Book Cover Design
Cover illustration and full-wrap design for publishers and authors — from picture-book covers to literary fiction.
A book cover has to do three things at once: tell the story of the book, stand out on a crowded shelf, and survive translation to thumbnails on retailer pages. I design covers in collaboration with publishers, editors and authors to land all three. Recent collaborators include Penguin Random House and independent imprints.
Selected clients
- Penguin Random House
- Independent imprints
- Self-published authors
What’s included
- Front cover illustration tailored to genre and audience
- Full wrap: front, spine, back, flaps (hardcover and paperback)
- Dust jacket artwork when applicable
- Print-ready CMYK files at 300dpi with bleed and trim marks
- Thumbnail-test passes to ensure legibility at retail size
- Marketing assets: social tiles, author-event poster variants
- Two rounds of revisions on the final artwork
Process snapshot
Brief → Concept & references → Sketches → Final artwork → Two rounds of revisions → Delivery & licensing. Read the full process.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you work directly with publishers?
- Yes. I work with art directors and editors at publishing houses on briefed projects, and directly with self-published authors.
- How long does a book cover take?
- Standard turnaround is 4–6 weeks from approved brief to publication-ready files. Schedules align with the publisher’s production calendar.
- Who owns the artwork?
- You receive a publishing license for the editions specified in the contract. I retain authorship of the artwork and reproduction rights for portfolio and prints, unless full buy-out is negotiated.
- Can you match an existing series identity?
- Yes. For series, I work within the established visual system (palette, typography, illustration style) to keep the new title coherent with previous releases.
- Do you handle typography?
- Cover illustration is the core deliverable. Title typography can be supplied by the publisher’s designer or I can propose typographic treatments as an add-on.
Commission a book cover design
Send a short brief and I’ll reply within 2 business days.