Commissions and Costs
SERVICES OVERVIEW
Basic Book Cover Design
$279.00 eBook only or
$429.00 Paperback Jacket with eBook cover included
Design basic book cover | simple blending of up to three images for an eBook and/or paperback jacket and deliver digital images for printer as specified by author/publisher/press agent; eBook cover image properly prepared for KINDLE and other online retailers.
Includes:
1 x eBook cover delivered in JPEG
1 x paperback cover delivered as print-ready PDF
1 x 3D mock-up cover for web use
3 x revisions on design chosen from 3 mock up designs
Bespoke Book Cover Design
$329.00 eBook only or
$579.00 Paperback Jacket with eBook cover included
Design complex book cover layout – eBook and/or paperback jacket and deliver digital images for printer as specified by author/publisher/press agent; eBook cover image properly prepared for KINDLE and other online retailers.
Includes:
1 x eBook cover delivered in JPEG
1 x paperback cover delivered as print-ready PDF
1 x 3D mock-up cover for web use
1 X Facebook Header Banner to match
1 X Twitter Header Banner to match
1 X General Social Media Marketing Graphic to match
3 x revisions on design chosen from 3 mock up designs
Stand Alone Marketing Graphics
$ 50.00 and up
Facebook, Twitter and all other social media banners, website banners, headers, misc graphics such as 3D book cover images (not for print).
Printed Graphic Designs
$100.00 and up
Post cards, business cards, flyers, mailers, bookmarks, posters, advertisements for magazines, audio book covers, and other printed media outlets.
Interior Book Formatting
- $159.00 eBook Only up to 300 pages
- $259.00 eBook and Paperback up to 300 pages
- $199.00 eBook Only over 300 pages
- $299.00 eBook and Paperback over 300 pages
Quotes based on a typical fiction novel layout (non-illustrative) manuscript. Should you require complex customization for your book, I can refer you to a custom layout designer. What I do are simple layouts prepared by importing your clean and properly formatted Word doc into Vellum (formatting program). Style options and layout options are limited. I offer this service for those self-publishing on a tight budget who still want a professionally formatted interior (but without too many fancy and unique design elements). Two rounds of simple edits are included in the fee structures above. Further edits will be invoiced at a rate of $50.00 per hour with a minimum charge of $50.00.
Cover Design Award Badges
GENERAL STEPS – THE PROCESS
STEP One – BOOKING
First step is to send me an Email and give me a general introduction to your project. I’ll reply with an estimated commission amount and expected start date. Plan ahead – I am typically booked up two months in advance. If we are in agreement, I will add you to my schedule. The week before I am to begin your project, I’ll send you an invoice for 50% of the commission fee. This deposit will need to be paid within 48 hours. You can pay via PayPal, credit/debit card, or bank transfer. After 48 hours, another client has the opportunity to take your slot.
STEP TWO – DESIGN
Once I receive your deposit, I’ll send you my client questionnaire asking several questions that will fully brief me on your project. (plot, characters, ideas you may have in mind, printer, publishing specifications, etc.). Make sure you answer the questions and return them back to me before your scheduled start date. Without those answers to the questionnaire, I cannot begin your project.
STEP THREE – DESIGN CONCEPTS
On your agreed start date, I’ll begin working on your project. The process of designing your cover design mockups can vary depending on your needs and the complexity of the project (simple or bespoke designs). I may follow up with you should I have further questions or if I need more information than what you have provided in the questionnaire. Expect to see potential (mock up) designs using low resolution and water-marked images in your inbox within approximately two weeks.
STEP FOUR – FINALIZING THE DESIGN
Typically, it takes me about two weeks to work through concepts and the book cover design with each client. I begin with the eBook (front cover) design so I can provide the eBook image first allowing you to begin pre-sale marketing. In book publishing, your manuscript has to be fully processed/formatted for printing before we have a spine measurement in order to set the full three-panel jacket design. Thus, there is often a waiting period while the formatter of your choice sets your interior file for your chosen printer (KDP, IngramSpark, etc.). The final paperback set is typically a quick turnaround for me. All in all, the process to design a paperback layout should be completed within two to three weeks if I have all of the specifications up front and we move through the design concept review phase without delay.
What additional expenses to expect
Expenses include stock photographic images (licenses from stock agencies), specialty fonts, postage, travel, payment fees (such as PayPal), rush charges, return check fees, fees for custom illustrations, photography or significant editing may also apply. Typically these items are under $50.00 and can be as little as a few dollars. You should also note that the above estimates do not include printing.
Let’s create something
magical together.
Testimonials
Cathy Helms of Avalon Graphics is an absolute delight to work with; she is talented, efficient and professional down to the smallest detail. –Helen Hollick, Best selling author
As one who has worked in the book publishing industry for some thirty-five years, and now as an author, I heartily recommend the talents and services of Cathy Helms at Avalon Graphics. The book trailer she created for me has received a lot of attention and has generated a lot of sales. For those benefits I am forever grateful to her. Plus, she is a joy to work with.
—Bill Hammond, award-winning author of the Cutler Family Chronicles
The SilverWood team has worked with Cathy and Avalon Graphics on a number of book jackets, including Helen Hollick’s historical novels, David Ebsworth’s historical novels and Jane Gray’s ‘The Bitti Chai’. It’s always a pleasure dealing with Cathy, and no amendment or refinement to her illustrations is too much trouble. –Helen Hart, Publishing Director – SilverWood Books
If you want quality and the best of customer service then Cathy Helms and Avalon Graphics is the one for you. I started writing my first novel as a hobby, I would write here and then when and if I wanted to. When I found Cathy and started to work on my Book cover as well as wanting to finish my book quickly her work literally inspired me.
Cathy’s precision in her work is the result of genius and there seems to be nothing she can’t get hold of. When I returned to her with my second novel within days she had returned to me with four brand new concepts in which we perfected to one final product within a week. The amount of time Cathy will spend perfecting your book can only be described as too generous.
I would highly recommend Cathy Helms and Avalon Graphics to anyone wanting a professional result for their Book, Poster or Magazine.
—James Mercer, author, The Crusader’s Blade
Cathy Helms | Avalon Graphics 