Someone, draw my book cover! (How to find a graphic artist for your book)

You have written your bestseller (fingers crossed) and have done the research on how to get it up on Amazon.com... but you still don't have a cover to go with it. Time to panic?

Luckily, that is unnecessary. In this blog post, I list some steps and useful tips on how to find your own book cover designer.

This topic is covered (hahah) on several other online place, of course, but here is my personal experience of how I got in contact with a graphic illustrator and struck a deal for my novel "Mine Looks Purple". The journey was both scary and exhilarating!

Useful places to look:

• I first decided to make my own cover in Photoshop and save some money. Bad idea! Don't even try it unless you're actually good at moving pixels around. You wouldn't want to serve a gourmet meal (your story) on a garbage can lid either. Fortunately, I quickly saw the light. 
• (Note: if you do use photos or illustrations, make sure they are not licensed/unavailable for commercial use. It's best to go to istockphoto.com, for instance, and pay for good quality material.) 
• I went to a local Comic-Con to get in touch with artists at their stalls. That didn't work out. The high-energy atmosphere didn't lend itself to chatting in detail. I did take home a couple of their business cards, and I discovered that I had been looking in the wrong place. It is at online portfolio sites where all the cool kids hang out...
• Deviantart.com, for example, is a great site with thousands of incredibly talented artists showcasing their work. Awesome! I spend hours browsing and I contacted several artists through the site. Sadly, none had interest in commission work... I wasn't going to freak out, but my deadline was getting closer...
• Fiverr.com, hopefully, was going to ease my troubles. The site exists specifically for artists looking for commission work. After posting my request, I received 20 replies within a day. Hurray! Although there were talented artists among them, they didn't do the style I was looking for. So I politely declined them all. (Always do this. It is common courtesy and they'll be grateful to you.) There are, of course, other sites like it: upwork.com, elance.com, 99designs.com to name a few.
• Artstation.com was the next site I tried. It mostly features artists who have already worked for corporations in the entertainment business. Undeterred, I sent off messages and found out from one artist what he would usually charge per hour. Yikes! I mean, I'm convinced the cost would be worth it, but my budget didn't stretch that far.
• Behance.net, finally, was the site where I found Alexandr Pushai's portfolio page.

In total, I think, it took me 20 hours over a period of three scary weeks to find the graphic artist for my book. Hurray!

Step by step negotiation:

• Keep the initial commission request short, but add in attachment a detailed description of what you're looking for, including info on: file formats, who will hold copyrights, the amount of revisions you can request without added fee, etc. It will save both parties time. The artist will ask for those things anyway.

My initial request

• Make sure you know what you want: Cover concept, style, colours,...? Don't expect the artist to magically come up with this in your place. I found that out after contacting the first artist. Good communication is very important. If communicating with an artist feels like pulling teeth, look elsewhere or expect poor results.

The artist asked a simple sketch to explain the exact angle of the bathtub. Great!

• Agree on the commission fee. You can try to haggle over the price, of course, but make sure it stays a good deal for both parties. As an example, for this cover, we agreed on two partial payments: one part before starting the detailed sketch. The second part before finishing the full-colour illustration as commissioned.

• Draw up a contract and demand a (digital) signature. Obviously, do not make any payment before you've received the signed version. Add your detailed description and relevant correspondence as an appendix to the contract. You'll sleep better at night, I guarantee it. (Search online for 'template contracts for commissioned illustrations' to get examples.)

The initial artist's sketch

Useful tips to remember:

• The cover is the first - and often only - impression you can make. So the cover needs to be interesting and it has to show the potential readers exactly what they'll get from your book.
• Most of the talented artists are very busy, naturally, because they are so great at what they do. So start looking for an artist early, well ahead of the release date of your book.
• It's a numbers game. Chances are, you'll get rejected by the artist whose work you really love. It happens. Maybe you'll get a No from the first three artists you contact... Maybe you'll only get a Yes from the fifteenth artist...
• I strongly recommend you only contact artists who already have done artwork in the same style as what you are looking for. Otherwise, you set yourself up for disappointment. You wouldn't ask Van Gogh to paint Micky Mouse, would you? (Though, that would be interesting.)
• Hang in there! Remember, you've put a lot of work into writing your book. It deserves a great cover.

The final version in colour

Did you like my personal journey of scary exhilaration?

Did I forget a very important tip or website?

Then let me know, or write your feedback below in the Post a Comment box. Thanks!

- Jonen
novel writer of 'MINE LOOKS PURPLE' available at major online retailers.
jonengleewell@gmail.com
jonengleewell.blogspot.com