I’ve decided to write a real post tonight, rather than just putting up one of my usual cover reveals, because there’s something I want to address.  Several of my online friends have been having trouble lately with their cover artists. In some cases the artists they’ve hired have taken their money and failed to produce the product or haven’t produced it in a timely manner. Their artists have gone incommunicado, failing to respond to emails, failing to deliver refunds, or generally behaving in a dishonest or unprofessional (read: flakey) manner.  I don’t personally know the artists involved and am happy to say the artists and authors I’ve worked with have been, almost without exception, very honest and easy to deal with. 

But I do want to share some brief tips and warnings here for authors considering engaging an unfamiliar cover artist. There are no “rules” on the subject but these are things I’ve personally found helpful to ensure a smooth and pleasant experience for everyone.

1 . Never pay an artist the entire fee up front. Most professional cover artists are accustomed to a half-in-advance, half-on-completion split and very few request the full payment before any work has been done. If an artist does ask for the full payment before getting started, let them know that isn’t an acceptable arrangement for you. This isn’t being rude, it’s good business sense when purchasing something from a stranger online, and the artist will understand that.

2 . I recommend using PayPal, not Western Union or a similar service for transferring funds.  PayPal offers 45 day purchase protection in some circumstances, meaning in the event of a dispute with your artist, you stand a better chance of getting your money reimbursed.

3 . If your artist doesn’t respond to an email from you, follow up repeatedly. Don’t wait weeks or months before attempting to contact them again, as this runs out the above mentioned protection and decreases your likelihood of getting a refund if one is needed.

4 . Communicate.  If the mock-ups your artist is sending you aren’t remotely what you requested, let them know this (in a polite way) and discuss alternatives.  Don’t be unreasonable in your expectations but do expect the artist to be flexible and willing to work to come up with something that better fits your vision. Good artists understand covers are intensely important to authors, not least because they can impact the sales of a book.  

And that’s all I’ve got to say about that. Good night all and be careful out there. I promise to post about a more cheerful subject next time.

I want to congratulate two authors (with covers designed by little ol’ me) on hitting Amazon’s Movers & Shakers list today: Jerrica Knight-Catania and Teresa McCarthy!  

Screen shots for everybody!

 

As usual I’ve been super busy! Here’s an assortment of newish designs I’ve done lately.

  

 

Here’s just a peek at what I’ve been up to lately. I had a lot of fun with these colorful designs for Camilla Chafer’s Lexi Graves Mysteries.

  

It’s taken me a couple days but I think I’m getting the hang of creating graphics for 3D boxed sets or ebook bundles. Naturally, my own titles are the guinea pigs. I’m concerned the thick width of these spines are a little misleading because the stories are just quick novelettes. But overall, I’m happy with the effort and will work on perfecting it. :)

So I was adding up the numbers today and realized since beginning my design business in the spring of 2010 I’ve designed over 1,000 covers! Nope, that’s not a typo. The exact number is 1,093. No wonder I’ve been sitting in front of the computer so much lately! ;P So thanks to all my customers who’ve helped me reach this cool milestone. In case you’re wondering, you’ve paid my kids through two years of school and me through a whole lot of shoes! ;D

~ Dara

Just finished this cover last week. It’s for a werewolf romance by Rebecca Royce. I’m also sharing a peek at the images used so you can get an idea of how it developed.

 

Just finished up a fun new project. As you can see I had some really nice images to work with on this one, so it was impossible to go wrong. Just for fun, I’m showing the images I used here, as well as the finished cover.