How to Hire a Cover Designer

There are a thousand ways to get cover art for your book. Here is just one: Fiverr.com

I considered 99designs and Behance, but you can't beat the prices at Fiverr. Graphic design jobs starting at just $5! You'll probably get what you pay for so I don't necessarily recommend hiring a $5 job. I set my sights between $15 and $50 and scoped out a huge array of designers.

Check out designers' portfolios and make sure you read their reviews. 

In addition to perusing designers' ads, you can post your gig like a Wanted Ad and request for sellers to approach you.

I hired a designer and waited with bated breath, only for the deadline to come and go with not a single word from them. I messaged them thrice and still no answer. Luckily, you can cancel the order at any time and get a refund (in Fiverr store credit).

But I got a special 20% off coupon from the site for the designer's no-show.

The second designer I hired for $35 for an ebook + print cover package with 3 shutterstock images, PLUS the sweet 3D rendering you see at the top of this post.

After you hire a designer, you're then taken to the page where they want your order requirements. This designer basically wanted me to choose all the shutterstock images I wanted, so she could mash them together to create my cover.

Some designers want more input from you than others, and you won't know what kind of specificity they want until you place the order. So be prepared to be specific.

Many jobs posted will say Unlimited Revisions, but lbr, they don't actually mean it. I started feeling bad about being picky after the second revision, but went ahead for a total of 4 revisions until I was mostly satisfied. I couldn't bring myself to ask for a 5th.

Still, I really like it and to be fair, I did tell her pretty much exactly what to do.

Overall, the experience was positive. Next time, I'll stop being cheap with an investment in my book covers, seeing as how it's one of the best selling points for your book.

Here is the finished ebook cover for my historical romance, Lesser Evils. (Yes, now available on Amazon! More on that in another post!)