People absolutely do judge books by their covers. So I’ve compiled a list of cover designers you may want to consider hiring if you are self-publishing your book.
Listed here are just a few designers I have come across, either because I met them at a conference or encountered them on social media. A couple have done covers for my friends or clients. They are here purely because I’m impressed by their portfolios.
Sara Helwe
I can 100% endorse Sara, because she did the original cover for Alara’s Call!
Kirk DouPonce, DogEared Design
An award-winning designer specializing in Christian Speculative Fiction
Damonza
An award-winning design firm with incredible range
Robin Johnson, Florida Girl Design
This list is by no means comprehensive, so don’t stop here. Other places to look include the following:
Editorial Freelancers Association — EFA has a directory where you can look for people and a job board where you can post your design brief. EFA’s services are free to authors (the freelancers pay membership dues). I am a member of this organization.
Reedsy — For a small fee you can use Reedsy’s extensive directory to find a designer for your book. I have worked with Reedsy as an editor.
I Need a Book Cover — This is a unique site that provides a directory of cover designers as well as a job board where you can post your requests for designers to bid on. Note that the book covers displayed on INABC’s “Book Covers” page are curated by the site owner from all published books and don’t necessarily represent the work of the site’s members.
99 Designs — For a flat fee you can send your design brief to multiple artists who will create concepts, from which you can run a contest to pick the winning cover. This is a great way to get social media followers engaged in the production process and build buzz ahead of your book release. Alternatively, you can use the site’s directory to choose a designer to work with.