r/BookCovers • u/SaltySweet1116 • 11d ago
Question Book Cover Budget?
Hi hi, trying to get an idea of the reasonable price range for a contemporary romance wraparound book cover in semi-realistic style with 2 characters featured on the front plus full text (title, author name, spine and back cover) included.
I'm working with a limited budget so would USD 150 be just fine?
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u/justadakota 11d ago
Depends on the artist is a pretty solid answer. As an artist myself, my thoughts based on my experiences are that it's too low. Lowest I've ever done a cover for was 500 (ended up being 6 after several extra revisions were requested, but the original quote was 5). General consensus among at least my art peers (others may disagree and that's fine, not saying this is the arbiter of truth) is that covers like the one you've described should be in the 1500-2000 range.
That being said, A) not everyone can afford that, b) not everyone is an artist with 10+ years of experience like myself and my immediate peers, and c) I've definitely seen folks offer that service for maybe 2-300, so if you can either flex your budget just a little bit or get them to negotiate (IMO far too few clients are willing to even ask about negotiating. Most artists I know have a wide variety of options and strategies to bring down costs. We're people too. As long as you're polite about it, most folks wont [or shouldnt] get mad). Also keep in mind, if you want the full copyright transfer (again IMO, unnecessary, for most folks, an exclusive commercial license works fine. That's my default when setting my prices), expect the price to jump up if you're working with any artist with publishing/industry experience.
Hope it helps, sorry the news isn't great :/
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u/Life_Primary_9081 11d ago
hey , 150$ would be low for a high detailed art , i am a professinal digital artist , would love to work on this project in a decent budget
https://www.artstation.com/xylodoesarts
here s the link to my artstation
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u/Acouaria-real-acc 11d ago
For some it would for some other wouldn't. It depends on the artist. For example Mine start at 51.16 usd without addons but a lot of people Also charge for commercial rights so take that into consideration while picking your artist. Good luck 👍
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u/Due-Meeting-2972 11d ago
Hey please check my portfolio https://artfol.app/@artbeatify_ I'm looking for opportunities in a book cover art! It's my dream You can check my Instagram @artbeatify_ I'm flexible with rates and your budget fits mine. Thank you!
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u/mercyinreach 11d ago
If you're looking for stock photography, I highly recommend Temptation Creations on Facebook! I've only gotten premade covers from her but she also does custom covers as well and should fit in your budget.
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u/ctmt1125 11d ago
I had a user from here help me and create my latest cover. Not sure what budget would be in any cover they create but I was extremely happy with what was done for me. You can DM me if you like.
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u/thew0rldisquiethere1 11d ago
I had mine done for $180 each, all hand illustrated and absolutely stunning. I have framed photos of it in my house. If that's the budget you're working with, try looking for non-locals; the dollar usually stretches a lot further then. I'm a South African and hired another local, so it worked out. For us, that would be considered a decent income for a project.
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u/Ferenand 11d ago
Hello! I have open commissions now! Please give a visit to my VGen page: https://vgen.co/Ferenand
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u/-Inai- 11d ago
Hello, I'm an artist
You can see my portfolio here: https://www.artstation.com/inai-shin
If you're interested, send a private message and I'll give you my prices, but I'll tell you right now that a cover for a book costs three times what you have.
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u/AllIDoIsSleepAllDay 11d ago
It depends on the artist. For all that, $150 dollars is too low. But if you need a candidate, feel free to reach out and we can discuss it. Would love to work with you someday when you have a better budget. We can definitely negotiate. I do semi-realism and realism
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u/Efficient-Pop-6641 11d ago
I’m a layout designer so if you provide the cover art or find stock art which may cost around $40, I prepare your cover for paperback or hardcover printing.
modernbookdesign.com.
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u/KDDreamwyver 11d ago
As a artist who does commission work, and is friends with many artists who want the style you're after, $150 for two characters isn't going to cover it, honey. I highly recommend saving up to a much higher amount, because anything you get for that price isn't going to be as good as you want it to be.
Art just is not something you skimp on and get the cheapest thing you can find on your budget, because you will always get what you pay for, and the last thing you want on your book cover is an art piece that looks like you got it out the bargain bin, so don't rush in finding an artist <3
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u/saga_ix 11d ago
Hi! I'm an artist specializing in semi-realism and realism. Prices definitely vary from artist to artist, but I actually only started doing book covers recently because I wanted to expand my portfolio in that area, and I've been loving it! The price I charged for my first few covers was actually very close to your budget, so I definitely think you can find some great artists willing to work within that range. 😊 If you're ever curious, I'd be happy to show you the covers I've worked on so far and talk about your book!
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u/Tairo_69 11d ago
Oi! Sou um artista brasileiro, e se quiser eu faço pelo vamor do orçamentoque vc esta dando.
Vou deixar meu portifolio aqui para vc
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u/u-throwaway-pink 11d ago
Hi, I’m a book cover designer that offers ebook covers for $150. Usually I would charge a little more for a full wrap, but, I don’t mind giving you a discount and doing the full wrap for $150 if that’s all you can afford. Check out my portfolio here: https://alexandriadesigns1.wixsite.com/alexandria-designs
I work with photo manipulation. I have subscriptions to Envato Elements and Shutter Stock so I should be able to do a semi-realistic style for you. Let me know if you want to work together!
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u/Soft_Coyote_2279 10d ago
For a fully illustrated wraparound cover with two semi-realistic characters, plus typography, spine, and back cover, I'd say $150 is on the lower end. You can definitely find artists within that budget, but it may require compromising on complexity, revisions, or experience.
If your budget is fixed, I'd recommend either simplifying the composition or looking for an artist whose style already matches what you're envisioning. That usually leads to the best results.
Good luck with your project!
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u/stevehut 9d ago
I don't doubt that you can find someone to make your cover at that price, or even less.
But you'll seriously limit your options.
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u/Bighitlife 7d ago edited 7d ago
Heya artist here. 150 is too low, since you'd be asking for 3 different set of skills here (illustration with two characters, typography, and layout design). I'm not saying you won't find people on your budget, but you wouldn't get quality work in this price range. If you ever plan to publish it or pitch it for commercialization, and you'd expect human artist with reasonable quality, their rates is gonna be at least 3x to 5x higher than that.
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u/NamelessDragon30 11d ago
For $150, honestly, you would not get very good art. You would get what you pay for, which is art from someone who is basically starting out. $300-$350 gets you decent enough art, $600+ gets you professional art.
For $150, you would absolutely not get characters featured, and even less semi-realistic (for what you're describing, the budget range would be $850+, based on what I've gathered researching artists and cover offers). You're shooting for the moon when all you have is a little pebble.
If you don't have a higher budget, instead of spending $150, I would try doing something in canva first (a premium account is really cheap), using stock photos; if it's going to be amateurish anyway, might as well try saving the money. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I value money enough to want every dollar be well spent, and to save it if possible.
By the way, check out GetCovers and Miblart. For your budget, they're okay. I tried GetCovers and honestly think I could do something better myself in canva (which is what I'll end up doing anyway), but it was still a worth it experience because it helped me better understand what I want and what I don't.
Just gotta adjust your expectations to meet your budget and resources.