To choose the right book cover designer, look for someone whose portfolio is full of strong covers in your genre, who explains their process and revision rounds up front, and who gives you written licence terms for every image and font they use. Price matters less than fit: a designer who knows what your readers expect will do better work than a more expensive one who does not.

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This guide walks through the whole hiring decision: premade versus custom covers, realistic budgets, how to judge a portfolio, what to put in your brief, the contract and rights questions most authors forget, and how to sign off a cover with confidence.

• Genre fit comes first. Readers recognise a genre at thumbnail size, so your designer must know its conventions.
• Premade covers are a sensible, cheaper option for many first books; custom covers suit series and illustrated styles.
• Get rights in writing: image licences, font licences and what you may use the artwork for.
• Agree deliverables before you pay: ebook front, print wrap, audiobook square and marketing files.
• Judge at thumbnail size, not full screen, before you approve anything.

At a glance

• Choose a designer whose portfolio shows several strong covers in your genre, because readers recognise genre at thumbnail size.
• Premade covers suit many first books and standalones, while custom covers suit series and illustrated styles.
• Reedsy’s 2026 analysis reported an average of about US$880 per cover project, with prices varying widely.
• Get image licences, font licences and usage rights in writing before you pay a deposit.
• Agree deliverables up front, such as the ebook front, print wrap, audiobook square and marketing files.
• Avoid choosing on price alone, and judge every draft at thumbnail size before you approve it.

Why the right designer matters

Your cover does two jobs. It tells a browsing reader, in about a second, what kind of book this is, and it signals that the book has been produced with care. On Amazon and other stores it is first seen as a small thumbnail beside dozens of others, so clarity at that size matters more than fine detail.

A designer who understands your genre knows which typefaces, colour palettes, image styles and layouts its readers associate with the books they love. That is why the most common cover problem is not “ugly”; it is “wrong genre”. A beautiful cover that looks like a literary novel will not help a cosy mystery find its readers. Our guide to writing to your genre covers the same idea from the writing side.

Premade, custom or DIY: which route suits you

Option	What you get	Strengths	Limitations	Suits
Premade cover	A finished design sold once, with your title and name added	Lower cost, fast, you see the result before buying	Less distinctive; harder to extend into a matching series later	First books, standalones, tight budgets
Custom photo-based cover	A design built for your book from licensed stock or commissioned photos	Tailored to your story and readers	Costs more; the same stock photo may appear on other books	Most genre fiction and non-fiction
Custom illustrated cover	Original artwork plus typography	Unique, ownable look; strong for fantasy, YA and children’s books	Highest cost and longest timeline	Fantasy, YA, romantic comedy, picture books
DIY with templates	You design it yourself with a template tool	Lowest cost	Hard to match professional typography and genre polish	Low-content books, tests, authors with design training

If you are writing a series, think ahead. A designer who can build a consistent look across every book is often worth more than a single striking cover. Our guide to planning a book series explains why matching branding helps readers move from book one to book two. For picture books, see our separate guide to hiring a children’s book illustrator, because interior illustration is a different job.

What a cover designer costs

Prices vary widely by designer, country, genre and what is included, so treat any figure as a rough guide. As one data point, Reedsy’s 2026 analysis of around 9,600 cover projects on its marketplace in 2025 reported an average of about US$880, with most projects between roughly US$625 and US$1,250, and higher costs for illustrated covers, series work and rush deadlines. Premade covers usually cost less than custom work, and freelance marketplaces range from very cheap to premium. These are figures at the time of writing (October 2026), and prices change.

What pushes the price up:

• Custom illustration instead of photo-based design.
• A full print wrap (front, spine and back) as well as the ebook front.
• Series branding, where the designer creates a system for several books.
• Extra revision rounds or a short deadline.
• Extra marketing files such as audiobook covers, 3D mock-ups and social graphics.

Set your cover budget as part of the whole book budget, not in isolation. Our guide to self-publishing costs shows how covers sit alongside editing and formatting.

How to judge a portfolio

A portfolio tells you more than any sales page. Look at it the way a reader would: small, fast and in context.

• Genre depth: are there several covers in your genre and subgenre, not just one?
• Thumbnail test: shrink the covers on screen. Can you still read the title and tell the genre?
• Typography: is the lettering clean, well spaced and suited to the genre, or does it look like a default font?
• Variety within the genre: each cover should look made for its book, not a repeated template.
• Real books: ask which covers are on published books, and look them up in the stores.
• Print work: if you need a paperback, ask to see full wraps, not just fronts.

Questions to ask before you hire

1. Which covers have you designed in my genre, and can I see your full portfolio?
2. What is included in the fee: ebook front, print wrap, audiobook square, marketing files?
3. How many revision rounds are included, and what does an extra round cost?
4. What is the timeline from deposit to final files?
5. Where do the images come from, and what licence covers them? Is an extended licence needed for print runs or merchandise?
6. Are the fonts licensed for commercial use, including print and ebooks?
7. Will I receive high-resolution final files, and can I get layered source files if I need changes later?
8. What are the payment terms and what happens if we part ways partway through?
9. May I use the artwork in ads, on social media and on merchandise? Do you need credit?
10. Would you be available for future books in the series?

BookBub’s guidance for authors on hiring cover designers makes a useful point about rights: stock images are licensed, not owned, so other books may use the same photo. If exclusivity matters to you, ask about custom photography or illustration.

