Start with the reader and the shelf
A cover helps a reader recognize the kind of book in front of them. Share the genre, intended audience, synopsis, title and author name before choosing a visual direction. Comparable covers are useful when you explain what each demonstrates: mood, type hierarchy, contrast or genre expectations.
Greenfield's book cover gallery shows visual examples. Use a cover design brief to turn your preferences into decisions a designer can work with. A reference is a conversation about direction, rather than a request to copy another author's artwork.
Review concepts with specific questions
Ask whether the cover communicates the intended reading experience, whether the title is legible at a small size and whether the author name has the agreed prominence. Test the design beside relevant books, as a retailer thumbnail and at full size. A detail that looks impressive in a large mockup may disappear on a phone.
Keep feedback tied to the brief. “The subtitle is hard to read at thumbnail size” gives a designer a concrete problem. “Make it stand out more” may lead to changes that weaken the genre signal. Confirm concept directions, revision rounds and final approval stages in the scope.
Design for the editions being produced
An ebook front cover, a paperback wrap and a hardcover are different deliverables. A print wrap needs back-cover copy, a barcode plan and a spine based on the confirmed edition specifications. The final page count, paper and trim size matter when preparing the production file.
Discuss those editions early, then confirm specifications against the selected platform before export. KDP's paperback submission guidance explains its cover file requirements. Other destinations need their own checks; a file accepted in one workflow should not be assumed ready for every format.
Confirm artwork rights and the handoff
Record the source and permitted use of photographs, illustrations, fonts and any supplied brand assets. Ask whether image editing, illustration, licensed assets and promotional mockups are included. AI-generated imagery also needs an explicit decision and the relevant platform disclosure checks.
Name the final exports for each edition and ask whether editable design files are included. A three-dimensional book mockup is useful for promotion; it does not replace the print-ready wrap or ebook cover. Store the approved files and asset information together.
Bring a brief, then contact for pricing
Share the book's audience, genre, title, planned formats, reference covers and existing assets. If the title or manuscript length is still changing, say so. Concept development can begin before every production detail is final, but the release files need confirmed specifications.
Quotation factors include creative complexity, custom illustration, assets, edition count, revision scope and agreed handoff files. Custom cover design appears in the publishing packages; your proposal should identify which formats and deliverables it includes.