Investing in Great Cover Design

I am working on my second book, No More Crumbs: How to Stop Dating (and Mating) for Crumbs and Get .... In the past I've designed my own covers (graphics design background) and got good responses but this time around I wanted to have someone else design it for me.

You can click on the image to vote on the one you like the most and leave a comment.

I wanted bookshelf quality so it made sense to hire a designer. But they can be expensive so I did a bit of research and learned about 99designs.com. Did a little more research and read reviews. Some love it (authors on a budget) and some hate it (designers who feel strongly against it). I took all the pros and cons into consideration and decided to take the plunge.

I completed the sign up then started on the design brief that would tell designers what I wanted. I looked at some of the other design briefs and took tips from them to incorporate into mine. I submitted it and waited. It took a day or so for designs to begin coming in.

The contests last for seven days (unless you extend it). During that time you review the designs as they come in and give feedback. It takes some time to got through them depending on how many designers you get. Some designs you eliminate and those that remain and has potential you rank.

Giving detailed feedback is helpful for the designer who will then come back with a revised or new design. This process is three days to determine who will go to the next level and four days to determine the winner. Finally you pick the winner and then got through the turnover process. I am almost to this point.

I am happy with what has been designed for me so far. I think I have a winner but I like to see what others think to determine the general appeal.

I will post the winning design a little later.

Let me know if you have any questions about the process in the comments below.