If you can’t find an answer to your question here, please drop me a line at jon@jonstubbington.com
General FAQs
When do I need to pay?
A 50% deposit is required before I begin work.
The balance payment is made once you have approved the proofs showing the final cover design.
Why are all the prices in US Dollars?
Even though I am based in the UK, many of my customers come from the US and other locations around the world. As of spring 2020, in order to help the writing community easily compare the costs of my services with other cover designers out there, I have started to display my prices in US Dollars.
If you are based in the UK and would like a quote in Pounds then please let me know and I will provide you with the equivalent price in Pounds.
What can I do with my cover?
As well as uploading it to your ebook and print companies, you can use the cover to promote and market your book. For example, you can share it on social media or add it to your website.
I am more than happy for you to use the cover design to promote your book as much as you like. After all, I want your book to be a success too.
Credit and a link back to www.jonstubbington.com (or to my social media accounts) is always appreciated, but I do not insist on it.
Can I alter the design myself?
No. The licence I provide allows you to use the cover on your book and for promotion, but it does not allow you to alter the image yourself.
If you would like changes made to the artwork this may be possible. Please let me know what you would like and we can go from there.
Can I sell the design?
No. You can produce materials to help market your book, such as bookmarks, that reuse part or all of the design but you cannot sell these. They can be offered for free.
If you would like to make items to sell, such as prints of the cover artwork, please let me know and we can go from there.
What can you do with my cover?
I retain the right to use the cover as an example of my work. It may appear on my social media accounts or in a gallery of covers on this website.
If you have a release date for your book and you do not want me to share your finished cover publicly before that date that’s not a problem. Just drop me an email to let me know.
Can I use an ebook cover for a printed book?
No. If you have purchased an ebook cover only, you are not allowed to turn that into a printed cover. You have only purchased a licence to use the design for an ebook.
If you would like to use the cover on a paperback as well, that’s no problem. Let me know and I will arrange for your licence to be extended for paperback use and I will send you an invoice for the additional payment required. I will also ask you to provide the extra information I need to prepare your paperback cover.
Can I upgrade from ebook to ebook and paperback at any time?
Absolutely. If you have purchased an ebook cover, you can come back to me at any point and ask for it to be upgraded to a paperback cover as well.
Can I order a cover even if I don’t know my title yet?
Yes. If you would like to order a cover for a book you’re still working on, that’s no problem.
We can develop the design and then add your title once it has been chosen.
How can I credit you in my book?
A cover credit is most often added on the book’s information/copyright page. Something like this would be fantastic:
“Cover design by Jon Stubbington (BookCoversByJon.com)”
As standard, my paperback covers also come with a cover credit on the back cover.
Do I need to provide a barcode and an ISBN?
Possibly. It will depend on which print company you are using and where you want your book to be stocked. I will ask for this information once I understand which print company you are using.
What size will my cover(s) be?
As standard, I start by using a paperback size of 6″ x 9″ and an ebook size of 1600 x 2560 pixels.
However, it is your book and I am happy to create covers at any size you would prefer. This is something we will discuss and agree as we work through the design process.
I would love to extend this to a series – can I get more covers for the rest of the series?
Definitely. Let me know what you need and I can provide an appropriate quote for you.
It is often possible to arrange a discount for a series of covers.
Will you resell my cover?
No. Whether I have created a custom cover specifically for your book or you have chosen one of my premade covers, I will only sell each cover once. That way, you can be reassured that your cover design is only for you.
Custom cover FAQs
How much does a cover cost?
See this page for the latest prices for different book cover packages.
Sometimes a cover requires more work or extra files to be created and there can be an additional charge for this. Don’t worry – all costs will be discussed before you commit to using my services so there will be no hidden surprises.
A lot of my book cover customers are based outside of the UK so I show prices in US dollars. This is to allow customers to be able to easily compare the cost of my services with others on the market.
If you are in the UK and would prefer to pay in pounds then please let me know and I will provide an alternative price in pounds, based on the exchange rate at that time.
How are the covers made?
Each cover is created specifically for your book. We will work together to understand what your book is about, what genre you are targeting, and what you want to see on your cover.
I will then create your cover, either as an illustrated design or using photo manipulation and illustration.
