re-acquire the rights to your material, then perhaps you can do it right at a later date.

An excellent point. I can think of a couple of issues in which the timetable for rights devolving back to the author caused issues.

Janx · Nov 25, 2014

Dog Moon said:
Yeah, I am definitely going to find other options when I need to do more publishing, but right now I'm beyond the point of no return, so I figure I might as well finish this up now, get my book out there and then explore options for more of my books.

How are you past the point of no return? What contracts do have you signed? What money have you given them, or they given you?

Consider the concept that it is not unethical to abandon your mortgage (default on the loan). That notion strikes people as wrong, but in the world of Capitalism, if a deal is no longer worth it or viable, you abandon it.

If you're finding out this publisher isn't a good deal, then spend more effort to escape than rewarding them with money.

Deset Gled · Nov 25, 2014

WayneLigon said:
You do not pay for editing services, you do not pay for 'consulting services', you do not pay for your novel to be read and evaluated. Never, never, never.

...

The Golden Rule of Writing: Money flows TO the Author. Never the other way around. Ever.

While I understand the point you're making here (and it's generally a good one), it's simply not as set in stone today as it was ten years ago. Self-publishing is now a viable option instead of a laughable one, and that changes the playing field.

If you want to self publish, you will still need services like editing, reviewing, and formatting. And, just like the artists who deserve to be paid for their cover art, editors deserve to get their pay check, too. There are completely legit companies that you can pay to do these things, and many of them offer packages like Dog Moon has described for helping get a book out there. I've looked into gifts of this for people before (just like Dog Moon received).

So I would revise your advise as follows:

Money flows in the opposite direction of the Intellectual Property. If you pay for publishing services, you keep the rights to your material. If you give up the rights, you must be paid.

Edit:
Also, to address the original question: there's no harm in putting up a Craigslist ad for a freelancer. Just be completely honest about how much you're willing to pay and a general description of what you are hoping for, and see who contacts you. Ask for a couple of examples of their previous work similar to the size/quality you expect. Don't expect to get anything custom made before you pay them. Do expect to lower your expectations about how much you'll get for the money. Also, expect to get a couple of whackos or foreign responders.