Custom Cover Design Brief

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Name

Discount Code

BOOK DETAILS

Book Title (as it will appear on cover)

Author Name (as it will appear on cover)

Series Name & Number (if applicable)

Should the series name and/or number appear on the front cover?

Name only

Number only

Both

Neither

Tagline/Endorsement for front cover

Genre(s)

Target Audience

Projected release date (an approximate date is fine!) (YYYY-MM-DD)

Please provide your book’s synopsis. If you are ordering a print cover, this is what I will use for the back cover copy.

Is there anything else you’d like on the back cover (author bio, photo, endorsements, etc.)? * (If you want to send any images such as author photos, please either link to them here or email them to me directly.)

PRINTING DETAILS (for print books only)

These details are important so I can get the technical specifications and dimensions just right. If you haven’t made all these decisions yet and want to discuss the options, feel free to ask me!

What distributor or printer are you using?

E.g. KDP, IngramSpark, a local printer (please specify or include their website if possible). This is critical information to size the cover correctly and get your files to pass review by your distributor. Please note that there is a $10 resizing surcharge for each distributor after the first two.

Book trim size (5×8 inches, 6×9 inches, etc.)

If you are printing paperback and hardcover at two different sizes, please be sure to note both sizes.

To determine trim size, I recommend looking at ten or so different comparative titles on Amazon. You can see the trim size in the details bar below the book blurb. If in doubt, 5.5×8.5 is fairly standard in many genres. Note that while self-publishing advice touts 6×9 as trade paperback size, a huge number of genres typically use a different size. You want to fit into your genre.

Exact page count of book when formatted in that trim size

The exact page count is critical for sizing your cover right. If your printing company provided a cover template, you can email that directly to me. If I’m doing your formatting, skip this question!

Paper type

Cream

White

This choice will also affect the sizing of your cover. Cream paper is standard for novels, while white is more common for non-fiction. If you’re not sure what the industry standard is for your book, take a look at similar traditionally-published titles.

ISBN(s) for print edition(s), if available

This will allow me to create a custom barcode for your back cover, placing it in a spot that works most naturally for the back cover design—instead of having your distributor auto-place one in a pre-determined spot. You can certainly leave this blank if you wish; it’s just one more way to level up your cover design! If you’re sure you won’t want to adjust the price at some point, you can include that here too, to be included on the barcode.

VISION

This section helps me learn more about your book, understand your vision, and brainstorm potential cover concepts. Since I can’t read your book in full, the more information you include here, the better! Feel more than free to “word vomit” and dump everything in your brain onto me. Don’t worry if it feels like you’re repeating yourself from one section to the next: often the slight differences in the way you phrase something can spark totally different ideas in my imagination.

Do you have a vision for your book cover? Are there key elements you’d like to see on the cover (fonts, styles, colours, significant symbols, etc.)?

If there are significant symbols, motifs, or items that show up in your book, please describe them here. This could be something like the symbol of an organisation, a castle that’s an important setting, or a weapon that one character always carries.

These don’t have to be super deep—for example, one client mentioned a raccoon eating an apple! It doesn’t have to be deeper than a fun item or Easter egg for your readers to pick up on later, to add that extra personalisation to your cover. You can also email me examples if you’ve sketched any symbols.

If there are any scenes in your book you feel might make sense to be incorporated into the cover, please describe them in detail—setting, characters, mood, what’s happening, items or symbols that show up…

Is there anything you really don’t want to see on the cover, including fonts, styles, etc.?

Tell me about your main character(s)!

Even if you don’t want your character(s) on the cover, I want to understand who they are, what they look like, and what makes them tick. The more detail you give, the more ideas I’ll have to work with as I design your cover!

Please describe your book’s setting, both physical (e.g. city, country, fantasy world) and/or temporal (e.g. season, historical period). Again, the more detail, the better—especially for fantasy!

What are your book’s themes? What emotions or reactions are you hoping to inspire in possible readers who see your cover?

Please note at least three comp titles that your readers would also enjoy.

Comp titles don’t have to be exactly the same as your book. They might be similar to yours in genre, audience, themes, and/or vibes, etc., yet be different genres or subgenres, different types of settings, etc. The idea of a comp title is to tell readers, “If you liked this book, you’ll also like my book.” So, you can get creative here!

Please include links to at least three other covers (in your genre or others) that you like or want something similar to. The more the better, and bonus points for sharing what you like about them!

Even if you have a strong vision for your cover, please still include examples here. It’s critical for me to understand where your book fits in the market so your cover clearly depicts the genre while standing out as unique.

If you have a Pinterest board for your book that you’re willing to share, please feel free to link it here!

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