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What are the steps involved in the process of the Stock
Art Cover design?
After purchasing the Stock Art Cover service, you will be contacted within 48 hours
for your design call. During the call, you will talk to your cover designer and
discuss your ideas. Then, the cover designer will create a custom cover for your
self-published book using stock art, photos, or images you supply. They will send
you a proof copy of the cover within 10-15 business days. You can then either approve
the cover, or send corrections. One round of cover corrections is included. Additional
charges will apply if additional changes are needed.
Once your cover is approved, you can proceed
as normal with the rest of the publishing process until your book is complete.
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Will I be able to speak to the CraigsPress.com cover designer?
Yes, you will be able to speak to your cover designer to communicate your cover
ideas. The cover designer can give you general advice if needed, but they will not
have complete design ideas prepared.
Is there anything I should do in preparation before I speak
to the cover designer?
To prepare, think about what you would like your cover to look like. Spend some
time in a local bookstore should you need inspiration. Gather your ideas, sketches
and notes for quick reference during the call. It might be helpful to have a computer
with Internet access nearby in case you need to reference something quickly.
You can look through the stock images sites
our designers use if want to find a specific image, or you can suggest an idea and
the cover designer will choose the image. The two Web sites our designers use are www.shutterstock.com and
www.ablestock.com. Remember, our
cover designer is there to offer you friendly support and assistance.
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What kinds of designs and images can my cover designer
create with the Stock Art Cover service?
Our cover designers work from stock images to create Stock Art Covers. They can
incorporate photos that you have supplied as well. They cannot, however, create
illustrations for this particular cover design, but we do offer Custom Cover Illustrations in our Services Store.
Designers can combine a variety of design elements
and images, although it is best not to try to incorporate too many images or your
cover may look too busy and the design will not be as effective. If you have a particular
person or character in mind, it is best if you select the image because you know
what they should look like. You can look through the stock image sites our designers
use: www.shutterstock.com and
www.ablestock.com to choose the photos you wish to use. Write down the site
name and image number if you find a photo you want to use.
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I don't have any idea what I want my cover to look like.
Can the cover designer just make something up?
Although the cover designer can come up with an idea if you cannot supply one, we
do not suggest simply relying entirely on the designer for an idea. The cover designer
does not read your manuscript, so they don't know what your book is about, your
personal tastes or your intended market for the book. Even if you do not have a
specific idea, any guidance or general ideas you can give the cover designer will
produce a cover that you will be more likely to love in the end. Try looking at
other covers in bookstores, libraries or on the Internet if you need some ideas.
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Does the Stock Art Cover include the finished design of
my book's front cover?
Yes, the Stock Art Cover includes the finished design of your book's front cover,
as well as the spine and back cover. The cover designer will place images, pictures
and other design elements on the front cover, along with your title and/or subtitle
and author name. You can choose the font style, size and color, or you can leave
it up to the designer's best judgment. Additional text and design elements can be
included if you wish; just let your designer know.
Does the Stock Art Cover include the design of the back
cover too?
Yes, the Stock Art Cover includes the design of the full cover, back cover included.
You can include text, quotes, pictures, design elements, background colors and images
on your back cover. Typically, the cover designer incorporates similar colors from
the front cover onto the back, or a black or white background. Just let your cover designer know your preferences.
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Who owns the copyright to the cover?
When your cover is designed through the Stock Art Cover service, since we are creating
a custom design for you, CraigsPress.com retains the rights to the finished, designed cover.
This basically prevents you from taking this particularly designed cover and publishing
your book elsewhere using the exact same design and file. You can always have someone
else recreate something similar for you, but you cannot use the same file.
How much text will fit on the back cover?
On the back cover of a 5" x 8" book, you can fit about 375 words maximum
with text only, and 275 words maximum with a picture; on a 6" x 9" about
400 words with text alone, and 300 words with a picture; and on an 8.25" x
11" about 850 words without a picture, and 750 with a picture.
These maximum word counts are based on a 10-point,
standard font without line breaks, bullet points or poetry-style formatting. Keep
in mind that a larger font size or style and different formatting will decrease
the total number of words that will comfortably fit on the back cover.
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Will the cover designer edit or write content for my back
cover?
No, the cover designer will neither edit, nor write content for your back cover.
You are responsible for supplying the back cover text exactly as you wish it
to appear in terms of wording, grammar, punctuation, paragraph breaks and spelling.
However, we do offer a Cover Text Copyediting service should you want some extra help with
editing your cover text. We can change the font size and style, but if
you already know what size and style you want, you can submit your text exactly
as you would like it to appear. Simply let your cover designer know your preference.
Will I be able to make changes or corrections to the cover?
Yes, you will be able to make changes and/or corrections to the cover created by
our graphic designers. One round of cover corrections is included with the Stock
Art Cover design service. If you find any errors you would like to correct, or anything
you would like to adjust, such as a color, font, placement of images or text, you
can submit all of your changes together on the appropriate form. Make sure that
you thoroughly review the cover and include all of the necessary changes in the
first set of corrections. Additional corrections or adjustment after the first set
will carry an additional labor charge of $50.00 per hour.
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What if I don't like the design of the cover at all?
Although it is uncommon, if you happen to dislike everything about your cover design,
we can start over with a completely new cover design idea – you do not have
to use anything from the first proof copy. Since a round of cover corrections is
automatically built into the service, there are no additional costs to change your
cover. However, if you do need additional rounds of cover corrects after the first
round of changes, you will need to purchase additional cover correction services.
To avoid the possibility of seeing a first
proof that you completely dislike, research your cover ideas and consider the advice
of the cover designer. If they advise that your idea is too busy or difficult for
our designers to complete, it is likely that you will not be happy with the results
if they go forward with your idea. Similarly, if you do not offer any input or a
general idea, your cover designer is forced to guess about your likes and dislikes,
resulting in a cover that may not match your personal tastes.
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