More Changes for Premade Covers, etc.

#coverstock, #covers, #authors, #authorservices

Examination of the stock cover market reveals that direct design operations are dwindling and more cover “clearing houses” are popping up. Hence prices are dropping. The cover market, like the ebook market, is becoming glutted, and carrion eaters are coming out (as expected).

In one case, authors submit a synopsis and cover image requirement to a site which is not even a clearing house. Designers registered with this site receive news of author “job” proposals, requirements, and the time limit applied by the site. They create a cover on-spec, assign a price, and submit. When the job’s closing date/time comes, submissions are revealed to the author.

Each designer blindly hopes the author purchases their work. That is, if the author purchases any cover at all. That site gets its cut from both sides, one way or another, from doing almost nothing. One site charges designers a membership fee… after a free trial period, of course…

It is not a good time to be a cover designer, premade or custom. The e-self-pub phenomenon is well into its “vapor-firm” phase, just like the Dot.com phenomenon of the past. Many new operations are popping up that take a cut for doing / producing nothing. Watch yourself when it comes time to find a cover for your finished work.

Please choose a designer / firm / clearing house where you work directly with a designer. We emphatically encourage this, even if we are not the one you choose. Cut the vapor-firms out of the process. And now, for something more useful…

Premade “Stock” Covers—New Pricing Standards

Prices for our premade covers have been reduced and returned to a multiple purchase option. This will remain our standard into the future.

Base price for “eBook” only is $25 USD for a single image cover with minimal composition processing. Price increases incrementally for each additional image element and / or increased post composition processing. Most e-self-publishers do not need of a print cover, so this option cuts that expense from their purchase.

Base fee for adding “+Print” cover is +$40 USD unless a premade cover is marked “full wrap” (+$25). Note that producing a usable print version is not simply exporting a large image. See “Covers: About” and “Premade Gallery: About…” for some details on print cover requirements by publishers, press, and NDAS.

Coming soon will be more lower cost covers and possible a few small tweaks to the gallery. In addition, by next Tuesday (?)…

The Challenge of Promoting, Part 4

…will look at connecting your RSS newsfeed to your social pages for efficient delivery of your press releases, articles, and other news to all from one source, your site.