Do you use stock photographs or images?
I offer both fully illustrated custom covers and covers that include stock photographs. A fully illustrated cover is more expensive than a photo-based cover.
If you choose a photo-based cover then please remember that those photos could be used on other book covers (neither you nor I will have exclusive use of that photo).
Are there any download limits?
There are no download limits for fully illustrated covers.
Covers that include stock photographs are subject to a download limit. There is no limit on the number of ebook downloads, but you can only produce a maximum of 200,000 print copies.
Should this become an issue then let me know and we can look at purchasing an extended licence from the stock image provider, which allows for more printed copies to be produced.
Who holds the copyright for the cover design?
As the creator of the cover design, I automatically hold the copyright for that design. When you purchase a cover from me, I grant you a licence to use that design for your book.
The acceptance paperwork I send to you will tell you which licences you have purchased (for example, it specifies if you have purchased an ebook licence only, or an ebook and a paperback). If you have any questions about any of the terms, or about the licences you have purchased, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Where a cover design uses stock photos or images then the original photographer/designer holds the copyright to that individual photo or image. I will have purchased a licence to use the image within the design I have created and you are granted a sublicence to use that image.
Individual elements of your cover design must not be extracted, reproduced, or used in any other way. They can only be used as part of the overall cover design.
Premade cover FAQs
How much does a cover cost?
See this page for the latest prices for different premade book cover options.
A lot of my customers for premade covers are based outside of the UK so I show prices for my premade covers in US dollars. This is to allow customers to be able to easily compare the cost of my covers with others on the market.
If you are in the UK and would prefer to pay in pounds then please let me know when you reserve your cover and I will provide an alternative price in pounds, based on the exchange rate at that time.
What is included in the cost?
This cost includes adapting the cover design to include your author name, your title, and your subtitle/series name if appropriate. (Not applicable for Vella covers).
If you would like simple adjustments made to the cover (eg altering a colour) then let me know and I will do my best to make that change for you. More substantial alterations to the design will incur additional costs. Please let me know if you would like alterations made and I will give you a quote.
The cost also includes a free 3D promotional image of your cover.
One final file for each type of book cover is included (eg one ebook cover and one paperback cover). If you want to use more than one company to produce your book (eg KDP and Ingram Sparks) then there will be a small additional cost to create the additional files you will need.
The list of additional costs can be found on the Premade Book Covers page.
Can I change the typeface?
Yes. Different typefaces can be used so please let me know if you would like a different font.
There is no additional charge to switch the font.
How do I reserve a cover?
Complete this form to reserve your chosen cover.
I will send you an invoice for the deposit payment and you will have 30 days to pay the deposit. If you haven’t paid after 30 days then the cover will be placed on sale again.
How are the covers made?
Each cover is created by me, either as a fully illustrated design, or as a combination of illustrations and photo manipulations (taking multiple photos and combining them to create a new design).
Do you use stock photographs or images?
Yes. Some of my premade cover designs include stock photos or images. These have been combined with other photos and images, or with my own illustrations, in order to create a new design.
While my design is unique, please remember that those photos are not exclusive to me or to that cover design. This means that an individual stock photo or image that I have used when creating a design could also be used on other book covers.
Are there any usage limits?
Yes. Unlike my illustrated custom covers, there are usage limits for my premade covers.
There is no limit on the number of ebook downloads, but you can only produce a maximum of 200,000 print copies.
Should this become an issue then let me know and we can look at purchasing an extended licence from the stock image provider, which allows for more printed copies to be produced.
Who holds the copyright for the cover design?
As the creator of the cover design, I automatically hold the copyright for that overall design. When you purchase a cover from me, I grant you a licence to use that design for your book.
The acceptance paperwork I send to you will tell you which licences you have purchased (for example, it specifies if you have purchased an ebook licence only, or an ebook and a paperback). If you have any questions about any of the terms, or about the licences you have purchased, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Where a cover design uses stock photos or images then the original photographer/designer holds the copyright to that individual photo or image. I will have purchased a licence to use the image within the design I have created and you are granted a sublicence to use that image.
Individual elements of your cover design must not be extracted, reproduced, or used in any other way. They can only be used as part of the overall cover design.