Rights, licences and contracts

This is the part authors most often skip, and it causes the most problems later. Before you pay a deposit, get these in writing:

• Image licences: which stock sites or artists supplied the images, and whether the licence covers your print quantities and formats.
• Font licences: commercial fonts need a licence that covers book covers. Free fonts vary; some allow commercial use, some do not.
• Usage rights: where you can use the cover art (books, ads, website, merchandise) and whether the designer may show it in their portfolio.
• AI-generated elements: ask whether any part was created with AI tools. Rules on copyright in AI-generated images differ by country and are still developing, and some retailers and readers care about it, so you should know what you are buying.
• Kill fee and refunds: what you owe if you cancel, and what you get.

Our guide to legal basics for self-publishers covers copyright and licensing in more depth.

Writing a brief that gets you the right cover

A clear brief saves revision rounds. Include:

1. Genre and subgenre, as precisely as you can (for example “small-town romantic comedy”, not just “romance”).
2. Three to five comparable covers from current bestsellers in your category, with a note on what you like about each.
3. A two-sentence pitch of the story or the book’s promise.
4. The tone in a few words: warm, dark, funny, urgent.
5. Must-haves and must-avoids, such as a key setting, a character detail or a colour you dislike.
6. Text: exact title, subtitle, series name and number, author name and any tagline.
7. Technical details: trim size, page count (for the spine), paper type and the platforms you are using.
8. Series plans: how many books, so the design can scale.

Technical specifications to agree up front

File	What to confirm
Ebook front cover	KDP’s guidelines recommend 2,560 by 1,600 pixels (a 1.6:1 height-to-width ratio), RGB colour, JPEG preferred, 5 MB or less
Paperback or hardcover wrap	Exact trim size, page count and paper type so the spine width is right; use your printer’s cover template or calculator
Second printer (for example IngramSpark)	Each printer’s template can differ slightly, so ask for a version for each
Audiobook cover	A square version with the text re-arranged to fit
Marketing files	Flat front cover without text, 3D mock-ups, social sizes, if included

Revisions and sign-off checklist

Give feedback that is specific and tied to readers: “the title is hard to read at small size” helps far more than “make it pop”. Gather your thoughts into one list per round rather than sending a stream of messages.

Before you approve the final cover, check:

• It reads clearly at thumbnail size, in colour and in greyscale.
• It sits comfortably among the current top sellers in your category.
• Title, subtitle, series and author name are spelled correctly.
• The spine text fits the final page count, and the barcode area is clear on the back.
• You have all agreed files, at full resolution, in the right formats.
• You have the licence details for every image and font in writing.

Leave enough time. Many authors book their designer several months before publication, because good designers are often booked ahead. Our publishing timeline guide shows where the cover fits in the schedule.

Common mistakes

• Choosing on price alone. A cheap cover that misses your genre costs you more in lost readers.
• Designing for yourself, not your readers. Your favourite colour or scene may not signal your genre.
• Judging at full size. Most readers first see a tiny thumbnail.
• Skipping the licence check. Unlicensed images or fonts can force you to replace a cover after launch.
• Ordering the print wrap before the page count is final. A changed page count changes the spine width.
• Too many cooks. Polling friends and family on every draft usually produces a muddled cover. Ask readers of your genre instead.
• Forgetting series needs. A one-off design that cannot be extended makes book two harder.

Red flags to walk away from

• No portfolio in your genre, or a portfolio of near-identical template covers.
• Vague answers about where images and fonts come from.
• No written terms on revisions, deliverables or rights.
• Pressure to pay in full before any work is shown.
• Reluctance to share references or examples of published books.

Once your cover is done, the same files power your marketing. If you plan to advertise, our guide to Amazon Ads for authors explains why a clear, genre-right cover matters for ad performance and how to test with small budgets first.

Related guide: KDP Cover Calculator: How to Size Covers Without Mistakes.

Related guide: Book Covers by Genre: How to Avoid Costly Design Mistakes.

Sources this guide draws on: Amazon KDP cover image guidelines for Kindle ebooks; Amazon KDP paperback cover guidance and cover calculator; BookBub Partners guidance on questions to ask a cover designer; Reedsy’s 2026 analysis of book cover design costs.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I spend on a book cover?

There is no single right figure; it depends on your genre, formats and whether you need illustration. As a reference, Reedsy reported an average of about US$880 for cover projects on its marketplace in 2025, with premade covers usually costing less. Decide your budget alongside editing so neither is squeezed.

Is a premade cover good enough?

Often, yes, especially for a first book or standalone. A good premade from a genre specialist can look fully professional. The main downsides are that it is less distinctive and may be harder to extend into a matching series.

Who owns the copyright in my book cover?

Usually the designer and image creators keep copyright and give you a licence to use the artwork. What matters is that the licence covers every use you need, including print runs, ads and merchandise. Get it in writing.

How far ahead should I book a cover designer?

Ask each designer about their waiting list, because popular designers can be booked months ahead. Building in time also lets you use the cover for pre-orders, advance copies and early promotion.

Can I use AI to make my book cover?

Some authors do, but copyright protection for AI-generated images is limited or unclear in many countries, and licence terms differ between tools. If a designer uses AI elements, ask them to say so and explain the terms, so you can decide with full information.

What files should my designer give me?

At minimum: a high-resolution ebook front cover and a print-ready wrap for each printer you use. Useful extras include an audiobook square, a version without text, 3D mock-ups and social media sizes. Agree the list before work starts.

The right designer is the one who understands your readers, works transparently and hands over clean files with clear rights. Take time over the choice and the brief, and your cover will keep working for every format and promotion that follows. For other services worth comparing, see the author toolkit guide.